A journalist, a recently bereaved widow, and an extraordinary evening... For Sunday Miscellany on RTÉ Radio 1, listen to Night Divine by Paul Howard above.
Christmas was never the same for me once I started to have doubts about the existence of the man with the beard. And by that I mean God.
I enjoyed Christmas. I still enjoy Christmas. But it's the time of year when I envy people their faith and I remember how different it felt when I could stand in a church, listening to a choir sing Silent Night, and solemnly believe every word.
At this time of year, I often think about the toughest job I ever had – the days I spent as a teenager writing obituary notices for a local newspaper...
You'll find more stories and music from the Miscellany Christmas Celebration at the National Concert Hall on our webpage here - you can hear more from that NCH event on a special Sunday Miscellany at 9.10am on Christmas Day, along with a selection from this year's second Christmas concert celebration, in the National Opera House, Wexford. On the following day, St Stephen’s Day, there’ll be a full programme from that Wexford event. Listen to more from Sunday Miscellany here.
