In his daily history slot on WLR's Big Breakfast Blaa,Eamonn McEneaney tells Ollie and Mary all about 750 year old amber prayer beads that tell us how people in Waterford prayed in the middle ages, and how prosperous merchants imported luxury prayer beads to help them count the prayers they recited.

Gavin released his new single 'Boxes' on May 15th, while in the midst of lockdown restrictions. He discusses what the experience has been like for him, as well as other musicians, and how Zoom has been his big saviour!

In his daily history slot on WLR's Big Breakfast Blaa,Eamonn McEneaney tells Ollie and Mary all about the earliest drawing of Waterford dated to 1591 showing Mrs Sherlock’s Abbey and the stone walls and towers of the town defences from Reginald’s Tower to the Watch Tower at John’s Bridge/ Railway Square.

In his daily history slot on WLR's Big Breakfast Blaa,Eamonn McEneaney tells Ollie and Mary all about the Bell from the Dominican Priory,the Wine Trade and the Waterford Dominican monk who was a European wine expert in the 13th century a time when Waterford was the wine capital of Ireland.

In his daily history slot on WLR's Big Breakfast Blaa,Eamonn McEneaney tells Ollie and Mary all about the experiment in 1782 to build a new town for Swiss clock and watch makers near Passage East in Waterford.New Geneva Barracks was identified as the proposed site for a planned colony for artisan and intellectual Genevan settlers, who had become refugees following a failed rebellion against a French and Swiss government in the city.Ireland had been granted a parliament separate from London in 1782 and it was thought that the creation of the colony would stimulate new economic trade with the continent. James Gandon, who designed the Custom House, was comissioned to create a masterplan for the site overlooking the Waterford Estuary.The plans for the colony eventually collapsed,however, when the Genevans insisted that they should be represented in the Irish parliament but govern themselves under their own Genevan laws. It then became a barracks following the United Irishmen Rebellion in 1798.

Koyln tells us he became enthralled by the Eurovision song contest in the early 90s, back when Ireland were on something of a winning streak. He discusses why he loves it, some of the best songs over the years, and who he thinks would have won this year had the event in Rotterdam not been cancelled.

In his daily history slot on WLR's Big Breakfast Blaa,Eamonn McEneaney tells Ollie and Mary all about Sampson Twogood Roch (1757–1847) an Irish painter of miniatures. The son of William and Mary Roch of Youghal, in County Cork, he was born deaf. It is unknown with whom he studied; he may have been self-taught. By 1779 he had established himself in Dublin, and in the years following is known to have worked in England. Beginning in 1786 he lived in Cork; while there he married a distant cousin. In 1792 the couple moved to Bath, where his practice flourished. Roch returned to the family home in County Waterford in 1822; there he died in 1847. Besides painting miniatures, he also sketched scenes of Irish rural life.

Keane, the son of actor Edmund Kean, was born in Waterford City and went on to be a huge Shakespearean actor of his day, internationally. Eamonn discusses this in his latest virtual tour of Waterford Treasures.

In his daily history slot on WLR's Big Breakfast Blaa,Eamonn McEneaney tells Ollie and Mary all about the sinking of the SS Formby on the 15th December 1917 and her sister ship the SS Coningbeg on the 17th December 1917 by the same German U-Boat,U-62, captained by Ernst Hashegen, both were trading between Liverpool and Waterford with general cargo.

In his daily history slot on WLR's Big Breakfast Blaa,Eamonn McEneaney tells Ollie and Mary all about some very fine mirrors,and their amazing personal history.
Wall-hung mirrors allowed the occupiers of the great houses to magnify the amount of natural light in a room, catching and reflecting the light while the gilt frames that supported the mirrors added to the reflective quality. At night, mirrors really came into their own, helping to transform an otherwise darkened room into a warmly-lit, elegant and intimate space.

Mirrors became the windows of the night, set above the chimney pieces and on the piers between the windows with candelabra placed in front on console tables. Mirrors reflected and magnifed the very expensive candlelight that came from the chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, the sconces fixed to the walls and the candelabra set before them.