Clodagh Finn: Lessons in the extraordinary power of forgiveness

Una O’Higgins O’Malley was a woman nearing 60, with a long record of peace activism, when she discovered the names of the men responsible for killing her father

Una O’Higgins O’Malley when she worked briefly as a solicitor for Arthur Cox. Picture: Courtesy of Iseult O'Malley

Sat, 19 Apr, 2025 - 01:00

Clodagh Finn

Clodagh Finn is a journalist, writer and collector of stories. Her recent book, The Irish in the Resistance, co-authored with John Morgan, shines a light on the forgotten contributions of the Irish who resisted Hitler during WW2.

Fr Paul Murphy might be “in the business of forgiveness”, as he put it, yet it was still deeply affecting to read how he forgave and later hugged the 17-year-old boy who stabbed him multiple times at Renmore Barracks in Galway last August.

If you have a moment, read his victim impact statement; it offers an insight into the extraordinary power of forgiveness and its potential to offer hope even in the wake of an appalling crime.