RTÉ’s Sunday best

THE long-running, celebrated Sunday Miscellany programme (RTÉ Radio 1) suffers at times from over-commissioning of certain contributors.

Otherwise, it justly deserves its excellent reputation. I’m sure regular listeners treasure personal favourites from past editions.

May I share mine? Vona Groarke’s magical ‘Meeting Laurence Olivier’; John O’Donnell’s elegiac lament ‘Remembering Lennon’ on the 25th anniversary of the Beatle’s assassination, and the recent, pre-St Patrick’s Day ‘Emerald’ by Karen Ardiff. The last-mentioned piece was memorable for its technical research, poetic distillation and the modulated tones of a trained actress. It was a gem.