Human rights campaigner PETER TATCHELL joins Eoin Drinan on the eve of World Press Freedom Day. He talks about the importance of Press Freedom, saying that in many countries in 2013 Press Freedom and freedom of expression are not considered to be natural rights. Peter talks about the great personal danger that many journalists put…
Katie Taylor Brings Olympic Gold to Dublin
Noel McGuinness talks to Head of Near FM’s sports department, FERGUS CARROLL after Katie Taylor winning her Olympic Gold. Two weeks after the event, Bray is still covered in posters and flags celebrating Taylor’s victory. She is no stranger to the Northside, having taken part in Colaiste Dulaigh’s ‘Skipathon’ event the previous year. The boys…
Baldoyle Racecourse Community Garden
Baldoyle Racecourse Community Garden organizer JENNIFER NOTHER joins Yvette Reid to talk about how the community garden was put together. Jennifer talks of the committee that guided the project, how the garden operates, how the community organize to meet at particular times of the month to carry out specific tasks such as cutting grass, her hopes of the garden growing in the…
Dublin’s First Festival of History: Presenting the Past, Looking to the Future
BRENDAN TEELING, Deputy City Librarian of Dublin City Libraries, joins Pat Meehan to discuss the upcoming Dublin Festival of History. Brendan says 70,000 history books were borrowed from Dublin libraries in the previous year. This number suggested that there is a huge amount of interest in our nation’s past and that a history festival, tied…
The Significant Seven play
John Healy speaks to DECLAN CAHILL of Riverside Drama group, Northside Partnership and Scoil Catriona. Declan speaks of his involvement over the years in volunteering with groups, and more specifically about a production directed and written by Dennis Byrne called “The Significant Seven”. Declan speaks of the rehearsal process, the Drama groups experiences of hosting…
Simon Cumbers Media Fund Third Level Student Competition 2014
Minister of State for Trade and Development JOE COSTELLO joins Eoin Drinan to discuss the Simon Cumbers Media Fund Third Level Student Competition. Minister Costello talks about the recent launch of the scheme and tells listeners what the fund offers. He gives details of deadlines for the scheme and the one-to-one mentoring which will be…
The Voice Squad’s Phil Callery in Studio
Musician and Voice Squad member, PHIL CALLERY joins Noel McGuinness in studio. Phil talks about his love for music, his dislike of where music production has evolved to over the years, how he started with the Voice Squad, how he believes that Ireland is keeping its song writing traditions intact and his old slot in…
Kilbarrack Coast Community Programme Visiting Foreign Embassies In Dublin
John speaks to BRENDAN BURKE from the Kilbarrack Coast Community Programme who visited all the foreign embassies in Dublin. He talks about the background and services of the community programme, the activities that they do for different age groups, the idea behind visiting the embassies, the differences between some of the embassies and what he learned…

Special Citizens Association 1916 Commemoration Event 2016
Mark Finnegan is talking to GERRY BUCKLEY & PEGGY GALLIGAN from the National Graves Association about their work and the Special Citizens 1916 Commemoration Event on April 24th 2016. The work of the National Graves Association always worked to restore and maintain the graves and memorials of the patriot dead of every generation and to…
Phoenix Park Celebrates 350th Birthday
MAURICE CLEARY, Service Manager at the Phoenix Park, talks to Noel McGuinness about the planned celebrations for this year’s 350th anniversary of the Phoenix Park’s establishment. The park was created by the Duke of Ormond in 1662 as a hunting ground for the aristocratic classes. King Charles II hunted here. There are now 500 fallow…
Community Spirit and the Water Protests
MARK FINNEGAN and NOEL McGUINNESS discuss the current state of morale amongst protesters who are determined to stop water charges being introduced. Eye-witness reports, unadulterated by national media agendas, suggest that the water protesters remain determined and steadfast. Community spirit remains strong in north Dublin…
Donna Cooney – Green Party- General Election 2016
DONNA COONEY Green Party candidate for Dublin Bay North is chatting to Mark Finnegan about 2016 Election. She was a Dublin City Councillor from Jan.’96 to ’99The Sunday business post called Donna a “hard working councillor”. Donna was a Dublin City Councillor in the 90’s and Chair of the Cultural committee. Over the last twenty…
Camara charity reaches 500,000 children with Technological Assistance
Pat Meehan speaks to John from Irish charity “Camara” in light of them reaching their half million mark in terms of helping children access technology in Africa. We hear the history of the organisation since 2005 and some of their plans for reaching the two million mark by 2016. We hear of how prevalent technology…
National Biodiversity Data Centre
Noel Mc Guinness speaks to DR. LIAM LYSAGHT who is director of the National Biodiversity Data Centre. He speaks about where wild life occurs in Ireland & how people can learn more about Wildlife by attending the workshops which are starting tomorrow in Bull Island in Clontarf. The first one up is an “introduction to Waders”…
Discussing the impact of growing class numbers at Primary school level
CATHERINE JOYCE of Barnardos speaks to Yvette Reid about the rising number of students per class at primary level combined with the lowering number of Special Needs assistant positions available at the time. Catherine tells of how while in some schools this is not currently a problem there are many schools were the numbers have…
