Athena Media - Podcast Directory

Limerick still tends to attract headlines for all the wrong reasons. In this programme we look at how it can overcome its 'Stab City' reputation. Developer Ger Clohessy talks about trying to get economic movement back into the city, comedian Jon Kenny shares his take on his home town, while local arts journalist Mary Coll talks about the city's strong arts and warm heart.

Cork people tend to see their city as the 'real' capital and Ireland's second city is seen by architects and urban planners as being one of the best in the country. Cork is getting more things right than wrong says planning expert Conor Skehan while architect Joan O'Connor says it has managed its modern development with more ease than others. But what do Cork's famous sons and daughters make of it?

Cities should be a celebration of the human spirit according to leading Irish architect Sean O'Laoire. But are they? This four part series takes the lid off our leading cities and finds out what makes them work, or fail. The first programme in the series focuses on Dublin where 40% of the country's population lives. Builder and developer Mick Wallace, city planner Dick Gleeson, Docklands born singer Shaz Oye and Dublin footballer Collie Moran explain what they love and hate about the city.

An Opera for Carlow is a radio documentary series following a one-year community arts project in Carlow. Every month a new feature produced by Athena Media for RTE Lyric FM will update on the progress of the opera as conductor Fergus Sheil, composer Brian Irvine and librettist/director John McIlduff begin to write the opera and start rehearsing for its live performance in May 2011. The Athena Media team will also record the live performance. In this first feature we hear from conductor Fergus Sheil about what inspired the idea. Cynthia Deane, CEO of Carlow VEC, talks about the benefits of the project to the people of Carlow while composer Brian Irvine talks about why they were inspired by the idea of an opera in Carlow.

The Last Wake is a radio documentary produced by Athena Media for Newstalk 106. It explores the fading tradition of waking the dead in Ireland and hears stories from the north, south, west, east and Dublin's inner city. It is produced by Helen Shaw with the support of the BCI Sound and Vision funding scheme. Narrated by Coilin O Scolai and researched by Andrew Clancy, the documentary was first broadcast on May 25th 2008.

Episode 6 of Women and Words - Marie Jones.

Dramatist and playwright Marie Jones is an actress who turned writer because as she says the words were not there for women. Marie's plays like A Night in November goes to her to Belfast sectarianism and she sees herself as a writer framed and informed by the Troubles and by the social and personal conflicts it spawned. Her international success with the play 'Stones in Their Pockets' transferred her writing world and she is now one of Ireland's leading popular playwrights.

Episode 5 of Women and Words - Maeve Binchy.

Maeve Binchy is one of Ireland's best loved literary exports. Her work is a popular best-seller across the world and has been transferred to both television and cinema. Yet Maeve Binchy sees herself as an extremely moral author driven by a celebration of friendship, love and values like loyalty and compassion. Maeve reflects on her life and the basic disciplines of 'write every day' rather than waiting for inspiration or the 'right time'.

Episode 4 of Women and Words - Nuala Ni Dhomhnaill.

Like Eavan Boland, Nuala Ni Dhomhaill has been a radical voice in Irish poetry - ensuring that women, their words and world are captured in the poetic form. Nuala has chosen to write in the Irish language because as she says it's where her voice comes from, but her work has been translated into English by some of the finest contemporary poets including Paul Muldoon and Derek Mahon.

Episode 3 of Women and Words - Jennifer Johnston.

Jennifer Johnston is one of Ireland's most highly regarded novelists with a lifetime of work behind her yet she is still hungry to write, as she calls it, 'the short great Irish novel'. Now in her late seventies Jennifer lives in Derry in Northern Ireland and in this interview and readings assesses her life and work and the themes which have motivated her to find words of expression.

Episode 2 of Women and Words - Eavan Boland.

Eavan Boland is one of Ireland's finest poets and she is considered to be the pioneer who facilitated women's stories, both domestic and internal, becoming part of the Irish literary tradition. Eavan shares her journey and poetry and her life now divided between Stanford, and its literary freedom, and her family home and life here in Ireland.