I’m conflicted about the Kerry priest controversy. Certainly much of the media coverage was ill-informed and unnecessarily confrontational. The basics of what Fr Seán Sheehy said at those Masses in Listowell was orthodox Catholic teaching, which is by far the main thing, but the message could have been delivered in a more appealing, compassionate, sensitive…

As many programmes were gearing up for the Halloween horrors, it was great to watch a relaxing programme that celebrated the joys of autumn and the beauty of creation in general. It was the last episode of the current series of Gardeners’ World (BBC Two, Friday) and I was a good one. Regular presenter Carol…

The media’s obsession with the ‘far right’ tends to give the far left a free pass, which just might be the whole purpose. I’m three episodes into The Walk-In (UTV, Mondays), a gripping true-life drama about efforts to expose the far right group National Action in the UK. Stephen Graham plays campaigning journalist Matthew Collins,…

It’s awful when it happens but last week’s news and current affairs programming was dominated by funerals. For the media it was a week of fallout from the Creeslough explosions, for the families it will be a lifetime. Local priest Fr John Joe Duffy has had “a week like no other”, as Mary Wilson described…

The weight of tragedy was particularly heavy last week. Nine News (RTÉ One, Friday) led with the explosion at the filling station in Creeslough, Co. Donegal, and such a cloud hung over this small community. At that stage the enormity of the disaster was just filtering through, and though there were no casualty figures the…

I love a drama series that’s unpredictable, steers clear of stereotypes and has a sharp script, a touch or more of humour and fluid acting. Inside Man on BBC One, Mondays and Tuesdays, fits the bill with delights to spare. Its black humour reminds me of Coen Brothers material, especially the Fargo film and series.…

I’d suspect most people’s experience of TV dramas, especially on the streaming services, includes a long list of disappointments – especially series that were started but then abandoned after one or two episodes. These thoughts were prompted by my lack of enthusiasm for the new Star Wars series Andor (Disney+). This is a prequel to…

Sometimes you hear online about what seems to be a big story, but can’t find much if any coverage in the mainstream media. Sometimes they catch up, sometimes it never surfaces. I find the story of the oppression of the Church and other opposing voices in Nicaragua to be largely under the radar. So, it…

Last week I was reflecting on visionary political leadership, but I didn’t expect to be returning to the topic so soon. Queen Elizabeth II was one of those leaders, though perhaps ‘inspirational’ might be a better description. Her unexpected death last week was one of those impactful events that grabs a huge amount of media…

Several of this week’s stories and programmes had me thinking about the importance of visionary leadership and how that quality is largely lacking these days, especially in the political arena. The death last week of Mikhail Gorbachev, former premier of the Soviet Union, reminded us of a time when political leaders East and West were…