A CLARE priest will be the voice of opera singer Andrea Bocelli to millions of people around the world this Christmas. However Fr Brendan Quinlivan, the parish priest of Tulla, won’t be striking a chord with his singing. Instead, Fr Quinlivan has done the voice-over for a new radio Christmas special in which the multi-award winning Bocelli sits down with Ennis journalist and presenter Colm Flynn. The programme, ‘Andrea Bocelli, Christmas Special’ will be broadcast on the ‘Heart & Soul show on the BBC World Service on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The show goes out to around 22 million listeners on the BBC radio network around the world and Colm had exclusive access to Bocelli for the interview in Florence, Italy. Fr Quinlivan’s involvement with the programme came by chance, as he happened to be in Italy just as Colm was trying to find the ideal English speaking voice to dub over Bocelli’s Italian. “The whole thing was fortuitous …
Read More »Financial squeeze on Clare community radio station
WHILE West Clare community radio station Raidió Corca Baiscinn has kept broadcasting throughout the pandemic, it is now under serious pressure for funding. Chairman of RCB Paul Williams said that the station generally fundraises to continue operating, but that has been very difficult since March of 2020. “We receive money from various outlets such as Pobal, we get money from the BAI for programmes and we have to top that up with fundraising throughout the year. “We’d have bands playing in pubs, we’d have draws so people would go out and sell tickets, even things like the bucket shake, you can’t have any music, there has to be social distance, so we’ve been hampered in our fundraising efforts.” Without the income that would be coming in, it is hard to keep things running. “The money that we need to pay for day to day things has been reduced, we’ve been put to the pin of our collar to pay the …
Read More »New voices to come to the fore at Clare FM from next Tuesday
PERSONNEL changes are in the pipeline at Clare FM with a new presenter set to take over the hugely popular Morning Focus current affairs show from Tuesday next, June 8. Clonlara resident Alan Morrissey (40) takes over the award-winning daily talk show from Gavin Grace, who had fronted the programme since 2015. Alan has an extensive background in broadcasting, having worked for a variety of radio stations around the Mid-West. “I am delighted to have been given the responsibility of presenting such a prestigious show and to be allowed the opportunity to connect and engage with our listeners each weekday,” he said. “Morning Focus is many people’s go-to source for all of the news and issues that matter to Clare, and that will remain the case under my stewardship. “I want to maintain what is attractive about the show, while over time hopefully adding my own style and some newer elements in terms of content.” Meanwhile, Fiona Cahill has been …
Read More »Conlan reaches world’s top sports stars
AN employee at the Department of Transport in Shannon, Jim Conlan regularly converses with Premier League managers, Olympic gold medal winners, world champion boxers and celebrated actors. The Ballynacally man acts as sports producer for West Clare community station RCB Radio, while he also has a sideline as a freelance journalist, providing material for outlets here, in the UK and America. He became prominent recently after a Sky Sports soccer account tweeted footage of Jim asking a scowling Pep Guardiola if Manchester City would be in the market for a new forward, before the manager gave him an abrupt one word answer, ‘no’. It was a rather rude reply from an often impatient manager, while Jim feels he might have touched a nerve, as the question had a certain subtext. “The question was basically did he have confidence in Gabriel Jesus taking over the mantle from Sergio Aguero and to try and see was he looking for a third option …
Read More »Flynn live from New York on Christmas Eve
ENNIS broadcaster Colm Flynn will be bringing some Christmas cheer all the way from the Big Apple this festive season, as part of a very special radio show. This Christmas Eve on RTÉ Radio 1, Colm will be broadcasting a live show from New York City, where he will be meeting a host of young Irish people, who have made the city their home. He told The Clare Champion, “It will be a really special Christmas Eve show. It’s going to be really magical, with special guests, music in Central Park, the most in-demand Santa in the US and lots more.” As they broadcast from the NPR studios in Midtown Manhattan, Colm and his guests will be exploring the highs and lows of Christmas in the magical city that never sleeps. Among his guests is a Galway girl, who is now head of social media for Teen Vogue magazine; a Cork woman, who designs floral arrangements for all the top …
Read More »Pat Kenny broadcasts from Ennis
THIS Friday, The Pat Kenny Show will be in Ennis to broadcast live from the Temple Gate Hotel. This will be the first time that Pat Kenny will broadcast from Clare in front of a local audience since joining Newstalk last year. As well as bringing you analysis of news and current affairs, Pat will be speaking to Ciana Campbell, chairperson of the Ennis Book Club Festival as well as local authors and book club members. After each serving 15 years on death row for murders they did not commit, Sonny Jacobs and Peter Pringle will be discussing their incredible story of strength and survival, while well -known priest Fr Harry Bohan will be looking at the problems with rural isolation. The show, which will air from 10am, will also hear from local families, businessmen and farmers about the recent flooding, coastal erosion and the effects these have had on day-to-day life. Musical entertainment will be provided by Kate Purcell.
Read More »Radio production training competition for schools
SCHOOLS all over the country will have the opportunity to receive radio production training and enter their programmes into a national competition being organised as part of Seachtain na Gaeilge 2014 with the support of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland. Seachtain na Gaeilge, continues until March 17 and there are thousands of events planned in Ireland and around the world to celebrate the Irish language and culture. Schools play an integral part in Seachtain na Gaeilge and this series of radio production workshops brings the festival to students throughout Ireland and gives them an opportunity to use Irish in a practical and exciting way. Groups of students are asked to enter a 30 minute Irish language radio show, which is open to four levels: 3-4th Class, 5-6th Class, 1-3rd Year and 4-6th Year. The winning entries in each category will receive a cash prize of €150, as well as airing on Raidió Rí-Rá, the Irish language radio station for young …
Read More »Funding for RCB ‘Champion documentary
KILKEE based community radio station, Raidio Corca Baiscinn has been granted funding from the latest round of the of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) Sound and Vision Scheme to make a documentary on The Clare Champion, which has been in existence since March 1903. Grants totalling €4.462m have been offered to broadcasters and independent producers to support the production of 102 radio and 17 TV projects. When completed, the funded projects will be broadcast by a range of community, commercial and public service broadcasters across the country. All of the projects being offered funding will explore the themes of Irish culture, heritage and experience. “We are thrilled about this as you can imagine, and I am really looking forward to getting started on it,” Derrick Lynch, Programme Co-ordinator with Raidio Corca Baiscinn, said.
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