The Big Breakfast Blaa

Tomorrow night to mark Culture Night, Waterford buses are to become 'agents of craic' between 6pm and 8pm. Commuters on the W1, W2, and W3 routes will see the bus transformed into a rolling musical and poetry stage. Musicians and poets will perform on the bus during its regular Friday evening commute on those routes and passengers are encouraged to bring along their favourite poem or to sing along...

Today, September 16th is World Barber Day and we have been celebrating on The Big Breakfast Blaa! Ahmed from A-Class Barbers joined Geoff and Dymphna in studio to mark the opening of his second barbershop in Waterford City. He now proudly runs two outlets on Conduit Lane and Patrick Street offering the full Turkish Barber experience. A Turkish Barber differs from a traditional barber in what the o...

A notorious figure in Waterford city, Conny Mernin made national news on several occasions for his daring escapes from both Ballybricken and Clonmel jails. A life of crime began at an early age, his first arrest occurred when he was only 11-years-old. However, did a spell in reformatory and the penal system contribute to Mernin’s criminal activities rather than reform and rehabilitate him? R...

Autoboland Ford is putting the power of a test drive behind a very worthwhile cause this Saturday, September 19th at Costa Coffee in the Waterford Retail Park. The Waterford dealership is inviting members of the public to come along, get behind the wheel and take a test drive, while helping raise vital funds for Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind. For every test drive taken on the day, €30 will b...

Oasis are back for 2027 with two nights in Slane Castle included as part of their much anticipated announcement. At 4pm yesterday, fans around the globe heard the news that following their reunion gigs in Croke Park, the Gallagher brothers would be back for a 38-gig tour. Pricing information has been released, and tickets will by no means be cheap, however the 'tiered' pricing system saw previousl...

The annual Run and Walk for Solas registrations have now reached a whopping 1,000 participants. The run and walk with the Sea of Orange, takes place on Saturday October 10th in Dungarvan and on Sunday, October 11th in Waterford City. All proceeds raised go directly to the Solas Cancer Support Centre ensuring all services and supports are kept entirely free for clients affected by cancer and their...

Ellie (Eleanor) Denn is beloved by all who know her, as is evidenced by the speed with which the community grouped together to transform Ellie's garden into an oasis of calm. Following a cancer diagnosis, Ellie knew she had to get well and her aim following her treatment in Dublin was to get work done on her garden in the hope of making memories with her children. Enter the Whatsapp group and a ho...

The Waterford Panto Society is back in the Theatre Royal for Winterval 2026 with ‘Sleeping Beauty’, running the entire month of December. Musical Director with Waterford Panto Society, Wayne Brown was a very special guest this morning on The Big Breakfast Blaa with Ollie and Dymphna. Sleeping Beauty... or maybe just Nanny Kitty?! (Actually, full disclosure, our special guest was suppos...

Waterford College of Further Education is celebrating 120 years of education within the fabric of the Waterford community on Parnell Street. Across those years, it has evolved from the Central Technical Institute, to Waterford College of Further Education and the courses and offerings have expanded in line with the demands of learners across the country. Today, more than 40 courses across a range...

Irish first-class cricketer and British army soldier, Thomas Ormsby Jameson, played for both the Hampshire and Marylebone Cricket Clubs. After his time in the military, Jameson returned to his native-Ireland to run the family farm at Cappoquin. Cian Manning joined us for his weekly slot to look at the extraordinary life of T.O Jameson and the wealth of sporting endeavours he was involved with acro...

Tramore teacher, Blathnaid Britt (Prenter) has issued a heartfelt appeal for people to attend a local Memory Walk in aid of Alzheimers Ireland on Sunday, September 20th. Two walks are planned, one in Waterford City which walks from Pinegrove Day Care Centre to the People's Park at 11am. For those living further West in Waterford, a walk goes from the Causeway Tennis Club in Abbeyside, also from 11...

Katie Taylor's final fight of her professional boxing career is a moment that will live forever in the hearts of the nation. Neil Gough, 8 x Irish Elite Boxing Champion and secretary of St. Paul's Boxing Club was in attendance in the 80,000 strong crowd in Croke Park. He recalls that Katie was a child entering the boxing world when he was boxing at his height in the 1990s in Ireland. At that time,...

Shaws Department Stores is celebrating 85 years as part of the retail landscape in Waterford, and 162 years in Ireland. The business has weathered the pandemic, times of significant economic struggle, and today the two stores in Waterford city and Dungarvan are thriving. Ger Osborne is the overall marketing manager for the Shaws group, and he spoke on The Big Breakfast Blaa about the importance of...

Tramore parish priest, Fr. Richard O'Halloran celebrated his Silver Jubilee in Holy Cross Church, Tramore last night, marking 25 years since his ordination. A papal apostolic blessing was presented to Fr. O'Halloran marking the milestone. Mass was concelebrated by 14 priests, with Bishop Alphonsus Cullinan also present and the wider O'Halloran family was in attendance. Dymphna spoke with Fr. Richa...

Bridget Cleary and the tragic ending of her life is to be the focus of a feature film next week in Dungarvan. Bridget Cleary is known throughout history as the last victim in Ireland of the historical 'witch' burnings. Dominated by her husband, understood now to have been violent, controlling, and bitter of her successes, she died at his hands while he claimed to have lost his wife to the fairies....

A proposed protest of Ireland v Yugoslavia was the talking point at a committee meeting of the Waterford & District Football League in 1955. It's worth noting that the original purpose of the meeting was the decline in gate ticket sales and what could be done to rectify this, however the meeting was dominated by discussion about the FAI. Political discourse featured heavily as Ireland was set...

John Tierney has been recognised by the HSE and the National Ambulance Service for 40 years of service saving lives within the community. Literally born into the service to Jack and Bridget, John grew up in the grounds of the hospital with his father an ambulance driver and his mother a nurse. The sound of pagers, the rush of the call-outs, and the impact of seeing healthcare in real-time saw John...

There was much to mourn this week with the news breaking of the loss of Dolly Parton and Tim Curry. Both died this week, aged 80 leaving behind a significant and immeasurable legacy across the globe. For Dolly in particular, countless children aged between 0-5 will receive a book every month, regardless of family economic circumstances thanks to Dolly's Imagination Library. This was inspired by he...

Ferrybank Post Office has launched a new offering in a bid to reduce loneliness within the community. Upon entering the post office, there is now a pair of chairs and a table, on which stands a bouquet of flowers. Tea is available for those who aren't ready to head off again after conducting their business in the post office. Speaking to The Big Breakfast Blaa, Linda Kennedy from Ferrybank Post Of...

The year was 1924, and the circumstances surrounding the 1924 Waterford County Hurling Fina l were contentious, to say the least! On the field were reigning champions, Dungarvan, and city side T.F. Meaghers when the Gentle County showpiece pairing came into doubt. Erin’s Own made a Rule 11 objection, concerning a player who lined-out for Meaghers. The case centred around Meaghers’ John...

A Waterford playwright is hoping the power of radio can help her track down the family of one of the city’s most remarkable Titanic survivors. Martina Teeny Collender, a playwright, screenwriter, poet, writer and activist from Waterford, has written a one man, one act play called Lucky Strike , based on the extraordinary true story of Waterford man Patrick O’Keeffe. Now, she wants to f...

Anthony Keyes has now completed an astonishing 7 ultra-marathons in 7 days, totalling 350km covered between Waterford City and Tramore. The Waterford man spoke with Ollie and Dymphna in advance of his gruelling ordeal, noting he kept his late brother-in-law Shane McCarthy to the forefront of his mind at all times. An initial fundraising target of €3,000 was set, and when donations surpassed t...

Residents in the locality of Ballysaggart in the Blackwater Valley prepares to belly dance this weekend. As part of a community event, organised by West Waterford Mental Health Awareness and Healthy Waterford, a full afternoon is planned. Registration begins at 3pm in Ballysaggart GAA Clubhouse, with no fee or pre-registration needed. Across the day, there will be belly dancing, nutrition for ment...

Grace is in the process of writing a strongly worded letter to extend the eligibility age of the Rose of Tralee to include those aged over 30. Even better... over 40. This outrage came about as she realised the window of eligibility is at least 18 on the year of entry, and not having reached 30 by September on the year of entry. Grace was upset, an outcast, excluded... and then she put her thinkin...

Just 9 schools around Waterford remain unsigned up to the 'Picker Pals' initiative, which is completely free for schools. Now in its 7th year, Picker Pals has worked with 70 schools around the county, teaching primary school pupils about caring for their area and the climate. Gary Jones from VOICE Ireland, which manages the Picker Pals programme joined Ollie and Dymphna to discuss the concept. He...