Browse content similar to Irish Praise. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!
Line | From | To | |
---|---|---|---|
This is the Waterfront Hall in Belfast. This wonderful venue | 0:00:02 | 0:00:05 | |
has hosted musicians and singers from all over the world. | 0:00:05 | 0:00:08 | |
But Ireland has had its own fair share of home-grown talent too, | 0:00:08 | 0:00:12 | |
and it's not just a recent thing. | 0:00:12 | 0:00:14 | |
There's a long tradition of songwriting links that go | 0:00:14 | 0:00:17 | |
back hundreds of years and include the men | 0:00:17 | 0:00:19 | |
and women responsible for writing some of our best-known hymns today. | 0:00:19 | 0:00:24 | |
So, join us now, along with local choirs and congregations, | 0:00:24 | 0:00:28 | |
to celebrate the songs of Irish hymn-writers past and present. | 0:00:28 | 0:00:33 | |
Choirs and congregations from Belfast and beyond | 0:00:39 | 0:00:42 | |
join the Ulster Orchestra for an evening of praise. | 0:00:42 | 0:00:45 | |
As well as glorious hymn singing, stand by for the Celtic Tenors, | 0:00:45 | 0:00:49 | |
with an inspirational song made famous | 0:00:49 | 0:00:51 | |
by Brian Kennedy and Westlife. | 0:00:51 | 0:00:53 | |
Irish choral group, Anuna, sing a beautiful version of Pie Jesu, | 0:00:54 | 0:00:59 | |
and worship leader Robin Mark | 0:00:59 | 0:01:01 | |
introduces us to a brand-new song of praise. | 0:01:01 | 0:01:04 | |
You're very welcome to the Waterfront Hall here in Belfast. | 0:01:25 | 0:01:28 | |
We have the pleasure of being led by the Ulster Orchestra | 0:01:28 | 0:01:31 | |
and our Songs Of Praise conductor, Paul Leddington Wright. | 0:01:31 | 0:01:34 | |
APPLAUSE | 0:01:34 | 0:01:39 | |
Now, Ireland has inspired many songwriters over the years, | 0:01:43 | 0:01:46 | |
including the writer of our first hymn. | 0:01:46 | 0:01:49 | |
Henry Francis Lyte was a pupil at Portora Royal School in Enniskillen | 0:01:49 | 0:01:52 | |
before going on to study for the church ministry | 0:01:52 | 0:01:56 | |
at Trinity College, Dublin. | 0:01:56 | 0:01:58 | |
He penned many notable hymns, | 0:01:58 | 0:02:00 | |
including the much-loved Abide With Me, | 0:02:00 | 0:02:02 | |
and the hymn that we are about to sing, | 0:02:02 | 0:02:04 | |
Praise, My Soul, The King Of Heaven. | 0:02:04 | 0:02:07 | |
Now, a truly inspirational song, You Raise Me Up. | 0:04:09 | 0:04:12 | |
It was a huge international hit. | 0:04:12 | 0:04:14 | |
It's been performed by many people, | 0:04:14 | 0:04:16 | |
such as Josh Grogan, Westlife, Daniel O'Donnell, | 0:04:16 | 0:04:18 | |
even Aled Jones, and it's one of the favourites | 0:04:18 | 0:04:22 | |
of our first musical guests, The Celtic Tenors. | 0:04:22 | 0:04:25 | |
There's something very Irish about the feel of the song itself. | 0:04:25 | 0:04:28 | |
And of course, Brendan Graham wrote the song. | 0:04:28 | 0:04:30 | |
It's a song, Matthew, | 0:04:30 | 0:04:31 | |
that will either raise you up or bring you down. | 0:04:31 | 0:04:35 | |
It can be about a parent, it can be about the people who raised you, | 0:04:35 | 0:04:38 | |
it can be somebody who you turn to in times of trouble, like God. | 0:04:38 | 0:04:42 | |
For me, it's a prayer, more than anything else. | 0:04:42 | 0:04:47 | |
Darren, what reaction do you get when you perform You Raise Me Up? | 0:04:47 | 0:04:51 | |
You know, You Raise Me Up is one of those songs. | 0:04:51 | 0:04:54 | |
Recently, we were on tour with the orchestra in China, | 0:04:54 | 0:04:57 | |
and of course we did our normal set, | 0:04:57 | 0:05:00 | |
but the minute that we stood up and sang You Raise Me Up, | 0:05:00 | 0:05:03 | |
everybody was on their feet. It just seemed to have that reaction. | 0:05:03 | 0:05:06 | |
There's strong echoes of Danny Boy, that rising phrase. | 0:05:06 | 0:05:11 | |
There's something about that phrase that I think is also | 0:05:11 | 0:05:13 | |
a vehicle that goes straight to the heart. | 0:05:13 | 0:05:15 | |
And James, what about you guys as performers? | 0:05:15 | 0:05:18 | |
What angle or what twist do you feel that you bring to your rendition? | 0:05:18 | 0:05:23 | |
The song for me took on a whole new meaning whilst in Kenya. | 0:05:23 | 0:05:27 | |
I work with AIDS orphans every year as part of a building team, | 0:05:27 | 0:05:30 | |
but also do music with them, and this song stood out | 0:05:30 | 0:05:34 | |
because of the words, the lyrics, they took on a whole new meaning. | 0:05:34 | 0:05:37 | |
"You raise me up to more than I can be." | 0:05:37 | 0:05:39 | |
# When I am down | 0:05:46 | 0:05:49 | |
# And oh, my soul so weary | 0:05:49 | 0:05:54 | |
# When troubles come And my heart burdened be | 0:05:54 | 0:06:00 | |
# And I am still And wait here in the silence | 0:06:00 | 0:06:07 | |
# Until you come and sit awhile with me | 0:06:07 | 0:06:13 | |
# You raise me up So I can stand on mountains | 0:06:14 | 0:06:21 | |
# You raise me up To walk on stormy seas | 0:06:22 | 0:06:28 | |
# And I am strong When I am on your shoulders | 0:06:28 | 0:06:34 | |
# You raise me up | 0:06:36 | 0:06:38 | |
# To more than I can be | 0:06:38 | 0:06:43 | |
# When I am down And oh my soul | 0:06:43 | 0:06:47 | |
# So weary | 0:06:47 | 0:06:50 | |
# When troubles come And my heart burdened be | 0:06:50 | 0:06:56 | |
# And I am still And wait here in the silence | 0:06:56 | 0:07:03 | |
# Until you come and sit awhile with me | 0:07:03 | 0:07:09 | |
# You raise me up So I can stand on mountains | 0:07:11 | 0:07:17 | |
# You raise me up To walk on stormy seas | 0:07:19 | 0:07:25 | |
# And I am strong When I am on your shoulders | 0:07:25 | 0:07:31 | |
# You raise me up To more than I can be | 0:07:33 | 0:07:40 | |
# There is no life No life without its hunger | 0:07:43 | 0:07:50 | |
# Each restless heart beats so imperfectly | 0:07:50 | 0:07:57 | |
# But when you come And I am filled with wonder | 0:07:58 | 0:08:05 | |
# Sometimes I think I glimpse eternity | 0:08:05 | 0:08:12 | |
# You raise me up So I can stand on mountains | 0:08:12 | 0:08:20 | |
# You raise me up to walk on stormy seas | 0:08:20 | 0:08:27 | |
# And I am strong when I am on your shoulders | 0:08:28 | 0:08:36 | |
# You raise me up To more than I can be | 0:08:36 | 0:08:42 | |
# You raise me up | 0:08:52 | 0:08:57 | |
# To more than I can be. # | 0:08:57 | 0:09:04 | |
APPLAUSE | 0:09:17 | 0:09:22 | |
The origin of our next hymn goes back more than 150 years. | 0:09:30 | 0:09:33 | |
Mrs Cecil Frances Alexander lived in Londonderry, | 0:09:33 | 0:09:36 | |
and she had a passion for teaching religion to young people. | 0:09:36 | 0:09:39 | |
Now, she did this through composing poems and songs, | 0:09:39 | 0:09:42 | |
and she later published a book called Hymns For Little Children. | 0:09:42 | 0:09:45 | |
What she did was, she wrote over 400 hymns, | 0:09:45 | 0:09:48 | |
including There's A Green Hill Far Away, | 0:09:48 | 0:09:50 | |
Once In Royal David's City, and the one that we're about to sing, | 0:09:50 | 0:09:54 | |
All Things Bright And Beautiful. | 0:09:54 | 0:09:56 | |
So, from one of Ireland's writers from the past | 0:12:52 | 0:12:54 | |
to one of today's hymn-writers, | 0:12:54 | 0:12:56 | |
Keith Getty, a composer from Lisburn, | 0:12:56 | 0:12:58 | |
and he's been playing music since he was 10. | 0:12:58 | 0:13:00 | |
He's written some of today's best-known hymns | 0:13:00 | 0:13:02 | |
and songs that are sung all over the world. | 0:13:02 | 0:13:04 | |
In 2001, he collaborated with fellow songwriter Stewart Townsend | 0:13:04 | 0:13:08 | |
to produce one of our most popular contemporary hymns, In Christ Alone. | 0:13:08 | 0:13:12 | |
Worship songs like In Christ Alone have become increasingly popular | 0:16:57 | 0:17:01 | |
in a wide variety of churches. | 0:17:01 | 0:17:02 | |
Singer-songwriter Robin Mark, who's from Belfast, has written | 0:17:02 | 0:17:06 | |
a number of songs that are sung in Ireland and beyond. | 0:17:06 | 0:17:10 | |
It's just been a blessing that stuff that I've written here | 0:17:10 | 0:17:13 | |
and stuff that's been written in this place has actually gone out | 0:17:13 | 0:17:16 | |
to all the ends of the Earth. | 0:17:16 | 0:17:17 | |
The message that you put out there, | 0:17:17 | 0:17:19 | |
where do you get your inspiration from? | 0:17:19 | 0:17:22 | |
Anybody of my age, my vintage, if you like, | 0:17:22 | 0:17:25 | |
has grown up through the troubled years and seen, you know, | 0:17:25 | 0:17:29 | |
aspects of grace and love against wickedness and evil | 0:17:29 | 0:17:32 | |
and all that. That's an inspiration, I think, for anyone and, for me, | 0:17:32 | 0:17:36 | |
a lot of the songs have come out of those experiences. | 0:17:36 | 0:17:39 | |
When you look at a congregation coming together, | 0:17:39 | 0:17:42 | |
what difference does music make to worship? | 0:17:42 | 0:17:45 | |
I think Belfast is a place where music brings people together | 0:17:45 | 0:17:48 | |
and the worship, their attitude of worship, | 0:17:48 | 0:17:51 | |
in other words singing praises to the God that they serve and love, | 0:17:51 | 0:17:55 | |
that takes their focus away from the differences. | 0:17:55 | 0:17:57 | |
You're going to perform one of your own songs called You Said. | 0:17:57 | 0:18:02 | |
What is the story behind that? | 0:18:02 | 0:18:04 | |
The words that it uses were based on some thoughts | 0:18:04 | 0:18:07 | |
that a friend of mine was sharing with me | 0:18:07 | 0:18:10 | |
and it's simply this, | 0:18:10 | 0:18:12 | |
that Christ spoke the greatest words of hope and comfort | 0:18:12 | 0:18:16 | |
and promise for the future in the darkest situations | 0:18:16 | 0:18:19 | |
when he was on the Earth. When he was at funerals, that's when he said, | 0:18:19 | 0:18:23 | |
"I am the resurrection and the life." | 0:18:23 | 0:18:25 | |
When he was at the death of a friend, he said, | 0:18:25 | 0:18:27 | |
"Any man that believes in me will not perish | 0:18:27 | 0:18:30 | |
"and even if he does die, he'll live for ever." | 0:18:30 | 0:18:33 | |
# This world is broken | 0:19:10 | 0:19:14 | |
# A ship with no anchor | 0:19:14 | 0:19:20 | |
# Sailing through space | 0:19:20 | 0:19:24 | |
# Always unchartered waters | 0:19:24 | 0:19:29 | |
# Yet we seem to know | 0:19:29 | 0:19:33 | |
# Where we want to go | 0:19:33 | 0:19:38 | |
# But we don't know why we're here | 0:19:38 | 0:19:46 | |
# Millions get lost in their own little journey | 0:19:48 | 0:19:56 | |
# Some only stay | 0:19:58 | 0:20:01 | |
# For a few passing moments | 0:20:01 | 0:20:07 | |
# And the only thing | 0:20:07 | 0:20:11 | |
# That we know for sure | 0:20:11 | 0:20:16 | |
# Is some day, our journey ends | 0:20:16 | 0:20:24 | |
# But you said you are | 0:20:25 | 0:20:30 | |
# The resurrection and the life | 0:20:30 | 0:20:35 | |
# And whoever believes in you will never die | 0:20:35 | 0:20:41 | |
# You are the way | 0:20:45 | 0:20:49 | |
# You are the truth | 0:20:49 | 0:20:54 | |
# You are the life | 0:20:54 | 0:20:58 | |
# Everlasting | 0:20:58 | 0:21:03 | |
# You are the light | 0:21:03 | 0:21:08 | |
# You are the word | 0:21:08 | 0:21:12 | |
# You are the Son | 0:21:12 | 0:21:16 | |
# Of the Father | 0:21:16 | 0:21:21 | |
# You said you are | 0:21:28 | 0:21:34 | |
# The resurrection | 0:21:35 | 0:21:39 | |
# And the life | 0:21:39 | 0:21:43 | |
# You said you are | 0:21:47 | 0:21:52 | |
# The resurrection | 0:21:54 | 0:21:57 | |
# And the life. # | 0:21:57 | 0:22:04 | |
APPLAUSE | 0:22:10 | 0:22:12 | |
The writer of our next hymn was born back in 1819, | 0:22:21 | 0:22:23 | |
just 25 miles from here in the town of Banbridge, and it was there | 0:22:23 | 0:22:27 | |
where Joseph Scriven met his sweetheart and soon proposed. | 0:22:27 | 0:22:31 | |
However, in a tragic accident | 0:22:31 | 0:22:33 | |
the night before they were to be wed, his fiancee fell from a horse | 0:22:33 | 0:22:37 | |
and was drowned in the River Bann. | 0:22:37 | 0:22:40 | |
Brokenhearted, Joseph left for Canada, but grief would follow him. | 0:22:40 | 0:22:43 | |
After falling in love again, his new fiancee took sick | 0:22:43 | 0:22:47 | |
and died from pneumonia before they could marry. | 0:22:47 | 0:22:50 | |
Joseph then received the terrible news that his mother was also | 0:22:50 | 0:22:54 | |
gravely ill in Ireland. | 0:22:54 | 0:22:56 | |
Unable to return to visit her, | 0:22:56 | 0:22:58 | |
he wrote her the comforting words of our next hymn. | 0:22:58 | 0:23:01 | |
Traditional Irish music and dance experienced a revival with | 0:25:30 | 0:25:33 | |
the worldwide success of Riverdance at the Eurovision Song Contest. | 0:25:33 | 0:25:37 | |
That was back in 1994. | 0:25:37 | 0:25:39 | |
Irish choral group Anuna were part of that phenomenon | 0:25:39 | 0:25:43 | |
with their distinctive harmonies. | 0:25:43 | 0:25:45 | |
Today, their repertoire includes reworked ancient Irish songs | 0:25:45 | 0:25:49 | |
as well as newly composed material by their leader, Michael McGlynn. | 0:25:49 | 0:25:53 | |
I think one of the things that always attracted me to Celtic music, | 0:25:54 | 0:25:58 | |
and Irish music in general, was this need for grounding | 0:25:58 | 0:26:04 | |
and place of origin. | 0:26:04 | 0:26:06 | |
Does it make a difference performing Pie Jesu | 0:26:06 | 0:26:09 | |
to a Belfast audience? | 0:26:09 | 0:26:11 | |
I wrote Pie Jesu in 1998 after hearing about the Omagh bombing, | 0:26:11 | 0:26:18 | |
which was so horrific, and what I wrote reflects... | 0:26:18 | 0:26:23 | |
I think, all that we can hope to achieve from prayer. | 0:26:23 | 0:26:28 | |
You can cry and you can scream, | 0:26:28 | 0:26:31 | |
but I wanted something which was completely reflective. | 0:26:31 | 0:26:35 | |
This piece begins very quietly and then it builds to a cry | 0:26:35 | 0:26:40 | |
and then it fades away to something very simple and extremely human. | 0:26:40 | 0:26:47 | |
I think to perform the Pie Jesu here in the Waterfront Hall, | 0:26:47 | 0:26:51 | |
um, particularly at a time when there is stability and, while there | 0:26:51 | 0:26:56 | |
are always going to be problems in the world, we have peace here. | 0:26:56 | 0:27:02 | |
And this piece, I think, makes us remember how hard won that peace was. | 0:27:02 | 0:27:08 | |
# Pie Jesu Domine | 0:27:09 | 0:27:17 | |
# Dona eis | 0:27:20 | 0:27:25 | |
# Requiem | 0:27:25 | 0:27:31 | |
# Dona eis | 0:27:31 | 0:27:38 | |
# Requiem | 0:27:38 | 0:27:46 | |
# Pie Jesu | 0:27:49 | 0:27:54 | |
# Domine | 0:27:54 | 0:28:00 | |
# Dona eis | 0:28:00 | 0:28:05 | |
# Requiem | 0:28:05 | 0:28:10 | |
# Dona eis | 0:28:10 | 0:28:17 | |
# Requiem | 0:28:17 | 0:28:23 | |
# Pie Jesu | 0:28:25 | 0:28:32 | |
# Domine | 0:28:32 | 0:28:37 | |
# Dona eis | 0:28:37 | 0:28:44 | |
# Requiem | 0:28:44 | 0:28:48 | |
# Dona eis | 0:28:50 | 0:28:56 | |
# Requiem | 0:28:59 | 0:29:06 | |
# Dona eis requiem | 0:29:10 | 0:29:18 | |
# Dona eis requiem | 0:29:20 | 0:29:28 | |
# Dona eis requiem. # | 0:29:29 | 0:29:37 | |
Thank you, Anuna. | 0:29:59 | 0:30:01 | |
As we say goodbye from the Waterfront Hall, thank you to all | 0:30:01 | 0:30:04 | |
of our guests, the Celtic tenors, Robin Mark and, of course, Anuna. | 0:30:04 | 0:30:08 | |
Thank you also to the Ulster Orchestra. | 0:30:08 | 0:30:10 | |
We finish with Look, Ye Saints. | 0:30:10 | 0:30:12 | |
Though you won't associate the tune with Ireland, | 0:30:12 | 0:30:15 | |
the words are over 200 years old and they were penned by an Irishman, | 0:30:15 | 0:30:19 | |
Thomas Kelly of Dublin. | 0:30:19 | 0:30:21 | |
But from everyone here in Belfast, thank you for watching. Bye-bye. | 0:30:21 | 0:30:25 | |
Next week, Sally visits the Scottish town that has become | 0:33:13 | 0:33:15 | |
synonymous with the world-famous Paisley pattern. | 0:33:15 | 0:33:18 | |
She tries her hand at curling and introduces hymns | 0:33:18 | 0:33:22 | |
and performances from the majestic setting of Paisley Abbey, | 0:33:22 | 0:33:25 | |
celebrating its 850th anniversary. | 0:33:25 | 0:33:28 | |
Subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing by Red Bee Media Ltd | 0:33:44 | 0:33:49 |