0:00:05 > 0:00:07Welcome to Songs of Praise.
0:00:07 > 0:00:09And in the week that we celebrate St Patrick's Day,
0:00:09 > 0:00:12we're in Londonderry in Northern Ireland.
0:00:13 > 0:00:16Last year, all roads led to Derry
0:00:16 > 0:00:19as the city celebrated 12 months in the spotlight
0:00:19 > 0:00:22as the UK's very first City of Culture.
0:00:25 > 0:00:27And what a great party that was.
0:00:27 > 0:00:31So, how do the people of Derry plan to keep that spirit of hope alive?
0:00:31 > 0:00:35And does the message of Ireland's patron saint have anything to add?
0:00:39 > 0:00:41This week, we hear from men and women
0:00:41 > 0:00:44who are carrying on the message of St Patrick.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47Choirs from the Derry area sing some great hymns
0:00:47 > 0:00:49in the city's historic Guildhall.
0:00:49 > 0:00:54And there's music from Derry singer-songwriter Eilidh Patterson.
0:01:03 > 0:01:07The historic walled city of Derry lies at the mouth of River Foyle.
0:01:07 > 0:01:11This is one of the oldest continually-inhabited areas of Ireland.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14And today, it's home to just over 100,000 people.
0:01:16 > 0:01:20The city gets its name from the Irish word Daire, which means oak.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23A symbol which is still proudly displayed across the city.
0:01:26 > 0:01:30James I granted Derry a royal charter in the 17th century.
0:01:30 > 0:01:34And the name London was added to the city's official title.
0:01:36 > 0:01:38That link is still evident today.
0:01:38 > 0:01:40The city's magnificent Guildhall
0:01:40 > 0:01:43a reminder of the historic association
0:01:43 > 0:01:46with the city of London and its guilds.
0:01:50 > 0:01:52And its in this newly-refurbished Guildhall
0:01:52 > 0:01:55that the choirs from the area have gathered
0:01:55 > 0:01:56to sing their songs of praise.
0:01:56 > 0:01:58As we prepare to celebrate the life of Patrick,
0:01:58 > 0:02:02we'll start with William Walsham How's great hymn,
0:02:02 > 0:02:04For All The Saints.
0:04:07 > 0:04:112013 was a year-long celebration of culture
0:04:11 > 0:04:14which will be remembered by the people of Derry for a long time.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20The city opened its doors and its heart to the world.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22And they came in their tens of thousands.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25It was a year of unprecedented scenes.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28Images that captured a new picture of Derry
0:04:28 > 0:04:32and showed off this once-troubled city in a new light.
0:04:34 > 0:04:36The City of Culture baton has now been handed on to Hull
0:04:36 > 0:04:39as they prepare for 2017.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42Now, although the pace of life in this city is getting back to normal,
0:04:42 > 0:04:45there's also a determination that the spirit of hope
0:04:45 > 0:04:49built up during the last year wont be lost.
0:04:51 > 0:04:53Pat Storey shares that view.
0:04:53 > 0:04:57She's the first female Anglican bishop in the UK and Ireland.
0:04:57 > 0:04:59And prior to her recent appointment,
0:04:59 > 0:05:03Pat was the Rector of St Augustine's Church on the city's walls.
0:05:03 > 0:05:05As the first woman to lead the church in Ireland,
0:05:05 > 0:05:10she's following in the footsteps of the saint whose name she shares.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13Great to see you all! Group hug!
0:05:16 > 0:05:20I would describe our church as maybe being a very happy wee church,
0:05:20 > 0:05:23but maybe I would describe it as in a circle facing inwards,
0:05:23 > 0:05:26having a great wee time.
0:05:26 > 0:05:30And I think the City of Culture in 2013, the one thing it made us do
0:05:30 > 0:05:34was maybe turn around in that circle and face outwards.
0:05:34 > 0:05:36And that's actually been really significant
0:05:36 > 0:05:39in terms of just engaging with people outside our walls.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44I think the role of the church going into 2014
0:05:44 > 0:05:47after City of Culture's really important.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51Because I think a lot of us were thinking towards the end of 2013,
0:05:51 > 0:05:52"What are we going to do now?"
0:05:52 > 0:05:56"Is this going to be a really boring city now because we've done everything?"
0:05:56 > 0:05:58And it has been a fantastic year,
0:05:58 > 0:06:00but its just been a year in the life of this city.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03It has to leave a legacy and catapult us into a future with hope.
0:06:03 > 0:06:09So, what difference will having a woman in the House of Bishops make?
0:06:09 > 0:06:13I don't like to generalise by saying women are more this and men are less that,
0:06:13 > 0:06:16but I do think that maybe the way women make decisions
0:06:16 > 0:06:18is maybe quite different from men.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21Women tend to maybe gather information,
0:06:21 > 0:06:24talk it over and make decisions together.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27You know, for instance, if we're talking about some of the big issues,
0:06:27 > 0:06:30like, you know, maybe abortion or something like that,
0:06:30 > 0:06:34I'll be the only person on that board this could ever have happened to,
0:06:34 > 0:06:36an unexpected pregnancy could ever have happened to.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39So I come as a wife and mother.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42But I suppose hopefully, I bring Pat.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45And my gender, it really is secondary to that.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48Well, obviously the first test of a new bishop
0:06:48 > 0:06:51is getting up those pulpit steps.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54And I can tell you, it's going to be quite a test to get down them again.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56Patrick's main message was,
0:06:56 > 0:06:58I bring Christian faith, there is hope in Christ.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01Because Patrick, you know, risked his life.
0:07:01 > 0:07:05He left everything behind and he came to bring Christian faith.
0:07:05 > 0:07:07He felt that strongly about it.
0:07:07 > 0:07:09I think we should still have that kind of missionary zeal,
0:07:09 > 0:07:11even if we never set foot out of Ireland.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14But still, that missionary zeal that Christian faith works,
0:07:14 > 0:07:15Christian faith is true
0:07:15 > 0:07:19and Christian faith makes a difference to your life.
0:07:19 > 0:07:21The message of Patrick, my message,
0:07:21 > 0:07:23the message of every Christian in this city
0:07:23 > 0:07:26and in this country is the same.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28You know, this person is worth knowing.
0:07:28 > 0:07:30And it is all about personal faith. It's all about the person.
0:09:18 > 0:09:22This year, Derry has branded itself as Music City.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25It's very proud of its diverse musical heritage,
0:09:25 > 0:09:28especially when it comes to writing hymns.
0:09:30 > 0:09:34Perhaps the city's best-known writer was Cecil Frances Alexander,
0:09:34 > 0:09:38the wife of William Alexander, the Bishop of Derry and Raphoe.
0:09:38 > 0:09:41Cecil Frances was the author of many well-loved hymns,
0:09:41 > 0:09:44including All Things Bright And Beautiful
0:09:44 > 0:09:46and Once In Royal David's City.
0:09:49 > 0:09:50But perhaps her best-known hymn
0:09:50 > 0:09:53was inspired by the view from her window
0:09:53 > 0:09:56as she looked at one of the many small hills
0:09:56 > 0:09:58that are features of this part of the country.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03Although we can't be sure exactly which hill she had in mind,
0:10:03 > 0:10:08she likened the scene to Golgotha, the place of Christ's crucifixion.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11She was then inspired to pen the words of that great hymn,
0:10:11 > 0:10:14There Is A Green Hill Far Away.
0:12:01 > 0:12:04Beneath the beauty of this city, there's also pain.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06Because like so many parts of the UK,
0:12:06 > 0:12:10a shocking number of people here die by suicide.
0:12:14 > 0:12:18The River Foyle which runs around this city is deceptively dangerous.
0:12:18 > 0:12:20And sadly, the river and the bridges which span it
0:12:20 > 0:12:24have been used by many people as a way to end their lives.
0:12:26 > 0:12:28As a community reaction to these tragedies,
0:12:28 > 0:12:30for the past 20 years,
0:12:30 > 0:12:32the volunteers of Foyle Search and Rescue
0:12:32 > 0:12:36have been on the front line in the fight to prevent death by suicide.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44Joanne, why do you do what you do?
0:12:44 > 0:12:46The reason I got involved in the beginning
0:12:46 > 0:12:51was because my husband and I stopped with a man on the bridge
0:12:51 > 0:12:53who was contemplating taking his life.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55And we stopped and we stayed with him
0:12:55 > 0:12:59and we talked to him until the police came and help arrived.
0:13:03 > 0:13:06It can be absolutely anyone.
0:13:06 > 0:13:11Any age, male, female, any background.
0:13:11 > 0:13:15There's no single common denominator other than that they are ill
0:13:15 > 0:13:20and they are unwell and they want to end their life.
0:13:24 > 0:13:26I'm talking to you here on a Saturday night.
0:13:26 > 0:13:28Will this be a particular night
0:13:28 > 0:13:31that you guys will expect to be called out?
0:13:31 > 0:13:34We run a duty night on Thursday, Friday and Saturday night
0:13:34 > 0:13:38and we go out on duty from 10:00 to just after 3:00 in the morning.
0:13:38 > 0:13:40And the reason we pick Thursday, Friday and Saturday night
0:13:40 > 0:13:44is they are the nights people go out to socialise.
0:13:44 > 0:13:48And sometimes if people are going out in the wrong frame of mind
0:13:48 > 0:13:49and they get some alcohol
0:13:49 > 0:13:52and that fuels maybe something that's going on in their own head,
0:13:52 > 0:13:56and because of that then, negative feelings creep in.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01For me, it's... I just want to come out and help people
0:14:01 > 0:14:04and offer something back to the community.
0:14:04 > 0:14:08And it gives me a good feeling, as well, to help other people.
0:14:11 > 0:14:13One night, me and a colleague were in the boat
0:14:13 > 0:14:17and a girl went off the top deck of Craigavon Bridge.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20And we managed to get a hold of her to get her out,
0:14:20 > 0:14:23but I literally had to lie on top of the girl
0:14:23 > 0:14:26to keep her from going back into the water. She did not want to be saved.
0:14:26 > 0:14:31And it was basically, how dare I infringe on her rights to do what she wanted.
0:14:31 > 0:14:36And going down the river in the boat, she calmed somewhat and began to cry.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39And she opened up slightly with me on the boat
0:14:39 > 0:14:41and she turned around to us and said,
0:14:41 > 0:14:43"Thank you for giving me a second chance."
0:14:45 > 0:14:48The people that we deal with sometimes,
0:14:48 > 0:14:50it really opens their eyes up to say,
0:14:50 > 0:14:52"There are people here that care."
0:14:52 > 0:14:55Albeit that they're in a very dark place at the time.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02Sadly, not all can be rescued.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08Basically, what I do if we make a recovery,
0:15:08 > 0:15:11into myself subconsciously, I would say a prayer
0:15:11 > 0:15:13for that person we take out of the water.
0:15:13 > 0:15:15And that probably comes down to my faith
0:15:15 > 0:15:19in greater things beyond here.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22And for me, it's an essential.
0:15:22 > 0:15:25It's not something I've ever shared with anybody before,
0:15:25 > 0:15:26but I just feel it's important.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31I do have faith. I do believe in God.
0:15:31 > 0:15:33There is a comfort in knowing that he is out there.
0:15:33 > 0:15:39Yes, it's difficult at times not to question
0:15:39 > 0:15:43why he allows things such as suicide to happen,
0:15:43 > 0:15:47but you still have to believe.
0:16:06 > 0:16:13# Tiny strands of starlight pierce the darkness
0:16:16 > 0:16:23# Here and there a flicker comes and goes
0:16:26 > 0:16:30# And underneath this wonder
0:16:30 > 0:16:36# I have feelings so secure
0:16:36 > 0:16:42# And I'm not afraid to feel the cold wind blow
0:16:45 > 0:16:48# Because you are there
0:16:48 > 0:16:53# Even though I cannot see you
0:16:56 > 0:16:58# You are there
0:16:58 > 0:17:03# Though sometimes I cannot hear you
0:17:05 > 0:17:10# And I'll never be alone
0:17:10 > 0:17:17# For you won't leave me
0:17:17 > 0:17:26# So I'll just sit here in the safety of your love
0:17:29 > 0:17:35# You know I haven't felt like this forever
0:17:38 > 0:17:46# It's only since you came into my heart
0:17:48 > 0:17:54# And I believe that some day
0:17:54 > 0:17:59# We'll meet beyond the stars
0:17:59 > 0:18:06# But till that day I'll know when were apart
0:18:07 > 0:18:11# That you are there
0:18:11 > 0:18:15# Even though I cannot see you
0:18:18 > 0:18:26# You are there though sometimes I cannot hear you
0:18:27 > 0:18:33# And I'll never be alone
0:18:33 > 0:18:40# For you won't leave me
0:18:40 > 0:18:48# So I'll just sit here in the safety of your love
0:18:52 > 0:19:00# I'll just rest here in the safety of your love
0:19:02 > 0:19:06# Ooo-ooo-ooo-ooh. #
0:19:13 > 0:19:17Back in 1748, a cargo ship called The Greyhound
0:19:17 > 0:19:21was making its way from Africa to England
0:19:21 > 0:19:27when it was caught in a fierce storm off the Irish Coast.
0:19:27 > 0:19:31On board was a slave trader, John Newton.
0:19:31 > 0:19:33By his own admission, a blasphemous rogue.
0:19:36 > 0:19:38Convinced that he was about to die,
0:19:38 > 0:19:41the non-believer called out to God for help.
0:19:41 > 0:19:44The storm abated and the crew spotted land.
0:19:44 > 0:19:49They made it safely to shore just along the coast in County Donegal.
0:19:51 > 0:19:55That close brush with death was a turning point in Newton's life.
0:19:55 > 0:19:57While his ship was being repaired,
0:19:57 > 0:20:01Newton, in his diaries, comments that he came to a church in Derry,
0:20:01 > 0:20:06where he gave thanks to the God who hears and answers prayers.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11Some years later, Newton was ordained as a clergyman
0:20:11 > 0:20:14and he became a mentor to William Wilberforce
0:20:14 > 0:20:17in his fight to introduce anti-slavery legislation.
0:20:19 > 0:20:23To illustrate his sermons, Newton wrote hymns.
0:20:23 > 0:20:28His most famous work inspired by his first encounter with his god.
0:20:28 > 0:20:37# Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound
0:20:37 > 0:20:48# That saved a wretch like me
0:20:48 > 0:20:59# I once was lost, but now am found
0:20:59 > 0:21:06# Was blind, but now can see
0:21:15 > 0:21:26# 'Twas Grace that taught my heart to fear
0:21:26 > 0:21:36# And Grace, my fears relieved
0:21:36 > 0:21:47# How precious did that Grace appear
0:21:47 > 0:21:57# The hour I first believed
0:21:59 > 0:22:08# Through many dangers toils and snares
0:22:08 > 0:22:17# I have already come
0:22:18 > 0:22:29# 'Twas Grace that brought us safe thus far
0:22:31 > 0:22:39# And Grace will lead us home
0:22:43 > 0:22:51# The Lord has promised good to me
0:22:53 > 0:23:01# His word my hope secures
0:23:03 > 0:23:14# He will my shield and portion be
0:23:14 > 0:23:20# As long as life
0:23:20 > 0:23:25# As long as life
0:23:25 > 0:23:38# As long as life endures. #
0:23:50 > 0:23:52Just across the road from the Guildhall,
0:23:52 > 0:23:56this city garden is the home of Ireland's only world peace flame.
0:24:01 > 0:24:03Around the garden, local children
0:24:03 > 0:24:06have created a pathway of engraved tiles.
0:24:06 > 0:24:08A series of written pledges
0:24:08 > 0:24:12that tell of their commitment to live together in peace.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15Although the flame was lit just last year
0:24:15 > 0:24:17when Martin Luther King Junior visited the city,
0:24:17 > 0:24:22the project was inspired by the experiences of a local minister
0:24:22 > 0:24:25when he was many miles away from Derry.
0:24:26 > 0:24:32During the second half of 2008, I spent 14 weeks in Camp Bastion
0:24:32 > 0:24:35as the chaplain of the hospital facility there.
0:24:35 > 0:24:39And in those 14 weeks, just short of 1,100 casualties
0:24:39 > 0:24:42came pouring into that facility.
0:24:42 > 0:24:45It was a wake-up call for me.
0:24:45 > 0:24:47Because I began to reflect on how
0:24:47 > 0:24:49this is what it used to be like back home,
0:24:49 > 0:24:53but thank God we've exchanged our guns for government
0:24:53 > 0:24:57and former enemies are now talking instead of fighting.
0:24:57 > 0:25:01Is there a danger that we think
0:25:01 > 0:25:05it will never return and therefore we become complacent?
0:25:05 > 0:25:08Yes, we are not where we once were,
0:25:08 > 0:25:10but we are far from where we need to be.
0:25:10 > 0:25:15And so we must create the conditions
0:25:15 > 0:25:20that will allow us to see each other as God sees us.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23People made in the same image.
0:25:26 > 0:25:30David started this process by inviting schools from across the city
0:25:30 > 0:25:32to write a 25-word peace pledge.
0:25:32 > 0:25:34The children then gathered together
0:25:34 > 0:25:37to transfer their message onto clay tiles.
0:25:37 > 0:25:42These would then be used to create the Pathway to Peace.
0:25:42 > 0:25:46We've grown up with the notion that children should be seen and not heard.
0:25:46 > 0:25:47How foolish.
0:25:47 > 0:25:51The wisdom that I have identified within the peace pledges
0:25:51 > 0:25:55that children from the age of five right through to 18
0:25:55 > 0:25:57have been composing, it's quite humbling.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00It's quite moving.
0:26:01 > 0:26:03It's such a nice project for Derry as a whole
0:26:03 > 0:26:06because all the schools are coming together.
0:26:06 > 0:26:10I designed this because I have a dove on it for peace.
0:26:13 > 0:26:17They're more or less saying, it's time to reach out.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19Are you going to tell me a little bit about yours?
0:26:19 > 0:26:23That's like the Pathway to Peace there and the worlds behind it
0:26:23 > 0:26:27and then all the children or people are holding hands.
0:26:27 > 0:26:31That shows they're working together as a family by holding hands.
0:26:31 > 0:26:33That's beautiful.
0:26:33 > 0:26:35What we need to do more than anything else
0:26:35 > 0:26:40is to turn not on one another or from one another,
0:26:40 > 0:26:43but towards each other. That's it in a nutshell.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46What does the message of the patron saint
0:26:46 > 0:26:50have to add, if anything, to what you're doing?
0:26:50 > 0:26:55Just as Patrick felt he was raised up as a stone
0:26:55 > 0:26:57with a message for the people,
0:26:57 > 0:27:01these messages will be used to encourage all of us
0:27:01 > 0:27:04to keep on and on and on
0:27:04 > 0:27:08building a shared future from a divided past.
0:29:36 > 0:29:39The blessing is taken from St Patrick's breastplate
0:29:39 > 0:29:41and is led by Father Paul Farren
0:29:41 > 0:29:45and Archdeacon Robert Miller from the city's cathedrals.
0:29:46 > 0:29:50May we arise today through a mighty strength,
0:29:50 > 0:29:52the invocation of the Trinity.
0:29:52 > 0:29:54Through belief in the Threeness,
0:29:54 > 0:29:59through confession of the Oneness of the Creator of creation.
0:29:59 > 0:30:01BOTH: May Almighty God bless you,
0:30:01 > 0:30:06the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
0:30:08 > 0:30:12And that is almost it from this St Patrick's Day Songs of Praise.
0:30:12 > 0:30:14And whether you're Irish or not, have a good one.
0:30:14 > 0:30:17Until the next time, Happy St Patrick's Day.
0:32:56 > 0:33:00Next week, Bill celebrates the rich cultural heritage of the Isle of Man
0:33:00 > 0:33:04and meets a Manx teenager who is saving the environment
0:33:04 > 0:33:07by growing her own clothes.
0:33:07 > 0:33:09There'll be hymns from Peel Cathedral
0:33:09 > 0:33:12and performances from singer-songwriter Christine Collister
0:33:12 > 0:33:15and Manx choir Caarjyn Cooidjagh.