Byrne walks the religious path...
PILGRIMAGE – THE ROAD TO SANTIAGO BBC2, TONIGHT, 9PM
ON THIS, the eve of our precious and holy Lá Fhéile Pádraig, it is only fitting that we take a moment to reflect on our pious, Christian background.
So obviously a programme about a bunch of celebrities going on a spiritual journey is a good idea.
What better spiritual journey could there be than the famous El Camino De Santiago, where pilgrims from all over the world gather in Spain every year to hike the famous route?
Even better, given the day that’s in it, we have a good Irish celebrity on the roster to remind the world what a spiritual, God-fearing people we are.
And who is that lucky celebrity?
Oh well, actually it’s comedian Ed Byrne, and given the fact that he is a patron of the Humanist Society, this probably won’t be the best advertisement for Irish religiosity.
All joking aside, the Camino seems to attract people of faith and those without one, and Byrne joins the likes of Neil Morrissey, Debbie McGee and Kate Bottley on the trek.
Along the way, they’ll be ruminating on life and discussing whether such pilgrimages still have a place in the modern world.
It’s a likeable bunch of celebs, and while it’s unlikely that Byrne will have some blinding moment of religious clarity, himself and Morrissey are always good value for money...
BBC4 seems to draping the green flag around itself with its weekend music programming, and there are some crackers which you may have missed the first time they were shown.
The Irish Rock Story – A Tale Of Two Cities (Tonight, 9pm) charts the rock’n’roll history of Dublin and Belfast and features interviews with the likes of Bono, Bob Geldof and Sinead O’Connor. But don’t let that put you off.
There are some great archive clips and any dip into the history of Irish rock is always welcome.
That’s followed immediately by Here Comes The Summer – The Undertones Story (Tonight, 10pm) which charts the storied career of that great band while, at
11pm, Van Morrison Live At Eden is a chance to catch the loveable grump’s gig there from last year.
Let’s face it, everything is just filler between now and tomorrow when Ireland play England (TV3,
2.45pm).
As if going for a Grand Slam in the old enemy’s back garden wasn’t enticing enough, Eddie Jones inadvertently handed us another reason to want to beat them when some off-the-cuff remarks he made at a corporate do last year were leaked to the media this week.
It’s been an odd campaign, but this is a chance to witness history in the making.