Francis Brennan. Photo: Irish Independent Hotelier and TV personality Francis Brennan spoke recently about the importance of faith in his life and his disappointment about “an element” introduced into Irish society that doesn’t receive faith well.
In an interview with the Irish Examiner, Mr Brennan spoke about how fear around a birth condition, which saw him born without an ankle in his right leg, prevented him from walking the Camino de Santiago with friends recently.
When asked about his faith, Mr Brennan said that it’s a very important part of his life, and that he’s “not afraid” to talk about it.
He spoke about his admiration for racehorse trainer and former jockey, Donnacha O’Brien, who gave a radio interview in which Mr O’Brien mentioned attending Mass.
“It’s not easy to stand up at 22-years-of-age and say ‘I go to Mass.’ Listen, they’d be roaring at you on Main Street for that,” Mr Brennan told the Irish Examiner.
Asked whether he felt Ireland had become an intolerant place for people of faith, Mr Brennan responded that it’s “not just faith”, as there’s an element in Ireland “that’s just not nice, and I don’t know where it comes from”.
“I suspect it comes from American television. As an example, when you went to The Late Late Show 15 years ago, you clapped when you got a prize, and you said ‘hurray’ when there was one for everyone [in] the audience. Now they roar at the guests; they heckle the guests, which is a direct translation from American television programmes. There’s a disrespect for everything now.”