Declan Lynch: ‘This was the worst 'take' in all of human history, so it's no harm to hear it refuted by a Joe O'Connor'
Last week I was pointing out that the best thing on the radio these days is Culture File: The Comfort Zone on Lyric FM, presented by Luke Clancy. I mentioned in particular the contributions of writer Colm Tóibín.
Now it turns out that the next best thing on the radio last week was the contribution of Joseph O'Connor on Brendan O'Connor (RTÉ1, weekends, 11am), in which the writer talked about the year 1975 as the most crucial in popular music.
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Irish Examiner
4 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
My Saturday with Liz Nolan: I have a real problem when I hear classical music described as ‘relaxing'
08.00 I get up on weekdays at about 6am so I leave it till about 8am on Saturdays. I love pottering around, getting breakfast ready and listening to the birds. It's a meditative time for me. My garden is slightly Jurassic Park. The bees love it as I am always forgetting to mow the grass. I have a wilderness of hydrangeas and lavender and a garden shed that if I opened the door everything would explode out like something in a comic. I live with my son Sean, 16, in a lovely estate with terrific neighbours. I love living in Limerick. 10.30 Most Saturday mornings I go to the Milk Market beside the Lyric FM offices. We are proud of having the station so enmeshed in the city. Each week, amazing artisan producers and craftspeople arrive with wonderful food and gorgeous crafts. Half of Limerick descends and nearly everyone you know will be there so I love to walk around and have a chat with people. 13.00 I'll have lunch and then I'll settle down to do a bit of prep work for our Summer Lunchtime Series. I'll listen to some of the works and get my script together. These works of music are like great works of literature — there is always something new to listen to. Each Tuesday during the summer we head to the National Concert Hall to broadcast live with National Symphony Orchestra Ireland and the RTÉ Concert Orchestra. It's an hour of the most fantastic music featuring guest conductors from all over the world and terrific young virtuosi. We get families, students, tourists, people on their lunch break… Everyone is dialled up to 100 and it's a lovely celebration. People often feel that classical music is elitist — it has almost become shorthand for upper class toffs. But it is the most exhilarating, profoundly moving thing. I still can't believe that I get to listen to music as my job. It's a vocation for me. 16.00 I might go for a walk with Sean along the Shannon. An ideal Saturday would be spent in Amsterdam with him and his fabulous cousins. I've so many happy memories of that city and the Royal Concertgebouw is one of the wonders of the world. 17.00 If I'm feeling virtuous, I might do some yoga in front of the telly - something nice and easy for people, like me, who aren't the most flexible. As someone who is on stage and on-air during the week, it's nice to revel in the quiet of home and to have time to chill out. I find that very restorative. 18.00 I adore food but I don't have much confidence in the kitchen. I go through the basics with as much aplomb as I can. Delia Smith and Nigella have helped a fair bit over the years. If we were to eat out it would likely be in Limerick institution Bella Italia. Their lasagna would make you cry with pleasure. 19.00 Occasionally, I might be presenting a show or event. I recently hosted an event for the National String Quartet Foundation. They run a top-class touring programme around the country and recently invited me to present a gala concert in Cork. My son is into hip hop and jazz so we have a joyfully mad mix of music in the house. We recently went to see Tyler the Creator which was mindblowing. I love that my son is opening up new worlds of music to me. Normally, we will just watch TV and then he'll mosey into his den and play online with his mates. I'm a real homebird — even my wardrobe is Jekyll and Hyde. One half is spangled dresses for being on stage and the other is jeans and joggers — smart casual is my nemesis. 21.00 I've been reading The Other Renaissance: From Copernicus to Shakespeare by Paul Strathern. I enjoy fiction but at the moment I'm in something of a historical vein. I enjoy getting the connections between narratives. It's the same with music — the confluence of composers, styles and what was happening in the wider sphere. I find it fascinating to pull together these networks and to discover the coincidences and sparks which had such ramifications through the years. 22.00 I'll go to bed at about 10pm. I'll usually have a novel downloaded from BorrowBox but I also listen over and over again to Agatha Christie. I find her characters so satisfying. I recently enjoyed Margaret Atwood's Hag-Seed. Sometimes I do mull a bit but I'm working on letting that go. I find that the exhaustion of middle age is great for conking out. The Full Score with Liz Nolan airs on Lyric FM Monday to Thursday from 1pm to 4pm. Nolan will also present a series of summer lunchtime concerts in the National Concert Hall on August 12, 19 and 26. Full details are available on
The Journal
2 days ago
- The Journal
In tribute: Seán Rocks showed us with warmth and wit that the Irish arts matter
ANY OUTLETS THAT shine a light on the Irish arts are precious these days, but none more so than the daily arts show Arena on RTÉ Radio One . Today came the terrible news that its stalwart presenter, the erudite, warm and witty Seán Rocks, has died aged 64 . You will see many tributes to him today, all extolling what a talented, informed presenter he was, a true champion of the arts. Seán Rocks himself probably would not have expected such an outpouring of love and sadness from strangers, because those of us who worked with him in any capacity did not experience him as a man seeking fame or attention. I first met the Monaghan native in 2009, when I started contributing as a reviewer to RTÉ Arena. Back then he had just moved from Lyric FM, and he wouldn't have known it but he taught me a huge amount about how to be a brilliant presenter, and how to up my game as a contributor. One could only wish for the combined gift he had of deep knowledge and an expansive love of the arts. Having been an actor himself, he could think about the arts from the point of view of both a performer/artist and an audience member. There was no artistic genre he wasn't capable of talking about, and he was as adept interviewing an actor or director as an artist or writer. He also had the vanishingly rare characteristic of being incredibly informed while free from ego, and it was this which meant he could do a deeply interesting and probing interview without coming across as snooty. He clearly thought of the listener: what would they want to know? What interesting nugget could he discover on their behalf? Advertisement 'He took his role seriously' View this post on Instagram A post shared by RTÉ Radio 1 (@rteradio1) So many of us have had evenings and dinnertimes soundtracked by his great interviews. They were always filled with gentle curiosity; humour was deployed with ease. Artists clearly enjoyed talking to him because Seán cared about what he was doing; he cared about the arts, and he wanted to champion them. He took his role seriously. He treated every interviewee with respect. I've mostly contributed to Arena as a music reviewer, though over the years I've contributed in other small ways too. It was and continues to be an incredible honour to get to contribute to the show in any capacity. My first thoughts when I heard the terrible news about Seán were of his family; earlier this year post-show we'd had a great chat about what his much-loved sons were up to. But I also thought of his team, because Arena was not just Seán – it was and is a team who care as much as him about the arts and about art-makers. Together they endeavour to cover all aspects of the arts, from independent bands to literary awards. They look across the country and are not satisfied with focusing on Dublin above everything else. It's a herculean job and I don't want to think about what the country would be missing if Arena wasn't on air. A rare and welcome show Many of us paying tribute to Seán today are freelancers and arts journalists who know what a precious gem Arena is. It's given us work, it's taken us seriously, and Seán always provided us with a welcome and rare opportunity to talk about the arts on air in an in-depth and serious way. Related Reads RTÉ radio presenter Seán Rocks dies aged 64 But he had a cheeky side to him too. While doing reviews, we'd joke around often between songs. He would always recover with panache from our shenanigans just before the mic was back on. He might have had a look of divilment in his eyes when asking a probing question about an album, but he was never dismissive about even the most dire of records. He always treated the work with respect and the genres reviewed on Arena have always been incredibly wide-ranging. When I look back on my own career since 2009, even if I was only on Arena a handful of times in a year the show has always played a huge role in keeping me validated, informed and on my toes as a journalist. I think I can speak for all contributors when I say that you want to do your best on Arena. Seán Rocks would show up to the mic – with the great support of the Arena team – ready to do excellent work. You couldn't show up and do half a job in response. There is a saying that you should 'give someone their flowers' before it is too late. I hope that Seán Rocks knew to some degree how respected he was, and how much his work on Arena has mattered to art-makers, journalists and art-lovers. We are all truly sad today, sad for his family, sad for the Arena team, sad for his colleagues at RTÉ, sad that we won't hear him on air tonight. If there is anything we can take from this terrible time, it is to treasure those who, like Seán, make an active contribution towards championing the Irish arts in a world that does not always value it. I hope Seán Rocks' family can glean some small comfort during this devastating time in seeing just how much he meant to the country. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam. Aoife Barry is a freelance arts journalist and author. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Independent
2 days ago
- Irish Independent
Declan Lynch: There are many shows in which likeable people play likeable music, yet lack this strange power of Marty in the Morning
Increasingly it seems that Marty in the Morning (weekdays, 7am) on Lyric FM is the most perfect radio programme. Its listenership grows by thousands at each new count, which itself is remarkable – we are more accustomed to seeing big numbers on all platforms for the cynical and the twisted, not for something that is good for the soul for three hours, five mornings a week.
