Covid Figures
According to a report in The Independent, the counties with the highest incidence of Covid-19 were Westmeath, Kilkenny, Tipperary, Sligo, Carlow, Waterford and Donegal.
Counties with the lowest rates were Dublin, Wicklow, Monaghan, Kildare, Meath, Cork and Clare.
Priestless
It was a new word to us here in Australia. It appears that the Irish Catholic hierarchy are taking seriously the possibility of a priestless church in Ireland.
A new report titled – clunkily – the National Synthesis document has been completed and forwarded to Rome. The report is the result of extensive consultations with thousands of Irish Catholics all over the island. The report calls for many dramatic changes, including ‘a strong desire for women’s involvement in leadership and ministries’. It was assumed that the bishops would wrap the radical concepts in language acceptable to the Vatican hierarchy. Not this time, however: it was sent without any watering-down.
Some Numbers
Some figures you just can’t help noticing. Here is an example from Gerard Howlin in The Irish Times. ‘One third of the 730 bishops at the first Vatican Council in 1868 were Irish or of Irish descent.’
Sad Death
The Dubs loved Brian Mullins and he deserved their affection. A wonderful midfielder, winner of four All Irelands, he was admired and respected by opponents on and off the field. He died at the end of September, aged 68. It was not widely known that he was also a talented cricketer and represented Leinster.
Remembering the Queen
People outside Australia may wonder how the country paused to remember her long life. We recommend two articles by writer Tom Keneally which were not typical. Here he is in The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/sep/14/hollow-cloying-veneration-greeted-the-queens-death-now-history-calls-on-us-to-get-an-australian-head-of-state
And here he is in The Saturday Paper, https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/politics/2022/09/17/what-king-charles-means-the-republican-movement?utm_campaign=SharedArticle&utm_source=share&utm_medium=link&utm_term=b99Fjmf&token=2raItDTu#shared-unlock
Tinteán 