Photo was taken on Torc Mountain, near Killarney, Co.Kerry (Irl)



Students from Rang Eimear, Col√°iste Choilm, Ballincollig, make their way along the descent back down Torc Mountain. Taking the photo into the sun along with the reflection from the snow made for interesting silhouettes in this photo. This particular hike has breathtaking scenery and every corner you turn brings a surprise. It comes highly recommended. Planks of wood act as stepping stones in the parts of the climb that could otherwise prove difficult.

Thought on Friday – March – 15/03/2013



‘You may pray for an hour and still not pray. You may meet God for a moment and then be in touch with God all day.’ ~Fredrik Wisloff


The feedback to the appointment of our new pope Francis has been overwhelmingly positive. Everyone seems to like him and feel that there is something about him that hasn’t been there for a while. Perhaps it is the knowledge that this pope likes to connect with people at ground level and dislikes pomp, elitism and clericalism. He comes across as a man who is down to earth and who is genuine in what he does. One could not ask for a better start.

Speaking of a start, the moment when he asked everyone to pray for him last Wednesday night needs a mention. He had over 200,000 people in St Peter’s square in complete silence praying for him, not to mention the millions watching it live on television. One will find no greater example on the power of prayer than this. It didn’t matter how you prayed or what you said. It didn’t require long words or a long period of time. No one was going to ask what you wished and prayed for. It was a simple invitation by the new pope but you could feel how precious a moment it was. It went way beyond words. It really had something special about it. When people pray like that together there is a great unifying force or energy present. It really is Divine. Each time we set aside time for prayer together like the Angelus, we are connecting with others who are also taking similiar time out. It may only be a minute but its a minute or a moment that can put us in touch with God all day.