On our RADAR

Fír Fáinne, Monday/ Tuesday, BBC Two For the week that’s in it, this twopart special is following the fortunes of champion boxer Paddy Barnes. The Belfast man is passionate about the Irish language and would love to be a uent speaker one day. At the suggestion of his fellow boxer and friend, Seán McComb, Paddy decides to go for a Silver Fáinne - an oral exam that rewards successful students with a silver-ring pin, symbolising a reasonable level in spoken Irish.

Binge-worthy stream: Remastered: The Miami Showband Massacre (Netflix, from March 17) Remastered is an eight-part series that uncovers the stories behind some of the music industry’s most infamous events. Here, the focus is on the Miami Showband massacre. Directed by Stuart Sender, it tells the story of the murder of three members of the hugely popular Miami Showband – Fran O’Toole, Tony Geraghty and Brian McCoy – at the hands of the UVF as the band returned from a gig in Banbridge in July, 1975.

Top Podcast: Saint Patrick – Historical

Man and Popular Myth

For the week that’s in it, we’ve been listening to a very relevant podcast in the History Hub.ie series, from

Professor Elva Johnston, lecturer in early medieval Ireland at UCD’s

School of History. Dr Johnston sets out to separate the historical man Patrick from the mythical legend of Ireland’s patron saint. “Saint Patrick has been a gure of legend for over one and a half thousand years,” she explains, “and the legend is so powerful that the real man has become lost.’’

Radio Waves: Documentary on One

(Sunday, RTÉ Radio One)

The Sinking of the Saint Patrick tells the story of Wexford native Shane Dunphy’s exploration of the greatest (yet possibly least known) maritime disaster in his county’s long seafaring history. The

Saint Patrick, which was a Rosslare to

Fishguard passenger ferry, was bombed by the Luftwaffe on June 13, 1941, killing 30 people. The central questions Shane sets out to answer are: why was the ship bombed and why did these people die?