This year’s Garland Sunday celebrations on Sunday, July 26, will have an added interest for the people of Sligo with mass from the Holy Well being broadcast live on RTE to Ireland and across the world on the internet.
Kairos Communications, who count two Sligo people from the same family among their staff, will be on site from Saturday morning preparing for the broadcast which will go to air on Sunday at 11am.
With a crew of over 25 people for the day and many metres of cables and wires to be hung, slung and joined around the location, the rehearsal and broadcast will be a mighty feat for Kairos and the people of the parish of St John’s, Carraroe.
As MD of Kairos and producer of the broadcast Finbarr Tracey explains “live television from any venue has it’s challenges, but when it’s an outdoor broadcast in the unpredictable Irish summer, you face a few more challenges than doing something in a studio in Dublin.
“But the Holy Well is a beautiful location, a place of stunning natural beauty and a special, sacred feeling to it, so we just have to have faith that it will all go well and try our best to make the mass come across as well as we can to the people tuning in.”
The broadcast will showcase the beauty of the area around Lough Gill and highlight the treasure that Sligo has in Tobernalt.
Sligoman Seamus Callagy, originally of the parish, has already filmed a pre-recorded introduction to the Well and the area that will air just before the mass.
“It was great to be back in Carraroe for the day and seeing all the places I used to know so well as a kid.
“It was a grey morning in the midlands when I set off for Sligo, but after filming few shots, suddenly the cloud cleared and the rest of the shoot had glorious sunshine and blue skies.
“For me it was wonderful to get a chance to capture the stunning scenery around the well and Lough Gill, and being out on the boat with Sean Gilmartin reminded me of wonderful times on that lake many years ago.”
Sean Gilmartin, a rower on Lough Gill for many years, contributed to the introduction along with local historian Martin Enright and parishioner Maura McMoreland.
The broacast is introduced by Eileen King who also helped with the narration.
The mass, which is being liturgically set for television by parish priest Fr. Jim Murray (and will be con-celebrated by Bishop Kevin Doran), will air on RTE at 11am and will also be available on the RTE Player.
RTE to broadcast Garland Sunday live from Sligo,
