3R Productions Ltd

Past Tapes

E-mail: 3rproductions@tinet.ie

Tape Date: 11th December 1996

The current 3R tape has a number of seasonal Christmas items. We have a rare interview with Donal O'Kelly, star of the film The Van, with his Christmas recollections. Kathleen MacDonagh tells us about Christmas in the travelling community. We also have items on the pressures surrounding the festive season. Writer Joe O'Connor talks about emigration, and the crossways piece has a special interview with comedian Brendan O'Carroll  who took part at the opening of the East Timorese consulate in Dublin.

Side One:

1.  Crossways: News in the Church and the World. Tuesday December 10th was International Human Rights Day. It was also the day Bishop Carlos Belo and Mr. Jose Horta, of East Timor received the Nobel Peace Prize. A celebration took place in Dublin's Temple Bar, organised by the East Timor Ireland Solidarity Group, and Maria O'Loughlin spoke to comedian Brendan O'Carroll about the significance of the event. The news was read by Alan McGuckian, SJ, and Elaine Comerford. (Please note this interview took place at the event, so there is some background noise).
Time:

2.  Christmas Liturgy:  In this piece the Dominican Community, St. Mary's, Tallaght, share their singing talent with us. It begins with a Gregorian Chant and a welcome to their Christmas liturgy. This is followed by a Psalm and a scripture reading, (St. Paul to the Galatians). There are some intercessions, followed by the Our Father, which is  beautifully sung. After the final prayer, we hear O Come All Ye Faithful. The piece was produced by Nicky McCullagh, OP.
Time: 7.53

3. Advent:  In this piece Alice Taylor talks to Marie Stuart RSM about her customs of cleaning the house, going out to the wood to collect the makings of the crib and setting up the crib as the later part of her Advent, her preparations for Christmas.
In (Stuart): "Alice we are ..............is a preparation for Christmas" Out (Taylor) Time: 7.20

4.  Joe O'Connor: Joe O'Connor is a well known journalist and novelist. His books including Cowboys and Indians and Desperadoes have sold across the world. He has written much around the issues concerning the Irish abroad. he talked to Lorcan Brennan about his experience of emigration. He also told Lorcan why he thinks a Parish Emigrant Newsletter would be important to those Irish who are far from their own communities.

For further info, or follow up radio interviews regarding newsletter contact JCC +353 1 6768408

In (O'Connor) : "I suppose......... a need that's very much there"  Out (O'Connor) Time: 4.06

5. Christmas:   The feast of Christmas comes just at the darkest time of the year bringing light and hope.  Fr. Michael Drumm talked to Marie Stuart RSM about the different lights needed in each of our lives, the importance of Santa and a welcome for those who only come to church at Christmas and Easter. Michael teaches at Mater Dei Institute of Education

In (Drumm): "Well I suppose ....... generally don't cross them" Out (Drumm) Time:  6.00

6. A Travellers Christmas:   Kathleen McDonagh is a member of the travelling community.  She will spend this Christmas, as she has spent many before celebrating the season with her family on a halting site in Dublin. Lorcan Brennan asked Kathleen  what the experience would be like and also about her memories of Christmas's past. Kathleen is presently in her second year of studies at All Hollows College, Drumcondra.

In (McDonagh):"Like every other ..............alive in all the people" Out (McDonagh) Time: 4.13

7. Wishful and Magical Thinking: Maureen Gaffney, a Senior Lecturer in Psychology in Trinity College, is well known for her contributions to the Gay Byrne radio show.  She recently launched a collection of her articles from the Irish Times under the title `The Way We Live Now'.  She writes in a clear easily understood manner, about everyday problems of life and living.  One of the articles titled `Wishful and Magical Thinking' centres on Christmas.  With Maureen's permission we have two excerpts from that article read by Anne Hannon.  The first piece starts with the title of the article and says by Maureen Gaffney.

In (Hannon):  "Wishful and Magical ............. loved us made it happen" Out (Hannon) Time 2.20

8. Wishful and Magical Thinking: A second excerpt from Wishful and Magical Thinking by Maureen Gaffney, read by Anne Hannon.

In(Hannon):"The psychological meaning ........... sustenance from them" Out (Hannon) Time: 2.57
 
Side Two:

1. Friendship:  Christmas is the time for companionship and celebration.  Yet many people find Christmas a lonely time.  In this interview with Marie Stuart RSM John O'Donohue explores issues of friendship and loneliness in a warm and human manner.  John has a tape on this theme titled The Mystery of Friendship.

In (Stuart): "Friendship how ...................... heart and spirit"  Out (O'Donohue) Time:  5.34

2.  SAD :  SAD or seasonal affective disorder is a condition which causes people to feel depressed during the winter months. Typically beginning in October sufferers can feel its effects right through to Easter. Dr. Patrick McKeon is a consultant psychiatrist at St Patrick's Hospital, Dublin, and Chairman of AWARE, a voluntary organisation which supports people directly affected by depression. He spoke to Maria O'Loughlin about the winter illness and the difficulties which sufferers may have over the Christmas period. She asked him to explain the difference between a simple case of the winter blues and seasonal affective disorder.

AWARE run a helpline at 01-6791711 for people feeling depressed and in need of counselling or information. Ring the helpline and they will put you in touch with a regional support group.

In (McKeon):"I think that everybody's........person with depression." Out (McKeon) Time: 5.37

3. Reconciliation and taking a Half hour out to prepare for Christmas:  Marie Stuart RSM asked Alice Taylor about her immediate preparations for Christmas, and what she would say to someone who has been totally caught up in the pressure of preparations and is maybe feeling they are missing out.

In (Taylor): "We would have ........ you start inside really" Out (Taylor) Time: 3.26

4. Gifts for a Reason:  In this piece Una Agnew, SSL, talks to Marie Stuart, RSM, about the real value of gifts being in the thought that goes into selecting them.  We are not setting someone up for the next year, rather we are giving a token of our care and affection.

In (Stuart): "Christmas has become .........substitute for thinking"    Out (Agnew) Time:  3.43

5.  Kavanagh and Christmas:  Una Agnew, SSL, who comes from the next parish to Patrick Kavanagh, studied spirituality in Pittsburg University and wrote her thesis on Kavanagh.  In the first part of this interview with Marie Stuart, RSM, she talks about the poet, their home place and Kavanagh's determination to ensure that Christ was born as much in Inniskeen as he was in Bethlehem.  The second part of the interview focuses on Kavanagh's spirituality and how he has influenced her.  Una teaches Spirituality in the Miltown Institute and runs week-end seminars and workshops on Kavanagh and his poetry.  We are giving you two out points lest the entire piece be too long for your purposes.

In (Stuart): "Una Agnew ....... ................down in the bogs and marches" Out (Agnew)  Time:5.14
Second Out    .............................I follow Kavanagh in that way" Out (Agnew) Time: 8.41

6. Bereavement:   Christmas time is mostly presented as a time of Jingle Bells and happy memories but for people who have lost a loved one through death the Christmas season can be a hard reminder that all is changed. Olive is a person who has suffered from ill-health for many years but the experience that has caused her the most heartache and pain was the death of her mother in August 1993. Olive talked to Lorcan Brennan about how bereavement had affected her as she faced her first Christmas "without Mum".

In (Olive): "My mum was ............big lesson I have learned."  Out (Olive) Time: 4.54

7. Colm Kilcoyne in Kenya: On his recent trip to Africa Colm also visited Kenya.  In this interview he talks to Br. Tony Dolan, a Franciscan brother who runs Baraka Agricultural College in Molo North of Nairobi.  Tony comes from near Ballinamore in Leitrim and was Principal of Mountbellew Agricultural College, Galway for 17 years before he went to work in Kenya.  Colm asked Tony about the work of Barake College.

In (Dolan): "Well Baraka .....................................to in Ireland" Out (Dolan) Time: 4.00

8. Donal O'Kelly's Christmas memories: Donal O'Kelly is certainly the man of the moment. He has received rave reviews for his feature film debut as Bimbo in The Van. But this is not his only triumph of 1996. He performed Beckett in New York and wrote a play which won a prize at the Edinburgh Festival. In a rare interview, Donal speaks about the joys and trials of Christmas and looks ahead to the new year. Maria O'Loughlin asked him about his childhood images of the festive season.

In (O'Kelly): " I remember when................for quite a while" Out (O'Kelly) Time: 4.22

9. Big Issues Magazine: "The Big Issues Magazine campaigns on behalf of the homeless and unemployed. It highlights major issues and gives those homeless and unemployed a chance to earn a living", so says Niall Skelly, editor of the magazine that's now selling in all the main cities of our country. The Big Issues is Irelands fastest growing magazine. Niall Skelly explained why the magazine is so important and why  people might buy it, especially over the Christmas period.

In (Skelly): "Having the Big Issues........10,000 pounds worth of prizes." Out (Skelly) Time: 3.43
 

 

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