Today was spent with the radioheads at Wild Atlantic Waves Radio – in The Square in Gort – doing an outside broadcast.
The craic was mighty – and here is a link to the blog about it on the WAWR website:
https://wildatlanticwaves.wordpress.com/2015/07/03/and-were-live/
A wonderful day – plus a fabarooney post-show lunch at the Gallery Café on the other side of the Square.
Thanks guys! So glad I got to do this course and hang out with all of you.
Here is a link to the mini-documentary I made about the West Clare Railway.
My thanks to all the people who contributed to it and who gave me great leads and stories … enough to make a full length documentary!
It’s dedicated to my mother & and her sisters, my grandmother, and great-grandmother – all of whom travelled to Kilkee on the West Clare.
So after all the work … here is Tracking the Ghost Train
I’d love to get your feedback … and any stories you have about the West Clare Railway.
On the day of the Marriage Equality and Presidential referendums my colleague Julie Flavin and I visited a rural polling station to record a vox pop ‘exit poll’.
When we head off to do vox pops, we never know what we are going to get … in terms of material and/or abuse! Actually, a lot of the time people are shy. And no more so than when you are trying to find out how they have voted. So, thank you to everyone who spoke to us so freely.
But there is one voice that I cannot forget; she was the person I first thought of as the results came through the next day.
She came out of the polling station with her father (I presume) – who gestured with a wave of his arm to her that here we were … at her disposal … that she could speak out in any way she liked. And we were delighted to record her.
In fact, it was a privilege to hear this young woman – voting for the first time – for whom that day was so important.
The vox pop was first broadcast on Tuesday 26 May on Wild Atlantic Waves Radio, as part of the Midday Show during our News in Focus slot.
It was mixed down by Julie, and she did a fantastic job. The excerpt here includes intro and outro clips on either side of the vox pop:
My solo radio show on wildatlanticwaves.wordpress.com on May 27 was inspired by an article in Vanity Fair by Lisa Robinson. You can read ‘An Oral History of Laurel Canyon’ here.
This time around on the Western Skyline, I journeyed to Laurel Canyon of the 60s and 70s and played tracks by Joni Mitchell, Crosby Stills & Nash and others.
You can listen to the show here:
The playlist is below:
For What It’s Worth – Buffalo Springfield, Buffalo Springfield 1966 Atco Records
Monday, Monday – The Mamas & Papas, If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears 1966 Dunhill Records
A Case of You – Joni Mitchell, Blue 1971 Warner Bros. Records
Woodstock – Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Dejá Vu 1970 Atlantic Recording Corp.
Cathedral – Crosby Stills & Nash, CSN Greatest Hits 1977, 2005 Atlantic Recording Corp.
Carey – Joni Mitchell, Blue 1971 Warner Bros. Records
Home Again – Carole King, Tapestry 1971 Ode Records
I Feel the Earth Move – Carole King, Tapestry 1971 Ode Records
Earlybird – The Eagles, Eagles 1972 Asylum Records
Marrakesh Express – Crosby Stills & Nash, CSN Greatest Hits 1977, 2005 Atlantic Recording Corp.
Working hard on my mini documentary for the Diploma in Radio.
Had a great trip down West Clare way last Thursday to Moyasta Junction where number 5 steam engine, the Slieve Callan, from the West Clare Railway is kept in a purpose-built shed. Got a great tour from Stephen Whelan, which was really appreciated.
The engine will be out on the tracks during the June Bank holiday and would be a great day out for young and old. Keep an eye on their Facebook page for full details and opening hours.
We picked the best day of the week for the journey, so we dropped by the White Strand beach near Doonbeg for a walk with the dog. And there was fish & chips for lunch in Kilrush, with a coffee in the wonderful Potter’s Hand Café.
Would it have been a trip to the seaside without a 99 on the way home?Of course not.
All that, and I got to relive my childhood when I climbed aboard the Slieve Callan. A happy day.
Choooooo, choooo!!!
Just a quick thank you to everyone who turned up last Friday night to the Record Break Café in Ennis for Poetry Corner readings by myself and Donal O’Conaill, & music and song from Emer O’Flaherty.
I really appreciated the reaction to the poems. Some were new poems on their first night out; they were very shy.
Now, my lovelies, you should go to Sinéad’s café when you are next in Ennis. The coffee is stonkin’ and the chocolate & caramel cake looks divine. I’m heading back there soon for a slice.
In other writing matters – I’ve just posted a blog about the Walter Macken centenary. You can click on ‘blog’ above, or here. I’d be glad to get your comments.
Delighted to have an article about the centenary of Galway writer Walter Macken in this week’s Clare Champion.
Check out http://www.antaibhdhearc.com for full details of the centenary celebrations.
The title of this post paraphrases a famous line from The Life of Brian.
Well, here is someone who is doing something for the Romans … and the ancient Greeks.
Meet sixteen year old Oscar McHale – who had me smiling broadly as I drove into class this morning. Oscar was on the John Murray Show on RTÉ Radio 1 – talking Classics and all things classical. It was fantastic to hear someone of Oscar’s age make a case for Classics in the classroom at secondary level, and to echo comments common in the corridors of our universities right now: that most of the funding in education in this country focuses on science; to the detriment of the arts.
Oscar obviously adores the subject – he started lectures for friends who were interested in learning more about Classics. Now, there is a society for young Irish Classics fans – with support from Trinity College and Oscar’s teacher. Check them out on Twitter @CYSI_ and on their Facebook page.
And if you want something to make you smile in these dark days of the 1% majority and the dark deeds of global markets capitalism – listen to the podcast of today’s radio interview here
As someone who graduated in Classics and History, I was delighted to hear Oscar express such an interest in both subjects. Best of luck to him in the years ahead. And good luck to the CYSI
My first published flash fiction “Down” is available to read at
http://www.poeticdiversity.org/main/prose-fea.php?nameCode=KarenJMcDonnell&date=2015-04-01
As part of my radio work for my diploma I had to do a short interview with someone.
I decided to speak to one Mr Charles Montgomery Burns, from Springfield (aka Scott D). Mr Burns has just announced that he will be running in the 2016 American presidential election.
But – how safe will America be in the hands of Mr Burns?
YOU decide!
Listen here to Mr Burn’s first public interview since his campaign manager, Mr Waylon Smithers announced the candidacy on social media on Sunday 13th April.
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Karen J McDonnell 