Most weeks you get a at least one good new documentary on television. Last week there were two. Inside the Hospice (Virgin Media One, Wednesday) was so moving and intense, an affirmation of the value of palliative care. The film makers got access to several hospices including those in Harold’s Cross and Wicklow and several…
I’m uneasy about repurposed churches – sad that worship no longer goes on there, what is left being like an empty shell. If its new purpose is something artistic it takes away some of the sting. The Sea Church, with Jesus prominent in its stained-glass window, is the venue for the Ballycotton Sessions (RTÉ Two,…
I often think that it should be possible for there to be authority without authoritarianism, dogma without dogmatism or pomp without pomposity. Nine News (RTÉ One, Saturday) referred to the “pomp and ceremony” at the coronation of Britain’s King Charles III. It wasn’t short of either of those, but was it pompous? I’ve seen worse…
Recently, 25 years of relative peace were celebrated in Northern Ireland, but recent events also show that it’s fragile, and there are legacies that linger and threaten to disturb it. A minority won’t let go of a Troubles frame of mind, but I’d suspect most want to move on to a time when sectarianism fades…
If there are two sides in a controversy I prefer to hear a discussion between two representatives. When it’s just one at a time being interviewed the presenter may not be informed or willing enough to ask the hard questions of both sides. On The Pat Kenny Show (Newstalk, Wednesday) Michael Fitzmaurice TD, Independent, and…
I’m frequently uneasy about the whole Irish-American thing, but I do realise how welcoming the USA has been to the Irish, and how well they effectively protected us during World War II. The crucial US contribution to the Irish peace process must be acknowledged also. I wasn’t that interested in following the extensive coverage of…
‘Blessed are the peacemakers’. This Beatitude seemed to underpin the coverage of the Good Friday Agreement anniversary last week. It hasn’t been 25 years of perfect peace but it has been infinitely better than the Troubles that went before. The event was marked in a prayerful way by the Service for the 25th Anniversary of…
Palm Sunday is a strange kind of day – celebrating the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, but with the cloud of impending events looming over. It’s the emotional rollercoaster of Holy Week, but with the sure knowledge and hope of the Resurrection. On the Mass for Palm Sunday (RTÉ One) I liked the homily of…
RTÉ sure knows how to make excellent one-off documentaries – last week we had a good one! In the Name of the Son (RTÉ One, Thursday) was the aptly-named story of Mags Riordan from Dingle. She had suffered the loss of three of her children – a baby that didn’t survive an accident that saw…
St Patrick’s Day has become more of a secular celebration than a religious one. The ‘St’ is often dropped and the horrible ‘Paddy’s Day’ has accelerated the process. And yet the spiritual side has co-existed, happily or uneasily. It’s always open to Christians to celebrate the spiritual side and ensure that in their families due…