So many modern controversies involve clashes between conscience and state, between the Government and the governed, between conflicting world views. Issues of Conscience v. the State were central to the Terrence Malick film A Hidden Life (Channel 4, Sunday) – the true story of Catholic conscientious objector Franz Jagerstatter in Austria during World War II.…
So many important matters were teased out in the media last week – it’s challenging to have a life and keep on top of it all! There was a telling interview on Drivetime (RTÉ Radio 1, Friday). Cormac Ó hEadhra interviewed the Iranian Ambassador and pressed him hard on Iranian support for Hamas. The surprising…
Podcasts aren’t quite radio but they’re close – the lines are blurred. Some podcasts are original, living only on the hosting platforms like Spotify, others are really just playback options from regular radio broadcasting. A relatively new kid on the Podcast block is State of the Nation, presented by former The Irish Catholic editor Michael…
Easter is a great time for religious programming in the media, whether special shows for the season or special editions of the regular shows. On the seasonal edition of Witness (RTÉ Radio 1, Good Friday), Fr Tod Nolan gave presenter Siobhán Garrigan a guide to the Stations of the Cross at Ballintubber Abbey, Co.…
I’ve been catching up on a few TV drama series that have religious themes. The best of the lot is Kim’s Convenience (Netflix), a comedy about a Korean family running a convenience store in Toronto. The characters are believable and likeable, even the minor characters are very funny, particular the random customers, even if they…
It is customary around this time of year for us to go all Celtic, with a focus on all things Irish, or even Oirish! I wouldn’t accuse the new series Ag Triall ar an Tobar (TG4, Thursday) of that latter charge. I felt it was an enjoyable exploration of Irish holy wells with the…
Tis a tale of two days I have for you – a Saturday and a Thursday. If Ireland had beaten England at Twickenham last Saturday it would have been the icing on the cake, after that day’s stunning win for the No side in the referenda. But the cake is more important than the icing…
There’s so much going on in society that is just so grim. The crises seem to be served up in rotation by the media. One of the minor crises was the unexpected amount of snow that fell last Friday. On Drivetime (RTÉ Radio 1, Friday) we heard from homeless men queuing up out the International…
Last weekend saw the second anniversary of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine and it’s depressing to see that peace doesn’t seem to be anywhere close. On Witness (RTÉ Radio 1, Friday) Ksenia Trofymchuk from a Protestant theological college in Ukraine pointed out that Ukrainians were somewhat used to war since earlier Russian incursions in 2014.…
So, the referendum debates go on. The media coverage is increasing, though I’m not so sure it’s that enlightening. Today with Claire Byrne (RTÉ Radio 1, Wednesday) gave plenty of time to it and was well balanced, though it became overly fractious. Minister Thomas Byrne struggled to define ‘durable relationships’. He said it would be…
Brendan O’Regan