Ronnie O’Brien speaks to PETER FARRELL, who is the writer of a song called “Hey Mama It’s Christmas”, which is being released to raise funds for Motor Neuron Disease Ireland…

North channel swim from Ireland to Scotland
FERGAL SOMERVILLE joins Noel McGuinness in studio to discuss his successful swim of the North Channel from Co.Down to Scotland. Fergal begins by sharing information of the various causes he has donated to as part of charity swims. On 16th of June he swam the channel and talks about being successful in only getting stung…
Lámh Day celebrations
Pat Meehan speaks to TARA from St John of God Menni Services about Lámh Day, which is a day to create awareness, promote and celebrate a standardized form of Irish sign language adapted especially for people with intellectual disabilities. Lábh sign language was developed in the 1980’s…
A New European Aid Fund for the Most Deprived.
EMER COSTELLO talks to Inaki Irigoen about the new fund for European Aid to the most deprived. They begin by explaining how the fund will enable NGOs to provide food and assistance to those most in need. Ireland will receive €3 million per year for the next seven years from the fund…
Northside Partnership report on Social Enterprise
Pat Meehan talks to ODREN REID from the Northside Partnership about ENTSE an EU group set up to lobby for social enterprise. They talk about the model of the Mondragon co-operative in Spain. More information http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=952&intPageId=2914&langId=en…

Tree Planting Ceremony in Malahide Castle
Conor Doyle talks to GEMMA CARR– Fingal County Council’s Senior Executive Parks Superintendent about Tree Planting Ceremony “Seven Trees for the Seven Signatories” in Malahide Castle. The National Trees Council of Ireland is gifting seven Oak trees to each winner of the Tidy Towns since the competition began in 1958. Malahide was the overall winner…
The Big Green Apple: Taking Irish Playwrights Across The Atlantic
CAMILLE DONEGAN, co creator of transatlantic theatre troupe “The Big Green Apple”, joins John Healy to talk about their new project in which ten short plays will be written in one week. Of these, five will be chosen to travel to Broadway in New York to be performed at the first Irish Festival. Camille tells…
Darndale Park Fun Day 2015
MADELEINE EBBS talks to John Healy about the second Darndale Park Fun Day. This is what the Evening Herald said about the event: THE second family fun day to take place in Darndale Park has been hailed a “great success”. Some 1,000 people attended the park for a day of arts and crafts, free food…
Buy Wisely to Stop Food (and Money) Waste
ODILE LEBELOCK of Stop Food Waste talks to Noel McGuinness about the many ways in which we can save food and resources by simply thinking about what we buy and when. Big supermarkets are very keen to see us buy more than we need and encourage us to do so. Odile gives a few tips…
Barbara Jennings’ Exhibition
Artist and NearFM roving reporter BARBARA JENNINGS talks about a forthcoming exhibition in Gallery 27, South Frederick Street and her art and influences. She was shown how to cast bronzes by Joe Moran, who gave her the equipment and know-how before telling her to go and practice. You can see the results of her hard…
The Integration Centre on the “Putting people First” document
Ronnie O’Brien speaks to KILLIAN FORDE of the Integration Centre. They begin by discussing a document released by Minister Phil Hogan called “Putting people first” and what the results of this set of policies will be. They discuss any difference in integration throughout this period. They discuss some of the differences in modern day immigration…
GAZE Attracts Attention From Film Buffs Worldwide
Gaze International LGBT Film Festival is an annual film festival which takes place in Dublin each Bank Holiday weekend in late July and early August. Since 1992, it has become Ireland’s largest LGBT film event, and the country’s biggest LGBT gathering outside of Dublin Pride. People attend from across the world, with a footfall of…

Near FM Celebrates Its Twentieth Anniversary
JACK BYRNE, one of the founders of NearFM chats to John Healy about the station’s beginnings. North Dublin community radio station Near FM, which marks its 20th anniversary next week, had very humble beginnings. Its first studio was an empty car crate, wallpapered with egg boxes, located in a vacant school dormitory in Coolock. From…

DCU Educational Trust and Access Programme
Vicky Kavanagh reports on the Access to Education programme being run by DCU for Northside Dublin residents in working class areas such as Ballymun. Vicky speaks to CATHY MCLOUGHLIN and PATRICK MCDERMOTT, head of the DCU Educational Trust, about the access programme. The trust gets no government funding, only corporate donations. Since the access scholarship…

MIC project closing date for applications
Mark Finnegan talks to MARK FLYNN pf MIC. MIC offers ‘portfolio courses to people who have dropped out of formal education. Entrants achieve a Fetac level 5 in anything from Sound Engineering or film-making to web and graphic design. Modules are also being offered now in c ommunications technology. The courses include modules on teamwork…
