Ain’t no mountain high enough

Hilarious! That is the only word for Modern Families, the new comedy that started on Sky One last week.

Like The Office, it is gloriously excruciating to watch. But not because it is bad but because it is so close to the bone. Although we love our families, we are all prone to being a little embarrassed or ashamed by them from time-to-time. It’s only natural.
As teenagers, we are all embarrassed but even as an adult, you can feel your cheeks reddening occasionally when your parents, siblings or extended family say something, or worse, try to be cool. It is the nature of families and I love that about it. I embarrass my family and they embarrass me, it’s all part of the circle of life. But better yet it makes for great TV.
Modern Familes is about three families in the States. There is a gay couple who have just adopted a Vietnamese baby; a traditional family where the father is trying to be hip and cool for his kids; and the granddad, who has married a South American woman who is much younger than him.
All the characters are flawed and all the characters are funny. Some of course are funnier than others. The dad is hilarious and, in many ways, steals the show.
It is probably best described as The Office meets Arrested Development. Well worth a look on Saturday nights after The Simpsons.

Make your demands
As lives have become increasingly busy and people do not have the time to watch the programmes they want on traditional television, it is important that we remember that these programmes can be seen again through legal streaming on the internet.
The RTÉ Player has become a marvellous tool for catching up on missed programming. This week I would like to talk about a programme that I missed but is still available to watch on RTÉ Player and is well worth a look.
Mountaineering has always been something that I have had an interest in. As a small child I had lofty ideas of climbing Everest, discovering new lands and generally being a bit of an explorer. I carried these ideas with me into young adulthood but, alas, they were dashed when I discovered that I, like many members of my family had poor knees. They were prone to twisting, dislocation and general discomfort. My mountain explorations were put on hold and although walks in the Burren would feature heavily my dream of climbing Ireland’s highest mountain, Carrauntohilll seemed lost.
Lost, that is until two summers ago when I took off with a group of friends. It was a glorious day and the others did the climb in no time. I struggled with my knees but I managed it. We were blessed with the weather and I was blessed with a very patient friend who stayed with me on the snail-like descent.
As we walked down the side of the mountain we came across a shelter. It was built into the side of the mountain and there was very little inside. My friend told me that these were for people who lost their way on the mountain or were trapped in bad weather. Carrauntohill may only seem like a hill in comparison to some mountains but the weather conditions that climbers experience can be treacherous.
One day on the mountain can often feature all four seasons and what seems like a relatively easy climb can turn nasty quite quickly. After seeing the hut I was haunted by the idea that young people in their prime could meet their end in such an isolated and lonely way.
This idea of being stranded on a mountain in severe weather conditions was addressed in RTÉ’s series Rescue that was first shown in April. My reason for telling this story is to impart to you, the reader, that my interest in this programme was as a reviewer but as someone who has a genuine interest in search and rescue and mountaineering.
Rescue is a six-part series, three of which are available to view, that looks at some of the biggest rescue exercises in the state. It tells not only the stories of those who were rescued but looks behind the scenes at the organisations that do the rescuing. It celebrates the hundreds of volunteers that are part of these organisations and without whom many people, both young and old, would have lost their lives.
The latest episode of the series featured Carrauntohill and the winter rescue of three friends from the Cork Mountaineering Club. The series runs as part of RTÉ’s factual programming and is told in documentary style. The story centred on these three friends and a snow climb that went horribly wrong in back in 1986.
The programme was based on interviews with both the climbers and members of the Kerry Search and Rescue Club who are based on Carrauntohill. The story has all the elements of a cliffhanger and in many ways, this is how it is presented. Footage of the mountain is interwoven with the interviews gripping the audience as the story is woven together.
I think it is a fine example of how well RTÉ do factual programming and is of interest to anyone who ever wondered how people get into these tragic circumstances and the work that goes into a rescue operation.

One to watch
Podge and Rodge, the gruesome twosome make their comeback this Tuesday night with a new weekly show. It is promised to be ruder and bolder but I imagine it will be much of the same as their previous offerings in terms of style and content.
However, as it is on the same night as this goes to print I can only say that it is probably worth a look once. So, if you missed the first one, you’ll have time to watch it before next week’s issue. Podge and Rodge is on Tuesdays at 10.30pm on RTÉ Two.