NEAR Media Co-op Round Up December 2013

DAVE O CONNOR, secretary of the NEAR Media Co-op, gives Noel McGuinness a round up of events at the co-op in the previous months. Dave says it has been a tough year financially for the sector but that thankfully NEAR has been able to keep going. Dave tells of the Sound and Vision fund, to…

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Developing Phibsboro

PETER MURRAY and  PATRICK GRANT talk to Mark Finnegan about proposed planning changes for the Phibsboro area. They feel that it is important to allow local people to have a say inj the planning process in order to avoid bringing further traffic chaos to the area (as exemplified by the daily jam at Doyle’s Corner)…

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The Terrible Price of Press Freedom – Peter Tatchell

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…

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Plans to create an Urban Beach in Dun Laoghaire, Dublin

TIM RYAN operations officer with Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company speaks to Eoin about the plans to create “The Urban Beach” in Dun Laoghaire Harbour, which will have heated and treated sea water. Tim also shares that there will be a larger Urban beach area close by which will feature cafe and showering facilities. Tim speaks…

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Food Glorious Food, a “Waste food initiative”

Iseult Ward from “Food Glorious Food”, an initiative set up to bridge the gap between food waste and poverty, speaks to Yvette Reid. Iseult explains the goals of the initiative and how they hope to implement it by collecting leftover foods from restaurants, farmers markets and butchers and arranging to distribute them to those in…

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Small Plastic Wars at Axis Ballymun

Noel McGuinness interviews PAT McGRATH writer of Small Plastic Wars. He explains how he went from acting to writing his first play. He mentions some future project, for example adapting Small Plastic Wars to a film script…

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The work of Crosscare in Irish society

CONOR HICKEY, of Crosscare joins Ronnie O’Brien to discuss their Annual appeal for donations from the congregation. Conor tells that Crosscare provides social service provisions across Ireland offering Childrens projects, after care projects for children who have been in care and also a teen counselling service. They also offer over 350 beds for homeless people…

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Educate Together on course for further growth

GERRY MCKEVITT of Educate Together tells Pat Meehan about the organisation’s growth over the past four decade. Educate Together was established as a multi-denominational school in the late 1970s. There are now 74 Educate Together schools in Ireland, and two second level schools as well as a new primary school in Bristol in the UK. The multi-denominational,…

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Fighting for Marriage Equality for LGBT Community

RONNIE O’BRIEN interviews MONINNE GRIFFITH about the Marriage Equality organisation. Marriage Equality is a not for profit, single issue, national grassroots advocacy organisation whose goal is to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in Ireland through the extension of civil marriage rights to same-sex couples. Marriage Equality’s vision is of an…

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Last Ballymun Towerblock Begins To Tumble

Almost 50 years since it was built, demolition has started on Joseph Plunkett Tower, the last of the notorious Ballymun flats. BRIAN MONGEY, senior community officer with DCC talks to Mark Finnegan about this momentous occasion. Joseph Plunkett tower, completed in 1967, was one of seven 15-storey blocks, along with 19 of eight storeys and…

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Near FM & MediaCorp Intercultural Project

GRACE WILENTZ pops in to update Noel McGuinness on the progress of the Near FM & MediaCorp Intercultural Project. With her she has two members of the latest group to come together: Katrina, from Moldova, and Leah, from Dublin. At this point there are 17 participants in the project. They are learning a wide range…

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