Mike Murphy Meets

Mike Murphy meets John McColgan producer, director and creator of Riverdance, Riverdance: The Show, as we all know now, first appeared in The PointDepot and its Eurovision debut went on to be known as one of the mostfamous interval acts in the history of the of the Eurovision song contest. Ireland won the contest again that year (with Charlie McGettigan and Paul Harrington’s Rock and Roll Kids) but the following day’s headlineswere reserved for Riverdance. The Sunday Press hailed it as ‘Seven Minutes That Shook The World.’ The following year John and Moyahis wife , mortgaged their house to turn the Eurovision interval act into a full-blown show. It was a bold move,theenthusiasm of the audience on the night gave them a feeling in their gutthat it would be a success.Along with Bill Whelan Moya and John set about developing the show. Success? That’s one of the biggest understatements in show businesshistory. The show in the Point was the talk of the town for months if notyears afterwards. A video of the music went viral and Bill Whelan’s single went to number one in the charts. It also won him a Grammy Award. A quarter of acentury on, the show still takes people’s breath away as a cavalcade offeet clicking in unison creates a kind of electric charge. It’s like a colossalarmy march.One of the shows John most enjoyed producing at this time was the candid camera one where Mike Murphy caught people out in various ruses by taking on different identities. The most famous was probably when he repeatedly interrupted a broadcast Gay Byrne was doing in TCD when he pretended to be a French tourist. It’s hilarious to watch Gay becoming more and more infuriated before he finally snaps with some very uncharacteristic expletives. When Mike Murphy announced who he was, Gay Byrne proved to be a good sport about it all. John also got to know both of them well. He worked with Gay often over the years .www.seniortimes.ie

Denis O’Brien, founder and owner of Digicel Group and the former owner of Communicorp, and a philanthropist, talks exclusively with broadcasting legend Mike Murphy. This podcast is the one and only interview Denis O Brien has given to the media. He discusses growing up in Dublin city and how he and his family lived a very normal upbringing . How he earned his pocket money as a student by working as a bar man in the well known Horseshow bar in Ballsbride Dublin 4 and how he got to where he is today. The recent sale of Communicorp for more than €100 million marked the exit ofDenis O’Brien from the Irish media market after a decades-long presence that, at its peak, saw him exercise significant control over large swathes of print and broadcast media.

Weber! Beethoven! Mozart! Field! Mendelssohn! Mozart! Chabrier! Handel! Haydn! Schumann! Strauss! More Mozart!

Senior Times Podcasts presents an extended interview withIrelandsPresident, Michael D. Higgins and presented by broadcasting legend Mike Murphy. Michael Daniel Higgins , an Irish politician, poet, sociologist, and broadcaster, who has served as the ninth president of Ireland since November 2011 Michael D was born in Limerick in 1941 but, aged five, he was sent at the to live on his unmarried uncle and aunt’s small farm in Clare.He grew up there alongside his younger brother with the "delights and simplicities of country living", from milking cows to sowing turnips.