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The London Ear on RTÉ 2XM // Show 115 with Arveene and Kiernan McMullan

This week’s show was a bit of a personal throwback. The last time I spoke to either of this week’s guests was about 2005/2006. It was great to catch up with DJ and Producer Arveene to chat about What is Ireland? From 1916 to 2016 and Beyond Arveene’s on the bill with Le Galaxie, Kormac and CiCi at the Red Gallery in Shoreditch on April 22nd.

It was also really good to see Kiernan McMullan. Kiernan is the last person I ever thought that I would meet in London as he is now based in Nashville. It was great to catch up with him and see how the Irish in Nashville are getting on.

Arveene at work

Here’s what happened:

1. The London Ear Intro
2. Land Lovers: Springtime for the Mystics
3. Chat with Arveene re: What is Ireland?
4. Le Galaxie: Carmen (Arveene and Misk remix)
5. Kiernan McMullan: Speak Your Mind
6. Chat with Kiernan McMullan (Part 1)
7. Kiernan McMullan: Just Another Line
8. Chat with Kiernan McMullan (Part 2)
9. Kiernan McMullan: Everything is Medicine
10. Chat with Kiernan McMullan (Part 3)
11. Kiernan McMullan: I Stayed the Same

Thanks for listening, The London Ear broadcast on DAB radio, Saorview and outside Ireland you can listen online.You can listen to the show again on the RTE player. The show is broadcast every Saturday at 1300.

Don’t forget to check out the RTE 2XM website. You can keep up with me here.

Check out The London Ear on Facebook and Twitter

You can find out about ‘What is Ireland? From 1916 to 2016 and Beyond’ here. You can follow Arveene on Twitter here.

What is Ireland? from 1916 to 2016 and Beyond

You can find Kiernan on Facebook here and on Twitter here.

Kiernan McMullan

Photo of Kiernan from here. Photo by Carrie Ann Smith / Swak Photography.

Photo of Arveene from here

April 18, 2016
The London Ear on RTÉ 2XM // Show 114 // Shane Dempsey, Director, the Non Stop Connolly Show

On this week’s episode, I was delighted to be able to chat to theatre director, Shane Dempsey, who is the man in charge of the Finborough Theatre production of The Non Stop Connolly Show. The full show is 14 hours long, yes, 14 hours. Mental! Shane tells all!

1. The London Ear Intro
2. Plutonic Dust: Eskimo Kiss
3. Mystery Jets: Bubblegum
4. Yeasayer: Silly Me
5. Barq: Gentle Kind of Lies
6. Kendrick Lemar: Untitled 06
7. Young Folk: First Sign of Morning
8. Chat with Shane Dempsey, Director of Non Stop Connolly Show (Part 1)
9. Alex Brabbins: Opening Music from Non Stop Connolly
10. Chat with Shane Dempsey, Director of Non Stop Connolly Show (Part 1)
11. Kiernan McMullan: I Stayed The Same
12. August Wells:Here in the Wild
13. Rosanango Family: Lights On
14. Mura Masa feat Bonzai: What If I Go?

Theatre Director Shane Dempsey

Thanks for listening, The London Ear broadcast on DAB radio, Saorview and outside Ireland you can listen online.You can listen to the show again on the RTE player. The show is broadcast every Saturday at 1300.

Don’t forget to check out the RTE 2XM website. You can keep up with me here.

Check out The London Ear on Facebook and Twitter

You can follow Shane Dempsey on Twitter.

Don’t forget to check out the Non Stop Connolly Show at the Finborough Theatre. Check out the production on Twitter

You can also listen on mixcloud or in the widget below.

The Non Stop Connolly Show

April 9, 2016
Tune of the Week // Rusanango Family – Lights On

It can be hard keeping up with new Irish music when you’re living abroad. I’m not too far away but it can be easy to lose track. One Irish act that almost passed me by were Rusanango Family and thanks has to go to Goldenplec’s Plec Picks for 2016 for pointing me in their direction.

Heathrow was a stunning track describing the arrival of a refugee in London’s main airport. ‘Lights On’ follows on from that looking at their own arrival in Ireland in 2001.

The Limerick raised African born lads tell the story of their lives and getting to this point with panache and vigor. Production on the track stands shoulder to shoulder with hip hop at the top of the game. With the release of their album ‘Let the Dead Bury the Dead’, recent exposure in Pitchfork and the support of The Rubberbandits’ Blindboy the future is looking extremely bright for God Knows, MuRli, and mynameisjOhn.

Press play and turn it up, excellent stuff!

If you can’t see the video above.. you’ll find it here.

Photo from here © Aaron Corr

April 9, 2016
The London Ear on RTÉ 2XM // Show 113 // Ged Graham and Sharon Sexton

The London Ear on RTÉ 2XM // Show 113 // April 2 2016 //
Ged Graham (Ireland’s Call) and Sharon Sexton (A Fit Wife for a Revolutionary)

Irish people are brilliant! Well, we are and there’s so many talented people living in the UK. I’m delighted to be able to chat to some of them every week on the show.

This week, I chat to Ged Graham, writer and performer of Ireland’s Call, the musical. Ged moved from the Liberties in Dublin to Manchester when he was nine. We hear his story.

I also chat to Sharon Sexton about her one woman play which looks at the 1916 Easter Rising and the life of Kathleen Clarke ‘A Fit Wife For a Revolutionary.

1. The London Ear Intro
2. Yeasayer: Silly Me
3. Hvmmingbyrd: Out of My Head
4. Chat with Ged Graham, writer and performer, Ireland’s Call (Part 1)
5. The Galway Girl – Ireland’s Call Cast recording
6. Chat with Ged Graham, writer and performer, Ireland’s Call (Part 2)
7. Niamh Crowther: I’ll Be
8. Ciaran Lavery: Return to Form
9. MMoths: Deu
10. Chat with Sharon Sexton, writer and actor, A Fit Wife For a Revoluntionary
11. Per Tenebras: Never Raise Your Eyes
12. Sheerin feat. Emma Cotter: We Are One

Thanks for listening, The London Ear broadcast on DAB radio, Saorview and outside Ireland you can listen online.You can listen to the show again on the RTE player. The show is broadcast every Saturday at 1300.

Don’t forget to check out the RTE 2XM website. You can keep up with me here.

Check out The London Ear on Facebook and Twitter

Ged Graham in Ireland’s Call

Check out all tour dates and info for Ireland’s Call on the website.

L-R Sharon Sexton, Kathleen Clarke

Check out Sharon Sexton’s Website and follow ‘A Fit Wife for a Revolutionary’ on Twitter. You can also check out Biscuits for Breakfast theatre company on Facebook.

April 5, 2016