08/05/2016 Songs of Praise

2016 marks the centenary of World War I's Battle of the Somme

and Dublin's Easter Rising,

two events that shaped and divided the Irish nation.

On Songs Of Praise this week, I've come to Belfast to learn

more about the continuing significance of these two events.

If Irish Republicans claim the Easter Rising

as their heroic kind of moment in history,

Ulster Unionists claim the Somme as their moment of heroism.

And I'll be finding out how this humble caravan is helping

the younger generation to mark the anniversary as part

of a project called 100 Days Of Prayer.

-How are you getting on there, Laura?

-Getting there, getting there, yeah.

I'll be finding out how some of these schoolchildren

have ended up joining a top cathedral choir.

And I'm at Leeds Rhinos rugby league club with news

of an exciting opportunity for fans of the game to

sing in front of 80,000 people at the Challenge Cup final in Wembley.

Oi, I think you'll find that's our trophy!

All right, lads, I was just borrowing it.

Hey, what are you doing? Hey! Put me down!

Most of our hymns are from around Northern Ireland this week,

as well as a performance

from Northern Irish worship leader Nathan Jess.

And our first hymn comes from a congregation

gathered in the Waterfront Hall, here in Belfast.

It's an important anniversary year, here in Northern Ireland.

Back in 1916, two events rocked the island of Ireland,

the impact of which is still being felt here 100 years on.

The Easter Rising is seen by Irish nationalists

as the cornerstone of the struggle for independence from British rule,

whilst the huge sacrifice made by the Ulster volunteers

at the Battle of the Somme helped pave the way

for the formation of Northern Ireland.

What's striking here in Belfast is you don't need to search

the history books to find out what happened -

it's all around you.

The Easter Rising really changed the course of Irish history.

Most Irish nationalists supported moderate home rule,

so this was a small unelected group who were planning

a revolt against English rule.

Their slogan was - "England's difficulty is Ireland's opportunity."

So, they planned to have a rebellion in the middle of the Great War.

They held Dublin for a week.

Key positions like the Post Office, like St Stephen's Green,

and it was at the GPO that Patrick Pearse,

the commander-in-chief of the rebel forces

read a proclamation to Irish men and Irish women

proclaiming a sovereign independent republic.

And no accident that the Easter Rising was Easter.

There was this quasi religious significance,

the idea of a resurrection,

the rebirth of a new, independent Ireland,

no longer threatened with the idea of becoming a kind of West Britain.

The siege lasted six days before it was quashed by the British Army,

who court-martialed the revolutionaries

and sentenced them to death.

The executions were the real game-changer in this whole thing.

The executions, you know, barely recorded in the press.

J Connolly was the last of the rebel leaders to be executed.

It was the nature of his execution which ultimately leaked out.

He had been wounded in the ankle and now he was strapped to

a chair in front of a firing squad of young soldiers

and, you know, they faltered.

And he actually said, "I admire all brave men who do their duty."

And that is really emblazoned on the folk memory of nationalist Ireland, right down to today.

From the nationalist Catholic area around Ardoyne,

we made our way to an area associated with the loyalist

Protestant community on the Shankill Road

and a memorial to the Battle of the Somme.

The Great War had a massive impact on Ireland, Sally.

There was something like 200,000 Irish men from this island,

of both traditions, fought in the Great War.

And of course, when it comes to the Battle of the Somme,

it impacted almost exclusively on the Ulster Protestants

who enlisted in 1914.

On the first day, you had 5,000 casualties, on 1st July 1916.

As they went over the top,

into the sort of waiting German machine guns,

and it was through, they believe, this blood sacrifice,

that the Ulster Unionists

earned their right to opt out of an Irish state after the Great War.

And it is seen very much as their birth certificate,

a very bloody one, of the state of Northern Ireland today.

Where is God thought to have been in all this?

Protestant clergyman, Roman Catholic priests,

all talked about, you know, this being a God justified war.

And the Deity was called to bless the arms of men in both these key events.

I have here my grandfather's death penny.

This was issued to all families in the United Kingdom

who had lost a loved one in the Great War

and, of course, the UK included Ireland at that time.

What did people feel about having these?

I think there were different resonances in different communities.

In nationalist Ireland,

often the death penny would be relegated to a bottom drawer

because in the view of the nationalist consensus after 1916,

the men who had fought on the Western front

had fought in the wrong war.

In the unionist North, of course, the blood sacrifice at the Somme

was really important, was really iconic,

was something to be proud of.

So, very different reactions.

But, today, we are discovering our common history, even though

in Ireland we don't always have a common memory.

This time last year, winners of our FA Cup Fans Choir competition were

gearing up to perform at the final

of one of football's biggest matches.

This year, we are giving the opportunity to rugby league fans.

Here's Aled to tell us more.

The Challenge Cup is rugby league's most historic

and prestigious competition,

and the only knockout tournament of its kind

to include teams from all levels of the sport.

Each final since 1929 has been preceded by Abide With Me.

# The darkness deepens... #

This year, once again,

fans will gather in Wembley to watch the final two teams

battle it out for this, the Challenge Cup,

and you could be on the pitch before kick-off,

helping to lead over 80,000 voices in song.

We're looking for 32 super supporters to form our choir.

It's a fantastic opportunity to raise the curtain

at an historic sporting event and raise the roof while you're at it.

Oi, bring back our trophy!

CHEERING

Someone who knows what it feels like to hear that hymn

resound around Wembley is Jamie Jones-Buchanan.

As a stalwart of the Leeds Rhinos team for over 15 seasons,

he has played in five Challenge Cup finals

and last year, though injured,

watched his team complete an historic treble of trophies.

I've been fortunate,

I have played a couple of times there for England now,

and I've played in the Challenge Cup final probably four or five times,

and the novelty has never worn off. The experience. I walk out there,

it's a bit like the Colosseum, I guess.

And it is always red hot.

You feel like you're walking into an oven, a big cauldron.

You see these big flame throwers going boom, boom,

80,000 people all going mad.

I'm not sure if you're on the pitch when Abide With Me is sung,

but I think you're probably almost on the pitch, so you can hear it

through the walls. What impact does that have on you?

It's massive.

# Shine through the... #

The words in there, it was written by a guy who was looking

towards God in his final days, in his final weeks.

You know, I understand what he's putting out there.

And in a very similar way to me, hoping God's behind me when the ball

gets kicked off in a big game, Wembley, we all need Him there.

Jesus is at the centre of our lives through thick and thin.

And the song in itself is a narrative

and I think it gets to the core of who and what we are as human beings.

It's a tough ask for the choir, isn't it?

I think it is, but what I feel is that the only way to

grow in life is to get out of your comfort zone.

We are very privileged because you have agreed to be a judge to help us find this choir.

What are you going to be looking for?

I'll do my best but I want to look for some passion, some enthusiasm.

There's a lot of unsung heroes in rugby league,

right from the grassroots to the professional clubs,

people who are there, week in, week out, cleaning those changing rooms,

doing all those tough jobs.

It's a great opportunity for people who love rugby league to go

sing at Wembley in the most prestigious trophy in rugby league,

at the biggest occasion.

Anybody out there who wants to enjoy theirself, go and do it.

You don't have to be an expert or a professional,

just got and enjoy singing.

So, you can nominate yourself but you can also nominate other people?

I can imagine there are a lot of people out there who can

think straight off the top of their head,

"Oh, that's so and so, that's him, that's her, who should go and sing."

I've nominated you because I've heard you got the voice of an angel.

HE LAUGHS

-No, definitely not.

-THEY BOTH LAUGH

If you're a rugby league super fan who goes above

and beyond for the team you love, or you would like to nominate

someone who you think fits the bill, we would love to hear from you.

The competition is open now. It'll remain open until June 12.

Anybody can enter - male or female.

You've got to be at least 12 years of age and be a UK resident.

We'll be announcing the winners by June 26th.

To get your entry form, and for full terms and conditions,

go to bbc.co.uk/songsofpraise.

Now, whether it's large or small,

every church wants to encourage the next generation to get involved.

David has been to West Yorkshire

to see how one cathedral is using music to connect to young people.

THEY SING

Just behind me is one of the choirs of Leeds Catholic Cathedral,

rehearsing for mass.

Most cathedrals, having chosen their choristers, might send them

off to a specialist music school for training, but not this one.

Funded by the national charity Friends Of Cathedral Music,

Leeds Cathedral staff

recruit their singers in local Catholic schools.

Up to 3,000 children a week, from all walks of life, are taught

about Christian worship and how to sing.

The children at this inner-city school have had choir training

from the age of six with travelling choral director Lucy Haigh.

Their singing has become more confident. It's more polished.

They've improved a great deal in tuning and blending their voices,

and listening to what the person each side of them is doing.

And is it hard to find children with those qualities?

Not really.

I find them in every school.

It's just a question of finding that raw talent

and giving the children the chance to develop it.

# Oooh-oooh

# It's me... #

Everyone has different backgrounds and we all sing together in unison.

# The clarinet, the clarinet

# Sings doodle, doodle, doodle, doodle-det... #

It kind of improved my belief in God and how God actually enjoys

hearing a lot of people sing and do what they are good at.

# The horn whose song is forlorn... #

If I hadn't joined the choir,

I would probably just be at home doing nothing.

# The trumpet is sounding

# Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta, ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta... #

The head teacher can see the change and not just in the singing.

I think we have to be open to children learning about God

in so many different ways.

And, for some children,

singing is the way that they will learn about God's presence

in their lives and how to use the gifts that God's given them.

We are seeing kids constantly

who perhaps won't be from backgrounds where they know that

a Cathedral Choir exists, that it is even a possibility,

and it is not simply a matter of turning out

very skilled musicians,

although that's a wonderful by-product.

We aspire for them to go out into the world stronger in their faith.

We've put our trust in them

and they, without exception, can continually exceed our expectations.

As mass begins, I, for one, think it is great

that these children, who never imagined they would end up here,

have been entrusted with leading worship in a major cathedral.

THEY SING IN LATIN

The best bit is singing in the Cathedral

and seeing the Cathedral, and how it feels like a second home.

THEY SING IN LATIN

It feels like everybody's looking at us, so we have to really

believe in ourselves and just boost up my confidence.

I'd like to stay in choir for a really long time.

Our next hymn was recorded right here, in Leeds Cathedral,

in 2008, when young people from across the city

came together in song.

While we're on the subject of young voices,

BBC Radio 2 is scouring the country for two talented singers

to be named Young Choristers Of The Year 2016.

All the details and terms and conditions

are on the Radio 2 website.

So, if you're a chorister or you know someone who is,

get your application in right away.

Now, we are going to hear a performance from the current

Young Choristers Of The Year.

# Make me a channel of your peace

# Where there is hatred, let me bring your love

# Where there is injury, Your pardon Lord

# And where there's doubt, true faith in you

# Oh Master, grant that I may never seek

# So much to be consoled, as to console

# To be understood, as to understand To be understood

# To be loved, as to love with all my soul

# Make me a channel of your peace A channel

# Where there's despair in life, let me bring hope

# Where there is darkness only light Let me bring light

# And where there's sadness, ever joy

# Oh Master, Grant that I may never seek

# So much to be consoled, as to console

# To be understood, as to understand To be understood, as to understand

# To be loved, as to love with all my soul

# Make me a channel of your peace Make me a channel of your peace

# It is in pardoning that we are pardoned

# In giving to all men that we receive

# And in dying that we're born to eternal life

# And in dying that we're born to eternal life. #

Back here in Belfast, it may be 100 years

since the Battle of the Somme and the Easter Rising,

but the tensions around both events can still run deep

for the people who live here.

To coincide with Northern Ireland's centenaries,

the global movement 24-7 Prayer have come up with

the idea of 100 days of prayer across the country.

-Well, Laura, what's this? 24-7 Prayer?

-Yeah.

Take me inside. Show me what you're doing.

Laura Brown grew up in this area of West Belfast and she

and her friends are determined to pray for peace in their community.

What goes on in here?

Yeah, well, our community, I am part of a small prayer community,

each of us have committed to spending our week praying in here.

So we created this space that we could move around

and take to different organisations and churches,

and non-church organisations, just places that really needed prayer.

And we thought, "Well, we can take this and spend a few hours

"or a few days, or a few weeks just soaking that place in prayer."

So, you can write your prayer request for the news.

We have fish that represent people that we are praying for,

that we just want to see God's best for their lives.

We just pray for them, up there.

Down here, we have thank you prayers so you can say, "Thank you, God",

for answering this prayer.

And what kind of response have you had from people here?

Really, on the whole, people have been really positive.

People that haven't really prayed before like this

have just found it really curious, have loved engaging with it.

I've lived here all of my life, I was born a few streets away,

so I am very proud to be from this area.

We are in an area that is traditionally very segregated,

in terms of religious background.

So, on this side of the road, we have Protestant Suffolk,

who would be predominantly loyalist.

On this side of the road is Lenadoon, which again would be

predominantly Catholic nationalist kind of background or affiliation.

So, this road and this car park that we are stood on at the minute

is what is known as the Interface.

We still, every so often, have groups of young people

that will meet on the Interface to fight each other.

That is definitely still an ongoing concern that we have.

Just round the corner from the caravan,

the tell-tale signs of division are still visible.

This gate was put up 30 years ago and hasn't been opened since then,

so there is no thoroughfare through here.

There is a pedestrian gate that gets locked at seven o'clock every night.

It's here to keep the peace but, really,

they are just symbols of division and segregation, still.

People living here still feel afraid, they still

feel like they are under threat, on both sides of the community.

Today, Laura and her friends are putting up

their prayers on the peace wall in a gesture of hope for the future.

There is hope. Northern Ireland is going to have a bright future.

I believe that is through God and through prayer.

The 100 days was oriented around three Hs, the healing of the past,

the honouring the present and hope for the future.

We really have prayed in faith and believe that all three of those

have, in some ways, is come to pass.

My hope for the future is that the church in Ireland

will be united, that we will lead the way in peace

and reconciliation by demonstrating what it looks like to forgive and to

honour each other, and to show grace and compassion and forgiveness.

# God is love

# He is love

# Love poured out

# All for us

# There is no-one stronger than our God

# There is no-one stronger than our God

# Your love overcomes

# Heals my broken heart

# Your love, over us, it speaks of who you are

# Oh, yeah

# Your love is stronger than the waves that crash on me

# Your love is always there

# And it will always be

# For our song

# Your love poured out

# For our freedom

# Your love poured out

# For our redemption

# Your love poured out

# Your love poured out

# Oh, your love poured out

# Heals my broken heart

# Your love over us

# It speaks of who you are

# Oh, yeah

# Your love is stronger than the waves that crash on me

# Your love is always

# It will always be. #

That's almost it for today.

Next week is Pentecost Sunday, the birthday of the church,

and Connie joins the bloggers and tweeters

who are spreading the message in the digital age.

Now, for our final hymn.

We couldn't leave Northern Ireland without this tune.