6-03-09: Foul Play, St Josephs Abbeyfeale

Short piece from early March on the play Foul Play which was put on by students from St Joseph's Abbeyfeale. Here the students do some beatboxing and rapping which are integral parts of the production and director Niamh Bowen talks about working with the students and devising the play.
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20-02-09: Friel, Beckett and Jimmy McCarthy

On this full show
Elaine Hennessy (Abbeyfeale Drama Group) on 'Philadelphia, Here I come'
Henry Woulfe (Godot Company) on 'Endgame'
Singer-songwriters, Jimmy McCarthy and Vincent Fitzgerald
Newcastle West Film Club preview
Download here (26mbs/55mins long). You can also listen to a streamed version on the player below. To subscribe to audio pieces from the show in itunes, click here or other podcast receivers just click here

13-02-09: Road Bowling Special

Feedback from the Baader Meinhof Complex that played at the film club in Listowel
Footage of members of the Abbeyfeale Travelling Community playing Road Bowling, recorded by Georgina Downes
Interview with Fintan Lane, author of Long Bullets; A History of Road Bowling in Ireland
Mary Carroll of the NCW film club reviews Emmas Bliss


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If you like this road bowling special you might like to check a short piece we did on outdoor handball alleys in Ireland back in 2005. Read and hear it here.

Audio 26: Catherine Eaton, Athea, Preston Reed 14/11/08

Full show from 14th of November featuring
-Catherine Eaton, talking about her play Corsetless that played at St. Johns Theatre, Listowel
-Vox pop from the fair day in Athea
-Interview with Preston Reed, famed guitarist
-Vox pop, preview of Bernadette Soubirous, play by Glórach Players, Abbeyfeale
-NCW film club preview, Ed O'Connor on Shut up and Shoot Me

Download here (53 mins/37 mbs) You can also listen to a streamed version on the player below.
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Audio 14: Abbeyfeale Drama Group- 15-02-08

This was the week we begun broadcasting the show live from Abbeyfeale studio after nearly three years in Newcastle West. Unfortunately some minor technical issues meant we have to suspend podcasts of the full show, but they will return. In the meantime we are putting up some segments of the shows. Thanks for all the positive feedback on the podcasts.

In this item, Abbeyfeale Drama group talk about their upcoming production of John B Keane's 'The Field'. In studio were Denis Hobson, Joan O'Connell, Angeline O'Donnell. The dates for the play which runs in The GAA clubhouse are here.

To listen/download click here (9 minutes, 6 mbs)

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Some Highlights of 2007 so far

Some of the features that have particularly stood out in the show this year

Gráinne Mhaol production in Abbeyfeale; A fantastic production by the transition year students of St. Josephs secondary school in Abbeyfeale, under the guidance of Niamh Bowen and Darren Maher. Really brought the story of the Pirate Queen to life, using the convent hall in a very imaginative way, and garnering considerably more favourable reviews than the big bucks production that hit Broadway.

Interview with Liam Lynch; Author of the book A Stranger to Darkness, this interview took place back in April when Liam was promoting his book in Riordans Bar Abbeyfeale. The book, which chronicled Liams descent into blindness and ultimately dealt with it in a very positive manner, is a great read, also offering vivid portraits of growing up in Ireland in the 1940s and 50s in an unsentimental way, and the farming practices that were common back then. A tremendous man, and a person who ultimately leaves one feeling more positive about life, the interview drew positive comments from as far away as the USA

Jamalski; Legendary MC, whose freestyling performance on live radio ranked as one of the most enjoyable I did on radio, and had our sound technician rushing to try hold him on the line to do some advertisments! That didn't transpire, but what did was a memorable gig at the Underground in Limerick the following Saturday night back in April

Coverage of Festivals; Main highlight included the Kilmallock medieval festival and the Askeaton Contemporary Arts Festival, both in August. The Writers Week in Listowel yielded interviews with Colm Tóibín and the darkly humorous Patrick McCabe

Allunde; Womens singing group, based in Foynes, the group were recorded for the show back in March at Newcastlewest Library

Just a taster of some of the items that were on, some good stuff happening in the general area over the next few weeks, if you're around make sure you catch...

Dracula; Teaspach Theatre groups' production at the Belltable, running from October 30th-November4th
Kerry Film Festival, running from Oct 27th-Nov3rd

Fr.Casey Celebrations, Kaija Poijula, Beauty Queen of Lenane

Bit of an extended break from the blog, will backdate all previous shows soon, on the show tonight we'll be featuring interviews with

-Kevin Lawlor Fitzpatrick, of the Open Theatre Group based in Laois, whose production of the Beauty Queen of Lenane plays at Friars Gate this Sat 24th
-Highlights from the Fr.Casey Centerary commemeration weekend, including some music from Templeglantine Cheomltas Group, and a clip from the dramatic piece done on Fr. Casey at the GAA club on the Saturday night
-Fiona Power, exhibition organiser at the Limerick Printmakers, who will be speaking about the new exhibition from Finnish Artist, Kaija Poijula
-David Brown, who will be launching a new programme on West Limerick Radio, entitled Music and Musings, inviting members of the West Limerick Public to make written submissions on some of their own personal experiences

The Magic Horses of Cill Stuithín, Walking Away & Keith O'Rahilly art exhibition

Interesting topics on this weeks show, drawing from both the past and present. We'll be featuring interviews with

-Fr. Pat Moore, who will be talking about his new book, 'The Magic Horses of Cill Stuithín and other Shannonside Stories', a book exploring a rural folk culture that is for the most part, removed from the modern countryside
-Keith O'Rahilly, Abbeyfeale based artist who will have an exhibition opening at Newcastlewest Library on Thursday 7th December, featuring paintings that celebrate the old rural homesteads (another aspect of our rural culture sadly disappearing)
-Playwright Helena Enright, who will be talking about her new play 'Walking Away', which will be performed at Friars Gate Theatre, Kilmallock on December 6th. This play is being held in association with Adapt services, and explores the depressing vista that is domestic violence against women.

Finally, a big shout out to everyone who supported us at the Abbeyfeale Church Gate Collection and at the CarBoot Sale in Newcastlewest last weekend.

Mamuska, Listowel Writers Week, Blues Special

Apologies for not updating the site over the past few weeks, just bogged down with editing. Just a quick recap on the previous weeks shows.

Friday June 2nd
-Interview with Ciaran Gleeson of the Classic Film Club, Listowel, who spoke about the films that were being run in conjuction with the Listowel Writers Week
-Interview with Davide Terlingo of Daghda Dance Company, who spoke about the last Mamuska night of the season
-Continuing the Beckett series with Shirley O'Regan
-Interview with James Cowden, a poet from Devon, one of many interviews done on a trip to Somerset and Dorset in February in a cross community radio project with farm radio there- a poet very much rooted in the soil, the poem he read about the devastation of the Devon countryside owing to the foot and mouth crisis in 2001 made for powerful radio

Then it was on to Listowel for Seachtain na Scriobhneóirí. The sun was splitting the stones and a feel-good factor was present throughout this wonderful North Kerry town. It proved to be a fertile ground for Éagsúil as well. On the Thursday, I managed to get an interview with Jennifer Johnstone, but the undoubted highlight of the weekend for me personally was getting to interview Limerick Born author Frank McCourt. Preparing questions for him by the tranquil banks of the Feale on a balmy Friday afternoon, who came to meditate alongside the river but McCourt himself. He subsequently agreed to do the interview there and then, a most fortunate coincidence given the hordes of autograph hunters who surrounded him after his reading from his new book, Teacherman.

The show on the 9th June was a writers week special featuring

-Footage from the Abbeyfeale drama group's litary tour on Thursday night (an exerpt from the Country Boy)
-Interview with Jennifer Johnstone
-Interview with the aforementioned Frank McCourt
-Interview with artist Mary Dillon, whose exhibition, Bloom opened on Friday at St. Johns theatre, and whose painting, Cala for Listowel, graced the cover of the programme for the weekend
-Vox pop from the audience who saw the film Capote on the Sunday, one of the many films shown at the classic cinema in conjuction with the weekend

Musical interludes throughout the show were provided via a recording from Sheahans bar, the type of pub that, thankfully still survives in the increasingly homogenised world of the Celtic Tiger. Divided into four sections (a tiny grocery shop, two adjoining bars and a smoking area) a poetry session was held in one of its wonderfully claustrophobic bar sections. Given my luck with Frank McCourt earlier on in the day, I truly landed on my feet when who should come into the bar but John Sheehan (Dubliners fame) and Michael Howard. The Marino Waltz never sounded better!

And Listowel was to provide plenty of material for the following weeks show. As well as unused footage from the writers week, I went to a blues gig at St. Johns theatre on Thursday June 8th, featuring Carvin Jones, from Pheonix, Arizona, and supported by promising North Kerry based Blues band Zeppo. Enjoyable, lively gig from Zeppo, with very impressive vocals and instrumentation, but the night belonged to Jones, whose frenetic guitar playing brought back memories of Hendrix for the crowd. Impromptu forays into the crowd were par for the course, and only once did he take a break from playing, to chat to a couple at the back! While he may not represent the future of the blues in terms of breaking a new mould for the genre, nonetheless he is a fantastic live musician whose honesty and enjoyment shone through.

Show for the 16th June was as follows

-Interview with Paul Howard (author of the Ross O'Carroll series, this was a chance meeting in JB Keanes pub on the Friday night of the Writers Week)
-More footage from Abbeyfeale Drama groups literary tour, this time a scene from Big Maggie
-Interview with John Connolly, drummer with Zeppo
-Interview with Carvin Jones
-Ending of the Beckett series with Shirley O'Regan

Also included was a snippet from the street busking in Newcastlewest as part of the county Fleadh. That about rounds it up, promise to keep this site updated more in the future and hopefully a few audio files will be on the way soon.

Alone it Stands, Listowel Writers week, Beckett & the All-Ireland Bodhrán Championship

Apologies on not updating the blog over the last two weeks, a quick recap for those who may have missed the previous 2 shows...
The show on 12th May featured interviews with Limerick City Arts Officer Sheila Deegan on the Music in the Park initiative as well as the winding down of EVA. We also had an interview with Dan Sheehy, director of the Ray Cooney play, 'There goes the Bride', which is still playing at Friars Gate, Kilmallock, while Deirdre Griffin gave a quick rundown on Féile na Bealthaine in Daingean uí Chúis. The show also featured recorded songs from the west limerick singing club at the Ramble Inn, Abbeyfeale, where the guest singer was Gary MacMahon.

Last weeks show on May 19th featured
-Interview with Michael Collins on the upcoming county Fleadh Ceoil in Newcastlewest
-Interview with New York based writer Lisa Ramirez, whose play 'Exit Cuckoo' featured at St. John's Listowel on the same night
-Start of our Beckett series celebrating the centenary of the mans birth with a reading from Shirley O'Regan
-Interview with Brenda Woulfe, a woman with West Limerick connections who has opened a new bookshop in Listowel. Thanks to David Brown for this interview

Onto this weeks show, which will feature
-appropriately enough after last weekend, an interview with John Breen, the writer of 'Alone it Stands', which plays at the Concert Hall this week
-Feature on the World Bodhrán Championship that takes place in Milltown next weekend, with an interview with the secretary of the committee Eoin O'Shea
-Continuing our Beckett series with Shirley O'Regan
-David Brown interview with Johanna Keane Flynn & Eilish Whin of the Listowel Writers Week on the upcoming festival

Hope you enjoy the show. More audio files hopefully to come in the near future.