The Point of Everything

Sara Baume, author of Spill Simmer Falter Wither and the new novel A Line Made By Walking, and the Cork-based bilingual poet Doireann Ní Ghríofa, author of the new collection Oighear and Clasp, were reading in Waterstone's Cork for World Book Day, and I had the privilege to interview them both afterwards. We talked about Cork, the lineage of writers who have come before them, and lots more

The Choice Prize for Irish album of 2016 will be revealed this Thursday, March 9. John Barker, the host of 98FM's Totally Irish show, joined me to run through the nominees - consider this your crash course in the Choice Prize. We've both been judges in the past, and considering our thoughts on this shortlist, it seems like we wouldn't agree if we were back in the judging room this year. The nomine...

Just nominated for the Choice Prize, for Irish album of the 2016, John Duignan and Conall Ó Breacháin aka We Cut Corners sat down to chat about their third LP The Cadences of Others, the state of the Irish music industry, the best albums of 2016 (plenty Bon Iver love) and lots more. Listen on Soundcloud and iTunes. Thanks to Steve McEvoy for production.

It's the first TPOE show of 2017! Dubbed the best new writer in the country by the Irish Times, Oisin Fagan talks about his apocalyptic story collection Hostages (released by New Island), hot soup in the school canteen, love stories vs short stories, his creative process and what exactly it feels like to be the hottest new writer around. Thanks for listening, liking, sharing and subscribing - and...

Ruairi Lynch aka Bantum released his second album Move in October. We talk about his finding the inspiration to get going on album #2, the sometimes difficult recording of it, how great Rusangano Family are and what his plans are. Also about going to a wedding where some of Dirty Dancing was filmed. So a wide-ranging chat, I think it's fair to say. It's also the last TPOE podcast of 2016. Come bac...

After 20 years, Loserdom is still flying the flag for zines in Ireland. They haven't gone away, you know (and you might remember one that we did a couple years ago *cough* We Play Here *ahem*). I talked to Anto about keeping the zine going for so long, how it comes together, DIY, what zines inspired him and lots more. We also talk about putting a zine together so if you're interested in making you...

Graham Tugwell is the creator of Down Below The Reservoir, the first horror fiction podcast to come out of Ireland. We talk about how the podcast idea came about, performing with long-term friends and fellow authors Deirdre Sullivan, Sarah Griffin and Dave Rudden, writer's block and much more.

Kerrie O'Brien recently published her debut collection of poetry, Illuminate, out now on Salmon Poetry. Around the same time she released Looking at the Stars, an anthology of Irish writing in aid of Dublin Simon Community. We talk about her busiest year of writing to date, why she's so angry about the homeless crisis, Paris, and lots more. Kerrie is reading at O Bheal's winter warmer festival in...

Having recently released his fourth album, Nocturnes' The Soft Animal, on Bluestack Records during the summer, singer-songwriter Pearse McGloughlin sits down at Hard Working Class Heroes for a chat. And then sits down a couple weeks later for the rest of the chat. We talk Leonard Cohen (RIP), Pearse's musical journey, solo vs Idiot Songs (with Justin Grounds) and Nocturnes, Sligo, the state of the...

As he gears up to release his second album Cash Crop, some eight years after his debut record Lucky Caller No.9, Ian Whitty chats about his musical journey, how he settled in Cork and ingrained himself in the music scene, the influence of peers such as Stanley Super 800 and Fred, and the recording of his new album (much of it done in his parents' living room). Cash Crop is self-released on Novembe...

After releasing their fourth album, Demons, recently, Cork band Hope is Noise are gearing up to play Lodgefest with Ten Past Seven, Horse and Onkalo. Before that, I sat down with singer/guitarist Dan Breen to talk about how regular practice is key to staying together, the music scene in Cork, the Quad's impact and lots more.

Ahead of Hard Working Class Heroes 2016 this weekend, I chatted to four (or some 100 acts) performing at the new Irish music showcase, Bitch Falcon, Shaker Hymn, Naoise Roo, and Galants. They talk about how they got started, what HWCH means for them, how they've found it in previous years and any tips they have this time round for the festival's 14th (!) edition.

Eileen Hogan is a lecturer in social policy in the School of Applied Social Studies, University College Cork, and she's literally written a thesis on music in Cork. We talk about what she learned interviewing some 53 music-makers and writers and general music people in the city, the changing landscape, Cillian Murphy's band, her recent TEDx Cork Salon lecture, and lots more.

If you've been to many gigs around Cork, chances are you've seen Dan Walsh on stage. He's the drummer for Great Balloon Race and has recently started up a new, very interesting and exciting project in Fixity. He's also responsible for regular jazz and improvised music shows. We talk about getting things done, jazz, the Cork scene and much more. A really interesting chat with one of the most intere...

On today's podcast, Jon Pearson joins to talk about working with Crash Ensemble, the two shows he's involved with at the Dublin Fringe Festival, touring Europe as tour manager for the Icelandic band Samaris, the differences and similarities between Iceland and Cork, and a lot more besides.

It's been a while since Cork band Exit: Pursued By a Bear released their debut album (five years, to be precise). Eoin and Paul from the band discuss what they've been up to in the meantime, how Cork has changed since the band began in the early noughties, dance music and DJs, Kid A, Body & Soul and even more besides.

Joe Panama from Overhead, The Albatross talks about his band's stunning debut album, Learning To Growl, recording in Czech Republic, gig anxiety, and their big headline show at Vicar Street in December.

After the release of second album Resolute, Carried By Waves aka Ronan McCann sits down to chat about creating that 'difficult' second album, how ideas can develop, playing live, and, since this is the first TPOE podcast since Prince has died, we talk about the influence that the Purple One has had on Ronan.

We've been talking a lot on the podcast about artists' spaces and how they're getting squeezed out of them as the 'economic recovery' continues. So who better to talk to about all this than Sample Studios artistic director Aideen Quirke, who tells us about its fifth birthday, why they'll be gone within the next 12 months and why she's cautiously optimistic about the whole endevour. A really intere...

Chris Somers returns to the TPOE pod to discuss the good and bad aspects of Record Store Day, what it's like to work with Albert and Jim in Plugd (which is celebrating its fifth birthday in the Triskel on RSD) and preview some of the releases for the big day. Features Justin Bieber and Mac DeMarco.

With the release of their second album Do You Think You're Clever? Caoilian and Robbie from the Shaker Hymn talk about how it was created, their time travelling across the US, cashflows in the Irish music industry - and we try to teach Robbie about hip-hop. Thanks as ever to Steve McEvoy of Torann Audio for doing a great job mastering the episode.

Bobby Aherne has just released his latest album under the No Monster Club moniker, I Feel Magic. He talks about how being prolific is all he knows, how the band, and himself as a musician, has evolved over the years, the Dublin scene, touring the world, and lots more.

Ruth Medjber has been a photographer in the Irish music scene for the past 12 years. As a new exhibition, entitled Women of Notes, in collaboration with Louise Bruton (interviewed on TPOE 18), continues at Dublin café Thirty-Four, Ruth talked to fellow photographer Bríd O'Donovan about why it was important to focus on women in the music industry and the future plans for Women of Notes. She also di...

I'm joined by producer and erstwhile Elastic Sleep guitarist Chris Somers to run the rule over the shortlist for the Choice Prize Irish album of 2015, which takes place on Thursday, March 3. Who will win? We don't know but we do have opinions on all the nominees. Podcast mastered by Steve McEvoy of Torann Audio

Ahead of the Choice Prize announcement, for which Le Club is nominated, Le Galaxie frontman Michael Pope chats about the band's formative years, the impact of big and small shows on his creative outlook, Block T and artists' spaces in Dublin, The People v OJ Simpson, and Oscar picks.