ORLA O’CONNOR is Director of National Women’s Council of Ireland. She holds a Masters degree in European Social Policy from NUIM and a degree in Social Science from UCD. Orla has worked in senior management in non-governmental organisations in Ireland for over 15 year. She was previously the Head of Policy of NWCI, and has…
FLAC’s 8th Dave Ellis Memorial Lecture
FLAC (Free Legal Advice Centres Ltd) invited renowned US public interest lawyer BRYAN STEVENSON to speak at this year’s Dave Ellis Memorial Lecture. Mr STEVENSON’s speech brought home some very powerful points about justice in the US that have great relevance for us here in Ireland. The justice and imprisonment statistics in the US are…
Documenting The Lives Of The ‘Undocumented’ in Ireland
GRACE WILENTZ, Near FM’s Intercultural Coordinator talks to Noel McGuinness about the latest series of ‘Culture Shots’. The aim of Culture Shots is to take a panel of eight people: Four Irish and four non-EU immigrants. The eight undertake a seven-week training course in community radio and intercultural media literacy that promotes equality and diversity…
Barnados’ Unwanted Christmas Gifts Appeal
BERNADETTE HARRINGTON of Barnardos talks to Noel McGuinness about the organisation’s regular Unwanted Christmas Presents Appeal. Every year thousands of us get at least one Christmas gift that we know we’ll never use, or end up giving to someone else, or simply leave to gather dust under the stairs. Those gifts could raise valuable funds…

Ballyfermot Folk Group’s “Home for Christmas”
Noel speaks to GERRY SIMPSON about the Ballyfermot Folk Group’s Christmas song “Home for Christmas” that is in aid of homeless charities. He talks about how the folk group reunited only recently, what they get up since they got back together, the charities that the proceeds of the song will go towards, the details of…
Charter for Fair Conditions at Work & Building Plans for Oscar Traynor Road
John speaks to ALISON GILLILAND about the charter for fair conditions at work and the building plans for the Oscar Traynor Road. She talks about her background with Labour and the Dublin City Council, the work being up in nowadays by trade unions, the key principals to the charter, the value for both the employees…
Baldoyle Forum’s 2014 Annual Art Exhibition Launches
HEIDI BADEL of the Baldoyle Forum chats to John Healy about the forthcoming 24th Annual Art Exhibition. Baldoyle Forum Limited is a Non Profit Community Development Organisation formed in 1996 and is a registered charity. The members of the Board are all voluntary, unpaid members of Baldoyle Community. The Board meet on a monthly basis…
Achieve ABA school in Donaghmede.
JOHN HEALY speaks with PAT MC CORMACK, who is a parent of a child who attends Achieve ABA school in Donaghmede for autistic children. The government have closed down the school & the funding was cut. Pat recounts his story…
Darndale Belcamp Park Renewal Project
John Healy interviews MADELEINE EBBS from Dublin City Council and social activist LANCE SPRATT, and some students from Darndale National School accompanied by Gerry Cooley to talk about the claim to repair the playground and the football pitch. The football teams can’t use the pitches because the quad bikes destroyed them and the playground was too…
Senior Citizen Alert Scheme
LINDA HAYDEN of the Darndale/Belcamp Village Centre talks to Pat Meehan about the new Senior Citizen Alert Scheme. This is a system that they fit in peoples’ homes where an alarm allows older people to contact a support person in case of Emergency. The alarm is worn by the person. A monitored smoke detector, carbon monoxide, and Internal…

Irish Muslim Peace and Integration Centre
Mark speaks to SHAYKH UMAR AL QADIR, head imam of the Blanchardstown Islamic Centre and chair of the Irish Muslim Peace and Integration Centre. He talks about the work he does for both the Blanchardstown Islamic Centre and the Irish Muslim Peace and Integration Centre, his understanding of people’s perceptions of the Muslim community, his…

Austerity affecting mental health in schools – A.S.T.I is fighting for improving this situation
Noel McGuinness is talking to ED BYRNE Vice president of A.S.T.I. about how austerity has affected student mental health in schools. The effect of more students in a class means less teacher and guidance for pupils, which damage physical health, which now is more in a focus than ever before. The importance of a guidance…
Live Aid 30th Anniversary – The Memories Live On
Live Aid was staged on Saturday, July 13, 1985. About 75 different acts performed live for about 170,000 people in London and Philadelphia. Meanwhile, an estimated 1.5 billion people in 110 countries watched it via a live television stream from 13 satellites. More than 40 nations also held telethons for African famine relief during the…
Forest Eireann, Plain Cigarette Packaging
Mark Finnegan speaks to JOHN MALLON who is the spokesman for the speakers group Forest Eireann. He talks about plain packaging cigarettes & how it would be a huge & unnecessary risk for the government to take. If this was to happen it would make it a lot harder for sales assistants to distinguish the…
GAA jersey raises cash for Pietta House appeal
IAN KINSELLA from Moatview talks to MARK FINNEGAN about the trials and tribulations of trying to get a GAA jersey signed by every one of the 32 inter-county teams to be sold at an auction in aid of Pietta House…
