Latest news with #MarkShields
BBC News
5 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
Coming out as gay 'daunting' - Armagh All-Ireland winner Shields
Armagh's Mark Shields admits coming out as a gay inter-county footballer was "daunting", but says it was "important to tell my own story" as he publicly discussed his sexuality for the first time. An All-Ireland winner with the Orchard County in 2024, Shields spoke about coming out in the GAA world at the Gaelic Players Association's annual Pride Bunch last weekend. Shields is the first active male inter-county player to speak about being gay since former Cork hurler Donal Og Cusack, while Tyrone club footballer Kevin Penrose spoke about his experience on The GAA Social earlier this says he hopes his story will help young Gaelic games players who are struggling to express their sexuality."I feel it's just important to tell my own story of 12-15 years playing inter-county, my experience of coming through the ranks, being a senior inter-county player in the male GAA environment," said Shields in a video posted on the GPA's Instagram account."It was a daunting task coming out, whenever it was, about 10-12 years. The culture has changed within society, within the group in Armagh. I feel that I can express myself more. The group are more accepting."The language used around the group is changing. There's people standing up for people, for myself in the group, whereas maybe that didn't happen that much before. I think the culture is changing within the GAA itself." 'I hope telling my story will help younger players' Whitecross club-man Shields says some of the language previously used in changing rooms was "hurtful", but that he feels more supported within the GAA now. "It's been excellent to have allyships and people advocating for it in social media, and around GAA set-ups, and the GPA," he said."I hope speaking out and telling my story will help that younger player, be it male or female, non-binary to express themselves in the GAA environment."Shields added that speaking to his sister helped him before he came out. "I had to find someone I trusted in, that was my sister," he said."I spoke to my sister a lot, and would have a close relationship with her, my partner as well. It's finding that someone you trust and you want to express yourself to them."I found that very helpful whenever I was trying to tell my story and trying to come out. They were the ones that stood by me throughout and supported me whenever I felt down or low in the dumps or in a dark place."It doesn't have to be in front of a group; it can be a one-to-one conversation with someone. That's how I found it easier, to have that walk on the beach, in a forest or just chatting to someone over a coffee. That was the easiest way for myself."
Irish Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
'I spent 15 years inside a GAA dressing room and always wondered if I belonged'
Mark Shields has spoken about being a gay inter-county footballer - and hopes that by doing so he may help young GAA players that are struggling to express their sexuality. The Armagh GAA star spoke in front of an audience over the weekend for the first time about being an openly gay player. Shields told how he questioned for 15 years if he belonged inside a senior inter-county dressing room. He said at the GPA Pride Brunch over the weekend: 'I spent 15 years inside a senior inter-county dressing room, and I always wondered if I belonged. 'I never heard anyone like me speak up, so I stayed silent. That silence cost me. 'It was a male environment, very macho. You just felt, if they knew I was gay, maybe you'd lose your place, maybe you wouldn't be accepted. 'So I pushed it down, and that weight became heavier every season.' Shields told how it was "a daunting task coming out". The defender is the first active male inter-county player to talk about being gay since Donal Óg Cusack. He explained: 'It was a daunting task coming out, whenever, it was about 10 or 12 years ago. 'But like I said, the culture has changed within society, within the group in Armagh, and I feel I can express myself more, the group are more accepting. 'The language used around the group has changed, and there's people standing up for people and myself in the group, whereas maybe that didn't happen as much before. 'I think the culture and everything is changing within the GAA itself. 'I hope speaking out and telling my story will help that kind of younger player for male and female, non-binary, to express themselves in the GAA environment.' He also revealed how it was important to find someone he trusted and how his sister helped him. 'For me it was a process. I had to find someone who I trusted in, that was my sister. I spoke to my sister a lot, I have a close relationship with her, my partner as well," he added. 'It's finding someone you trust and you want to express yourself to them. 'They were the ones that stood by me throughout and supported me whenever I felt down or low or in the dumps or in a dark place. 'And it doesn't have to be in front of a group, it can be a one-to-one conversation.'
Irish Examiner
5 days ago
- Health
- Irish Examiner
Armagh All-Ireland winner Mark Shields says coming out as gay was a 'daunting task'
Mark Shields hopes speaking about being a gay inter-county footballer will be of benefit to young Gaelic games players struggling to express their sexuality. At the GPA's annual Pride Brunch, the 2024 All-Ireland winner with Armagh spoke openly in front of an audience for the first time about being gay. He is the first active male inter-county player to speak about being gay since Cork hurler Donal Óg Cusack. "I feel it's just important to tell my own story of 12 - 15 years playing inter-county, my experience of coming through the ranks, being a senior inter-county player in the male GAA environment," Shields said in a video published on the GPA's social media accounts. "It was a daunting task coming out, whenever it was, about 10 - 12 years. The culture has changed within society, within the group in Armagh. I feel that I can express myself more. The group are more accepting. "The language used around the group is changing. There's people standing up for people, for myself in the group, whereas maybe that didn't happen that much before. I think the culture is changing within the GAA itself." Shields said that some of the language used in changing rooms in the past would have been "hurtful". He added that having the type of support he feels is now available would have made his situation much easier a decade ago. "It's been excellent to have allyships and people advocating for it in social media, and around GAA set-ups, and the GPA," he said. "I hope speaking out and telling my story will help that younger player, be it male or female, non-binary to express themselves in the GAA environment." Shields advised anyone struggling with their sexuality to find someone they can trust. "For me, it was process," he said "I had to find someone I trusted in, that was my sister; I spoke to my sister a lot, and would have a close relationship with her, my partner as well. It's finding that someone you trust and you want to express yourself to them. "I found that very helpful whenever I was trying to tell my story and trying to come out. They were the ones that stood by me throughout and supported me whenever I felt down or low in the dumps or in a dark place. "It doesn't have to be in front of a group; it can be a one-to-one conversation with someone. That's how I found it easier, to have that walk on the beach, in a forest or just chatting to someone over a coffee. That was the easiest way for myself."
Washington Post
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Congress shouldn't be an assisted-living facility
Legendary Post columnist Mark Shields used to describe Washington's operating principle as 'If you can't say something nice about someone, let's hear it.' And Shields, who died in 2022, never saw today's D.C., where any policy difference translates directly into ad hominem attacks. One Washington denizen with whom I've almost never found myself in agreement is Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Illinois). I've been a target of his criticism, some of it highly personal, multiple times. But on the occasion of his coming retirement, announced April 23, I come not to bury but to praise. The senator's decision that 44 years in Congress and 80 years of age are enough sets an example we should hope others emulate, and not just octogenarians. The Senate in recent years has been the oldest ever, with a median age today of 64.7. It is home to about 35 members age 70 or older. For perspective, the Senate in 2011 had a median age of 61; in 2001, it was 58; in 1981, 51; in 1971, 55. That last figure is interesting. The Japanese Diet average checks in at 55. (Many legislatures, such as the Israeli Knesset at 52 and Britain's House of Commons at 48, are even younger than that.) We sometimes think of Japan as a nation and a culture reverent of, and dominated by, its elderly. But its political leadership looks youthful by comparison with ours, with the same age profile the United States had at the peak of its world leadership. Of course, a Congress of 500-plus members theoretically can manage around any who are slipping or no longer contributing much. It's not nearly as dangerous as a senile president, being covered for by a lapdog press and a staff who are doing the real work of managing the nation's affairs. But the gerontocracy into which we have drifted raises issues more troubling than just the feebleness or incompetence that aging brings. Acknowledging the occasional exception, today's elderly — I grudgingly have to admit to belonging to that category — are unfit to lead the nation in the face of its greatest threats and challenges. We are being overwhelmed by an onrush of technologies that present both unprecedented opportunities and unprecedented dangers. When even those who are inventing and developing artificial intelligence and genetic engineering do not pretend to fully understand where these breakthroughs are heading, we need political leaders who have grown up with these wonders and find them at least slightly less mysterious. With regard to that other lethal threat, the national debt — which is certain to bring a damaging, perhaps catastrophic reckoning — today's elderly careerists have disqualified themselves. Any member who has sat in Congress for the past few decades shares culpability for the unconscionable burden we have destined the next generations to bear. It is past time for those who will have to clean up after a 60-year spending bacchanal, and try to save the safety net for those who need it most, to take full command. Which brings us back to Dick Durbin. By stepping aside, when he could have cruised to another six-year extension in his one-party state, let's hope he is part of a trend, following earlier Senate retirements by Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) and Dianne Feinstein (D-California). Yes, Durbin might just be weary of today's dysfunctional Congress. Or maybe the possibility of more years in the Senate minority left him discouraged. Those concerns have clearly motivated the departures of several younger members. But let's take him at his word when he said, 'In my heart, I know it's time to pass the torch.' Viewing his public record of relentless Big Government statism, 'pass the cudgel' would be a more apt metaphor. But disagreements are only disagreements, and bygones … bygones. He has worked hard and honestly for his view of the public interest, and he serves it well now by walking away. I hope and predict the senator from Illinois will look back on this decision with personal satisfaction. A simple but often violated rule, of which I have often reminded friends, is 'Everything ends sometime. The question is: How do you want it to end?' We all can name sports heroes, business leaders and other public figures who held on too long, whose last seasons sadly detracted from lives of great accomplishment. The senator has eliminated that risk and, I hope, provided himself with years of fulfilling new pursuits. Lamar Alexander (R-Tennessee), another senator who wisely decided '80 is enough,' once described the Senate as 'America's finest assisted-living facility.' The institution and our pro-incumbent electoral system make it all too easy for people to accommodate those who are determined to go out Skechers-first. Better if they take Durbin's example and hand the reins to newcomers better suited to deal with the big troubles ahead.
RNZ News
21-04-2025
- RNZ News
Life on Easter Island with Marc Shields
Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island. Photo: AFP/ Pablo Cozzaglio The small island of Rapa Nui - also known as Easter Island - sits off the coast of Chile and is home to about 8600 people. It's known for the huge historic statues, called Moai, which are dotted around the island. Marc Shields hails from West Auckland but is a long-term resident of Rapa Nui, with his wife and three children. The population was only about 7750 in the 2017 Chilean census. Shields told Paddy Gower on RNZ's Easter Monday show that what a lot of people didn't know was that Rapa Nui was closely linked to New Zealand and Māori. "The name Easter Island comes from the first European explorer who saw it on Easter sunday on 1722... but Rapa Nui - it's polynesian name - was used by most on the island." Shields said the arrival of the first Rapa Nui was about 1200AD. "They are Polynesian, so basically cousins of the New Zealand Māori. They have a lot of intercultural kind of relationship with the Māori people, the language is very very similar, much more similar for example Samoan and Tongan. "Māori people who come here can understand to a degree the language even though it's 8000km away." Mark Shields. Photo: Youtube/RapaNuiLife Shields said after the Rapa Nui's first arrival, at about 1250AD, they began to build the famous statues called Moai. In 1680-1750 a civil war broke out over resource scarcity, and after that the birdman competition began. "Each year someone from each tribe would gather and they would have a competition climbing down cliffs, swimming off the coast to try and find the first egg of the Sooty Tern bird, and whoever got that egg, his respective chief would be the chief of the island for that year." Shields said people began to convert to Catholicism in about 1860, with their underlying beliefs and traditions still remaining. He added that since the 70s, tourism had become an important part of the island's day to day life. "It's the only thing on the island that generates money. You are either employed by the government or you are employed in tourism. "Tourism is where the money is, but it is perhaps a little bit less stable," he said. Mark Shields on Easter Island coast with his family and dogs. Photo: Youtube/RapaNuiLife Shields also said the Rapa Nui language was "going through a tough time". "So you got people in their 70s speaking it as a first language, people my age speak it as a second language quite comfortably, the next generation are really struggling to speak it. "So you've got this kind of loss of the language where now the grandparents can't speak to their grandchildren in Rapa Nui." But Shields for the moment, most on the island would be enjoying their Sunday off work. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
