We Must be Talking

Clericalism             Gerry OShea During the early centuries of Christianity, Christ's followers met - often secretly - to honor his memory by community prayer including the sharing of bread in remembrance of   the importance of togetherness in the Passover meal at the Last Supper. They met in each others' homes for their prayer services just as Amish worshippers do in their communities today. They had no priests, again replicated in Amish services in our time where leaders are chosen by the community and given no perks.   In fact most historians contend that Christ had no plans to start a new religion. He was critical of the legalistic formalism that dominated the Jewish rabbinical establishment of his day, but he is best understood as a charismatic Jewish rabbi with an inspiring message. The records show that these early Christian groups were egalitarian, with men and women chosen by their peers for leadership positions not only for their prayer and communio

The Great All-Ireland Replay             Gerry O'Shea            I am amazed that The All-Ireland Football Final, arguably the preeminent sporting event in the Irish calendar, is being held this year on a Saturday evening. This strange arrangement invites the comment that the planners in Croke Park looked for a convenient Sunday but had to pass on that to accommodate other considerations. The official explanation seems to confirm this perception: "There were a number of logistical reasons. We are very keen to have it on live TV and in discussions with RTE   -   they would have considerations such as greyhound racing." Nothing against the dogs but surely getting Sunday prime time for a game with a huge level of interest that sold out at 84,000 fans should have priority. That shouldn't be a close call. I am a big admirer of the GAA and the astounding benefits it has brought to every parish in Ireland since it was founded in Thurles in 1884, but sometimes I

Just imagine               Gerry OShea There seems to be no end to the lies and   outrageous assertions that Republicans will tolerate from their man in the White House. Just consider how they would be reacting if the person in the Oval Office was a Democrat.   Imagine that Hillary Clinton is in the White House and she claims that her father who came into the world in Scranton, Pennsylvania was actually born in Durham, England, the birth place of her grandfather. Would Republicans ascribe such a blunder to   normal memory slippage which seems to be the best excuse they can muster to explain how their man in the White House boldly asserted that his father, Fred Trump, was born not in the Bronx, which all the records indicate as his place of birth, but in Germany. Senator Bill Cassidy, Louisiana Republican, a distinguished physician with a strong interest in the area of mental health, would surely be calling for a psychiatric evaluation of any Democrat in the Oval Office who