It wasn’t as momentous as some made out but the departure of the host from Tonight With Vincent Browne (TV3) after ten years is certainly worth marking. His period on the show has been marked by outrage at social injustice, incisive political analysis, savaging of politicians, affirming of journalists (except from the Irish Independent), relatively…

One of the (many!) things that irritates me about mainstream media is the level of religious illiteracy among commentators. A glaring example turned up in last Saturday’s Countrywide (RTÉ Radio 1), when Damien O’Reilly interviewed Evelyn Cusack of Met Éireann. Weather superstitions and the alleged influence of saints were discussed but then O’Reilly dropped this…

Films from the 1960s tend to look very dated – what with garish colours and embarassing haircuts – but I find the film Man For All Seasons (RTÉ One, Saturday) still held up well. Paul Schofield, whose work was more on stage than on film, turns in an Oscar-winning performance as St Thomas More, in…

When on holidays to France one of my favourite places is Mont Saint Michel, so I was glad to see it featured on last Sunday’s Songs of Praise (BBC 1). Now a World Heritage Site, its modest origins were in the 8th Century and later it became a Benedictine monastery from the 10th Century. Most…

A few items last week were more than a bit off. On Tuesday of last week on Today with Sean O’Rourke, Cormac Ó hEadhra spoke to former US Navy Seal Robert O’Neill, the man who claims to have killed Osama Bin Laden. Needless to say I’m no Bin Laden fan, but the clinical description of…

The summer used to be regarded as the silly season for current affairs, but I don’t think that holds true anymore. Sunday Morning Live, back on BBC 1 on Sunday mornings, has no shortage of topical religious and ethical issues to cover. Last weekend’s episode started with an illuminating discussion prompted by the recent attack…

Last week didn’t get off to a good start. The Irish Times broke the story of the girl who sought an abortion and was subsequently, but not consequently, sectioned. I would have thought the best outcome was both mother and baby alive, but those who would think themselves liberal and progressive didn’t hesitate to hijack…

One of the most prevalent myths about the Catholic Church is that it has either no interest in science or is antagonistic towards it. The Sky at Night: Inside God’s Observatory (BBC 4 last Sunday night) blew that one comprehensively out of the water. The programme was introduced as “the highlight” of an evening of astronomy…

I thought I’d be writing this a week ago, but the start of the much anticipated drama Broken (BBC One, Tuesday nights) was postponed by a week out of sensitivity over the Manchester bombing, though I’m not quite sure as to why. Seán Bean stars as Fr Michael Kerrigan, an inner city priest struggling with…

Last week I wrote about a drama (Little Boy Blue) that told the true story of a murdered young boy. I wasn’t expecting another such story to come along so soon, but it was worth it. Damilola, Our Loved Boy (BBC One, last Sunday night) told the tragic story of Nigerian schoolboy Damilola Taylor, stabbed…