Jump aboard new Clare FM show

TWO new programmes have been added to the current Clare FM line-up. The station celebrated 21 years of broadcasting last September and at the start of this month launched a brand-new night-time show called the The Late Train, which is being presented weeknights from 9pm to midnight by Brian Flynn.

The show is a mix of contemporary classics and the very best of Irish artists and is pitched as a fun, late-night show that does not take itself too seriously.
Brian said he will be encouraging listener interaction. “That is a huge part of Clare FM, I’m really looking forward to it and I hope the listeners will jump on board The Late Train with me every weeknight,” he commented. The show started on January 10.
Brian added the idea with The Late Train is to get people on board, “like in a club”. “I want people to feel connected to this show and to feel a part of it. Into the Night was essentially its forerunner and there are elements of that show that we’re bringing with us into The Late Train, while other parts are new,” he said.
He has been a presenter with Clare FM for more than six years. “The last time I did a night-time show was about five years ago and in between I’ve done programmes at different times of the day, from drivetime to morning to weekend shows. I have to say that I love doing night-time programmes. There is a lovely feeling of community with night-time shows and a place for easy-listening kind of music of many different styles, which I love myself. Music during the day on radio is playlisted, so mainly it’s chart music, which isn’t for everyone, so the music I’ll play on this show will hopefully suit people who have enough chart music during the day or maybe even don’t like chart music so much,” Brian commented.
He said that The Late Train isn’t really geared for the younger audience. “I would say that it’s geared for a more mature audience, who might feel chart music isn’t really for them.
“But at the same time of course everyone is welcome and different people have different tastes, so anybody who wants to listen in and take part in the show is more than welcome,” he remarked.
Brian is also encouraging people to contact the show with stories or local information, which he and the audience can chat about on the show. “I don’t want anything particularly heavy and definitely no politics or current affairs. Just light chat about all different kinds of subjects. So I’d love to see people phoning or emailing or texting the show with little stories or information. With some other programmes I’ve presented in the past, I’d get hand-written letters from people about various topics, so of course I’d love that again too,” he commented.
Brian is also a singer-songwriter and The High Kings have recorded one of his songs called The Irish Pub. He is originally from Athlone but has been living in Clare for the past seven years.
He previously worked for a number of years in RTÉ television as a production assistant, researcher and director.
When he moved to Clare he started listening to Clare FM and approached them about the possibility of work. “I’m there ever since and I love radio work,” he added.
He isn’t gigging as much as he previously did but plays in care centres as much as he can and during the summers he plays in hotels.
“I play a mix of songs – oldies, ballads, traditional, classical, pretty much anything that people want to hear at a session.” He has also performed at the traditional Irish nights in Bunratty.
Brian said he is really depending on the radio audience to support his new show.
“This programme can be really good if people buy into it and get involved, either by contacting me to tell me what music they want me to play or contacting me with stories and things to talk about.
“Anything can come up with The Late Train and nothing is set in stone. Really, no two of these shows will be exactly the same and hopefully that will be a big part of its appeal. A programme can go anywhere, once it gets the support of the public. Essentially, I’m the facilitator for the programme,” Brian remarked.
Clare FM have also launched a new Sunday night programme, called Gentle Folk.
The new late-night music series, which is broadcast at 10pm, explores the voices, the sounds and the music that reawakened people’s senses to cultures and traditions nurtured over generations.
“From coffee houses to concert platforms, from polite parlour ditties to protest anthems, the music grew and developed, drawing together the countless strands of human endeavour that helped create it,” Susan Murphy, general manager, said of the show.
“On the programme, Presenter Pat Costello revisits the themes, the poets and the singers that laid the foundations for the thriving world of folk and traditional music that we enjoy today and celebrate the common heritage of creativity and community we continue to share across the world’s many diverse cultures, she added.
“We are delighted that Pat Costello will get the opportunity to share his encyclopaedic range of musical knowledge. Most listeners are familiar with Pat through the traditional scene but with Gentle Folk he has the opportunity to share his vast musical knowledge with a wider audience. The series not only entertains but informs at the same time,” she said.