Crossing lines that shouldn’t be crossed has caused unnecessary conflict and division, has fractured social discourse and has damaged our trust in institutions and people. When a journalist is interviewed on a controversial topic, you expect them at least to try and be impartial, even if you know where their sympathies lie. My admiration of…

It was a week of ‘good example, bad example’ – concepts you don’t hear much about these days, though we constantly hear about the importance of ‘influencers’. It’s a term usually reserved for obscure ‘celebrities’ on social media yet good role models are still so important for inspiring the young and boosting flagging morale among…

Up to last Friday lunchtime I had never heard of Sir David Amess MP, and having heard all the wonderful tributes that followed his tragic death I wish I had. Shortly after lunch, news of the stabbing started trickling through on Twitter. I was listening to Sheelagh Fogarty (LBC) where it was the main topic…

What I like about TG4 is that it’s low key, not polluted by minor celebs and pointless controversies. There are some great re-runs of old TV shows (not sure how this fits in the mission), some high class Irish language programmes (the mission) with some excellent traditional music shows. Comhrá (TG4, Thursday) is a chat…

It was a bizarre day to be tuned in – imaginary petrol shortages in the UK, the English Labour Party locked in a debate about what constituted a woman, feminist icon Ruth Bader Ginsburg having one of her quotes re-imagined, with the removal of the term ‘woman’. I wondered what sort of alternative universe I…

For some reason, coincidence or God-incidence, the theme of vocation has featured a few times in the media this week. 75 Years in Japan (RTÉ One, Thursday) was one of the most marvellously inspiring and moving programmes I’ve seen this year. This documentary told the story of Jennie O’Sullivan who became Sr Paschal when she…

Last week I mentioned near death experiences in the context of Joe Duffy’s interview with Jane Seymour. I never know what to make of these accounts – are they hallucinations resulting from medication or real glimpses of the afterlife? Calls That item prompted calls to Liveline (RTÉ Radio One, Tuesday) from listeners who had similar…

I don’t like the phrase “whatever you’re comfortable with”. Yes, it may be someone trying to make you feel relaxed, but at other times it can be the setting of a low bar, as if the aim of life is to be ‘comfortable’. Many of the people we admire went way outside their comfort zones…

It’s not often you hear the Beatitudes highlighted on mainstream radio, especially on a current affairs programme. And so I was glad to hear ‘Blessed are the Peacemakers’ referenced on Morning Ireland (RTÉ Radio One, Friday), in the context of the sad passing of Pat Hume, wife of John. Her contribution to the peace process…

With so much grim stuff in the media you’d need a few uplifting programmes every week to keep the spirits high. This past week the best of these for me was Nationwide (RTÉ One, Wednesday) a repeat of a special documentary presented by Colm Flynn on the work of Sr Ethel Normoyle from Lissycasey, Co.…