Rise of the John Paul generation
THE JOHN PAULS RTÉ ONE, TONIGHT, 9.35
WHAT’S in a name?
Usually, not a lot – your parents pick something because they like the sound of it, or they choose a specific name in honour of a dead relative. It’s all very simple and straightforward and, therefore, you can’t tell much about any one person just on the basis of what they’re called – except for one name, that is.
Few names can trap a person in time quite like those called John Paul, who account for 10pc of Irish boys who were born in the year following the Pope’s visit here in 1979.
I’d normally make some sort of smarmy joke, but like most Irish people, I also happen to have a cousin called John Paul – in fact, I get the impression that nearly every Irish person has a cousin called John Paul. Tonight’s documentary,
The John Pauls (RTÉ One, 9.35pm) does exactly what it says on the tin and talks to a bunch of John Pauls, who are all now on the cusp of their 40s.
Cleverly, the producers have come up with the idea of including a young Irish woman, who was christened Karol Maria in honour of the Pope’s birth name.
As a slice-of-life documentary it’s certainly an interesting idea, although one can’t help but feel that the scheduling is a bit off the pace.
After all, there is a general sense that we’re just a bit Pope-d out after Francis’s visit.
Will we see a documentary in a few decades time about the sudden burst of boys named Francis?
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