Latest news with #RTÉConcertOrchestra
Irish Times
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Don Wycherley: ‘Eircom put me off investing in shares for life'
Actor Don Wycherley is the narrator for Guy Barker's Soho Symphony in the RTÉ Concert Orchestra 's concert, A Night in Soho, on Friday at the National Concert Hall , Dublin. Are you a saver or a spender? I don't make any extravagant purchases, I would never buy a new car, for example, as I would not like the burden of monthly repayments. That said, I don't have vast savings either. I use Revolut Spare Change to save for things like 'holiday money' or indeed for those little emergencies, like the car breaking down. What was the first job you received money for, and how much were you paid? I got a summer job picking strawberries in fifth year for a local market gardener, starting at 6.30am. You got paid per punnet picked and would get told off for pulling the tops off or picking ones with green in them. Your wages depended on the number of punnets picked, which were counted at the end. Do you shop around for better value? I would have to say no, but thankfully my wife does. I am currently struggling with the idea that I am a fool for paying over the odds for my Sky, Netflix and Prime payments, when most people I know are dodgy boxers. READ MORE What has been your most extravagant purchase and how much did it cost? My house, I suppose, and though probably not an extravagance, it felt so at the time. I'm not going to tell you the cost, but the stamp duty would have bought a fine car back then. I do the Lotto with work colleagues, but we have never won anything big. It's a waste of a fiver a month, but we get a bit of a laugh out of it What purchase have you made that you consider the best value for money? I guess it's the same house, as it has doubled in value. Is there anything you regret spending money on? Those bloody Eircom shares in 1999, my first toe-dip into the markets. I held on to them for too long and ended up losing money on them. Put me off shares for life! [ The Eircom shares debacle: 'I spent €5,000. They are now worth less than €500′ Opens in new window ] Do you haggle over prices? All the time. I will haggle anywhere. In shops, I ask if that's the best you can do, could you knock anything off that? I have certainly embarrassed my children at times. If you don't ask, you won't receive and will never know if there was a better deal to be made. Do you invest in shares and/or cryptocurrency? I was always in and out of work as an actor and never really had the regular funds to invest in shares. If I did get a cash injection from somewhere, there was always something more pressing that needed those funds. Do you have a retirement or pension plan? Yes, I do, and this is where I am putting most of my financial energies. For years, I didn't think about such things, but like many men and women of my age, it is now one of my favourite subjects. What was the last thing you bought and was it good value for money? I took a house in west Cork for two weeks recently and all my children and their respective partners and pets came down for a few days here and a few days there. For two of the days, they were all down at the same time, chatting, reminiscing, slagging each other, and I made them iced coffees, cut up lots of fruit for breakfast, had lots of swims together and savoured our family reunion. I could probably have got something cheaper abroad, but we had fantastic weather, and a lovely landlady. I couldn't have got any better value for money than I did in west Cork for those two weeks. Have you ever successfully saved up for a relatively big purchase? Yes, I have saved up for all my cars over the years. Have you ever lost money? I do the Lotto with work colleagues, but we have never won anything big. It's a waste of a fiver a month, but we get a bit of a laugh out of it. We used to put the winnings back into buying more tickets, but last year we decided to start building the winnings fund and putting it towards some fun group activity. We currently have €410 in our fund and counting! Are you a gambler and, if so, have you ever had a big win? I would have always said no, but a few years back I got a tip on a horse from a friend and wasn't near a bookies, so I decided to download a well-known bookmaker's app to place the bet. The horse won, so with my €80 winnings I started exploring the app, putting on little wagers here and there. The winnings were soon gone. [ Leah Stack: 'Horses can be quite unreliable at times ... so I have a few backup investments' Opens in new window ] When I had a little time to myself, or even while disinterestedly half-watching something on telly with my wife, I found myself going into the casino section. It was very addictive, and even though I won a couple of times, I generally lost. Thankfully, I realised this quickly and had the sense to cut my losses and delete the app. That was a big win! What is your best habit when it comes to money? And your worst? Best? I don't think about it too much. Worst? I don't think about it too much! How much money do you have on you now? A fiver and some coins. In conversation with Tony Clayton-Lea
Irish Examiner
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Nile Rodgers, Inhaler and David Gray among acts added to Electric Picnic lineup
Electric Picnic have added another 11 acts to the festival lineup. The festival, which sold out just days after last year's edition, takes place in its usual home of Stradbally in Co Laois from August 29 to 31. Having already packed out the card with headliners including Hozier, Chappell Roan and Fatboy Slim, organisers announced more additions on Wednesday. David Gray has been confirmed for the legends slot on Sunday evening, while Nile Rodgers and Chic make their return to Stradbally, having first performed at the Picnic in 2009. Fresh off their St Anne's Park gig in May, Inhaler will perform over the weekend. A special experience will see Noel and Mike Hogan, formerly of the Cranberries, team up with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra to perform the band's iconic songs for the first time in eight years at this year's festival. There will be performances from some festival stalwarts too including The Saw Doctors, The Coronas, King Kong Company and The Two Johnnies. The most popular Irish female on Spotify has also been confirmed for Stradbally as Jazzy makes her third appearance at Electric Picnic. Meanwhile, 'just two boys from Cork who are always up for a skit', PJ Kirby and Kevin Twomey from I'm Grand Mam will bring their hugely popular podcast to the Electric Arena. The 2 Johnnies will also be swinging by Stradbally, as will Mark McCabe to mark 25 years of Maniac 2000.
Irish Examiner
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Podcast Corner: New series looks back on the tragic tale of Elizabeth Plunkett
It's summer 1976, one of the hottest in memory, and Irish people are heading to the beach every weekend. Among them: 23-year-old Dubliner Elizabeth Plunkett, her boyfriend Damian, and a group of friends bound for Brittas Bay, Co Wicklow, on the last weekend of August. Elizabeth could be a bit bossy - she read Cosmo and had notions, according to one of her sisters. At a nearby pub, she and Damian have a minor argument, a lovers' tiff. He recalled: 'I put my finger on her left cheek and said, 'Go away, don't be annoying me.' She said, 'If you do that again, I'll go home.' I said to her, 'Go home, then.' Stolen Sister narrator Roz Purcell says: 'No one could have imagined that what happened next would set in train a series of events that would see Elizabeth's life being savagely taken from her.' Later that night, she was abducted, raped, and murdered by Ireland's serial killers John Shaw and Geoffrey Evans, who had recently been released from prison. With extradition back to the UK looming over them, they had a savage plan: They were going to do exactly what they wanted to do while they were on the run in Ireland - kidnap, rape, and kill one woman a week for as long as they could get away with it. Stolen Sister is the latest podcast series from RTÉ Documentary on One (Where is Jón?, The Real Carrie Jade, Runaway Joe). Written and produced by Nicoline Greer, episodes clock in at under 30 minutes and the six-part series wraps on Friday, July 4. The series began with an email sent to the producers out of the blue by Elizabeth's sisters Bernie and Kathleen a couple years ago; it's the first time the family are speaking out about their sister's murder. Elizabeth Plunkett. Now in their sixties, they finish each other's sentences, painting a picture of working class family life in Ringsend, where apple pies were baked at the weekend. But when news of their sister's disappearance from Brittas Bay made it to their front door, it was like their mother just knew, they said. It upended everything. The series, with original music by Oscar-winning composer Stephen Warbeck (performed with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra) and sound design by Ciarán Dunne, is vivid, sucking the listener into a sad tale, with Garda statements by friends and the killers recounted by actors. The murder grips the nation and sees Shaw and Evans abscond to Tipperary and then Galway, in a car they've stolen, changed the number plates on, and repainted with regular paint. Stolen Sister tracks the manhunt for the pair — how it slowly tightens, but only after they strike again. Read More Culture That Made Me: Limerick broadcaster Lorcan Murray selects his touchstones
RTÉ News
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
Watch: The story and music of the Stolen Sister podcast
Stolen Sister is a podcast that tells the story of Elizabeth Plunkett, a young Dublin woman, who was murdered in the summer of 1976 and her family's fight for justice 50 years later. The Plunkett family understood that two men were given life sentences for her murder and that of another woman. John Shaw and Geoffrey Evans confessed to abducting, raping and murdering both Ms Plunkett in Brittas Bay, Co Wicklow, and Mary Duffy in Conamara, Co Galway, in 1976. Last year, it was revealed that neither of her killers were convicted of Ms Plunkett's murder in the courts. The new podcast is seeking to raise awareness around Ms Plunkett's case and the family said its soundtrack honours the memory of their sister. In February, the RTÉ Concert Orchestra gathered in Studio One in the Radio Centre to record the soundtrack for the Stolen Sister podcast series by the RTÉ Documentary on One Team. The music was written by Oscar-winning composer Stephen Warbeck. "The story of Elizabeth is irresistible because it is so serious and so important and matters so much, I wanted to do it straightaway. Elizabeth was born in April 1953, and I was born that October," Mr Warbeck said. "I think people forget is, that you read about a tragic event, but it resonates for a lifetime for the surviving family members and friends, so all those people are marked indelibly for the rest of their lives," he added. The Plunkett family attended the recording, including her sisters Bernadette and Kathleen and brothers Eddie and Thomas. Photographs of Elizabeth were mounted on the soundproofed walls and offered inspiration to the musicians as they interpreted the music that would bring her story to life. "He really captured her … it gets into your soul when you think of her and visualise her alive, healthy and happy. And when I close my eyes now and listen to Stephen's music this is the visual that will stay with me for the rest of my life," said Bernadette. While Eddie said "it is very difficult to describe and put into words … to listen to music at any time at any level is emotional". "But to have a piece of music dedicated to our sister's memory. Unbelievable. We are so grateful to Stephen to take this on and honour the memory of Elizabeth," he added. Mr Warbeck said following the performance that it was "a privilege to be part of remembering somebody and how important she was to them". "I think that we hope that the podcast and the music and all those other things will give different dimensions to what is very tragic thing. "Maybe they will be able to think of justice finally being done and think there is music associated with her. "Maybe it will give a little bit of light in very difficult circumstances. I don't know but we'll see," he added.
Irish Independent
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Tolü Makay: ‘It may take 10, 20 years but I'll sing a James Bond theme'
The Nigerian-Irish singer on embracing her uniqueness and the viral performance she saw as a sign to keep following her dreams after quitting her job at Google You've got to dream big, says Tolü Makay. The Nigerian-Irish singer has long held 'sing a Bond theme song' as one of her greatest ambitions – and after a recent performance with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, it seems just that little bit more achievable. 'It's been on my vision board for a long time,' the soul-pop singer says, acknowledging how a number of listeners insisted that she should join the pantheon of Bond singers after hearing her stunning rendition of the Bacharach/David classic Walk On By. 'The fact that people are seeing it now too, I'm like, 'OK! Thank you!'. Now, obviously, there are steps to that: you have to be one of the best or biggest stars of the time,' she adds, undaunted. 'So I'm like, 'OK, we need to figure out how this will happen. Maybe it'll be another 10, 20 years – but it's gonna happen at some point.''
