‘Sunshine On Leith- Hibernian F.C ’ broadcasts on Newstalk 106-108fm on Sunday the 8th March at 7am Saturday 14th March at 9pm. Podcast goes live after the first broadcast. Leith is a now gentrified part of Edinburgh with a unique identity. So much so that its old inhabitants refer to themselves as Leithers and deny they are from Edinburgh. It was once a mix of Catholic, Protestants, Scots and Irish and was also were the first Irish football team was founded, Hibernian FC. In ‘Sunshine On Leith- Hibernian F.C, producer Brian Kenny travels to Edinburgh to unravel the complex story of Hibernian which crosses religion, politics and football. Then we hear from fans, sociologists, historian and Leithers in the same week that Hibs are due to play Celtic the most notorious of Irish clubs in Scotland. However how unbeknownst to most Irish people it was not Celtic that first wore the green rather Hibernian football club of Edinburgh. Although nowadays it is their Glasgow rivals Celtic that are most well-known for their Irish identity it was indeed  Hibernian or Hibs as they are more commonly known that first created a football club for Irish immigrants to Scotland to call home. The documentary explores a time when Irish people were flooding to Scotland for work and Irish Catholics were not always welcome. In Glasgow where industry was booming the Irish found jobs and settled in larger numbers whilst in the neighbouring city of Edinburgh jobs suitable for the Irish immigrants were less plentiful. Many of them settled in an area of Leith which had a unique identity separate entirely from that of Edinburgh. Historian Martin Mitchell tells us how Catholic identity of the new arrivals caused tension and amidst the staunch protestant communities there were protests when they Irish tried to set up their first church, many believed there was nowhere for them to go so they started their own football club Hibernian F.C. Michael Rosie a sociologist and fan of Hibs biggest rivals Hearts details how the club had hue initial success and attracted Irish from all over Scotland including Glasgow. However shortly after Hibs won the Scottish cup in 1887 and held a victory parade in Glasgow, Glasgow Celtic was formed and Hibernian was no longer the go to place for Irish immigrants to Scotland. We hear how they myth that Hibernian and their closest rivals Hearts mirror the situation of Celtic and Rangers. Fans tell us that it’s a rivalry based on the side of the city you were born nor whether you are Catholic or Protestant. In a shop outside the stadium we talk to fans of both clubs who distance themselves from the sectarianism that can often be associated with Celtic and Rangers. Finally we go on the road with the Hibs fans, chants banners and all as they make their way to play Celtic in the Scottish League cup semi-final and sing their anthem Sunshine on Leith at the top of their voices. BROADCAST TIMES: ‘Sunshine On Leith- Hibernian F.C ’ broadcasts on Newstalk 106-108fm on Sunday the 8th March at 7am Saturday 14th March at 9pm. LISTEN LIVE ONLINE: ‘‘Sunshine On Leith- Hibernian FC.  can also be listened to online at: www.newstalk.com PODCAST: Podcast the show after the broadcast at: www.newstalk.com/documentaryonnewstalk CREDITS: ‘‘Sunshine on Leith- Hibernian FC. was written, edited, and produced by Brian Kenny. The programme was funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland with the television licence fee.

Newstalk Documentaries

Sunshine On Leith- Hibernian F.C: Documentary On Newstalk

This weekend, Documentary On Newstalk takes a trip back to 2002, when one of the greatest sporting icons in history sent a letter to Armagh GAA to wish them luck... in a new radio documentary: The Ali Ireland Final. In ‘The Ali Ireland Final’ Producer Jonathan Farrelly talks to Hugh Campbell, a member of the 2002 Armagh coaching staff who got Muhammad Ali to send a letter to inspire the team to glory....  BROADCAST TIMES: ‘The Ali Ireland Final’ will be broadcast on Newstalk 106-108fm on Sunday 16th February at 7am, with a repeat broadcast on Saturday 22nd February at 9pm. Before 2002, Armagh had never won an All-Ireland title. Appearing in finals in 1953 and 1977, it was a case of third time lucky when they struck gold in 2002. Hugh Campbell was recruited as part of the Armagh coaching staff that year. He didn’t have a background in the sport, but he specialised in sports psychology, something of an unknown quantity at the time. His initial appointment was met with scepticism from a sport that was notoriously traditional. It took a while for Hugh to settle in and gain the respect of the players. Hugh had just started to read ‘The Fight’ (Norman Mailer) about the infamous ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman. Hugh thought that if he could get the players to believe in themselves like Ali did, this could be their year. He also knew that in order for something to really hit home, he’d need something from the man himself. His neighbour was a TV producer and reached out to the Muhammad Ali Center. They told him Ali would be delighted to send a letter to each member of the team. The night before the final, Campbell gave a presentation to the team and finished up by saying, ‘'If Ali was here in his prime right now, what do you think he would say to you?' He left it at that and they all went to bed. The next morning, he got up early and slipped the letters under each player’s door. And the rest, as they say, is history... ‘The Ali Ireland Final’ will be broadcast on Newstalk 106-108fm on Sunday 16th February at 7am, with a repeat broadcast on Saturday 22nd February at 9pm. Podcast goes live on www.newstalk.com after the first broadcast LISTEN LIVE: ‘The Ali Ireland Final’’ can also be listened to online at: www.newstalk.com CREDITS: ‘The Ali Ireland Final’’ was produced, recorded, and edited by Jonathan Farrelly and was supported by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, through the television licence fee. ABOUT THE PRODUCER: Jonathan Farrelly is a writer and producer with over ten years experience in radio and TV, having produced sports content for BBC, RTE and Eir Sport. &nbsp;

The Ali Ireland Final: Documentary On Newstalk

This weekend, Drama on Newstalk will broadcast the premiere of new radio drama “Secrets” in which IMRO-nominated producer Brian Gallagher travels back in time to a seaside holiday in Sixties Ireland, during which two women face an intriguing moral dilemma. “Secrets” tells the story of the extended Lawlor family who take a seaside holiday in Bray, County Wicklow, in 1964.  Unaware that such holidays will be soon made redundant by package holidays to sun destinations, they go about their usual two-week break. Despite the surface good humour, tensions are evident in the family dynamic, and when the Lawlors cross paths with a holidaying Scottish family the seeds are sown for a dramatic outcome. The 1964 scenes are viewed through the eyes of twelve-year-old Damian Lawlor, while simultaneously the now-adult Damian looks back on the action.  Reappraising the moral choices of that summer, over fifty years later, giving Damian another dilemma now as he has to decide whether or not to leave the past undisturbed. Starring Aonghus Og McAnally, Mark O’Regan, Mary Murray, Marion O’Dwyer, and Claudia Carroll, “Secrets” was written and produced by Brian Gallagher.   The programme was funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland with the Television License Fee. BROADCAST TIMES: “Secrets” will be broadcast on Newstalk 106-108fm on Sunday 26th January at 7am with repeat broadcast on Saturday 1st February at 9pm LISTEN LIVE ONLINE: “Secrets” can also be listened to online at: www.newstalk.ie PODCAST: Podcast available at: www.newstalk.ie/documentaryonnewstalk after the broadcast. &nbsp;

Secrets: Drama On Newstalk

In the latest Documentary on Newstalk, Producer Brian Kenny takes a look at the effect of our housing and homeless crisis on society and highlights the connection to the plight of Irish migrants forced into homelessness in the UK in the recent past...in “Bricks and Mortar” Bricks and Mortar will air on Newstalk 106-108fm on Sunday 19th January at 7am, with a repeat broadcast the following Saturday 25th January at 9pm Bricks and mortar tackles the widely covered subject of our current housing/homeless crisis in Ireland whilst looking from different angles. Rather than solely focusing on the causes and effects of the current deficit in accommodation supply, we look at the larger impact of homelessness and the concept of a house and a home itself. Brian Carey from Trinity colleges department of Philosophy investigates the possible cause of society’s paralysis in fixing this issue that all everyone agrees needs to be addressed. The tireless Christina Noble tells us that unfortunately nothing has changed in Ireland since as a homeless child on the streets of Dublin she dug a hole in the grounds of the Phoenix Park to find shelter. One thing that is certain when looking at the root causes of this crisis is that it’s something that not everyone agrees on. Karl Dieter gives us his perspective on the differences between the government building houses in the '50s and the lack of construction happening now while smashing the myth of the Golden age Fallacy that Europeans do this much better than us. Another international comparison is gained through an interview with Bobby Gilmore. Bobby worked throughout the '70s and '80s with Irish homeless people in London, Manchester and Birmingham and talks us through some harrowing tales of individuals who he came across in his work. We hear how homelessness affects the soul of people and how easy it is to get trapped in a negative cycle. Bobby tells us how the people he worked with in England often chose not to access state services initially as they always felt like they were going to go home to Ireland until they became lost. Importantly though, he tells us that there often was accommodation and social housing available to people in England whereas coming back to Ireland Bobby is shocked to see a homeless problem where state services are not available to those who are (unlike his experience in the UK) actively looking to access them. Homelessness was traditionally seen and still is by many people as individuals sleeping rough but we have learned that there are very major distinctions in what is involved in the sheer numbers of people without accommodation in Ireland. We hear from professionals working with the medical charity Safety Net who talk us through the differences between people who are on the streets due to substance and mental health issues against people who are unable to access accommodation due to a housing shortage. These are very important distinctions, as without grasping these we cannot effectively look at how to solve the issue. Through Safety Net we talk to homeless individuals who are on the streets for years about their stories and how for them homelessness is not a new thing rather has been going on for far too long.  Bricks and Mortar raises many questions of us as a nation and indeed tackles many of the false narratives currently circulating around the homeless and housing crisis. BROADCAST TIMES: Bricks and Mortar will air on Newstalk 106-108fm on Sunday 19th January at 7am, with a repeat broadcast the following Saturday 25th January at 9pm PODCAST: Download Podcast from www.newstalk.com after the first broadcast CREDITS: "Bricks and Mortar” was produced by Brian Kenny and Malachy Smyth and was supported by a grant from the Columban Missionary Society. &nbsp;

Bricks and Mortar: Documentary On Newstalk

This weekend and next, on Documentary on Newstalk, Producer Brian Byrne brings you the story of Dublin’s past, as told by the city’s six historians in residence - in History in Residence... History in Residence premieres on Newstalk 106-108fm on Sunday Jan 12th at 7am, with a repeat broadcast on Saturday Jan 18th at 9pm. In 2016 thousands of people took to the streets across the country to take part in events commemorating the Easter Rising. In Dublin alone there were over 100 different community events. This was when Dublin City Council identified the real appetite for history in the city, and the need for community-based history resource. This was how the historians in residence program was born. The following year in 2017, the council hired 6 historians in residence (the first of their kind in the city) with the mandate to take history down from the ‘ivory tower’ of academia, and back into our communities. To deepen and empower public connection to the past, promoting a sense of historical identity and pride - and to show that history can be just as much about the present, as it is the past. “It’s probably unique that a local authority and a library service is taking historians and encouraging them to go out and talk to people about history. I think sometimes people are overwhelmed by history, or it’s boring or its too much, or I don't know how to do it or its hard to read, we wanted to just let people to have access and engagement to history, to be able to to go to a talk or a walk, or take part in a discussion, exhibition. It’s just bringing history out onto the streets if you like. Making it that bit easier to tap into. And I think their enthusiasm and their passion for history just comes across when you talk to them, they just love history and talking to people about history, and that’s just infectious and its very positive.” Tara Doyle, Senior Librarian, Dublin City Council Cathy Scuffil, Maeve Casserly, Mary Muldowney, Cormac Moore, Bernard Kelly and James Curry make up the team of historians. They each have their ‘own’ area of Dublin to work in, and over the past 2 years they’ve held talks, given guided walks, helped the revival of weaving in the Liberties, started history clubs, oral history projects and made history engaging for people from all walks of life. This documentary follows the work of the historians in residence, and takes you on a journey across Dublin and into its past, featuring little known stories behind some of Dublin’s history- like why the forty foot is called the forty foot, why Hannah Sheehy Skeffington did to the census or the origin of the animals which once adorned our coins. BROADCAST TIMES: History in Residence premieres on Newstalk 106-108fm on Sunday Jan 12th at 7am, with a repeat broadcast on Saturday Jan 18th at 9pm. PODCAST: The programme will be available for download from newstalk.com after the broadcast. CREDITS: History in Residence was produced by Brian Byrne &amp; funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland with the television license fee. HISTORY IN RESIDENCE PROJECT: To find out more about the historians in residence project, ask your local librarian, or contact them at the following email address: commemorations@dublincity.ie &nbsp;

History In Residence: Documentary On Newstalk

This weekend on Documentary on Newstalk, Producer Patricia Baker’s new radio documentary, Egg Money, celebrates a generation of women who worked to improve life in rural Ireland; countrywomen often stereotyped and overlooked in their roles as mothers, homemakers and farmer’s wives. These women, now aged between 70 and 90, tell their stories, and when woven together, highlight a very different story than the one expected. These women played a vital role in the development of rural Ireland. They were activists, lobbyists, and business women with very independent means. Photograph Courtesy of ESB Archives Egg Money is broadcast on Newstalk 106 – 108FM on Sunday 17th November at 7am, and again Saturday 23rd November at 11pm.  Quotes from Egg Money: “I had a journalist say to me once, ‘I went to an ICA Guild meeting wanting to talk about changing the world, and what did I finish up doing? I was asked to judge a jam making competition’.  And I said  ‘and are jam making and saving the world mutually exclusive’ ?” Mamo McDonald “My parents were farmers.  There was seven of us in the family, no bathroom, no electricity, very basic stuff. We all did jobs.  We had to milk the cows before we went to school in the morning, everyone had to milk by hand. Turning the turf in the evening, or the hay. Everyone just mucked in and did what they had to do.  Cleaned out the houses.  You just did it and there was no saying that you won’t, you just got on with it.” Eleanor Calnan “The one word that has come up all the time in my research is drudgery.  Housework was a constant drudgery at the time.  If you didn't have electricity, you’re cooking on an open fire., You had to light the fire in the morning if you wanted a cup of tea. Most people did not have running water in their houses, so you are talking about getting water from a well, or from a pump.  Washing clothes in a basin with a scrubbing board, it is hard manual work.  Also you’re talking about families where you could have anything up to four children in nappies at the same time, and no one had disposable nappies at the time.”  Dr Sorcha O’Brien design historian “Women were expected to bring in some income to keep the family afloat. They did it in various ways, child minding, knitting, sewing various. Poultry raring was seen as one for the women.   Egg Money was often the only income stream that the women controlled themselves.  It was put away to pay towards a child’s education, to improve conditions in the home.  It could be used for diverse purposes. It was pretty central to the life of the family.” Professor Emeritus UCD History Mary E Daly “My mother always had the Egg Money, and so did all the other women I knew, my aunties and grandparents, and myself, and it was never questioned.  We were independent enough, we did a lot of the work, the women milked the cows, cleaned out cow sheds. They did everything, pitched hay. We were brought up to be independent since the time we could walk.  My mother and all her counterparts regarded herself as business women, they knew a lot about running business in those days, and they were trained by their mothers.” Connie McEvoy. “They are hidden from all the statistics.  Farmwives were never counted as economically productive people in the census.” Professor Emeritus UCD History Mary E Daly “ICA was very good for interaction with women, different ages. The ICA would have been very vocal on women’s rights.”  Mary Therese Coen “I started off a conservative, I was as conservative as anyone.  I thought these radical women’s movement were … (pause) well I thought Neil McCaffrey had cloven feet. Then I meet her and heard her speak, and I thought she was very articulate, she was very funny, and I was also admiring of a lot of the things the radical women were doing. They were going along a different path to the one we were going, but they had echoes of one another.  I became a born again feminist.  I claimed our place in the women’s movement, because we were part of the wider women’s movement because we were working for women too. Mamo McDonald, Past National President of the ICA, founder of Age and Opportunity. Egg Money is broadcast on Newstalk 106 – 108FM on Sunday 17th November at 7am, and again Saturday 23rd November at 11pm CREDITS: Egg Money is a Curious Broadcast production funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland with the Television License Fee. It was narrated and produced by Patricia Baker, with edit and final mix by Gerry Horan at Contact Studio. Sound and Vision is a funding scheme for television and radio that provides funding in support of high quality programmes on Irish culture, heritage and experience, and programmes to improve adult literacy. The scheme is managed by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland. &nbsp; &nbsp;

Egg Money: Documentary On Newstalk

In our latest Documentary on Newstalk, producers Shaun O’Boyle and Maurice Kelliher present a programme which marks the first 10 years of Science Gallery; a game-changing public gallery space in Dublin that redefined the relationship between science, art, and culture—in ‘Science Gallery: 10 Years of Art Meets Science’. In 2008, a former car park on Pearse Street, at the edge of Trinity College Dublin, was replaced by a new kind of science museum: Science Gallery Dublin. A world first, Science Gallery has altered the cultural and scientific landscape in Ireland—and internationally. Before 2008, there was a widespread mistrust of science and scientists in Ireland, despite a massive investment by the government since the 1980s in scientific research. Irish scientists wanted to change that, but still hadn’t figured out the best way to connect with the public on scientific issues. Unlike most countries, Ireland has never had a traditional science museum, a place to house artefacts of our scientific history or interactive exhibits pointing at our scientific future. Strangely, this has worked in our favour. When the opportunity for Ireland to have its first space dedicated to bringing science to a public audience, we ended up with something far from your typical science museum. Science Gallery was born at a time when ideas around museums and galleries [and their audiences] were evolving: moving away from large museums and towards smaller spaces, connecting with audiences, ushering in a culture where galleries and museums were in a ‘conversation’ with their audiences. Science was also changing. Scientists were moving away from the strict boundaries that used to enclose each scientific discipline, and instead embracing the potential for discovery and innovation when you break down those barriers and work across those disciplines. In fact, some of the most exciting ideas were coming from collaborations between scientists and those working in the arts and humanities. So, when Michael John Gorman was appointed as the Founding Director of Science Gallery, he set out to create a space that would capture this new culture of science, culture, and creativity. Science Gallery Dublin became a space (both physically, and intellectually) where science converses with art; and an ever-changing programme of exhibitions and events meant that audiences could keep coming back to explore art/science investigations into subjects such as: personal data, love, risk, memory, infection, weather/climate, and trauma. 2018 marked the 10th birthday of Science Gallery in Dublin, a game-changing public space that redefined our relationship with science, art, and culture. As this idea, born in Ireland, becomes a massive international network, we look at how this small gallery on Pearse Street became such an important cultural and scientific space—nationally and globally. The radio premiere of Science Gallery: 10 Years of Art Meets Science will air on Newstalk on Sunday 10th November 2019 at 7am, with a repeat broadcast on Saturday 16th November at 9pm Podcast from www.newstalk.com after the first broadcast Credits: Produced, recorded, and edited  by Shaun O’Boyle and Maurice Kelliher (aka Bureau). The programme was funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland. Photo: Science Gallery Dublin. About the producers: Shaun O'Boyle and Maurice Kelliher (aka Bureau) make radio documentaries and podcasts on a diverse range of subjects; and have made programmes for: Documentaries on Newstalk, BBC Radio 4, Science Gallery Dublin, UCD x Dr Judith Harford, Irish Design 2015, LGBT History Month (UK), Inspirefest, Science Gallery International, Festival of Curiosity, Dr Shane Begin x UCD, Science Foundation Ireland, and BBC World Service. Their radio documentaries have been funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, ID 2015, and the Mary Raftery Journalism Fund. In 2016 they were shortlisted for the worldwide Whicker Foundation Audio Achievement Award—for their documentary ‘Prejudice and Pride’. http://www.akabureau.com The BAI Sound And Vision Scheme: Sound and Vision is a funding scheme for television and radio that provides funding in support of high quality programmes on Irish culture, heritage and experience, and programmes to improve adult literacy. The scheme is managed by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland. &nbsp;

Science Gallery: 10 Years of Art Meets Science: Documentary On Newstalk

A new radio documentary, premiering on Newstalk this Sunday, tells the story of two sisters from Northern Ireland who left their family and faith for an alternative spiritual journey with the Hare Krisna community in the 1990's. Peace and Love in a Time of Trouble is produced by Magi Scully and takes the listener on a journey from Christianity to Krishna with Karuna Smith-Ryan, from Co. Down. Peace and Love in a Time of Trouble will be broadcast on Newstalk 106-108fm on Sunday 13th October at 7am, and repeated on Saturday 19th October at 9pm.  Podcast goes live on www.newstalk.com after first broadcast. Living in Northern Ireland during the troubles, the Smith sisters  moved with their husbands to rear their families among the Hare Krisna community at Inis Rath Island in Lough Erne on Fermanagh. A relatively new religion, the Hare Krisna's were founded in New York in 1966, and were best known in Ireland for their street singing and chanting, as well as vegetarian food restaurants. Beatle band member, George Harrison, became a devotee and helped the spiritual organisation with funds for printing books, recorded albums and made the significant donation of a manor house in Watford, which is the UK headquarters today. Karuna Ryan Raised among the island community, Karuna's daughter Ekhadasi, was educated by Christians and moved to study fashion design in the UK, where she is a weekly visitor to the Temple in Watford. Karuna Ryan now runs Karuna's Kitchen Catering at Temple Bar food market Dublin on Saturday and People's Park, Dun Laoghaire on Sunday. Sukhada Smith-Repass founded the Ray of Light, which is located at the Shambala Holistic Centre in Derrylin Co. Fermanagh. www.rayoflight108.com Since the 1990’s, the number of Hare Krisna’s living on Inis Rath has dwindled. A small community are presently fundraising to maintain the temple, and open for retreats and events including the masters of calm festival. For more information, visit: www.Krishnaisland.com CREDITS: Peace and Love in a Time of Trouble was edited by Heather Mcleod,  Produced and Presented by Magi Scully. The programme was funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland with the Television License Fee. Thank you to Karuna and Ekhadashi Ryan, to Sukhada Smith – Repass, Radha Mohan Das and Keshto and the Hare Krisna communities at Bhakti – Vedanta Manor and Inis Rath. Peace and Love in a Time of Trouble will be broadcast on Newstalk 106-108fm on Sunday 13th October at 7am, and repeated on Saturday 19th October at 9pm.  Podcast goes live on www.newstalk.com after first broadcast.

Peace and Love in a Time of Trouble: Documentary On Newstalk

Producer Francesca Lalor explores the world of the professional kitchen, as seen through the eyes of Irish chefs “My ethos of food is that the hero of the dish is the ingredients…and my life’s work is to make them sing…” Chef Gavin McDonagh Knives At Dawn will be broadcast on Newstalk 106 – 108fm on Sunday 8th September at 7am, and repeated on Saturday 14th September at 9pm.  Podcast from www.newstalk.com after the first broadcast The working life of a professional chef involves long hours, split shifts, ferocious stamina, practiced skill, and above all, the quest for culinary perfection... In her latest radio documentary, premiering this weekend on Newstalk, producer Francesca Lalor follows the lives of Irish chefs, from the start of their training, through their experiences working in kitchens around the world; from Michelin-starred restaurants in Paris, to poky dive-bar kitchens in the Lower East Side of New York, and back to Ireland. Their passion for food is contagious. Their backroom tales of all the drama, steam, sound and fury that take place in professional kitchens are at times extreme, at times hilarious, and always gripping. This documentary, Knives At Dawn aims to capture their stories. There was a time, not so very long ago, when garlic was practically unheard of in Ireland. When you couldn’t get a decent cup of coffee anywhere. Where eating Italian meant visiting your local chipper. Exotic ingredients like balsamic vinegar, Jalapeño peppers, Parma ham or mozzarella were either unheard of or highly unusual. But now, Ireland has a burgeoning culinary scene that is experimental, vibrant and modern. A scene that is holding it’s own against any food scene in the world. And one of the reasons for this is that many of our chefs emigrated, trained and worked around the world, and have now returned, armed with new knowledge, skills and experience. So where did these chefs end up cooking? What experiences did they have on their travels, armed only with the tools of their trade: their precious set of knives wrapped in their apron? In this programme, we follow the lives of Irish chefs as they tell the story of their careers in their own words. Beginning with their origins, right back in their early training days, we travel with them as they recount their experiences of emigrating and working in kitchens around the world, before we journey back with them to Ireland, as they return with their new-found skills, ready to break into the Irish culinary scene. Who will tell the story? Knives At Dawn features Irish chefs who have developed their reputations in International kitchens. Each of our chefs comes from a very different background, and each took a very different path over the course of their chefing careers. What they share is that they are passionate about their jobs. They are also excellent storytellers, with the passion to bring their varied experiences in kitchens worldwide to life. They are the upstarts, the returned rebels, the innovators...and they represent the future of the Irish food scene. Chef Brendan Keenan, currently trains chefs in Cathal Brugha Street at the Technological University Dublin: Originally from Ardee in Co.Louth, Chef Brendan Keenan was meant to take up a job as an accountant, but opted to rebel, and trained as a chef instead. In 1989, he won a Green Card to the US in a visa lottery, and secured a scholarship to train in New York. “I got lucky”, he says. “I just walked up Broadway and got a job”. Working in top kitchens, including the Waldorf Astoria, he cooked for the great and the good, before returning to Ireland. One of Brendan’s claims to chefing fame is that he cooked for Margaret Thatcher when she was in Dublin for political talks in the ‘80s. “The British Secret Service insisted on coming into the kitchen, and standing over me as I prepared her food. They made me taste each ingredient before it went into the pot”, he remembers. Brendan now trains budding chefs back home in Dublin, bringing his wealth of experience and passion for ingredients garnered abroad to a new generation of trainee chefs. Chef Gavin McDonagh, formerly of Brioche Restaurant, and currently development chef with the Dylan McGrath Restaurant Group: Originally from Crumlin, Gavin McDonagh started training as a chef at the age of 16 in his local college, Crumlin College, before continuing his training in Cathal Brugha Street and Tallaght IT. He started cooking “just to have a trade”, but when he entered a chef competition in Hotel Olympia in London, and won three gold medals, he got bitten by the bug. Returning to Ireland, he walked into L’Ecrivain Restaurant in Dublin, and got hired as an apprentice chef, under the tutelage of Derry Clarke. “Derry mentored me constantly”, he says, “and encouraged me to compete at Eurotoques with the Irish National Team”. In 1995, he won the Baileys Young Chef of The Year, and his prize was a four month stint working as an apprentice chef in Paris in a 1-Star Michelin Restaurant, in a very old classical style restaurant called Le Petit Colombier, under Chef Bernard Fournier. There, Gavin developed a love for classical French cooking. “In Paris, I learnt the ethos of what flavour should come out of food, and the old-school way of doing things…One of my jobs was to go the market at 5am every Tuesday. I learnt about ingredients…you’re picking up kilos of Morel mushrooms, that would cost a fortune in Ireland, and using them for stews…truffles are being used as if they’re free…” Returning to Dublin, via stints in kitchens in Germany and the U.K., he landed a job cooking in the Michelin-Starred Restaurant Patrick Guilbauld…”In my formation as a chef, I got to experience two different styles of Michelin starred food, and that’s what informs my cooking. My ethos of food is that the hero of the dish is the ingredients…and my life’s work is to make them sing…”. Gavin currently works as development chef with the Dylan McGrath Restaurant Group. Knives At Dawn will be broadcast on Newstalk 106 – 108fm on Sunday 8th September at 7am, and repeated on Saturday 14th September at 9pm. Podcast after first broadcast from www.newstalk.com Francesca Lalor is an award-winning radio documentary/drama maker. She is Series Producer of Documentary &amp; Drama On Newstalk 106-108fm. She also lectures in radio production in DLIADT and Griffith College Dublin. This is her 20th feature-length radio documentary/drama. CREDITS: Knives At Dawn was produced, recorded and edited by Francesca Lalor. Mastered by John Murphy of Guerrilla Sounds. The programme was funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, with the Television License Fee. With thanks to Chef Brendan Keenan, currently training chefs in Cathal Brugha Street at the Technological University Dublin; and Chef Gavin McDonagh, formerly of Brioche Restaurant, and currently development chef with the Dylan McGrath Restaurant Group.   Sound and Vision is a funding scheme for television and radio that provides funding in support of high quality programmes on Irish culture, heritage and experience, and programmes to improve adult literacy. The scheme is managed by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland. &nbsp;

Knives At Dawn: Documentary On Newstalk

Enquiring Minds will be broadcast on Newstalk 106 – 108fm on Sunday 1st September at 7am, and repeated on Saturday 7th September at 9pm Just as the schools go back for another year, Newstalk 106-108FM broadcasts Enquiring Minds, a new radio documentary which follows a group of ten-year-olds (4th class) from the Central Model Senior School on Gardiner Street in Dublin’s inner city, who are participating in a series of philosophy and contemporary art workshops. The documentary celebrates the capacity of children for critical and independent thought, and their ability to question and explore through the disciplines of contemporary art and philosophy. Central to the documentary is the children’s responses as they are engaged on a philosophical level.  We listen to their capacity even at a very young age for deep thinking and critical reflection.  Woven through the children’s voices are the reflection of philosophers and teachers on the role philosophy and contemporary art has in our society. We hear about the importance of engaging children in philosophical enquiry in school through the study of philosophy and art. We see how this can teach children to become critical and independent thinkers, empowering them for a future within a rapidly changing world. Together philosophical ideas and contemporary art can open up new ways of connecting and developing the enquiring mind, enriching the child’s capacity for expression and for critical and independent thought. “We try and find ways of talking about values and ethics philosophically, but also to find ways of connecting with the lives of children and young people so they have these spaces to explore, and understand, and imagine different ways of thinking and existing in the world,” said  Aislinn O’Donnell, Philosopher and Professor of Education at Maynooth University, member of the Centre for Public Education and Pedagogy and founder member and ambassador of Philosophy Ireland.  “They really have something to offer us in terms of showing us the singularity of who they are, the ways they see the world, what they have witnessed, experienced and the wisdom that comes from that, I think we can underestimate children.”  Enquiring Minds is also a story of the need to create space and time within a rapidly paced society for engaging with the complexity of concepts and ideas, to question deeply, to imagine divergent views, to explore many answers to the same questions about love, justice, identity, existence, meaning, politics and knowledge.  “When you engage in philosophy for children it forces you to rethink your understanding of philosophy and rethink your understanding of children. It is not some cute novel thing that is happening, it is people making sense of their experience. And just because they are shorter and have not been around as long should not make a difference”, said  Dr Joe Oyler, lecturer in teacher education in Maynooth University, co-ordinator for the philosophy for children workshops hosted by the Institution of the advancement for philosophy for children. Katy Fitzpatrick, who works in gallery education with a focus on children and young people’s engagement in contemporary art and co-creator of Art and Philosophy in the classroom said of the philosophy and contemporary art workshops; “To have that space to be able to have those conversations in a safe way, I think for children to have those ranges of experience with different artists and art practices with different galleries, to go into artist studios. To work in different rhythms and methodologies for children is really important”  Enquiring Minds will be broadcast on Newstalk 106 – 108fm on Sunday 1st September at 7am, and repeated on Saturday 7th September at 9pm Podcast will be available for download from newstalk.com after the broadcast. Credits: Enquiring Minds is a Curious Broadcast production funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland with the Television License Fee. It was narrated and produced by Patricia Baker, with edit and final mix by Gerry Horan at Contact Studio. To find out more about The Enquiring Classroom Project, go to: http://www.enquiring-project.eu/the-enquiring-classroom-training-manual.html Sound and Vision is a funding scheme for television and radio that provides funding in support of high quality programmes on Irish culture, heritage and experience, and programmes to improve adult literacy. The scheme is managed by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland. Curious Broadcast is an arts-based broadcast studio that creates a space for innovation and cultural experimentation across all sectors. Curious Broadcast is based in Inchicore, Dublin 8.

Enquiring Minds: Documentary On Newstalk

In the latest episode of Documentary On Newstalk, Producer Jim Doherty goes on a road-trip with Europes first, and Irelands only, cross-border, cross-community mobile library in: ‘Books Over Borders’.  In 2004, Europe’s first cross-border mobile library took to the roads, serving rural communities in Donegal, Derry and Tyrone. Funded by the EU’s Peace Programme, it was jointly conceived by Donegal Library Service and Libraries NI. It is a prime example of co-operation between institutions who operate in different jurisdictions, working together to serve isolated border communities. A practical, all-island approach to pooling resources and providing a quality service. However, this innovative and valued community resource that has trundled along our border roads for the past 15 years is facing a few bumpy future. Brexit, and the unknown impact it will have on our borders and cross-border institutions, is creating some uncertainty and worry. The service has become an important feature in the lives of the villages, rural housing estates and small primary schools that it stops at during its 6 days a week schedule. Many people have come to rely on it, not just for books but for the social element it provides. Much of this is due to the cheerful and knowledgeable librarian, Denis Doherty, who has built strong links with his clients over the years. The mobile service also has a key role to play in promoting literacy, particularly among children who would otherwise be glued to a smartphone or tablet. The people who use the service have many reasons for doing so and would sorely miss it if it were gone. Jim Doherty spent some time travelling with the mobile library, calling at the schools and villages and meeting the people who use it. The border itself is still invisible and will hopefully remain so. As Denis pointed out over one of many cups of tea “People are the same no matter what side of a border you’re on”. BROADCAST TIMES: ‘Books Over Borders’ will be broadcast on Newstalk 106-108fm on Sunday August 18th at 7am, with repeat broadcast on Saturday 24th August at 9pm. PODCAST from www.newstalk.com after the first broadcast CREDITS: ‘Books Over Borders’ was produced, recorded, and edited by Jim Doherty - and was supported by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, through the television licence fee. ABOUT THE PRODUCER: Jim Doherty is a lecturer in Media Production in Derry’s North West Regional College and produces documentaries and radio features for broadcasters including RTE, BBC Radio Foyle, Newstalk and Highland Radio.   &nbsp; &nbsp;

Books Over Borders: Documentary On Newstalk

This weekend on Newstalk, a new radio documentary by Sorcha Heron explores the history of Ballykinlar Internment Camp in County Down, where thousands of Irish men, including her own grandfather, were interned by the British army during Ireland’s War of Independence…. Broadcast Times: Ballykinlar: The Barbed Wire Cage will air on Newstalk on Sunday 11th August at 7am, with a repeat broadcast the following Saturday 17th August at 9pm. Podcast available from www.newstalk.com after first broadcast. Ballykinlar: The Barbed Wire Cage that held 2,000 Irish Prisoners of War By Sorcha Heron. Many Irish families are laden with tales of republicanism and my family is no different. Growing up, I’d heard occasional stories of my grandparents’ (on my dad’s side) passion for the Republican movement. But it wasn’t until 2016, when the decade of centenaries was in full swing, that I took a keener interest. While rifling through an old bureau in my parents’ home, I came across a little notebook – an autograph book – and tucked between its pages was a very old black and white photo of some young men. It turns out my grandfather James Heron was among the rather dishevelled looking group and alongside him – with his hand firmly placed on his shoulder – was an older man, my great-grandfather Joseph Heron. Pic: My grandfather James Heron sitting, front row, centre. My great-grandfather Joseph Heron standing, second row, second from right (hand on James’s right shoulder) Credit: Muiris Heron But it was the inscription on the back that really piqued my interest: “Ballykinlar Internment Camp, 1921”. I’d never even heard of Ballykinlar – were was it? Was it a prison? A military camp? And how both my grandfather and great-grandfather ended up being there? Pic: A drawing of Ballykinlar by an internee. The Mourne Mountains can be seen through barbed wire with seagulls flying (signalling a beach nearby). Ballykinlar: The Barbed Wire Cage that held 2,000 Irish Prisoners of War is the story of how, in the aftermath of Bloody Sunday, November 1920, thousands of Irish men across the country were interned by the British army at a military camp in County Down. Some of the men would later have prominent roles in Irish society and culture - including former Taoiseach Sean Lemass; founder of Walton’s School of Music Martin Walton; along with esteemed songwriter Peadar Kearney. But many of the men were from ordinary backgrounds – like my grandfather and great-grandfather - whose lives were upturned by extraordinary events designed to break their spirit. And yet, these men not only survived but occasionally thrived within their small community - endeavouring to better themselves through education, the arts and above all else comradeship. Pic: Internees’ signatures in Hut 14, Camp 2 in Ballykinlar, including my grandfather James Heron (Seamus O’Hearagain) and my great-grandfather Joseph Heron. The 48-minute documentary features contributions from Moira Mahon and Muiris Heron (relatives of James and Jospeh Heron); Assistant Curator at Kilmainham Gaol Aoife Torpey; Professor of Irish Contemporary History Eunan O’Halpin; Author of Prisoners of War: Ballykinlar Liam O’Dhuibhir; Pat McCarthy of the Military History Society of Ireland; Music Historian at Illinois University Christine Bashford; and Major Tony Canniford at Ballykinlar Training Camp. With archive material supplied by Kilmainham Gaol; Down County Museum; Ballykinlar Training Camp; Pat McCarthy’s own collection; Heron family collection. A very special thanks to Mike King, Heritage Manager at Down County Museum where of the ‘Ballykinlar History Hut’ project will be located in 2020. For more information or to share any knowledge of Ballykinlar from 1914 onwards, go here: https://www.facebook.com/pg/BallykinlarHistoryHut/about/ Broadcast Times: Ballykinlar: The Barbed Wire Cage will air on Newstalk on Sunday 11th August at 7am, with a repeat broadcast the following Saturday 17th August at 9pm. Credits: Ballykinlar: The Barbed Wire Cage was produced and narrated by Sorcha Heron. Sound designed, recorded and edited by Neil Kavanagh. Actors were: Sean O’Suilleabhain, Aaron Creavin &amp; Niamh Hassell. Music: Arise: Ballykinlar March performed by: David McEntee on piano, Frank McCann on vocals, and Niall Connaire on violin. The project was supported by The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland as part of the Sound and Vision 3 Funding Scheme. &nbsp; &nbsp;

Ballykinlar: The Barbed Wire Cage: Documentary On Newstalk

The personal accounts of refugees and migrants who have made Ireland their home In our latest Documentary on Newstalk, producer Brian Kenny brings us the personal accounts of refugees and migrants who have reluctantly left their homes to resettle here in Ireland in recent years in: 'Don't Look Back' The Irish people have a tradition of migration, leaving our shores in the face of poverty and hardship for pastures new. In recent times however, Ireland has become  the place where refugees and migrants have sought refuge, and this influx has changed the once homogenous island of ours forever. The ‘land of a thousand welcomes’ has been put to the test as the economic and political climate has changed. Across Europe refugees from Syria have flooded across borders, and populist parties are on the rise. What about Ireland though? Are we immune to this? Has our own history of migration made us more empathetic to those arriving here in similar circumstances? Who better to address this question than the refugees themselves who have sought a new start in this small island on the edge of Europe? In ‘Don’t Look Back’, we meet Almuthana, the fiddle maker from Syria who has found a new home here after an epic journey across the ocean on a small plastic boat, and hear how his life has changed forever after an act of extraordinary kindness. From the communist fortress of North Korea we talk to Chung Lee who risked his life escaping to China as an illegal immigrant before seeking refuge in Ireland where he found solace tending to the gardens of the Columban Missionaries in Navan. Kurdish man Ahmed tells us how he was within 100 metres of ISIS as they ransacked his village forcing him to flee with his brother leaving everything behind . Ahmed like many of his counterparts look to the future rather than the past realising their children will be more Irish than anything else. Don't look back........ Credits: 'Don't Look Back' was produced by Brian Kenny and Malachy Smyth and was supported by a grant from the Columban Missionary Society. Broadcast Times: 'Don’t Look Back' airs on Newstalk on Sunday 28th July at 7am with a repeat broadcast on Saturday 3rd August at 9pm. Note for Listeners: The programme contains strong language and scenes which some listeners might find disturbing. If you are affected by any issues raised by this programme, freephone the Samaritans on: 116123

Don’t Look Back: Documentary On Newstalk

Exploring the stories behind Ireland’s most popular park, St Stephen's Green. This weekend, Documentary on Newstalk airs the premiere of ‘Wigs on the Green’, in which IMRO-nominated producer Brian Gallagher looks at the lives of those who work and play in the vicinity of Ireland's most famous park, St Stephen's Green. Wigs on the Green will be broadcast on Newstalk 106-108fm on Sunday 21st July at 7am with repeat broadcast on Saturday 27that 9pm Using a lively mix of interviews, location recordings, sound effects and music, Wigs on the Green explores the stories behind Ireland’s most popular park, St Stephen's Green. Historian Arthur Flynn tells how the Green was originally used for pubic executions, before becoming a private park that in time was gifted to the people of Dublin by Arthur Guinness. Therese Casey, the Park Superintendent, talks of the challenges of running a city-centre park that gets 4.6 million visitors annually. The programme looks at the human interest stories associated with institutions located on the Green, such as Adolf Hitler's half brother working in the Shelbourne Hotel, and the canvas from the portrait of Queen Victoria in the College of Surgeons being used to make bandages during the 1916 Rising. Sinead O'Kane and Pat Rooney reminisce respectively about being a boarder at Loreto on the Green, and visiting the 1500-seater Green Cinema, while Arthur Flynn tells the story of the little-known Huguenot cemetery at Merrion Row, and its link to the family of Samuel Beckett. Niall Burgess, the Secretary General of the Department of Foreign Affairs, gives a fascinating look behind the scenes at the historic Iveagh House, while Raymond Mooney tells of the changes that have taken place at the Hibernian Club, which was originally a gentlemen's club founded by Daniel O'Connell. Contributors reminisce light-heartedly about their memories of Stephen's Green, while Edmund Lynch, one of the founders of the Irish Gay Rights Association, recalls the important role played by Rice's, one of Dublin's first gay-friendly pubs. We hear of the social changes to the area, as observed by Eddie McEvoy, who has been a barber on Grafton Street for fifty-five years, then Bridget Spain explains why she loves her job as the minister of the nearby Unitarian Church. Looking to the past, Arthur Flynn tells of Dublin's first Catholic University at Newman House, while looking to the future the impact of one-way streets, pedestrianisation and the Luas system is reviewed.  The programme concludes with contributors expressing what Stephen's Green means to them, and their hopes for its future. BROADCAST ­TIMES: WIGS ON THE GREEN was broadcast on Newstalk 106-108fm on Sunday 21st July at 7am with repeat broadcast on Saturday 27th July at 9pm CREDITS: WIGS ON THE GREEN was produced by Brian Gallagher, and funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland with the Television License Fee. Quotes from WIGS ON THE GREEN: “Adolf Hitler's half brother, Alyious Hitler, worked here.  He would have washed the pots in the kitchen.”  Denis O'Brien Concierge, Shelbourne Hotel.  “I started in '64 and I'm still working there - I must be the oldest working in Grafton Street,” Eddie McEvoy, barber. “Trying to get the work done safely - with 4.6 million visitors it's impossible sometimes to get grass cut,” Gerry Donaghue, St Stephen's Green Parks Service Manager “For a lot of people, going into Rices was the start of their journey to their full freedom as a person.” Edmund Lynch, founder member, Irish Gay Rights Movement. “We employ over seventy nationalities, speaking forty languages, working in almoist every time zone.  So this is a global organisation, working for Ireland, centred and headquarted, in a quiet house on the south side of St Stephen's Green.” Niall Breslan, Director General, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. &nbsp;

Wigs On The Green: Documentary On Newstalk

A look at a grassroots struggle for social change. In Learning To Change In Israeli and Palestinian Communities, producer Bairbre Flood travels from Tamra to Tel Aviv, and Nazareth to Jerusalem, to meet women involved in the grassroots struggle for social change.  ‘It’s in the community, it deals with women, students and children; and it deals with Jewish and Arab, so I cannot find a more holistic way to make a change here in my society.’  - Fida Nara, the Palestinian co-director of Mahapach-Taghir For this documentary, Bairbre Flood met with women from Tamra to Tel Aviv, Nazareth to Jerusalem: an incredible network working together to fight discrimination, social exclusion and domestic violence. She spoke to members of Mahapach-Taghir (change in Hebrew-Arabic) and Sadaka-Reut (friendship in Arabic-Hebrew), and to women from all communities, to see how they're working on the ground in marginalised areas. In a region renowned for conflict, these women’s struggle for community and solidarity across sectarian lines is even more remarkable. CREDITS: "Learning To Change In Israeli and Palestinian Communities" was produced and presented by Bairbre Flood, and supported by the Simon Cumbers Media Fund. ‘Learning To Change In Israeli and Palestinian Communities’ was first broadcast on Newstalk 106-8FM on Sunday 23rd June at 7am, with a repeat broadcast on Saturday 29th June at 9pm &nbsp; &nbsp;

Learning To Change In Israeli and Palestinian Communities: Documentary On Newstalk

Newstalk 106-108 FM features many documentaries from the plight of the Malawi people to video documentaries on Aurora Borealis.

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Newstalk Documentaries

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