A Visit To Bloom 2015 Blows The Cobwebs Away

PAT MEEHAN takes a trip round the Bloom 2015 Festival site interviewing exhibitors and visitors. Bloom in the Park is not only one of Ireland’s biggest annual tourist attractions, it is also one of the leading horticulture and food festivals which takes place each year over the June Bank Holiday. Bloom, which is organised by…

Read More

Concerns Over New Housing Plans for Oscar Traynor Road

John speaks to AUSTIN MCCOY and JIM EVESTON from the Lorcan Residents Association about concerns over new housing plans for Oscar Traynor Road, Coolock. They talk about the background of the plans going back as long as 40 years ago, the developer’s plans to include ten storey units, their hopes to talk to the developers…

Read More

Emerald Garrison Club

Mark Finnegan speaks to DARYL EGAN & JIM GORMAN from the Emerald Garrison club which was set up in 2007 in Belfast by a guy called Martin Ryan. They are the largest Star Wars  costume club in Ireland with 80  members. They make all their own costumes & full size sets & do a lot…

Read More

Dublin Celebrates Bram Stoker Centenary, 2012

Councillor ANDREW MONTAGUE talks to Noel McGuinness about how he came up with the idea of a Bram Stoker Halloween Festival. Stoker, who died in 1912, was a true Dubliner. He lived in Marino, studied at Trinity, and married one of Oscar Wilde’s ex-girlfriends (who knew?). Oh, and he also wrote Dracula…

Read More

Dublin Port Wants A Bigger Slice of International Cruise Market

The Dublin Port Company wants to establish the capital as the main port of choice for cruises coming to Ireland, says PAT WARD head of corporate services at Dublin Port Company. Talking to Noel McGuinness, Pat said the firm, which reported freight levels in excess of the boom era last year, has launched Cruise Dublin…

Read More

Water Charges: Using Property Tax To Pay For Water Meters

Councillor MARY FITZPATRICK joins John Healy. They begin by discussing water charges and Phil Hogan’s promise to fix leaks in problem areas when domestic water charges are introduced. They discuss the “First fix free” plan which the government had committed to financing at the time. Mary says she has tried to contact various organisations to…

Read More

Haven Doing Great Work in Haiti

ORLA DEMPSEY of Haven talks to Noel McGuinness about the voluntary work being done in the disaster-stricken island. Apart from the weather, says Orla, Haiti is very much like Ireland in the 1800s, an abandoned country with great poverty. George Hook is a well-known supporter of Haven’s work in Haiti and has travelled there on…

Read More

Cancellation of the Bin Charges waiver

SEAN MOYNIHAN from Alone, joins Ronnie O’Brien to discuss the bin charge waiver which is planned to be cancelled in 2012. They begin by talking about an apparent lack of information available to people who will be affected. They also discuss a number of variations which will occur depending on which county council a person will…

Read More

Sing Project at Axis in Ballymun

What a night it was on Wednesday 19 December in Axis, Ballymun when the combined voices of the National Chamber Choir and the Sing project participants joined forces in a celebratory carol service under the baton of Paul Hillier. The finale was the whole auditorium singing Silent Night and O come all you faithful, spine…

Read More

Active Parents service

ODREN REID talks about the closure of the Active Parents service in Finglas. The service is facing major funding cuts. He tells Pat Meehan about what the service provides for parents, including teaching young adults parenting skills, linking back into families, a drug and alcohol awareness programme and various activities for service users. Child charity…

Read More

Explaining the Value and Need For Community Media

MARY LENNON, manager of Athlone Community Radio and chairperson of CRAOL chats to Noel McGuinness. Athlone Community Radio was formed in 2006 as a steering group comprised of individuals from a number of community organisations who saw that a community radio station would serve the interests of their clients and the general public of Athlone…

Read More

“What Would Ma Say” Adapted For The Stage

Author KATHLEEN DOYLE and director GERARD RONAN join John Healy in studio to discuss Kathleen’s book “What would Ma say” and the process of adapting it for the stage. Kathleen says the book took 18 months to write. It book is based in the tenements on Cooke Street in the Christchurch area and in Crumlin…

Read More

Irish Anti War Movement On Increased Military Action In Syria

Mark speaks to EDWARD HORGAN from the Irish Anti War Movement about the increased military activity in Syria and its implications. He talks about how the military action is becoming a vicious circle, the genesis of where the terrorism acts of today came from, the mistakes that the militaries tend to make, how the children of…

Read More