Fr. Sean McDonagh of the Association of Catholic Priests (ACP) spoke to The Today Show following the results of a new survey commissioned by the group. New research shows that the vast majority of Irish Catholics – 87% believe priests should be allowed to marry. Over three quarters feel women should be allowed to become priests. The study reveals a major disconnect between official church teachings and Irish Catholics themselves. Six out of ten also believe that the Church’s stance on homosexuality is wrong. Ireland still has a relatively high level of mass attendance though – a third of Catholics go once a week – and over half go once a month.
Brian Howard is the CEO of Mental Health Ireland. He spoke to Gavin Grace following news that a study found (of the 2,500 children aged from 11 to 16 years assessed) 20%
of them reported hearing voices. It’s a sign that experts see as a risk factor for mental illness.
While the voices tend to stop for most children as they grow older – those who continue to hear them face a much higher risk of psychiatric disorder. Among older adolescents – just seven per cent reported hearing voices – but nearly 80% of those were found to have a psychiatric disorder. If you would like to get more information on this issue please see www.mentalhealthireland.ie or call 01 284 11 66
Ed Farnan, Journalist and Political Correspondent with Irish Central in New York joined Gavin live from California to offer an update on the Republican nomination race.
In the US, Republican Rick Santorum has ended his campaign for his party’s presidential nomination. The former Pennsylvania senator made the announcement at a rally in his home state. His announcement effectively clears a path for Mitt Romney to become the Republican nominee to face President Barack Obama in November’s election. Ed discussed the ins and outs of the campaign and the fight for the White House.
Joyce Loughnane, CEO of Focus Ireland discussed how the Government needs to provide more sufficient housing to help those who are homeless. Today is International Day for Street Children and it’s emerged that one in seven people who access homeless services in Ireland are children. The majority of families living on the street can wait up to two years in emergency accommodation. Joyce says that at any given time, and due to the transient nature of homelessness, there are approximately 5,000 people living on the streets in Ireland.
Clare FM’s Stephen McDermott – our resident Film Reviewer talked about the appeal of Titanic movies, such as Titanic, Titanic 3D, A Night to Remember, Raise the Titanic, Titanic 2! – the list goes on!
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