Patrick J. Passmore

Patrick J. Passmore

Patrick J Passmore lives on the north coast of Ireland. He has worked with St Brigid Media on a range of projects as a consultant and writer.

Articles by Patrick J. Passmore

The parish priest of St. Patrick in Downpatrick, Northern Ireland, Canon John Murray, is in a “serious but stable” condition in hospital following the Aug. 10, 2025, assault in which his fingers were broken while defending himself. Credit: Pacemaker

Priest injured in church attack as police investigate Northern Ireland murder

Aug 11, 2025 / 11:27 am

The parish priest of Downpatrick, Canon John Murray, is in a “serious but stable” condition in the hospital following the assault in which his fingers were broken.

Daniel O'Connell, lithograph attributed to R. Evan Sly (EP OCON-DA (17) II) from the National Library of Ireland. Credit: National Library of Ireland

Daniel O’Connell: The peaceful liberator who won Catholic emancipation in Ireland

Aug 9, 2025 / 07:00 am

Daniel O’Connell’s efforts culminated in the passage of the Catholic Relief Act of 1829, which allowed Catholics to sit in Parliament and hold public office. 

Irish high cross at the Rock of Cashel in County Tipperary, Ireland. Credit: Marie-Lise Van Wassenhove via Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0)

Intercession for Priests marks 50 years with Mass and retreat in Ireland

Aug 6, 2025 / 13:11 pm

This week in Ireland, the Intercession for Priests marks its 50th anniversary with Mass in Knock followed by a weeklong retreat at Maynooth led by Sister Briege McKenna.

From the Irish College building in Salamanca, the Colegio Arzobispo Fonseca. Credit: Patrick J. Passmore

Remembering the Irish College in Salamanca, Spain, and the evacuation of seminarians

Aug 5, 2025 / 12:28 pm

The evacuation of Salamanca seminarians in 1936 marked the beginning of the end of a unique 350-year-old Irish-Spanish relationship.

Bishop Kevin Doran of Elphin, chairman of the Irish bishops’ Council for Life (far left), and Archbishop Eamon Martin of Armagh, primate of all Ireland (second from left), stand with young pro-life activists at the 2024 Ireland March for Life in Dublin on May 6, 2024. Credit: Courtesy of Pro Life Campaign

Abortions in Ireland up 300% since 2018 referendum

Jul 17, 2025 / 06:00 am

One in 6 unborn children’s lives now end in abortion in the Republic of Ireland.

The Brompton Oratory in London, with which the London Oratory School is associated. Credit: James Grey via Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Oratory priest in London calls Catholic politicians to confession before Communion

Jul 8, 2025 / 15:38 pm

During a homily at the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Father Julian Large referred to the recent and widely reported situation of a Catholic member of Parliament.

Thousands took to the streets in Cork, Ireland, on Sunday June 22, 2025, to participate in the city’s 99th consecutive annual Eucharistic procession in Ireland’s second-largest city. Credit: Brian Lougheed

Thousands gather in Cork, Ireland, for 99th consecutive Eucharistic procession

Jun 23, 2025 / 16:12 pm

The procession was led by the Butter Exchange Band and Bishop Fintan Gavin, bishop of Cork and Ross, beginning from the Cathedral of St. Mary and St. Anne.

In Knock, Ireland, on Sunday June 22, 2025, Archbishop Eamon Martin of Armagh urged the people of Ireland to “feel inspired and courageous” by the renewed consecration to the Sacred Heart. Credit: Sean Flynn/Irish Catholic Bishops Conference

Ireland reconsecrated to the Sacred Heart on feast of Corpus Christi

Jun 23, 2025 / 12:36 pm

Archbishop Eamon Martin of Armagh urged the people of Ireland to “feel inspired and courageous” by the renewed consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Cardinal Vincent Nichols, archbishop of Westminster, England (left), and Archbishop John Sherrington of Liverpool. Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA; SimeonMarcel, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Archbishops: Assisted suicide bill will be death knell for hospices, care homes in England

Jun 19, 2025 / 13:32 pm

Cardinal Vincent Nichols and Archbishop John Sherrington warn that the future of Catholic hospices and care facilities is in doubt if Parliament passes the End of Life Bill.

Over 10,000 pilgrims joined together at the national Marian shrine in Knock, Ireland, to mark the 40th anniversary of the All Ireland Rosary Rally on June 8, 2025. Credit: Photo courtesy of All Ireland Rosary Rally

Over 10,000 pilgrims gather in Knock, Ireland, for 40th All Ireland Rosary Rally

Jun 9, 2025 / 14:00 pm

This past weekend, over 10,000 pilgrims joined together at the national Marian shrine in Knock, Ireland, to mark the 40th anniversary of the All Ireland Rosary Rally.

Three teen brothers from Ireland have turned their admiration for Blessed Carlo Acutis into a movie called “Lego Movie — The Incredible Life of Carlo Acutis.” Credit: Photo courtesy of the Flynn family

Irish teens inspired by Carlo Acutis make Lego film of his life

Jun 9, 2025 / 12:22 pm

The short film called “Lego Movie — The Incredible Life of Carlo Acutis” is now available on YouTube under the name Fiontar Floinn.

Easter Vigil in Dublin, Ireland. Credit: Archdiocese of Dublin

Record number of adults baptized in Dublin as faith grows among young Irish

Jun 5, 2025 / 06:00 am

Church leaders in Dublin say Ireland’s increase in adult baptisms is a journey of accompaniment and catechesis.

Just a mention of Lough Derg summons tales of sleep deprivation, discomfort, and hunger, but it’s a deeply spiritual place of renewal and hope, from which faithful pilgrims often emerge reborn through the rituals of self-purification. Credit: Lough Derg

Barefoot and hungry pilgrims keep returning to Ireland’s most grueling pilgrimage

May 31, 2025 / 09:00 am

Lough Derg is renowned among the faithful for its physically grueling but spiritually uplifting three-day pilgrimage. 

Cap Arcona — once a luxurious transatlantic liner — became a place of execution in the spring of 1945 when it was bombed by British aircraft on May 3. Credit: Photo courtesy of Father Piotr Wiśniowski

The World War II tragedy still shrouded in silence 80 years later

May 6, 2025 / 14:37 pm

On May 3, 1945, one of the greatest and most silenced maritime tragedies of the 20th century unfolded in the Bay of Lübeck in Germany. 

A patch depicting the late Pope Francis is seen on the jersey of San Lorenzo’s Spanish midfielder No. 10 Iker Muniain during the Argentine Professional Football League 2025 Apertura Tournament football match between San Lorenzo and Rosario Central at the Pedro Bidegain stadium in Buenos Aires on April 26, 2025. The late Pope Francis, Jorge Bergoglio, was a fan and member No. 88235 of Argentina’s San Lorenzo football club. Credit: ALEJANDRO PAGNI/AFP via Getty Images

Pope Francis’ passing leaves international soccer world in mourning

Apr 28, 2025 / 10:39 am

Among the tens of thousands of mourners paying their respects before the coffin of Pope Francis late last week was Gianluigi Buffon, the Italian World Cup-winning goalkeeper.

Father Paul Murphy exits the Central Criminal Court in Dublin on Thursday, April 10, 2025, after giving a victim impact statement in a sentencing hearing for a boy who stabbed him. Credit: Press Association via AP Images

Army chaplain in Dublin court forgives, embraces teen who nearly killed him

Apr 16, 2025 / 12:26 pm

The attack occurred on Aug. 15, 2024, as the priest returned to his barracks in Renvyle in Ireland after an evening swim.

At dawn on March 17, 2025, a group of Christians gather around St. Patrick’s grave in Downpatrick, County Down, in Ireland to pray the Lord’s Prayer 100 times for peace and unity. Credit: Siobhán Brennan

Christians pray 100 Our Fathers at St. Patrick’s grave in Ireland for peace and unity

Mar 17, 2025 / 13:40 pm

It was the third year in a row that friends and strangers from all walks of life joined together in prayer to honor St. Patrick’s legacy.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) headquarters in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Aug. 10, 2023. Credit: Charles McQuillan/Getty Images

Northern Ireland’s police service faces anti-Catholic discrimination cases

Mar 17, 2025 / 06:00 am

The cases come 23 years after the force was established to create a new start for policing after years of controversies related to alleged discrimination. 

Thousands of people walk prayerfully together through the streets during a Eucharistic procession in Derry, Ireland, on the feast of St. Brigid, Feb. 1, 2025. Credit: EWTN Ireland

Eucharistic procession a ‘breakthrough’ in Ireland

Feb 12, 2025 / 06:00 am

A recent Eucharistic procession in Derry, Ireland, highlighted an inspiring revival of Catholic faith in a city synonymous with some dark days in Ireland’s troubled history.

St. Brigid of Kildare building the Church of the Oak, detail from a window of St. Etheldreda’s Church in London. Credit: Lawrence OP via Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Ireland’s spiritual mother faces secular reinterpretation

Feb 1, 2025 / 05:00 am

In Ireland, Feb. 1 marks the beginning of spring and the celebration of “Lá Fhéile Bríde” — St. Brigid’s Day.