There’s so much interesting stuff in the media over Christmas, but it’s the one time of the year when I find I have less time and inclination to engage, what with all the wonderful goings-on in the world of family, friends and Church community. However, I was impressed by a Nationwide (RTÉ1) programme leading up…
In the media in 2018 there were real life dramas and fictional ones, programmes going off and new ones arriving. There were some outstanding shows and some disasters, and a lot of the same old same old. The first half of the year was dominated by the referendum designed to repeal the Eighth Amendment, and…
In the popular story of the Nativity the Three Kings, along with the angels, the shepherds, and the manger, have long played an important role. They are an essential part of school Nativity playlets, often with surprising results. At Christmas time 1961 the English cartoonist Osbert Lancaster published one of his classic pocket cartoons, which…
Satires, rom-coms, sitcoms, documentaries, cartoons, blockbusters, art movies, actioners, screwball comedies, retro noir dramas, earnest social issue statements, experimental failures and sleeper successes…the year was the usual mixed bag of surprise hits and tired conventions. Two papal films were released: Pope Francis: A Man of His Word and John Paul II in Ireland: A Plea…
Our regular reviewers provide some choices of what were the best, or at least for them, the most interesting, books of the year in 2018 ANTHONY REDMOND The well-known writer and educator, Fr Michael Paul Gallagher SJ, died from cancer in November 2015. Thomas G. Casey, an Irish Jesuit priest who knew Fr Gallagher,…
Matinee: Gandhi RTÉ1, Saturday, December 22, 12.55 pm (1982) Director. Richard Attenborough. Ben Kingsley, John Gielgud. Gandhi’s character is fully explained as a man of nonviolence. Through his patience, he is able to drive the British out of the subcontinent. Life On The Rock EWTN, Saturday, December 22, 3.30 pm Pat Kenny discusses the extraordinary…
The Belly of the Whale (15A) He dresses like a homeless person. He grunts as if he’s just climbed a mountain. His face bears the scars of 101 bad dawns. Yes, it’s Pat Shortt giving us the flipside of his comic persona in yet another of those down-at-heel roles that have become disarmingly familiar for him in recent years.…
I’m reluctant to praise a drama series based on the first episode – too often I’ve done this only to find the series deteriorating (dramatically or morally!) in or after the second episode. One interesting new drama, with some religious elements, is Mrs Wilson (BBC1, Tuesdays), two episodes in at the time of writing. This…
At Christmas it is nice to give people a book which they will enjoy on other occasions, a book that will provide not just interest and amusement, but also insights of lasting value. Here is a small selection of books currently in the shops which we think readers may want to give or would love…
At this time of the year the book shops are flooded with books for children and young adults, all hoping for great sales over the few weeks of the year when people go on a splurge of holiday related book buying. But like a puppy, a good book isn’t just for Christmas. On these pages…
Brendan O’Regan
Peter Costello
Aubrey Malone