What are we watching on TV?

An Bothy Band, a lot of it as Gaeilge on BBC2, 10:00 to 11:30pm Sunday 16/03/2025. Are they as good as I remember them 50 years ago? And then some. Changes in personnel brought about by deaths, 4 or 5 worn-out and wrung-out managers, the best flute player in the world (according to James Galway), and the first trad outfit to feature a real rhythm section (the bit you dance and tap your feet to). Tommy & Michéal for sure looking down smiling and also there in spirit, well worth the hour and 30 mins of anyone's time. The craic was and is still mighty.

1883 Like @GSheehy says is a good series - perfect for a cold and wet weekend and perhaps a bottle of wine or two. A wagon train from Fort-Worth to Montana, Wyoming, Colorado Oregon and a few more western states sets the scene through the eyes of several people seeking settlement in The West.

Sam Elliott who plays Shay Brennan (who else?) without doubt is the star of the show. Isabel May plays Elsa whose diary tells the story of the trials and tribulations of the settlers. The rugged hat worn throughout was made for her and I reckon milliners everywhere will gain as a result.

You have to ignore the Manhattan accents of some of the Comanche Injuns and turn a blind eye to their use of extra whitening toothpaste. There are many things on which too many liberties were taken, but don’t let those get in the way of your entertainment.

It’s an excellent series and paced slow enough for the discerning viewer and fast enough for the former Zane Grey readers and has enough soap opera for the braindead.