Hymns: 2016 Memories

I began this series with my Hymns: 1980 Memories post, so this is the 36th in the series 😀. I’m getting old.

2016 began with the death of David Bowie and ended with the death of George Michael. It was a bit of a shock to hear of these deaths, but even back in 1977, I remember Marc Bolan being killed in a car crash. But now, I’m at the stage where pop stars of my generation or slightly before are dying of natural causes.

In late 2016 I went to see Rebel Rebel, a David Bowie tribute act with my daughters in Cork Opera House. They were excellent.

In 2016, though I was still involved with Tipperary Christian Fellowship, I enjoyed visiting Cafe Church on Sunday evenings in Limerick Baptist Church with my daughters. My youngest daughter was baptised there in 2016. At Cafe Church, I became familiar with some of the more contemporary worship songs. I suspect that they were about 10-20 years old, but they were contemporary to me.

Worship songs published in 2016 include the following:

In Limerick, Elevate Community Church, was formally set up in April 2016, though it had been around for a few years before that. It was impressive that such a large church could be planted in so short of time. For me, it was nice to see a new church so near the old Limerick Baptist Church building, which closed in 1992. And it is pastored by someone from Limerick who was just a child when I moved to Limerick in 1988. I’d probably prefer if it was called Grace Community Church 😀. Some months ago, in Cork, I saw a Credit Union called Elevate, so maybe it’s not such an unusual title. I never remember seeing a church that grew so quickly, so clearly something is working.

In 2016, I remember enjoying a country music gospel night at Mallow Street Christian Fellowship. I bought an acoustic guitar in 2016, which we used in Tipperary Christian Fellowship for the next few years.

In 2016, we went to Manchester for our summer holidays, with day trips to Chester Zoo, Southport, Hebden Bridge, Haworth, Liverpool and York. And then, we went down to London for the last few nights and visited Kew Gardens on the Sunday. I haven’t been to the UK since. I must go again soon.

Anyway, here are some music, events, and films/TV shows that would have formed the background to 2016. I don’t necessarily endorse all the songs or films 😀.

10 Songs of 2016

• 7 Years – Lukas Graham
• Can’t Stop the Feeling! – Justin Timberlake
• Rockabye – Clean Bandit ft. Sean Paul & Anne-Marie
• Cake by the Ocean – DNCE
• Hymn for the Weekend – Coldplay
• Blackstar – David Bowie
• Lazarus – David Bowie
• A Head Full of Dreams – Coldplay
• Human – Rag’n’Bone Man
• When We Were Young – Adele

10 Movies or TV Shows of 2016

• La La Land
• Manchester by the Sea
• Zootopia
• Captain America: Civil War
• Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
• Finding Dory
• Moana
• Pete’s Dragon
• The Crown (Netflix)
• Victoria (UK TV show)

10 News Events from 2016

• Brexit Referendum – UK voted to leave the European Union on June 23.
• Donald Trump Elected President
• Coup Attempt in Turkey – Failed military coup against President Erdoğan in July.
• ISIS Terror Attacks – Strikes in Brussels, Nice, and Istanbul.
• Yemen Humanitarian Crisis – Worsening famine and conflict.
• Pokémon GO Launches – Augmented reality game becomes global phenomenon.
• Bob Dylan Wins Nobel Prize in Literature – For poetic songwriting.
• Refugee Photo of Syrian Boy Omran Daqneesh – Became a symbol of war’s toll
• UK Prime Minister David Cameron stepped down following the Brexit vote,
• UK Labour MP Jo Cox was tragically killed by a far-right extremist, prompting national mourning and calls for unity

Some Famous People Who Passed Away in 2016

Many well-known names passed away in 2016.

• David Bowie – Legendary British musician and cultural icon (died January 10)
• Prince – Groundbreaking American singer-songwriter and performer (died April 21)
• Muhammad Ali – World-renowned boxer and activist (died June 3)
• Alan Rickman – Acclaimed British actor known for Harry Potter and Die Hard (died January 14)
• Carrie Fisher – Actress famous for Princess Leia in Star Wars (died December 27)
• Debbie Reynolds – Actress and singer, mother of Carrie Fisher (died December 28)
• George Michael – British pop star and former Wham! member (died December 25)
• Leonard Cohen – Canadian poet and singer-songwriter (died November 7)
• Gene Wilder – Actor known for Willy Wonka and Young Frankenstein (died August 29)
• Fidel Castro – Former Cuban leader and revolutionary (died November 25)
• Frank Kelly ​– Father Jack in the Father Ted comedy series, but he was well known in Ireland for many years before.
• George Kennedy ​– Actor
• Nancy Reagan – Wife of Ronald Reagan
• George Martin – Beatles producer
• Patty Duke – Actress
• Merle Haggard – Country star
• Victoria Wood – Actress
• Cilla Black – Singer and friend of The Beatles
• Edward Daly – Irish Bishop
• Bobby Molloy – Irish politician
• Zsa Zsa Gabor – Actress – that I remember from Green Acres