@ RAIDIÓ TEILIFÍS ÉIREANN

Back in '79...

RTÉ Radio was transforming from Radio Éireann and Raidió na Gaeltachta to become RnaG, Radio 1 with RTÉ Radio 2 about to be “comin’atcha” with a bang in May of that year! It was an exciting time for a newbie to radio.

Back in ‘79 the TV License cost £38 (punts!) for a Colour and £23 for a Black & White, a pint cost 9/6 (nine shillings and six pence, old money) or 48p (new money!) and George Waters was DG.

Starting as a ‘Sound Op’, we still played discs for presenters on Radio 1 (singles, LP’s, 78’s) and commercials (each ad on a single ‘cart’ with up to 7 or 8 carts in each ad break). Of course the younger bucks who came from pirate radio (!) were able to play their own discs and commercials on Radio 2!

I was also a sound effects man in Drama and I remember working on the epic recordings of James Joyce’s Ulysses in 1981. Through the ‘80’s I worked my way up the grading structure in sound but also got involved in various other projects as a musician in various Dramas, TV programmes and for several TV News specials.

I published a book about Irish Traditional Music on LP records in ‘86 and contributed to Fintan Vallelly's huge “Companion to Irish Traditional Music” published by Cork University Press.

I moved into production in the early ‘90’s and produced various programmes across Radio 1, 2fm and FM3. I had a great grá for Features and Documentaries and Radio Art and I produced many, mostly for Radio 1 covering diverse array of subjects such as: Soshin, Goddess of Mercy - about Maura O'Halloran, Irish -American woman who studied to become a Buddhist monk in Japan; Bulls Wool Coats and Nail Boots - to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the FCA; Essentially for Women - about Belly dancing in Ireland; “A Tribute to Martin Luther King” - a montage about the March to Freedom in 1963 mixing songs, newscasts, actuality and extracts for King’s powerful speeches; Nestling Instincts - about home births in Ireland; Moores Melodies - Christy Moores songs mixed with news actuality of the actual events depicted in some of his songs; Another Dream for Beruit based on recordings I made around Lebanon after the the country’s civil war and the city had been bombed (again!) by the Israel forces.

Dance to your Shadow was a commission for French radio - following the tradition of Lilting, mouth music or portaireacht béil or port béil. There were numerous audio art shorts, including the spoken version of Shane McGowan’s song Fairytale of New York which I recorded in Studio 9 with two actors and featuring myself on fiddle and whistles. This went on to be issued as a single by EMI and reached the top 10 in the Irish charts and raised £10,000 for the charity.

The move to Limerick in ‘98 to help with the set-up of a new National Radio Station to be based there was an exciting adventure. lyric fm (later re-branded RTÉ lyric fm) opened to much fanfare in May ‘99 and I dstayed with it as a Producer until the position of Head of Station became vacant in 2002. I retained my position as Head for 18+ years.

I joined the RTÉ Radio Board in 2004 and served on a variety of National arts and culture Boards over the years and was RTÉ representative on the European Broadcasting Union Music Group where I also served as vice-chair for a number of years.

In 2011 I was asked to assist with the Orchestras, Quartet and Choirs for a few months while the vacant position of Director was being recruited. I was asked again to take up this role on a more permanent basis in 2016 and it is from the position of Executive Director, RTÉ Orchestras, lyric fm, Quartet and Choirs that I now retired in July 2020.

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