Aerosol artists, Con Curtin, Tadgh Gaelach O'Suilleabhán

Apologies for not updating the blog over the last few weeks, while the summer is a brilliant season for festivals, there isn't as much happening at the regular venues and it's often I haven't known exactly what will be on the show till an hour beforehand.
Anyway, for the records and posterity, here's what the programme covered over the last few weeks.

Friday June 23rd
A packed show that featured amongst other things

-An interview with Mary O'Mahoney, Chairperson of the Con Curtin Festival Committee, a traditional music festival that takes place in the North Kerry village of Brosna
-A special on the Hanna Parr project...interviews with Niamh Bowen who was involved in the drama aspect, working with children from St.Mary's Parish to stage a wonderful recreation of what it must have been like for the Norwegian Immigrants forced to dock in Limerick in 1868. Also, an interview with Deirdre Power, who photographed the children taking part in the reinactment and whose photo's were subsequently exhibited at the Belltable
-Interview with Declan McGlaughlin of the Belltable on the Open Cinema Season, featuring films from all over the world
-Interview with John Lillis, aka DJ Dubious, who spoke about the exciting line up of djs playing at the Kerryníní night

Onto the 30th of June and the show featured interviews with

-Joe Murphy of St. Johns Theatre, Listowel, on the packed schedule lined up for July
-Helen Broderick of the Listowel based 'Just Creative' Writers group, who were launching a new publication, 'Bridge of Words' at the Seanchaí Centre, Listowel, that Friday
-T-Woc, whose music incorporates electronica, hip-hop & dub reggae and who was playing at the Limerick Boat Club that weekend
-Jessica Brouder, Canadian/West Limerick artist, whose exhibition of abstract work entitled 'recent paintings' was to open in Newcastlewest Library, running for the month of July
-Actor Julie Hale, (Fair City Fame) who was starring in the Harold Pinter Play 'Old Times', that was playing at the Friars Gate Theatre, Kilmallock

Onto to the 7th of July and featured on the show was

-An interview with 'Emerald Elvis' Mark Leen from Tralee, due to play at Friars Gate, who spoke about the enduring appeal of the legendary singer
-Interview with another Tralee native, Kieran O'Herlihy, whose exhibition of Aerosol on canvas and silkscreen in Ruebens Cafe, Tralee received critical acclaim
-Interview with Maria Walsh, lead singer of Jazz/Samba group Zrazy, who were playing at St. Johns Listowel

And finally on to the 14th July, a show which featured

-An interview with Barney Sheehan of the White House Poetry Group on their upcoming quarterly publication & the bilingual poetry nights
-Interview with Peter Sommers, who alongside Michael Mcgrath co-authored the book, Golden Vale Remembered, 1948-2001
-Interview with Sr. Declan Power by Eamon Ó Líathán. Sr. Power recently wrote a book on the 18th century Gaelic Scribe, Tadhg Gaelach O'Suilleabhán, a book that was recently launched at the Halla Tadgh Gaelach in Tournafolla (a hall named after the poet who was born there)

Hope to have some of these interviews up on audio soon

Audio 8: Frank McCourt on the banks of the Feale

Frank McCourt
Originally uploaded by periodismosanitario.


Interview with Frank McCourt recorded on the banks of the river Feale at Listowel Writers week. In it he talks about the inspirations for his books and the Ireland of today. Interview is over 7 minutes long and is 7 mb. Download it here.
Again feedback would be very appreciated, just click on the comment link under this piece.

To check any of the other audio archive postings just type audio into the search box in the top left hand corner and click 'search this blog'

Audio 7: North Kerry based Blues band Zeppo

An interview with John Connolly, drummer with Zeppo, a blues band based in North Kerry. Includes some live snippets of their recent gig in St. Johns, Listowel. Download here. (right click on link and then choose 'save target as') About 8 minutes long 7 mb.
To check any of the other audio archive postings just type audio into the search box in the top left hand corner and click 'search this blog'

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.

Audio 6: Ailbhe Keogan

An interview with Tralee author, Ailbhe Keogan, whose debut novel, Molly and the Cyclops has been receiving a lot of attention in the last week. We have also been getting a number of visitors looking for this so here it is. Interview is over ten minutes long. File is 9 mb. Apologies for some mild background noise. Download here.
Remember if you want to hear any particular piece- email me westlimerickarts at gmail dot com and we will try and put it up for you or alternatively hit the comment button below.