How the World Begins Again – an RTÉ lyric fm series celebrating women composers and sound artists working in Ireland, presented by singer Elizabeth Hilliard, who meets twenty women: composers and sound artists connected to the island of Ireland. They share their stories, their inspirations, creativity and challenges as they connect the listener to their work.
Continue reading “‘How The World Begins Again’ on RTÉ Lyric FM”
Two singers, Ruth Smith and Robert John Hope, have kicked off Season 2 of the Athena Media podcast The Family of Things. The podcast, hosted by Helen Shaw, began in Winter 2014 and there are 15 episodes with guests including Tony Bates, Rory O’Neill – aka Panti Bliss, Linda Buckley, Frank Berry and Iarla Ó Lionáird in Season 1.
The episode with Tony Bates won a podcast award at the New York Radio Festival 2019 and the podcast has been the beginnings of other project like Pantisocracy with Panti Bliss and Mother’s Blood, Sister Songs with Linda Buckley. Season 2 launched on April 2nd and a new episode is being released every fortnight.
The launch episode with broadcaster and singer Ruth Smith has had a phenomenal response with psychologist Tony Bates reviewing it saying it was ‘searingly honest and healing’.
Episode 2 with the Berlin based musician Robert John Hope charts the journey from fronting the globe touring band Senakah to a new solo artist life in Germany.
Both Ruth and Rob share their turning points in making their life their own and both episodes are rich in music and song. Rob’s first solo album ‘Plasticine Heart‘ is out April 23 and we get to preview some of the new tracks, like None Other, in the podcast.
Next up in the podcast is another singer Dr Kathleen Turner, a Co.Tyrone native who has made Limerick her home and who leads the Masters in Community Music at the Academy of Music and Dance in the University of Limerick.
Kathleen is herself a powerful and versatile singer whose own work and recent album ‘Like A Lion‘ provides an amazing soundtrack for the episode, out April 30th.
The Family of Things’ is available in all podcast places like Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Anchor, Radio Public, Spotify, Stitcher and in YouTube with closed captions.
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Athena Media won a competitive tender to produce a landmark celebratory radio show on RTÉ Radio 1 December 20th 20:30-21:30 as part of the national call to Shine Your Light which is a collaboration between RTÉ and Creative Ireland. The radio show will be produced by Helen Shaw and presented by Ruth Smith with digital content by John Howard.
Continue reading “Athena Media produces Winter Solstice: Shine Your Light radio show for RTÉ”
To tie in with the return of Pantisocracy to RTÉ Radio 1 – RTÉ Player is also re-showing The Panti Monologues videos showcasing stories inspired by the spoken word pieces delivered by Panti Bliss at the opening of Pantisocracy.
And to celebrate Pride 2020, in what has been a weird year and one in which we’ll not get to march through the streets in our towns and cities to celebrate Pride, RTÉ Culture is also clearing some space to allow Panti Bliss and Pantisocracy to celebrate Pride online.
Continue reading “Panti Bliss celebrates PRIDE 2020 with #Pantisocracy & RTÉ Culture”
We spent much of last year on mothersbloodsistersongs.com and it was invested with love, passion, energy and what creative wit and talent that we have. So for our work with Linda Buckley and all of the contributing voices to have been recognised with a Gold award from the New York Festivals Radio Awards is a much appreciated boost during these testing times. The series is broadcast Sundays 31st May and 7th June 2020 at 6pm on RTÉ Lyric fm.
For the times we live in, Athena Media is releasing an audiobook collection of Wilde Stories; beautiful stories by Oscar Wilde read by young Irish actors, with original composition by Michael Gallen, performed for Wilde Stories, by the RTÉ Concert Orchestra and RTÉ Cór na nÓg.
The original readings formed part of an RTÉ lyric fm radio series but they’re now presented here for children and adults alike to enjoy. You can find out more about the series on www.wildestories.ie
Continue reading “Pantisocracy returns for Season 5 Summer 2020”
Across 2019 Athena Media is anchoring a new podcast sharing conversations and stories about how we shape and create great places to live. The podcast series This is Where we Live has been inspired by the continued housing and homelessness crisis in Irish cities, particularly Dublin, and began when Athena Media producer Helen Shaw visited Vienna last December for a Housing for All conference. (Read Helen’s blog essay on the visit and why Vienna is a public housing model for Europe).
