Fields of Dreams

In the last episode of the series, we hear the story of rock 'n’ roll excess - drugs, booze and living in Lillie Bordellos. We go back to the beginning, hear the U2 double header in Slane 2001 and how the rejuvenated band convinced the government to change the law to make it happen. We get the inside story of some of the biggest gigs in Irish history - and how Roy Keane ended up laying into his Ir...

This episode takes us inside the struggle at the top of the music tree. We learn why some massive Irish bands failed to make a cent from their careers despite their songs raking in millions. Dave Browne from Picturehouse explains why Sunburst may have been a hit, it wasn't for them financially. The 1990s sees much of the 80s promise melt away as bands begin falling away one by one. Mary Black reve...

Ireland goes pop mad as girl and boy bands dominate the UK charts, while Riverdance emerges as a cultural force. Rock n’roll Kids singer Paul Harrington takes centre stage as he brings us back to the dizzying madness of post-Eurovision success. Plus, remember the Beat on the Street? And how the Good Friday Agreement brought music to the masses for the first time up North. Hosted on Acast. See acas...

Come with us in this episode to recall the astonishing rise of dance music which made Dublin the party mecca in the 1990s. We hear how U2’s the Kitchen and John Reynolds’ Pod changed everything, the emergence of ecstasy, and the remarkable story behind Ireland’s most famous dance export: Peter Cunnah’s D:Ream. Meanwhile, U2 begin to falter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informati...

This episode looks at the amazing story behind Irish kids’ right of passage - the Trip to Tipp. Mary Black tells us how she avoided being arrested, we hear about how the Saw Doctors ignored Van Morrison's rules, Chris De Burgh’s topless stripper stunt and why the Happy Mondays put Fiachna O’Braonain off Glasto. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode tells the stories behind the rise of Slane and Croke Park as Ireland’s major music venues. We hear why Bruce Springsteen lost the plot, how promoter Peter Aiken blew all his money on a circus and about Alex Conyngham’s life as a young aristocrat rising through the ranks, from backstage VIP security to become Slane boss. Plus, Moby tells us couldn't really warm to Slane headliner Bryan...

This episode hears some amazing stories behind the 1980s charity singles, the rise of Mary Black and why Whitney Houston couldn’t top the Irish charts. We hear how a Ramone’s legend came to influence the Irish scene, the Waterboys ended up drinking whiskey and feeding lambs (at the same time), and why the Stunning’s tour manager felt compelled to assault a member of Blur. Up north, how Cher cheate...

The astonishing rise of U2 as Irish cities become a hotbed of musical creativity in the 1980s. The Hothouse Flowers - labelled the hottest unsigned act on the planet at the time - discuss being "the next U2" as they came close to cracking America. Something Happens and the Stunning discuss life in Bono’s shadow and the pursuit of a record deal - while Aslan talk about killing their own band t...

The end of the beginning as the glut of new festivals are taken down by a combination of tragedy, money and competition. The mainly Irish line-ups become more international as fierce rivalry forces promoters to shell out huge sums on the likes of ageing rocker Chuck Berry. The Radiators from Space discuss being implicated when a man was stabbed to death at a punk festival and why a combination of...

The story of what Ireland’s music scene was, and an introduction to what it would become. This episode introduces the grim 1970s, and the young people’s desire to leave the bleakness behind. The biggest act of the 70s - Horselips - tell their story while future stars including Mary Black, Sharon Shannon, Tom Dunne and Fiachna Ó Braonáin outline their first steps into music. Meanwhile, the seeds of...

In 1970s Ireland, the nation's youth were craving an escape - and music was going to provide it. Over the course of the next few decades, what had been a gigging backwater was transformed into the centre of the live entertainment universe. Fields of Dreams tells the story of that remarkable change through the trailblazers who made it happen. Narrated by singer songwriter Róisín O, this 10-part ser...