Niamh Walsh’s Manifesto
Have a little faith in the sacrif ices of our clergy
WHILE everything about this virus is devastating, one of the saddest aspects is the restrictions imposed on funerals. That loved ones are denied a last goodbye is gutwrenching and sometimes there simply are no words.
But in the past few weeks we have seen priests and members of the clergy throughout Ireland, and indeed the globe, deliver solace when faced with administering Last Rites and providing words of comfort to families in grief.
Recent years have seen people question the role of, or the need for, the Catholic Church.
Much of this questioning is justified given the horrific crimes committed by some members of the Church.
But in this time of crisis we have borne witness to the role of religion as we seek comfort, answers and, for many, the opportunity to pray to a higher power for this nightmare to end.
In recent weeks I have read countless articles about priests tending to the dying. We have seen pictures of clergy attending funeral after funeral, this time not in the sole role as an envoy for God but also as a messenger for a family who are unable to attend.
And yet priests – who are immune neither to the disease nor the grief and who are people too and risk their own lives and health – have had to put up with the usual suspects who used the occasion to pour more scorn over the Church.
Dear God, can they not give it a rest? If nothing else these past few weeks have shown us that, for so many people, religion and the Church have a very important place in our society.
And maybe, in this crisis, the role of religion and faith is in dire need now more than ever before.
Footie fools offside as they break rules
THERE may be no sport to watch but there is certainly plenty of action off the football pitch as premier league players prove they are premier league fools.
Jack Grealish, who opted to tog out for England over Ireland, seems to feature more regularly on the front than the back pages.
Now he has been outed for being a top-scoring hypocrite. The Aston Villa midfielder went way off leftfield when he crashed his Range Rover after a night of partying with football friends. He then displayed some deft footwork by fleeing, but not before being snapped on camera by an eagleeyed fan.
Just hours before Grealish’s crash he had posted a video imploring people to stay inside and to play their part.
Grealish, clearly not showing any of the team sportsmanship for which footballers are renowned, must have meant for ‘the plebs’ to stay put while millionaire footballers go out to play. And then we had pillock player of the year Kyle Walker, who also took to Instagram with a heartfelt plea to his fans to stay inside and observe social distancing rules.
In fairness to Walker, he did keep to the inside part. It’s just that he went offside with the rules when he and a friend called two escorts to come to his Manchester party pad for a night of, I presume scoring of a different kind from what he is paid £150,000 a week for.
As the row rages on over the players’ pay cut, these two have shown they can afford to give up a portion of their salary as they clearly have far more money than sense or consideration.
Flight of fancy gets a French kiss-off
MONEY can buy you a first class ticket but what it can’t buy is class – or brains. Three billionaires took off on a private jet from Hampshire with three young women and bodyguards on board to whoop it up at a stunning €57,000a-night luxury clifftop villa in Cannes. Unfortunately the welcoming committee waiting on the tarmac was a troop of local gendarmerie who promptly turned the jet back to England.
The billionaires told the French police they were there to conclude a very important business deal – have they never heard of Zoom? – and when that didn’t work one said: ‘I have money – let’s talk.’
When it was clear they couldn’t buy their way into Cannes they accused the French of ‘stupid ignorance’ over Covid-19.
What a load of plonkers!
And what VIP role were the young women fulfilling at this ‘business meeting’? Pen holders in chief?
Let’s hope the men’s wives were waiting for them when they touched down on UK soil again.
Tiger King: fangs for the memories
IF YOU’RE looking for a Netflix binge then Tiger King is equally bizarre, entertaining, infuriating and just downright captivating.
Without giving away any spoilers, this Netflix true life-cum-crime series details a killer fight between a country-singing gay exotic zoo owner and what, to my mind, is a self-serving tiger rescuer with a hero complex and a disingenuous zealousness to save America’s captive tigers.
The twists and turns, snarls, bites and fight to the very near death of the fittest has played out on Netflix but has been so far-reaching that Donald Trump was questioned about it in his White House daily briefings.
So, if big cats, country music and crazy yanks are your ‘thang’ then get your fangs into this binge series.
Minister Harris really is a good egg
SPEAKING of all things animals, Health Minister Simon Harris has shown utter steely resolve in his response to the coronavirus crisis, having really stepped up to the very difficult job at hand.
Through all of the horrors and heartache of the past week, Harris dug deep and summoned his cute and cuddly side when he was reacting to children who were hopping mad that the Easter Bunny might be forced to observe the strict lockdown rules.
Clearing Mr E Bunny as being in good health and declaring him an ‘essential worker’, Harris provided a little moment of laughter and magic in what is otherwise the most awful of times.