Taken from Ceifin's ninth annual conference of the same title, this book explores the new freedoms available in Ireland, and whether that freedom constitutes true liberty or is engendering a licence that is ultimately threatening to the fabric of its 'new' society?

The question of leadership has to be one of the most critical facing us as a society right now. The twentieth century was about institutions; they shaped us. There is now a distrust of the institutions that were central to our lives, and people are calling into question the way leadership has been exercised. We are aware of the need to change, but what kind of leadership will bring about that change? It is clear that a lot of organisations will have to return to first beginnings. What are banks for? What is the Church for? How does business and community connect? Is politics about parties or people? To whom do young people turn for ideals, for a sense of meaning and purpose? What kind of community/local leadership is needed? These are fundamental questions for our time and for the systems that serve us. There is no scarcity of analysis. There is no shortage of ideas. The papers from the 2009 Ceifin Conference aim to address the kind of vision, values and leadership required for recovery. Contributors include Rachael English, Ray Kinsella and Michael Drumm.

A constant theme running through the ten Ceifin Conferences since 1998 has been changes in family life. A key question to emerge from the first conference was, Who is rearing the next generation? and that question has not gone away. The family now needs to be examined, not as an argument for or against anything, but in itself. What does it really mean to our society and what does it contribute to human, social and spiritual development? The economic miracle, 1994, 2007, brought undreamed-of affluence. We welcomed it. However, there is no doubt that relationships suffered, particularly in the area of family and community. We are currently experiencing the beginnings of a recession. Food and fuel prices are escalating; jobs are threatened. The family will once again be on the frontline of experiencing difficult economic changes, coming on the back of a period when it experienced significant social and religious changes. How resourceful are family units after a period of consumerism? This conference should enable delegates to broaden their awareness of the current state of family life and the changing nature of relationships between home, school, and work-place , placing particular emphasis on a new vision for the changing family.

Tracking the Tiger: A Decade of Change is a collection of papers presented at the Ceifin Conference 2007. It sets out to recall and trace what has been happening in keys areads of Irish life over the last decade. It explores the influence of the economic miracle, and the alues which have shaped us throughout. Tracking the Tiger also looks at challenges for the next decade. Who or what will be involved? Who or what will inspire us? Will it be education, religion, politics or the media? Or will the business worl and commerical values only continue to shape us?

Have we become helpless in the face of change or can we manage the future? More and more people talk about the emptiness of modern life, they wonder where meaning is coming from and what values are shaping us; they say it is not easy being young today in spite of the choices and the freedom. We cannot assume that if we simply sit back and comment the storm will blow over, or that we will return to the old ways. The fact is we are experiencing a cultural transformation, we are witnessing the passing of a tradition, the end of an era. Every day we hear questions like Why aren t they doing something about it? or Who is responsible for this, that or the other? It is time to ask: Have I got any responsibility for the way things are?

From 1998 to 2009, over eighty papers were presented at the annual Ceifin conferences, focusing on key social issues facing Ireland. Values - Leadership - Change: Messages from Ceifin is a collection of the ideas presented during these twelve annual conferences. Grouped into four themes, the lessons focus on the twin values of our inner identity and collective potential, drawing from both Christian and humanist traditions. They recommend that we integrate these values into the mainstream of public policies: promoting social capital of networks and reciprocity; resourcing people to realise their potential with authenticity; and providing a framework of power and leadership based on equity, quality and vision in a global world.

Global Aspirations and the Reality of Change is a collection of papers from the 6th Ceifin Conference, which is held annually in Ennis, Co. Clare. The theme of this latest volume is societal change and how people can put more emphasis on action and begin to translate analysis into reality. Contributors conclude that action will take place only when more people participate in society - and are empowered to do so.

What are the values that we choose to prioritise and live by? What price are we prepared to pay for ethics? Is it enough to rely on the law as the minimum standard of acceptable behaviour? Ultimately, can one person make a difference? These and other far-reaching questions are addressed in Values and Ethics, the fifth collection of papers from the Ceifin conference which is held annually in Ennis, Co. Clare. Contributors include sociologist Dr. Tony Fahey, Bishop Willie Walsh and Dr. Lorna Gold from the University of York. There is a belief in Ireland that we have not adjusted to our new-found prosperity. In a society that measures almost everything in monetary terms, values and ethics are increasingly sidelined. We now face the challenge of taking our social growth as seriously as we take our economic growth. This book gives hope that real change can begin with committed individuals who believe passionately that shared values can become a social reality. ABOUT THE EDITORS Fr. Harry Bohan, Chairman of the Ceifin Centre, qualified as Sociologist in the University of Wales and is currently Director of Pastoral Planning in Diocese of Killaloe and Parish Priest in Sixmilebridge, Co Clare. Believing in family and community as the two vital systems in fostering human relationships he founded the Rural Resource Organisation. This organisation was responsible for encouraging communities across Ireland to participate in determining their own future and resulted in the building of 2,500 houses in 120 villages, in 13 counties. In 1998 he founded the Ceifin Centre for Values-Led Change to carry on the conversation on the direction Ireland is taking. The purpose of Ceifin is to reflect, debate and direct values-led change in Irish society. He was appointed to the Task Force on Active Citizenship by an Taoiseach in 2006. Recognised as one of the leading social commentators in Ireland today Fr Bohan has written extensively on the subjects of christianity, spirituality and economic development, the importance of the local responding to the global and on understanding change. His books published include Roots in a changing Society and Community and the Soul of Ireland and he is editor and contributor to all 10 previous books of published papers from Ceifin Conferences. He has broadcast widely on national radio and television. Fr Harry is also well known for his involvement in sport and Clare Hurling in particular. Gerard Kennedy is the co-editor of this book.