The Nerve: An English and Arts Podcast

In this episode of The Nerve, Jenny is joined by first year students Aoife Molloy and Emma Kearns, as well as second year student Niamh Callanan and English lecturer, Dr. Christa de Brún. They discuss two of the events organised for English and Theatre Studies students this semester: a performance of “Hughie” by Eugene O’Neill, which featured an American cast (and a well-known TV actor!) and a Cre...

In this episode of the podcast, Dr. Jenny O’Connor is joined by Dr. Una Kealy and former Theatre Studies and English student Laura Broderick. Una, together with Dr. Kate McCarthy, runs the Performing the Region research project in collaboration with WIT students, Garter Lane Arts Centre and director Jim Nolan and here, she discusses the three plays that have formed the cornerstones of the project...

In this episode Dr. Jenny O’Connor is joined in studio by Dr. Fiona Ennis, lecturer in poetry on the BA Arts programme, along with Jess Sinnott, Caleb O’Connor and Alessia Zuccarelli, all of whom are current third year English students. The discussion ranges from the writing challenges faced by first years upon entry into the Arts programme to the lessons that each of the panel (lecturers included...

In the first episode of The Nerve of our Autumn semester, Dr. Jenny O’Connor speaks to Dr. Una Kealy and second year student Eleanor O’Connor about Richard III in anticipation of the English at WIT trip to The Abbey on 20th October. They discuss first encounters with the play, the all-important female characters and the rise and fall of Richard’s fortunes, as well as providing important details on...

In this final episode of The Nerve for the current academic year, lecturers Dr. Jenny O’Connor and Dr. Christa de Brún speak to students from first year (Michael Power), second year (Katiemarie Lynch) and third year (Frances Ryan) of the English programme, to find out how students are feeling at this time of the year, and to listen to the questions that they have gathered from their class group ab...

In this episode of The Nerve, we are joined by our very first special guest, Dr. John Ennis, award-winning poet and former Head of School of Humanities at WIT. John talks to us about his poetic connection with Russian Pussy Riot, his link with the Icelandic band Sigur Rós, and the importance of poetry as a craft. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode of The Nerve is also taken from our week on Vibe WIT Radio. Here, guest presenter Kate McCarthy hosts a discussion on Waterford playwright Theresa Deevy's work 'In Search Of Valour' followed by a reading by some students of BA Arts at Waterford Institute of Technology. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of the podcast, Dr. Jenny O'Connor is joined by Margaret O'Brien, lecturer in Creative Writing on the English programme. Also in studio are final year student Apryl Byrne and former student Mary McGrath, who both credit the second year Creative Writing module with helping them to lose their inhibitions and find a voice that they never knew they had Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/pr...

In this episode of The Nerve, Jenny is joined by colleagues Dr. Una Kealy, Dr. Christa de Brun and Dr. Paul Clougher to talk about the Christmas-themed texts that evoke those all-important festive feelings. Poetry by Matilda Blind and Anne Sexton, James Joyce’s ‘The Dead’ and Martin Scorsese’s ‘The Last Temptation of Christ’ provide the fodder for this delicious audible feast. Hosted on Acast. See...

In this episode of The Nerve, Dr. Jenny O'Connor talks to Dr. Christa de Brún and second year English students Aisling O'Byrne and Brandon Collins about George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, a novel that has last year became an Amazon bestseller despite being first published almost 70 years ago. The podcast focuses on why the novel is suddenly popular again, and the panel discusses some of its mos...

In this episode of The Nerve, Jenny talks to Dr. Richard Hayes and students of English Dylan Phelan and Zoe O'Sullivan about the books and films that they're currently enjoying outside of class time. Books include The Unconsolable by Kazuo Ishiguro, Animal Farm by George Orwell, Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell and The Long Gaze Back: An Anthology of Irish Women Writers, edited by Sinéad Gleeson...

In this episode of The Nerve, Jenny is joined by Kate McCarthy who discusses the recent production of The Great Gatsby in Dublin’s Gate Theatre. Dr. Christa de Brún, who teaches The Great Gatsby as part of her module on The Modern Novel, tells us a little bit about the background to the novel, and third year students Garcia Rodriguez and Jessica Clerkin discuss the flawed characters at the heart o...

In the first episode of The Nerve, Jenny speaks to Dr. Una Kealy about Teresa Deevy, a Waterford playwright born in 1894. Deevy’s play “Katie Roche” is currently running at the Abbey theatre in Dublin, a production which WIT students will attend this Saturday. Also in studio are second year English students Alessia Zuccarelli and Caleb O’Connor, who give their views on the play, and discuss the be...