Robert Duvall is one of my favourite American actors so I was glad to see him interviewed on The World Over Live (EWTN) last Thursday afternoon. Presenter Raymond Arroyo was well informed on Duvall’s films and had some acting experience himself which helped when they discussed various acting coaches and styles. I had forgotten…
Brendan O’Regan
Radio shake-ups and familiar subjects
Last week was the first for Newstalk’s new schedule, and they’ve had some thorough changes. I’m glad to see Shane Coleman at the helm on the new Breakfast show. The laddish approach of the Donoghue/Yates combo has given way to a more serious tone, and it looks like Morning Ireland will now have a worthy…
Strong-willed figures dominate the airwaves
The Church is at its most attractive when faith is combined with service, at its worst when it is combined with arrogance or domination. I was prompted to these thoughts by Peter McVerry: A View From the Basement (RTÉ 1, Tuesday of last week), a worthwhile profile of the Jesuit human rights campaigner. Looking back,…
Drama and debate on the human person
Usually you have to wait for the new season to find some good new dramas, but BBC One got off to an interesting but early start Tuesday of last week with an intriguing new crime drama, One of Us. It was all a bit confusing at first with an array of seemingly unrelated characters, but…
TG4 discover a real gem with married couples
One of the most enjoyable programmes I saw last week was Mí na Meala, one of TG4’s treasures, featuring married couples revisiting their honeymoons. The photo-album motif was appealing, with music ranging from apt to cheesy! Last Wednesday it was the turn of Etaín and Séamus Ó Síocháin, a couple very much in love and…
Church coverage lacking the necessary insight
The only thing new I learned from Last Orders with Gay Byrne, RTÉ 1, Tuesday night of last week was that Gay Byrne played the organ in church in Rialto. Everything else in this review of the decline of the Church in Ireland has been rehashed ad nauseam. I can understand increasing the programme’s audience…
A week when Maynooth was the only show in town
Oh well, that didn’t last long. Last week Catholic euphoria over World Youth Day gave way to Catholic agony over the Maynooth controversy. Predictably, the few Irish clerics and seminarians involved in that kerfuffle garnered a lot more media attention than the thousands of enthusiastic young Irish Catholics that attended World Youth Day. I suppose…
It was the best of times, the worst of times
I was having a relaxing Tuesday morning last week when news of the killing of a priest near Rouen came through as breaking news early on The Pat Kenny Show (Newstalk), with an up to date report soon after from journalist Lara Marlowe. It had been a terrible few weeks for atrocities and this one…
Struggles in faith, redemption in soccer
A documentary on seminary life leaves Brendan O’Regan reflecting on the state of religious faith
Garden paths and secret side-lines
I don’t often watch garden makeover programmes, but when I do I’m usually impressed. On Tuesday of last week I enjoyed Love Your Garden (ITV/UTV). In this series presenter Alan Titchmarch does makeovers for people with special needs in the broadest sense. Last week it was the turn of Hari Budha Maga, a former Gurkha…