Brendan McCarthy
@brendanmccarthy.bsky.social
200 followers 830 following 72 posts
Journalist living in London. Formerly arts editor, The Tablet. Even more formerly, producer RTÉ and BBC. Irish. Francophile.
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Brendan McCarthy @brendanmccarthy.bsky.social · 26d
I am very sad to hear of Conor Gearty’s death. An enormous loss. He was a distinguished human rights lawyer and academic and a man of deep faith. He was a vital part of the Catholic conversation in Britain. At dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis. This is his diary from Bayreuth in this week’s Tablet.
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Brendan McCarthy @brendanmccarthy.bsky.social · Apr 21
www.lemonde.fr/disparitions...
Like countless Catholics I am deeply sad to hear the news and I have shed a tear for him. He was a good and flawed man who renewed us as Catholics and made the message of Christ ring vibrantly in today’s world. We were lucky to have him. May he rest in peace.
Le pape François est mort
Elu au siège de Pierre en mars 2013, l’Argentin Jorge Mario Bergoglio est le premier pape sud-américain. Vu par les uns comme un réformateur audacieux, laxiste dans la défense de la tradition par les ...
www.lemonde.fr
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Brendan McCarthy @brendanmccarthy.bsky.social · Mar 7
Not a good morning to take the Eurostar

www.leparisien.fr/info-paris-i...
Gare du Nord : le trafic totalement interrompu après la découverte d’une bombe de la Seconde Guerre mondiale
Une bombe datant de la Seconde Guerre mondiale a été découverte à la Gare du Nord. La circulation des trains y est donc totalement interromp
www.leparisien.fr
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Brendan McCarthy @brendanmccarthy.bsky.social · Feb 19
Smash, based on the superb NBC series, opens on Broadway in a few weeks. This concert performance, with the original cast, makes an excellent case for it.

youtube.com/watch?v=Ws5X...
youtube.com
Reposted by Brendan McCarthy
austeni.bsky.social
Austen Ivereigh @austeni.bsky.social · Feb 11
It is *very* unusual for a pope to do this. Magisterial in tone and form (numbered paragraphs, quoting papal teachings) and targeted (referring to Trump policies and Vance’s justifications), this letter means to leave *no doubt* about where the Catholic Church stands. www.vatican.va/content/fran...
Letter of the Holy Father to the Bishops of the United States of America (10 February 2025) | Francis
Letter of the Holy Father to the Bishops of the United Sates of America, 10 February 2025
www.vatican.va
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Brendan McCarthy @brendanmccarthy.bsky.social · Feb 11
Pope Francis doesnt mince his words on Trump’s deportations or on JD Vance’ warped notion of Christian love. The Pope writes “Christian love is not a concentric expansion of interests that little by little extend to other persons and groups”. www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news...
Pope Francis supports U.S. Bishops in migrant advocacy - Vatican News
Pope Francis addresses a letter to the bishops of the United States, expressing his support for their efforts to protect the rights and dignity of ...
www.vaticannews.va
Brendan McCarthy @brendanmccarthy.bsky.social · Jan 29
Me too. I’ve mostly stopped listening to Today.
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Brendan McCarthy @brendanmccarthy.bsky.social · Jan 13
This is the only proper report in English since Donald Trump Jnr's visit to Greenland. An antidote to some of the fatuities of other coverage.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Trump threats cast ominous shadow over icy fjords of Greenland
In the isolated settlement of Kapisillit, Greenlanders tell the BBC's Fergal Keane Donald Trump is welcome to visit - "but that's it".
www.bbc.com
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Brendan McCarthy @brendanmccarthy.bsky.social · Jan 11
This is one of the best things BBC Verify has done.
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Reposted by Brendan McCarthy
richraho.bsky.social
Rich Raho @richraho.bsky.social · Jan 10
Excellent from @gibsonwrites.bsky.social:“Catholic votes made Trump the next president. The outcome of the presidential balloting also made sexual predation a feature of the nation’s preferred leadership model rather than a disqualification.” sacredheartuniversity.typepad.com/go_rebuild_m...
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Brendan McCarthy @brendanmccarthy.bsky.social · Jan 7
www.dr.dk/nyheder/udla... It turns out that the single Greenlander appearing in a Trump Truth Social video, who supports a U.S takeover, is a convicted drugs smuggler. Timmy Zeeb was sentenced to 4 years in jail.
Dømt hashsmugler blev ansigt på Trumps Grønlands-planer: 'Virker mildest talt en smule uheldigt'
Ekspert "tvivler på, at han er blevet tjekket", inden Trumps stab har delt videoen.
www.dr.dk
Reposted by Brendan McCarthy
gtconway.bsky.social
George Conway 👊🇺🇸🔥 @gtconway.bsky.social · Jan 4
Bravo, @anntelnaes.bsky.social.

I guess the new slogan for the Washington Post ought to be:

“Newspapers die in cowardice.”

anntelnaes.substack.com/p/why-im-qui...
Why I'm quitting the Washington Post
Democracy can't function without a free press
anntelnaes.substack.com
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Brendan McCarthy @brendanmccarthy.bsky.social · Dec 28
Donald Trump’s obsession with Greenland gives new resonance to this documentary by Danish TV on the Sirius Patrol, whose purpose is to assert Danish sovereignty in the most remote corners of Greenland.
youtube.com/watch?v=yVfu...
youtube.com
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Brendan McCarthy @brendanmccarthy.bsky.social · Dec 25
Carols and Midnight Mass from Notre Dame de Paris for the first time since 2018 (vision missing from first minute or so)

www.youtube.com/live/ib4FQNg...
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Brendan McCarthy @brendanmccarthy.bsky.social · Dec 24
This is exquisite. A carol in Old Irish from this year’s Maynooth Carol Service. Rétglu etir rind (A Star Among Constellations) is a contemporary carol, with text by David Stifter Maynooth’s professor of Old Irish, and music by Ryan Molloy.

youtu.be/RjyOXyCRB4Q?...
Rétglu etir rind ( First Performance) - Maynooth Carols 2024
YouTube video by St Patrick's Pontifical University
youtu.be
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Brendan McCarthy @brendanmccarthy.bsky.social · Dec 20
The Vatican refused the agrément to Laurent Stefanini, France's proposed ambassador in 1985. Pope Francis felt he was being used by the then president, Francois Hollande. So there is recent precedent for saying 'no'.
Brendan McCarthy @brendanmccarthy.bsky.social · Dec 20
I envy Daniel Harding the ability to combine being a conductor with his other life as a pilot with Air France. Something of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Here’s a charming video from the Orchestra of the Academy of Saint Cecilia.

youtu.be/RI7iIocCMYU?...
Daniel Harding, direttore e pilota - Prima tournée con l'Orchestra dell'Accademia di Santa Cecilia
YouTube video by Orchestra e Coro dell'Accademia di Santa Cecilia
youtu.be
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Reposted by Brendan McCarthy
youranoncentral.bsky.social
Anonymous @youranoncentral.bsky.social · Dec 17
Chrystia Freeland, staring down KGB and pissing off the Kremlin since she was a student. If Trump tries to invade Canada, this is Canada’s Zelensky. Putin knows it. Trump knows it.
moms-account.bsky.social
moms-account.bsky.social @moms-account.bsky.social · Dec 16
This article from when she was a teenager tells you everything you need to know about how tough and ethical she is. Her time on wall street was just as inspiring, she had no fear going up against the wall street bros. Credit to Edmonton Journal May 20 1989.
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Brendan McCarthy @brendanmccarthy.bsky.social · Dec 7
France 24 in English carrying live coverage of Notre Dame’s reopening

www.france24.com/en/live
Watch France 24 English Live
Watch online the France 24 livestream: International News TV Channel 24/7. Get the latest live news from France 24 online on our website.
www.france24.com
Brendan McCarthy @brendanmccarthy.bsky.social · Dec 7
TV5 Monde now carrying live France 2’s coverage both of Notre Dame and of political arrivals at the Élysée Palace.

www.tv5monde.com/tv/direct/9/...
TV5MONDE - Programmes en replay, guide TV, voir la chaîne en direct
Retrouvez tous les programmes de TV5MONDE en replay gratuit. Films, séries, documentaires, magazines. La chaîne en direct streaming
www.tv5monde.com
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Brendan McCarthy @brendanmccarthy.bsky.social · Dec 7
A link to live coverage on KTO and TV5MONDE of the reopening of Notre Dame. A change from the earlier expected time. Now 1755 GMT

www.ktotv.com/page/vivez-l...

Also on TV5Monde from 1730 GMT
www.tv5monde.com/tv/video/937...
Vivez la réouverture de Notre-Dame de Paris en direct sur KTO — KTOTV
Réouverture de Notre-Dame: KTO vous fait vivre cet événement historique avec la retransmission en direct de l'office de la réouverture de la cathédrale le 7/12, la messe de consécration de l'autel le ...
www.ktotv.com
Brendan McCarthy @brendanmccarthy.bsky.social · Dec 6
My feature for The Tablet on the reopening of Notre Dame and its 'double vocation', sacred and secular. Free to read after registration.

www.thetablet.co.uk/features/out...
Out of the flames, into the light – Notre-Dame restored - The Tablet
As dusk falls today, Archbishop of Paris Laurent Ulrich will knock three times with his episcopal staff on Notre-Dame’s west door. In response, the Maîtrise,
www.thetablet.co.uk
Brendan McCarthy @brendanmccarthy.bsky.social · Dec 5
For live coverage of the reopening of Notre Dame de Paris, free of news channel inanities, the French Catholic channel KTO may be best. Live on Saturday from 1600 (UK), 1700 (Paris)

www.youtube.com/live/qS_Uojj...
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Brendan McCarthy @brendanmccarthy.bsky.social · Dec 4
"Macron may not have the Pope at Notre Dame, but to have Trump there is politically more important "
Former French ambassador to Washington tells Le Parisien

www.leparisien.fr/internationa...
« Un beau coup » : pourquoi Trump a choisi Notre-Dame pour son premier déplacement à l’étranger
Le 47e président-élu des Etats-Unis a répondu favorablement à l’invitation personnelle d’Emmanuel Macron. Sa venue donne une nouvelle ampleu
www.leparisien.fr
Brendan McCarthy @brendanmccarthy.bsky.social · Nov 30
Suggestions from RTÉ Radio that Ireland’s two centre parties, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael will come close to being able to form a government without a third coalition partner. Micheál Martin now likely to be the next Taoiseach (PM)