The Big Breakfast Blaa

Waterford man, Anthony Keyes is running 7 marathons in 7 days in aid of the Solas Cancer Support Centre. To date, he has raised more than €8,000 for the service, which is based in Waterford city and Dungarvan. The Solas Run and Walk for Life takes place over the course of two days this weekend. Anthony will join the sea of orange and blue on Sunday for the 10km of his final marathon. His reasons f...

Carrie Crowley is gracing our screens each Sunday night in her role as Mammy Walsh in the Walsh Sisters. The Waterford native joined Ollie and Dymphna on The Big Breakfast Blaa. The adaptation of the successful Marian Keyes novel has now aired two episodes. According to Carrie, there are already rumblings of a Season 2 in the works... However, she has stayed very secretive regarding any further ti...

Ballyduff AFC showcased some incredible, sensational abilities last Saturday morning. An end-of-season prize-giving ceremony took place recognising the achievements of each player involved in Football for All. The Football for All programme is made up of players from all groups and sporting bodies that cater for people with a disability who want to play football. A trophy with a name plaque was aw...

Grace's Guinness House (the TV house, not her actual house) has gone down fairly poorly in her estimations. Following her time in Canada, she has been renewed with a vigour for some solid, good tv options. Top of the list is Married At First Sight UK (MAFSUK to those in the know!) What did Grace make of 'The Walsh Sisters' given she LOVED the books by Marian Keyes? Click on the play button to list...

October is World Mental Health Month, with october 10th marking World Mental Health Day. Leslie Hughes from Laochas- The Warrior Soul Project joined The Big Breakfast Blaa this morning. This comes ahead of a community event taking place in Carrickphierish Sports Centre on October 10th. This event is a collaborative effort between Healthy Ireland, Waterford Haven Hub, and Laochas- The Warrior Soul...

Local man Gary Russell has raised €7,700 for the Solas Cancer Support Centre. Each year, Gary sets himself a target and he trains consistently to meet this target in aid of the centre. This year, he tasked himself with running 23.5km for 10 days, with a total training figure of 1,000 miles since March. The community of Waterford and Carrick-on-Suir rallied around Gary and he handed a cheque to the...

Tramore's Vanessa Ogbonna finished a victorious faithful in the debut season of The Traitors Ireland. Since then, her life has been a whirlwind of radio interviews, newspaper articles, and television segments. Amidst her busy schedule, she made it a priority to come home and come on air with Ollie and Dymphna. She reflected on the entire Traitors journey from start to finish. Additionally, she loo...

A community-wide appeal has been launched to save enrolments at a County Waterford school. Knockmahon National School, located in Bonmahon will host a public meeting this evening, September 24th at 7pm. This meeting will discuss some harsh realities around the development of the area, and the need to future-proof the school. Bernadette Murphy has been principal of the school since April of last ye...

Changes or additions to the electoral register in Waterford may be required ahead of next month's Presidential Election. That's according to Lisa Grant, from Waterford City and County Council. Her comments come as polling cards are set to arrive into homes across the county over the next few weeks. An estimated 90,000 people locally are eligible to vote in the election on October 24th. However, th...

While on a recent Tour de Blaa , Ollie and Dymphna had the good fortune to meet two great people in the shape of Kieran o Connor and Dessie Curran. Kieran, of course, well known for his WLR broadcasting and commentary work, while Dessie is a star of Special Olympics. Dessie has excelled in not one but three different sporting pursuits namely golf, swimming and soccer. Irish professional golfer Séa...

The Waterford unit of the Order of Malta is to hold an open information session in their appeal for new volunteers. Prospective volunteers will have an opportunity to ask questions and to gain further insight into the work done locally. Clive O'Regan joined Ollie and Dymphna live on air. This came on foot of an announcement by government that more €70,000 in funding was issued to the organisation...

Five Waterford athletes from Waterford Muay Thai will represent Ireland this month at the IFMA Junior World Championship. Aged between 12 and 16, all athletes are members of the Waterford Muay Thai club. Leigha Kinsella (15), Casey Farrell (15), Eve Hearne (16), AJ Kiely, and Shay Moore (12) will leave Ireland on Wednesday at 3am. Speaking in studio, John Walsh from Waterford Muay Thai spoke of th...

For 42 years, John O'Shea has been a companion in homes across the county through the medium of radio. In 1983, he heard an advertisement on WLR, which was at that time offering the role of a part-time DJ. In the dead of night after all were asleep in his home, he made a demo tape and sent it on. The rest as they say is history... John is a trusted voice, keeping people company in the homes, workp...

Waterford City Massed Band has been honoured at City Hall for their contributions to Waterford charities over 20 years. Ger O'Brien joined Ollie and Dymphna on The Big Breakfast Blaa to reflect on last week's Mayoral Reception. He reiterated that 'it takes a village and a cast of thousands' to make their annual concert a reality. Ger gave special mention to members of the band, and members of the...

A search is on to find a multitude of Big Bosses in primary schools across Waterford. A free initiative called 'Picker Pals,' works with schools to put children in the driving seat for a county-wide clean-up. To date, more than 4,000 pupils aged between 6-9 have taken part. Backups, high-vis vests, pickers, books, and much more are sent out to the pupils within a specific class. Each pupil then ha...

Grace joined us on air this week celebrating 40 years of Waterford Youth Arts. Reflecting on her own time involved with the organisation, she recalled some people who were hugely influential. From her favourite show, to her fondest memories, she brought us right down memory lane with her. Click to listen back to Grace Drohan in full on The Buzz on The Big Breakfast Blaa with Ollie and Dymphna.

A 'devastating string of suicides' in West Waterford has prompted action to address resource shortages in the area. That's according to local man, Donnchadh Mulcahy, who is on the organising committee for an event this Saturday, August 30th. On Villierstown Quay a Well-Being and Fun Day will take place from 10am until 3pm. The entirely free event will include kayaking, boat trips, mindfulness sess...

Did you know that Waterford's Queen of the New Orleans brothel was a woman known as Kate Townsend? Cian Manning knew... and he came on air with Ollie and Dymphna to discuss her life. While little certainty about her life is had, it is accepted that she left behind two children in Liverpool to travel overseas. While in New Orleans, she became a sex worker of some notoriety and open a now famous bro...

The record for the youngest swimmer to swim across Tramore Bay from Brownstown Head to the Guillamene was set last weekend only to be broken ten minutes later in a display of sibling rivalry. The swim across a bay famous for its storms and shipwrecks was undertaken by the Swift brothers Deici (11) and Art (9) from Patrick Street, Tramore. They were accompanied by their father Jim and grandfather D...

The Estuary Café brings a new era to the village of Passage East. Dymphna caught up with staff member Claire, as part of this week's Tour de Blaa on The Big Breakfast Blaa. When Dymphna popped in, the café was filled with locals popping in to get their caffeine fix ahead of a busy working day. Claire, a native of Waterford City, is officially and proudly a Passage East blow-in. Click on the image...

Grace is back, and she brings stories of 'Weapons', 'Naked Gun,' and watching walls right across Waterford this weekend. This of course coincides with the Waterford Walls weekend. She may have had two weeks off air, but she spent it formulating her strong opinions on this week's top bring screen hits. From 5 blaas to 0 blaas, find out which Grace rated, and which she slated. Click on the image to...

As part of an hour-long special on Deise Today, Dymphna Nugent spoke with 4 women who made the decision to return to full-time education. They have since finished a full degree programme and work within the educational environment. All four women are mothers and members of the Traveller community. In a rare interview, they spoke candidly about the legacy left behind from school experiences. They a...

This is the story of John O'Neill, a famous shoemaker from Carrick-on-Suir. He moved with his large family to pursue a literary career in London circa 1808. His work would eventually promote the idea and ideals of temperance. While determined to still make a living as a shoemaker, John wrote numerous poems, some 8 dramas, and a 3 volume novel. Hear more about this renowned man by pressing the 'Pla...

Self-professed 'blow-in' to Passage East, Mary Grehan, is our first stop on this week's Tour de Blaa. Despite having lived in the village for more than 20 years, Mary claims it takes at least 3 generations to be called a local. From the Damien Tiernan bench, to the Estuary Café, and the better sleep- Mary loves it all. She spoke with Dymphna to explain exactly why! Click on the image to listen bac...

Veronica Troy, better known as Bonnie, has proudly sold her beautiful blooms in Lismore for 22 years. As part of the Tour de Blaa in Lismore, Bonnie caught up with Ollie. Nothing was off the table- including Bonnie's Christmas tree (this mention was all Bonnie- entirely unconnected to Dymphna!) She reflected on following your passion, setting up shop, and the success of Bonnie's Bouquets. Click on...