Interviewing Ian Dempsey for podcast
WE INTERVIEWED Ian Dempsey on our podcast this week. We also went cliff-jumping and welcomed a new member to the team, but that’s another story. Ian hosts the Breakfast Show on Today FM, and for over 20 years has featured comedy sketches written and performed by Mario Rosenstock known as Gift Grub. He told us the story of how it began, why he thinks it has been so successful, and the ethos behind it.
Ian joined Today FM in 1998, by which point Mario was already at the station doing various bits of comedy for a few different shows. Ian liked what he heard and suggested they try something together.
Ian was looking for something daily, which is a tall order, but he wanted consistency for his listeners. So for the first few weeks, they decided on sketches featuring then Taoiseach Bertie Ahern cooking in the kitchen for different guests.
Hence the name – ‘Gift’ being an old Dublin word for something that’s great, and ‘Grub’ obviously for what the fictional Mr Ahern was serving up.
They did this for a fortnight and quickly ran out of guests, so then the hard work had to begin. How are we going to make this last? Are we going to continue to do this every day, and if so, how?
So they sat down, and figured they would make it topical. Keep it relevant to current events and it will always be fresh. They would have a production meeting each day, with Ian, Mario and producers on the show all coming up with ideas. Then it would be up to Mario to go off and write the sketch, record the tracks, and in the early days mix the whole thing too (he now has someone who does the last part for him). And this particular daily formula has produced consistent world-class radio comedy for decades now, with so many awards you’d need a sizeable kitchen to fit them all. No room for writer’s block, no time for excuses. There’s a slot to be filled on the national airwaves tomorrow morning, so we have to produce something good. They made that commitment to each other and the results speak for themselves.
One more thing – it’s said that the ones who are at the very top of their game, be they musicians, athletes or radio DJs, are more likely than the people not quite there yet to be decent people. Ian Dempsey is the living proof of this rule. He has been one of the biggest names in Irish broadcasting for decades, but was such a pleasure to deal with from start to finish.
You can find the full episode on In The Lamplight or wherever you get your podcasts.
Kieran Quinn plays piano and brings people together in music. You can sign up for his weekly email letter by visiting kieranquinn.ie/letter and he can be contacted by email at kieran@kieranquinn.ie
lSLIGO Sudbury School staff and students are set to raise more than €2,000 to help the homeless through a Virtual Sleep Out in aid of North West Simon.
The school set up an idonate fundraising page and to date they have collected an amazing €1,980. A link to the idonate page remains open until November 1 and contributions can be made at idonate.ie. The staff and students did the sleep out on October 1, to help raise funds for the Early
Intervention and Homelessness Prevention Service here in Sligo. With almost 80% of the North West Simon Community operating costs coming from fundraising this fundraising by the school is vital as the charity has been severely impacted on the fundraising front due to Covid-19. Sligo Sudbury School is a place where young people aged five to 18 can learn through play and experience at their own pace, in their own time and in their own way.
The school is founded on freedom, trust, respect and responsibility. They trust in children’s innate capacity to learn through their very own voyage of discovery and they respect their choices and rights as whole individuals.
The school was founded by a small group of home-schooling parents with the ideal of providing a stimulating community learning environment while continuing to foster the freedom enjoyed in home-schooling.
Founding members of Sligo Sudbury are mothers Maura Duignan and Gayle Nagle.
Maura said: “We were delighted to participate and to have raised some funds to help out with your work. Everyone really enjoyed the experience.”
Mary McKeon visited the school to inform the students of the work of the local Simon Community and all the team at North West Simon Community is thankful for the school’s support.