5th March 2008

1.  St. Patrick
St. Patrick's Day will bring parades and parties to the whole country. But who was St. Patrick? So much is said and celebrated about him, but what do we really know about the true story?  Miriam Gormally questioned Dr Dáire Keogh, lecturer in history in St Patrick's College Drumcondra, She asked him how much we really know about St. Patrick.

2.  Lourdes
All over Ireland this year, dioceses expect the biggest number of pilgrims ever to travel to Lourdes to celebrate the apparition of Our Lady there, 150 years ago.  Many will go hoping for a miracle but all come home talking about having received the miracle of peace and reconciliation.  Fr. Pat O’Donoghue of Dublin’s Pro-Cathedral has been travelling to Lourdes for many years and to mark this special year he undertook a project which he told Eileen Good about.

3. Climate Change
This year’s Trócaire campaign highlights the implications of Climate Change on those in Third World Countries.  The responsibility for undoing the effects of climate change does not end after the six weeks of Lent and we must be open to action that is constant and sustaining.  Eileen Good spoke to Trócaire’s Chairman, Bishop John Kirby about the thinking behind this year’s campaign.  

4. Age Abuse
In 2007, the HSE’s dedicated elder abuse officers dealt with 927 cases of Elder Abuse.  Age Action has confirmed that the main abuser is often a family member, and that the vast majority of older people are abused in their own homes.  Eileen Good asked Eamon Timmons of Age Action about these findings and first asked him about elder abuse officers.

5.  Retreats
School retreats are something we all remember from our teenage years, often as a welcome break from class as usual. Christine Clear, from the Milltown Institute currently runs retreats throughout the country. She looks at what is important in the lives of young people today. Miriam Gormally asked her to explain.

For more information visit Christine’s Website www.christineclear.org

6.  Climbing Everest
Graham Kinch and Ian Taylor first met at a Summer Scripture Camp when they were schoolboys.  Their love of mountains reunited them in later life and they now use that passion to benefit others.  Having climbed mountains in France, Africa and Argentina they are now heading for the big one – Everest.  All this is linked to their desire to help an Irish based Charity, Fields of Life to build a school in Uganda.  They spoke to Eileen Good.

7.  An Addiction Story
One of the most common sacrifices people make during Lent is to try to give up drinking alcohol.  For some it’s the start they’ve been trying to make and Lent gives them a reason to get going, but for others who are already addicts it’s not as simple as that. Majella told Eileen Good about her journey through alcohol addiction from a very early age.

8.  Church and Movies
Are films just all sex and violence, or do they have a message for us. Richard Leonard is a Jesuit whose enviable job is to go to films and write reviews.  He claims that we need to be aware of what is going on in films, but also that we have to keep an open mind. He explains his view to Pat Coyle. 

9.   Music:  The Bells of the Angelus
This week’s music piece –The Bells of the Angelus- is taken from Lourdes Where Miracles Happen a new CD by Fr. Pat O’Donoghue. This recording of the story of Lourdes, intertwined with music and reflection, marks the 150th anniversary of the apparitions in 1858.

19th March 2008

1.  Easter Joy
As he celebrates his first Easter since his elevation to the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Sean Brady spoke to Eileen Good about where he finds joy at this time of year and of the importance of seeing hope in all the everyday signs of new life as we approach Easter Sunday.

2.  The Sacrament of Confession
At this time of year, approaching the end of Lent and in preparation for the celebration of Easter many people think about going to Confession – so has it become a Sacrament just for this time of year? Eileen Good put the question to Fr. John Littleton, Head of Distance Learning at the Dominican Institute in Tallaght in Dublin. 

3. Easter Triduum
As we near the final stages of the Lenten journey we can Take time to reflect on where the final destination – Easter Sunday.  Dominican priest Fr. Joe Kavanagh  from The Priory Institute in Tallaght spoke to Eileen Good about these final days of Lent.

4.  Jerusalem
During Easter week, we are reminded that Jerusalem is where it all started. Yet these days unfortunately Jerusalem is known more for its troubles and conflict between traditions. Piaras Jackson talked with Daniel Rossing who said that despite the differences and disputes, there is still a great range of multiculturalism to celebrate.

5.  Hospice Friendly Hospitals
There is a need for End of Life Coordinators to be appointed in Irish Hospitals in the future, to ensure that the services for patients who are dying in our hospitals are continually developed’ – This is the Hospice Friendly Hospitals Programme, developed by the Irish Hospice Foundation – the first such national end-of-life care initiative in Europe.  Programme Manager Mervyn Taylor told Eileen Good about the project.

6.  Anti Racism Day
Anti-racism week take place every year in March and March 21st is the International Day Against Racism. But how much of a problem is racism in Ireland? Are we really the country of a hundred thousand welcomes? Miriam Gormally met Róisín Boyd and Deo Ladislas from the Irish Refuge Council. Deo, from Rwanda has been the victim of several racist remarks, but four weeks ago he was attacked on the street. He told Miriam about it.

7.  Harm Not the Earth
The Easter season is a time when we look again at the Creation story - but how do we understand it?   Do we know how we are meant to care for the Earth - how do we understand words like 'dominion' and 'subdue'.  Pat Coyle met well known author and internationally renowned scripture scholar Megan McKenna and got her views on our response to the story.

8.  Movie Reviews:  American Gangster & Into the Wild
This week Peter O'Connor looks at two DVDs, American Gangster and Into the Wild. He explores their good and bad points of each and the moral dilemmas that the characters in the films face.

9.  Hallelujah Chorus
Our first piece of music this week is the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah sung by Our Lady’s Choral Society

10.   Music: 
Our second music piece - Fáilte Romhat, a Rí na nAingeal - is taken from the CD The Bells of The Angelus.  This new recording of the Palestrina choir includes specially written choral arrangements of much loved Irish hymn melodies.