NOTE: times subject to change.
COAL, FRANKENSTEIN AND MIRROR
RTÉ 1 Sat Dec 21, 11.45am
Charming documentary about children putting on a nativity play.
Film: A Man for All Seasons
TG4 Sat Dec 21, 1pm
(1966) Starring Paul Scofield. The story of Thomas More, who stood up to King Henry VIII when the King rejected the Catholic Church to obtain a divorce and remarriage.
FRIAR ALESSANDRO: VOICE OF JOY
EWTN Sat Dec 21, 3.30pm, Sun 10am, Tues 7pm and 11pm, Thurs 10.30am and 9pm.
Friar Alessandro Brustenghi, the young Franciscan discovered with a gifted tenor, reflects on his developing ‘fame’ and prepares for the release of his second album on a major record label.
THE BIBLE
TV3 Sat Dec 21, 9pm, continuing Sun, Mon, Fri, Sat 9pm
An epic 10-hour television mini-series from Emmy Award winning husband and wife team, Mark Burnett and Roma Downey.
GLORIA
RTÉ Lyric FM Sun Dec 22, 8am
Advent chant from Anonymous 4, Verdi’s stirring Requiem another Bach cantata and an interlude for lute by John Dowland.
The Miracle of Our Lady Of Fatima
TG4 Sun Dec 22, 1.05pm
(1952) In this story based on true events of 1917, three Portuguese children share a miraculous, prophetic vision of the Virgin Mary.
SONGS OF PRAISE
BBC 1 Sun Dec 22, 4.45pm
Aled Jones presents a Songs Of Praise special from the Royal Albert Hall – Big Sing: The UK Top Ten Carols.
CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA’S CHRISTMAS CONCERT
EWTN Mon Dec 23, 8am
The annual Christmas concert presented by the Catholic University of America, featuring angelic voices and the wonderful sounds of the Christmas season.
The Nativity Story
RTÉ 1 Mon Dec 23, 11.05am and Channel 4 Christmas Eve 7.45 am
(2006) Catherine Hardwicke’s account of the birth of Christ stars Keisha Castle-Hughes as Mary and Oscar Isaac as Joseph.
DANA’S CHRISTMAS SPECIAL ‘97
EWTN Mon Dec 23, 5pm
Host Dana, her family and friends present an old-fashioned family Christmas.
IN CONCERT: THE KINGS SINGERS – CHRISTMAS
EWTN Mon Dec 23, 10pm, Tues 9am
One of the world’s most celebrated ensembles performs traditional Christmas classics such as Stille Nacht, Veni veni Emmanuel and many others.
DRAMA ON ONE: THE CHRISTMAS STORY
RTÉ Radio 1 Christmas Eve 3.30pm
An imaginative re-telling of the Christmas story by children from St Nicholas’s NS in the Claddagh, Galway, St Malachy’s BNS, Dundalk and St Patrick’s Primary School, Pennyburn, Derry.
A WORLD OF SONG: JOHN RUTTER
RTÉ Lyric FM Christmas Eve 6pm
Liz Nolan talks with and plays the music of possibly the best known living composer and arranger of Christmas carols, John Rutter.
CAROLS FROM DUBLIN CASTLE
RTÉ 1 Christmas Eve 6.15pm and Christmas Day 6.50am and 2.30 RTÉ 2.
Mary Kennedy introduces a glittering, festive show from St Patrick’s Hall, the Castle Chapel and other State Rooms, featuring Finbar Furey, Celine Byrne, Nathan Carter, Tommy Fleming, the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, the DIT Chamber Choir and the Choir of St Bartholomew’s, Dublin performing carols old and new, with special guest Fr Peter McVerry.
A Millennium of Christmas Music
RTÉ Radio 1 Christmas Eve 9.00pm
Gloria’s Tim Thurston offers a selection of seasonal sacred music from across the last 1,000 years.
SOLEMN MASS OF CHRISTMAS EVE WITH POPE FRANCIS
EWTN Christmas Eve 9pm, rpt Wed 1pm
Solemnity of the Birth of Our Lord: Mass with Pope Francis from St Peter’s Basilica.
Ceol Daniel
TG4 Christmas Eve 10.05pm
A one-hour Christmas special with Daniel O’Donnell presenting and performing his favourite uplifting and spiritual songs.
THE STORY OF SILENT NIGHT
RTÉ Radio 1 Christmas Eve 10.30pm
Telling the story of the origins and impact of Joseph Franz Mohr’s famous carol, which has now been translated into over 100 languages.
MIDNIGHT MASS
RTÉ 1 Christmas Eve 11pm
Fr John Cummins, Administrator of the Cathedral of the Assumption, Carlow, celebrates the birth of Christ with a Mass that is simulcast on RTÉ Radio One and digital platforms, with music led by Marian Gaynor and the Cathedral Parish Choir.
THE GOD SLOT
RTÉ Radio 1 Christmas Day 8am
The famous Moving Crib in Parnell Square is the setting where Eileen Dunne is joined by Pat Campbell, volunteer at the Crib, The Palestrina Choir, Ben Conroy, authors Anne Thurston and Fiona Looney, and fiddler player with the Dubliners John Sheahan.
Gloria
RTÉ Lyric FM Christmas Day 8am
Tim Thurston introduces 1,000 years of music in celebration of the Feast of the Nativity with Christmas music from Gregorian chant to contemporary carols
Mass for Christmas Day.
RTÉ 1 and RTÉ Radio 1 Christmas Day 10am
Principal Celebrant Bishop Denis Nulty, Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin, celebrates the birth of Jesus with a simulcast Mass from the Cathedral of the Assumption, Carlow, with music from the Cathedral Parish Choir, directed by Marian Gaynor.
URBI ET ORBI MESSAGE AND BLESSING – CHRISTMAS
EWTN, RTÉ 1 Christmas Day 11am
Pope Francis gives his Christmas blessing to the city of Rome and the world.
A CHRISTMAS MESSAGE
RTÉ 1 Christmas Day 12.15pm
From the Archbishops of Armagh. His Eminence Cardinal Séan Brady and the Most Rev. Richard Clarke, the Catholic and Church of Ireland Primates and Archbishops of Armagh, share their thoughts and prayers for the Christmas season.
CALL THE MIDWIFE
BBC 1 Christmas Day 6.15pm
As the community struggles to stop Christmas being reduced to ashes due to an unexploded bomb, the Nonnatus House staff of religious sisters and lay nurses reach out to those in need and keep spirits high, rekindling the spirit of the Blitz.
THE LYRIC CONCERT WITH PAUL HERRIOTT
RTÉ Lyric FM Christmas Day 10pm
Tonight Paul introduces a much loved oratorio for the festive season – Handel’s Messiah.
G.K. CHESTERTON’S THE SURPRISE
EWTN St Stephen’s Day 6am
EWTN’s original production of the G.K. Chesterton play, The Surprise: A fascinating story spun around a travelling playwright who creates a set of puppets to perform one of his plays.
ONLY MY DREAMS
RTÉ Radio 1 St Stephen’s Day 10pm
God Slot Producer Gerry McArdle offers a celebration of poetry and the spoken word, recorded by the late Liam Clancy and introduced by his daughter Siobhán Mhic Craith (Part 1 of 2, with Part 2 at the same time tomorrow night).
CHARIOTS OF FIRE
RTÉ 1 Fri Dec 27, 8.50am
Classic film about Olympic athletes including Eric Liddell who took a conscience stand for his religious beliefs.
THE SOUND OF MUSIC
RTÉ 1 Fri Dec 27, 2.45pm
Julie Andrews star turn as Sr Maria looking after the Von Trapp family. Great music, touching scenes and a tense war background.
GLORIA
RTÉ Lyric FM Sun 29 Dec 8am
Christmas on Gloria continues with a Bach Cantata, music by John Rutter and Benjamin Britten, visits to Estonia, Venice and Russia and from the young Irish vocal ensemble Crux.
Frank Duff agus an Léigiún Mhuire
TG4 Mon Dec 30, 4.15pm
The story of an international religious phenomenon. With unique access to the Legion’s vast archive of photographs and film, this new documentary includes both historical and contemporary footage of Legion activities, exclusive material and unseen interviews.
GRAN TORINO
TG4 Mon Dec 30, 9.20pm
Eastwood plays a grumpy old man not too happy with his neighbourhood. There is violence, but also an endearing religious sub-plot.
MY COUNTRY, MY FAITH: IRELAND
EWTN Tues Dec 31, 9.30 Am And Thurs 7.30pm
Fr Owen Gorman welcomes Sr Briege McKenna, who discusses the centrality of the Eucharist to the priesthood.
LIFE ON THE ROCK
EWTN Fri 3 Jan 3, 11am
Highlights from the best of 2013 on Life on the Rock, EWTN’s youth show.