Bishop Dónal McKeown among contributors to new BBC Gaeilge documentary ‘Is Ainm An Athar’

Bishop of Derry Dónal McKeown is among the contributors to new BBC Gaeilge documentary ‘In Ainm An Athar’ that will explore the Catholic Church on the island of Ireland.
By News Reporter
Published 19th Mar 2024, 11:52 BST
Updated 20th Mar 2024, 10:14 BST
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Other contributors include Mary McAleese, Father Brian D’Arcy and Reverend Gary Hastings from the Church of Ireland.

The film sees journalist Kevin Magee embark upon a journey of discovery as Mass attendance continues to decline and Ireland faces a shortage of priests.

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The documentary will see Kevin Magee conduct a series of revealing interviews with current members of the clergy, former priests, Catholic laity, the LGBTQ+ community and the hierarchy of the Catholic Church in Ireland. He also examines the ongoing worldwide Synodal process, initiated by Pope Francis, which aims to renew the Church for the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.

A new Irish Language film, In Ainm An Athar will air on Sunday 24 March on BBC Two Northern Ireland. In the documentary Kevin Magee explores some of the issues facing the Catholic Church, and there is an interesting mix of opinions throughout from contributors including Mary McAleese and Father Brian D’Arcy.A new Irish Language film, In Ainm An Athar will air on Sunday 24 March on BBC Two Northern Ireland. In the documentary Kevin Magee explores some of the issues facing the Catholic Church, and there is an interesting mix of opinions throughout from contributors including Mary McAleese and Father Brian D’Arcy.
A new Irish Language film, In Ainm An Athar will air on Sunday 24 March on BBC Two Northern Ireland. In the documentary Kevin Magee explores some of the issues facing the Catholic Church, and there is an interesting mix of opinions throughout from contributors including Mary McAleese and Father Brian D’Arcy.
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Mr. Magee said: “I was in a monastery in the west of Ireland recently and was really taken by the ageing profile of the priests there, and that is what inspired me to make this programme.

“I wanted to investigate what the Catholic church will look like in the future in the face of the falling number of priests and smaller congregations. I also wanted to find out what type of church the Catholic laity would like to see in the future. This documentary aims to answer those questions.”

With important decisions to be made around celibacy, LGBTQ+ rights and opening up the priesthood to women, In Ainm An Athar explores how the Catholic Church might look in the future.

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The documentary charts the decline of the Catholic Church in Ireland from the 1960s onwards and explores present day concerns around scandals that rocked Irish Catholicism including decades of institutional abuse, clerical sexual abuse, and stories of neglect in religious-run establishments such as the Magdalene laundries.

Currently, there are not enough new recruits to replace ageing priests and in recent decades there has been a dramatic fall in the number of people attending Mass.

This shift could lead to fewer masses, parishes being forced to amalgamate and services presided over by priests being carried out by the laity.

Bishop McKeown points out Ireland currently has 26 dioceses – just one less than Germany – which is almost five times bigger.

In Ainm An Athar airs on Sunday, March 24 at 10pm on BBC iPlayer and BBC2.

Related topics:IrelandCatholic churchDerry