Athena Media - Podcast Directory

Death of an Empire is a 5 part radio series exploring twenty years since the dissolution of the Soviet Union led by Seamus Martin, former Moscow correspondent of The Irish Times, and exploring what made the Soviet Union, what lead to its collapse and what its like inside modern Russia today. Produced by Helen Shaw. Episode 5 Putins era.

The last episode in the series Death of an Empire looks at modern Russia under Vladimir Putin. We hear from Irishman Chris Weafer, Chief Strategist of Troika Sperbank in Moscow about Russias economy today and Lena Firsova, who worked for the Irish Times during Seamus time says corruption is the biggest problem facing people in daily society and life. Young students Viktoria Kolesnichenko and Yelena Sorokina talk about life in Putins Russia and in the events post the recent elections Seamus explores just how democratic is todays Russia.

Death of an Empire is a 5 part radio series exploring twenty years since the dissolution of the Soviet Union led by Seamus Martin, former Moscow correspondent of The Irish Times, and exploring what made the Soviet Union, what lead to its collapse and what its like inside modern Russia today. Produced by Helen Shaw. Episode 4 Yeltsins era and economic collapse 1990s

Episode four of Death of an Empire focuses on the age of Boris Yeltsin and the economic collapse of the new Russian Federation. Seamus visits the Statue park of Soviet times and explores how things changed. He speaks with Nonna Fomenko who raised her daughter during the massive inflation of 1992 when people were made destitute We hear from the then Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gerry Collins on Yeltsins Russia.

Death of an Empire is a 5 part radio series exploring twenty years since the dissolution of the Soviet Union led by Seamus Martin, former Moscow correspondent of The Irish Times, and exploring what made the Soviet Union, what lead to its collapse and what its like inside modern Russia today. Produced by Helen Shaw. Episode 3 the August Coup 1991 : the failed coup, the fall of Gorbachev and the rise of Yeltsin

Episode three explores the August 1991 Coup attempt and the final months of the Soviet Union. Seamus Martin had just arrived as correspondent for the Irish Times six weeks earlier. We hear from well known economic and finance commentator in Ireland, Constantin Gurdgiev on his assessment of Boris Yeltsin who rallies crowds in defence of the White House and becomes the hero of the event. While Seamus is in Moscow during the twentieth anniversary of the coup he meets Oleg Baklanov one of the conspirators behind the August 1991 coup which was intended to save the Soviet Union from Gorbachevs restructuring but which ultimately led to the dissolution of the Soviet Union by December 1991.

Death of an Empire is a 5 part radio series exploring twenty years since the dissolution of the Soviet Union led by Seamus Martin, former Moscow correspondent of The Irish Times, and exploring what made the Soviet Union, what lead to its collapse and what its like inside modern Russia today. Produced by Helen Shaw. Episode 2 Gorbachev and Reform (1980s)

Episode two examines Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachevs age of reform in the 1980s and the first cracks in the Soviet State as the Baltic States bid for independence. Former professor at Trinity College, Ron Hill followed Gorbachevs career and tells us why Gorbachev began his reforms of glasnost and perestroika. Seamus speaks to Cesolvas Stankecivius, the deputy speaker in the Lithuanian parliament, who was part of the struggle to re-gain Lithuanian independence. Actress Joan Sheehy vividly describes the historic tour by the Abbey Theatre while Sinead O Marcaigh, then a young student living in Moscow says daily supplies like food were always challenging to find.

Death of an Empire is a 5 part radio series exploring twenty years since the dissolution of the Soviet Union led by Seamus Martin, former Moscow correspondent of The Irish Times, and exploring what made the Soviet Union, what lead to its collapse and what its like inside modern Russia today. Produced by Helen Shaw. Episode 1- Becoming Soviet 1940s -1970s

Episode one traces the communist super state built by Joseph Stalin which once covered one sixth of the planet and crossed eleven time zones. Irishwoman Mairead Breslin Kelly shares her personal story about her father, Padraic Breslin, who died in Stalins work camps in 1940. Seamus speaks with an old friend in Moscow, Andrei Mironov, the human rights activist, who was also imprisoned in the 1980s by Soviet reformer Mikhail Gorbachev.

The series An Opera for Carlow was the story of an extraordinary and unique community music and arts project led by conductor Fergus Sheil. This is a chance to recap on that journey which is produced by Athena Media with the support of the BAI sound and Vision scheme and presented by Paul Herriott and an opportunity to listen that opera titled Shelter me from the Rain which was composed by Brian Irvine and written and directed by John McIlduff. Shelter me from the Rain was premiered on May 5th 2011 in the GB Shaw theatre in Visual, Carlow.

Word of Mouth follows a year in the life of the creative writing centre Fighting Words developed by the award winning Irish writer Roddy Doyle and the former director of Amnesty Ireland Sean Love which was inspired by 826 Valencia in San Francisco and is located in the heart of Dublin city. The centre fosters and mentors writing particularly for children and teenagers across all forms of expressions including fiction drama poetry music and film. The documentary was broadcast on RTE lyric fm on 28th October 2011 at 7pm.

High Fidelity A Century of Recorded Song with Jack L and Julie Feeney is a 26 part series The series produced by Athena Media and is a sound-map of recorded song from Thomas Edison to the iPod from Tin Pan Alley to X-Factor.

High Fidelity A Century of Recorded Song with Jack L and Julie Feeney is a 26 part series The series produced by Athena Media and is a sound-map of recorded song from Thomas Edison to the iPod from Tin Pan Alley to X-Factor.

Three years in the planning one year in production An Opera for Carlow is the story of an extraordinary and unique community music and arts project led by conductor Fergus Sheil. Sheil and his creative team composer Brian Irvine and director and writer John McIlduff set up to create an opera from scratch working with the people of Carlow. On May 5th in the GB Shaw Theatre in Visual that opera Shelter me from the Rain was premiered and this documentary produced by Athena Media is the story of the journey to that night and how the birth of that opera changed the lives of everyone involved.