The Big Breakfast Blaa

The staff at Williamstown Golf Course had some seriously good treats for their elevenses this week. Ollie and Dymphna jumped into the WLR car and arrived armed with Walsh's blaas, butter, and Tayto. Wayne, a valued staff member at the course was nominated by his mother, Mary to receive the goodies. The tea was poured, the chat was flowing, and hungry bellies were dealt with. Wayne told Dymphna, th...

Dublin-born Edward Garraway moved to Rockshire in his youth and was educated at Waterford Diocesan School before studying medicine at Trinity College. His medical career brought him to Africa, where he took part in the Jameson Raid, with Garraway’s prison journals being of great significance to historians of the event. Garraway went on to attain several high ranking positions in the Union of South...

Facts, history, general knowledge, and areas of special interest... Darragh has got it covered. The young student of Garranbane National School is an extraordinarily impressive child. His view of the world, his attention to detail, and his thirst for knowledge left a lasting impression on listeners. During a follow-up visit to the school, Ollie and Dymphna caught up with Darragh. He is a pupil in...

Mark White is, by now, synonymous with the WLR Be A Little Star Christmas Appeal. Since the inception of the appeal, Mark has rallied his troops and raised the bar each and every year. Last week, he was presented with a commemorative cheque marking his fundraising efforts for the past 8 years. These efforts have raised a cumulative €115,585 all in aid of SVP here in Waterford. Speaking to Ollie an...

In a slight change from usual content, Grace has launched an appeal for Waterford people in support of a local teen. Lorek O'Keeffe, a student at Mount Sion CBS in Waterford has had an extremely challenging year. In May of last year, he was rushed to hospital and underwent a 15-hour surgery. Unprecedented cardiac issues mean that further surgery is likely in Lorek's future. Along with his family,...

The wider community near Garranbane National School has rallied around recent fundraising efforts. A target has been set to raise enough funds for a full suite of equipment to serve the sensory room. Costs are estimated at in the region of €15,000 to purchase the equipment. Pupils in the special classroom at Garranbane National School have visited other schools with their teachers in recent weeks....

Scandalous secrets of the Profumo bedroom dominates Cian Manning's chats with us this week, The early 1960s in British politics saw the name Profumo associated with controversy and scandal. Conspiracies of the State and secrets of the bedroom emerged through the conduct of MP, John Profumo. Remarkably, the surname would become firmly connected with Ballyglan estate overlooking Woodstown Strand. Th...

A major clinic for major and minor surgeries for Waterford's teddies and dolls will run this Saturday. The annual Juniors for Juniors Teddy Bear Hospital returns for its third year. Nurses, student nurses and consultants will be gowned up on the day to carry out major surgeries and repairs. These include stitches, scans, triage, x-rays, blood pressure checks and more. Time slots must be booked in...

A continual decline in the membership of the Waterford Boat Club since 1928 saw one of the oldest sporting institutions in Ireland on the verge of going out of existence in 1941. However, there would be many ups and downs over a few months. It was these which secured the future of the club that is still active on the River Suir today. Cian Manning joined us for another look back at stories which W...

From Longest Toenails to Life Lessons: Grace explains it all from the Guinness Book of World Records. This was her gift to Ollie for Christmas, and he was like a child on Christmas morning poring over it. Grace is back for another calendar year of 'The Buzz with Grace.' Over the year she has brought us some cracking features, putting the world to rights. This week, we chatted long fingernails, eno...

Alexander William ‘Bill’ Anderson’s childhood took place at Mount Prospect, Ballymountain, Co. Kilkenny. His parents Paul and Eily were active with both the South Kilkenny and Waterford branches of the Irish Red Cross Society. A talented illustrator, some of Bill’s work was published in the Waterford Standard. However such artistic pursuits were forgotten about when he joined the Royal Navy during...

Tramore woman, Áine McCarthy Kent joined Dymphna in studio to discuss exciting developments in her career. Following her recent album launch, she is flying high on the reality of realising your dreams. A former teacher in Waterford for 29 years, Áine comes from a well-known musical family. It was music she was set to pursue following her retirement from teaching on the cusp of the arrival of Covid...

Freya Marsh at just 12 years of age, has been nominated for a national award recognising Young Athlete of the Year. The HerSport.ie awards take place later this month, recognising athletes who have achieved significant success in their field. Last year was a huge year for Freya, with a documentary based on her airing in cinemas to much acclaim. Locally, a special mayoral reception was held in her...

Music hall singer and male-impersonator, Ella Shields was the daughter of a Wexford father and a Waterford mother. She was a huge success in England from 1910 until her death in 1952. She received great acclaim for her performance of the song, ‘Burlington Bertie from Bow,.' However the initial success of the song would subsequently place a huge spectre over the rest of her career. Shields’ last pe...

At Christmas, we often reflect back on the festive times and memories which shaped us. For Grace, this was Garvey's pub with her nanny and grandad on Ballytruckle. This year, Grace will go to her mum's (Mary goes nowhere) and her dad's for Christmas. There, she proudly tells us, her childhood bedroom is preserved like a shrine or a time capsule. To wander down a Christmas memory lane with Grace, p...

We invite you to meet the lads of the Passage East Car Ferry... That's exactly what Ollie and Dymphna did when they popped down with a delivery of blaas and Tayto. The good people of Walsh's Bakehouse and Tayto supplied the goodies and Ollie and Dymphna popped down. Michael Walsh and the lads invited them on board and they sailed to Ballyhack having the chats. With 90 sailings a day, they are kept...

Blaa Giveaways have a Mega Fundraising bundle in their live draw this Sunday, 21st Dec at 10 pm, all in aid of the WLR Christmas Appeal in Aid of St Vincent De Paul . Megan from Blaa Giveaways joined Ollie and Dymphna in studio ahead of the sixth year of the draw. Tickets are €3.99 per entry. Click Here To Enter Here is the list of amazing prizes and remember, the winner will walk away with ALL of...

Winter League will hold a Santa Hat Run on Wednesday, 17th December 2025. First runners off from 7 pm at the R.S.C. WLR will have a bucket collection on the night to raise money for the Christmas Appeal in aid of St Vincent De Paul Joe Cawley from the Winter League joined Ollie and Dymphna in studio with all the details. He said for one week only- anyone can turn up and enjoy the fun and contribut...

Michael O’Brien claimed to be the first person in Waterford city, if not the Irish Free State, to have a television in his own home in 1935. From his family home in Jail Street, O’Brien devised an early prototype that received transmission from London. The Cork-born O’Brien was to become well-known in Urbs Intacta as ‘the modern counterpart of the old town-crier’ for his public address announcemen...

Tickets are now on sale for the little stars concert which will be held in the Sacred Heart Church this evening 9th Dec at 7.30pm. This year’s lineup features the De La Salle College Senior Choir , St. Mary’s Ballygunner National School Choir , St. Ursula’s Primary School Choir , Scoil Lorcain Boys National School Choir , and a very special guest appearance from soprano Rhea Kennedy. MC for t...

There are thousands of euros worth of items in this year's Farmview Auction as part of the WLR Be A Little Star Christmas Appeal. This Thursday from 6pm-8pm, the phone lines will see an influx of people bidding on their favourite items. From solar panels fully installed, to artisan hampers, Chamber vouchers, and 3 course Christmas meals- there is something for everyone. While definitely not just f...

Grace goes full Griswold this Christmas and she landed into WLR decked head to toe in baubles and tinsel. She is stepping into her favourite time of the year and has gone full throttle into Christmas this week. We all have baubles and Christmas decorations which hold sentimental value for us. Grace is no different, and she brought a selection of choices in to studio for us to see. From now until C...

Kilkenny-born, Mount Sion-educated William Joseph Kenny would travel the world in the late 19th and early 20th century. His story began attending universities in Germany and France to working as a student interpreter in China and Japan. Kenny rose through the ranks of the British consular services, leading the Irishman to become British Consul-General in the Philippines in 1903. Sadly, ill-health...

Mark White has reacted to raising almost €20,000 for the WLR Be A Little Star Christmas Appeal. His annual fitness challenge kicked the appeal off last Saturday at Tramore AFC. On site there was a BBQ, fitness challenges and personal bests, cakes, a monster raffle and more. The community of Tramore turned out en masse to support his endeavours. From 5am, members of Mark White's gym took to the ass...

Dungarvan Christmas Concert 2025 Set to Spark Seasonal Magic The 2025 Dungarvan Christmas Concert brings festive joy to The Friary Church on Wednesday, 3 December . The event starts at 7:00 pm and promises a warm, community-driven evening of Christmas music. Local talent will shine throughout the night. The Dungarvan Brass Band opens the celebration with classic seasonal favourites. The Voiceover...