Searing reality amid the midsummer frolics
IT’S that time of year again when nothing is what it says on the tin. The Ray D’Arcy Show is actually The Kathryn Thomas Show, and Today With Sean O’Rourke is really Today With Cormac O hEadhra.
As always, both stand-ins make one wonder whether the star names they replace would be missed that much if this arrangement was made permanent. O hEadhra, in particular, is a nimble broadcaster with a strong grasp of detail, though he did go a bit too easy on the sociologist on Monday who would have it that Ireland is in the grip of Islamophobia.
Cutting Edge’s Brendan O’Connor was also standing in again as host of The Marian Finucane Show, devoting 10 whole minutes last Sunday to enthusing over the muchanticipated appearance of Radiohead at Dublin’s 3 Arena, as well as exploring the effect of grime artist Stormzy on the UK election, which isn’t something regular listeners are used to hearing in this slot.
The weather may have been hot, but there were still serious matters to discuss. George Hook on Newstalk's High Noon was a furious with a new Taoiseach Leao Varadkar's informal approach to his first Downing Street press conference, calling it “amateurish, gauche, just awful”.
Shane Coleman agreed. So did Chris Donoghue on Newstalk Drive. “Cringey” was his verdict. Co-presenter Sarah McInerney was more forgiving.
Liveline’s searing focus on the fatal consequences of a shortage of cardiac services at University Hospital Waterford brought the banter right back down to earth. It was compelling, upsetting, raw.
But it is midsummer, and some seasonal foolishness must be forgiven, as The Jeremy Vine Show on BBC Radio Two was handed over for the week to former UK Labour Party leader Ed Miliband, who, among weighty discussions on the radicalisation of terrorists, also found time to learn how to scream like the lead singer of death metal band Napalm Death. He also spent a significant amount of time debating the relative merits of a dual-action modern toilet versus the old-fashioned Victorian-style cistern. Ed capitalised on his slightly awkward public image to prove that he doesn’t take himself too seriously.
Most rewarding programme of the week was undoubtedly Lyric Feature’s profile of Irish poet Francis Ledwidge, who died 100 years ago at the Battle of Passchendaele in Belgium. Another fine piece of work from independent production company, Rockfinch, When The War Is Over found room for a wide range of different voices without ever sounding crowded or rushed, and the readings from Ledwidge's nature poetry, and the music that wove it all together seamlessly, were sublime.
Voices Of The First World War on BBC Radio Four also went back a century to explore the Royal Flying Corps’ experiences in the air, and again it was the human details which surprised. One British officer described getting into an aerial firefight with a German counterpart, before eventually running out of ammunition. “We ended up by giving each other a friendly wave, then flying off home,” he recalled. LISTEN BACK Visit the RTE Player at rte.ie/player and newstalk.com/listen-back