I wonder what would be filling our news programmes if it wasn’t for Covid-19. Yes, I’ve got FOMO – fear of missing out! Yet it’s a serious question as significant events creep under the radar – it shows how important it is to check out and support reliable newspapers, to get a more rounded sweep of…
Anything that provides calm, relative normality or even distraction in these troubling times is welcome. Gardening surely ticks all these boxes, so I was glad to watch Gardeners’ World (BBC2) on Friday. Recently returned for a new season, presenter Monty Don exuded calm and enthusiasm and it was almost a virus-free zone – he did…
Well, who would have thought that RTÉ would move to broadcasting Mass on a daily basis, and yet, in these strange times, that’s what happened last week. With the most unusual St Patrick’s Day in living memory I’m sure Catholics were very grateful to RTÉ for broadcasting the St Patrick’s Day Mass – slimmed down…
Well, it was a strange St Patrick’s Day for sure – a more sombre and sober one than we’re used to. Maybe, despite Mass cancellations, it was a more spiritual celebration than usual. At least that option was certainly on offer. The media, social and otherwise, played their part by broadcasting streamed religious services across…
Some of last week’s programmes provided insight into the interplay between past and present. Toras Cosnochta (RTÉ2, Wednesday) was an impressive first episode in a two-part series about pilgrims in Lough Derg. We got beautiful aerial shots of the island, the water on the lake took on a deep personality of its own and in…
I’ve been sampling a few TV dramas of late, and while some deal with religious themes it’s usually peripheral, as if the programme makers are either unwilling or incapable of more depth when it comes to religious faith. The Split (BBC1, Tuesdays) captures relationship conflict and family dysfunction in a credible way. The first few…
Watching the news coverage last week, the atmosphere in Leinster House as the 33rd Dáil got under way was largely cheerful and celebratory – especially as we saw the newly elected TDs arrive in style or not, often with their proud families. However, on last Thursday night’s Nine News (RTÉ1) we saw things getting nasty…
Frequently in these pages contributors speculate and agon-ise over what is needed to make the Church healthy and vibrant into the future. No easy solutions there, but cheerfulness, positivity, purpose, service and innovation will go a long way. Sr Stanislaus Kennedy encapsulates all of the above and watching the excellent documentary Being Stan – A…
As I wrote a few weeks ago, I’ve always thought that religious belief and practice has to make sense on a human level. One of our human characteristics seems to be a need for ritual. Some rituals are faith related, but when the ritual lingers after the faith has been left behind I feel there’s…
Last week I wrote about the March for Life in Washington. During the week other significant gatherings came across my radar. Most bizarre of all was the march on Washington portrayed in Messiah, an intriguing 10-part drama series on Netflix. This dramatic march was led by a character thought by his followers to be the…