Archbishop’s musical talent well hidden!

With such grim material in the news and current affairs programmes these days, it’s welcome when they are followed by something lighter.

I enjoyed Des’s Island Discs (RTÉ Radio One) last Tuesday after Drivetime when Des Cahill’s guest was Archbishop Eamon Martin. I knew the Archbishop was a fine singer, but learned on the show that he also played trombone – the last instrument left when he arrived late for practice! His choice of music was eclectic – Tuxedo Junction by Glenn Miller, You’ve Got a Friend sung by James Taylor and The Prayer sung by Andrea Bocelli and Celine Dion.

He spoke of growing up in Derry during ‘the Troubles’ – generally his family made him feel safe despite the violence but there were scary moments as well. Though he lived through it as a young boy he learned a lot from the book Children of the Troubles by Joe Duffy and Freya McClements.

He valued friendships and was convinced of the crucial importance of education, fondly remembering his time as a pupil, teacher and eventually President of St Columb’s College in Derry, which boasts many outstanding past students, including the recently deceased John Hume.

He told of his surprise at being called to the Papal Nuncio’s house to learn of his appointment as Coadjutor Bishop of Armagh.

I was glad to hear him say such positive things about young people – he found them to be people of Faith though many weren’t attending church as regularly as previous generations. I’d love to hear a longer interview where this dichotomy could be teased out at greater length, but light good humour was the dominant tone here.

There was plenty of good humour when Seán Fletcher interviewed TV and radio presenter Adrian Chiles on Sunday Morning Live (BBC One). Chiles had converted to Catholicism in his 40s. His father thought he’d lost his mind but his mother thought it was “sweet” as her own mother had originally been Christian.

No direction

The elements of his journey to Faith included a sense of gratitude that had no direction – who do you thank for good things? When a friend invited him to Mass he felt at home there, felt that he was with people like himself. He found that Faith made him more mindful and was helpful in times of anxiety. Fletcher recalled the story of Chiles going to 46 different Masses one Lent. He gave off a fun-glum kind of vibe and wasn’t a man of great expectations – playfully he wondered if he’d make it home alive from the interview!

Whatever about 46 Masses, the annual Eurovision Mass for the Feast of the Assumption (RTÉ One, Saturday) was a reminder of the Christian heritage of Europe. It was good to see it coming from a real church – the amazing cathedral in Mechelen, Flanders. There was of course social distancing, a small congregation and lots of masks but it was progress.

Most of it was in Dutch, with some English, French and German, but The Irish Catholic Editor Michael Kelly was on hand with English translation. The music was minimal – just organ and cantor but it enhanced the Mass, as it always should, wasn’t distracting and added to the solemnity of the occasion.

Elements of ritual also featured in the unsettling US TV drama series The Plot Against America (Sky Atlantic/Now TV). I was expecting a tense political thriller, and it was that but so much more. It imagined an alternate reality where famous aviator Charles Lindbergh became President, America stayed out of World War II and the country slowly descended into fascism and anti-Semitism.

The main focus was on a Jewish family – some saw what was coming, some protested, some adapted and the children observed in confusion and fear. And the fear was palpable and almost unbearable as it moved through the last few episodes.

Zoe Kazan gave an outstanding performance as Bess, the wife of hot-headed Herman, while Winona Ryder was excellent as Evelyn her naive sister who marries a Rabbi (John Turturo, intense and magnetic as always) who co-operates with the authorities in supposedly voluntary re-locations of Jews to the rural heartland – he thinks this “absorption” is best for his community.

The drama has some unsubtle anti-Trump messages for today, and at times pursues a simplistic ‘Democrats good Republicans bad’ narrative. This was adult drama, with plenty of gratuitous bad language and some ‘adult content’ – relatively mild by modern standards (low bar!).

Pick of the Week

SUNDAY SEQUENCE

BBC Radio Ulster, Sunday, August 23, 8.30am

Topical religious and ethical issues with a Northern Ireland flavour.

SAINT ROSE OF LIMA

EWTN, Sunday, August 23, 9pm

The Faith journey of Isabel Flores de Oliva, whose great love for God and neighbour would lead to her canonisation as St Rose of Lima. An EWTN original movie.