Have recently been working on improving the webcam output from Near FM with an objective to make it suitable for rebroadcast on DCTV.
We used to have a basic cheap webcam mounted on the ceiling in studio and we’d put that stream up on YouTube. The issue with this was that we’d have to strip out the audio from the feed in order to avoid getting copyright strikes on YouTube, also YouTube would not allow you to embed that video feed on your website.
This is a new website I’ve been working on for the past year or so in Near FM. And we launched it just last night.
Near Archive is a digital audio database of interviews, which were originally broadcast on Near FM’sflagship community affairs programme Northside Today between the years 2011 and 2016.
The content reflects upon the themes of Irish Culture, Life and Experience with a particular emphasis on local arts and culture, local news, history, heritage and community events. There are currently over 1000 interviews in the database.
Near Archive has been assembled with the input of expert partners including the Digital Repository of Ireland and Dublin City Council Library and Archive. In addition a cross-sectoral approach to archiving has been established through CRAOL, the national body for community radio.
Near Archive can be accessed by visiting www.archive.ie where content can be streamed or downloaded and runs on a Creative Commons license.
Another 1916 project I worked on this year was a series of talks that took place in Coolock Library dealing with the role of women in the 1916 Rising. There was an impressive turnout at these talks.
was interviewed as part of this documentary about the history of Near FM.
Near FM presents a four part radio series celebrating 30 years of community media on the Northside of Dublin
Telling Our Own Story is a four part series looking at the history of the Near Media Co-operative through the voices of the volunteers and staff. 2013 marked the thirtieth anniversary of the creation of the Near Media Co-operative. This series charts the history of the organisation through the volunteers and staff that started it all off and continue to make it the vibrant media organisation it is today. Through the series we explore the historical background of Near’s formation, the dream becoming a reality, the challenges faced and overcome, the advent of new media as well as looking to the future.
The series features contributions from Andrew Montague, Stephen Blayds (Sphere 17), Browen Maher, Cristina Santamaria (CIC), Ciaran Kissane (BAI), Ciaran Murray, Colm Kenny (DCU), Dave O’Connor, David / Darren (youth programme), Declan Cahill, Declan McLaughlin (BAI), Dorothee Meyer Holtkamp, Doug Rogers, Edd Kealy, Elaine King, Gavin Byrne, Heidi Bedell (Northside Partnership), Jack Byrne, Marion Vickers (Northside Partnership), Natasha Valente, Owen Drinan, Pat Farrell, Paul Loughran, Ray Kennedy, Sally Galiana, Shannette Budhai, Tomas Mac Ruairi, Tony Crampton (CRC), Vincent Teeling and Zandra Ball.
“Since community radio emerged as a separate strand it has added to the plurality of voices that are on air it has also provided significant opportunity for people to develop their skills and it has provided opportunities for communities to access the airwaves…Nearfm was one of the first ones to embrace the idea that community radio was a community development tool as much if not more than a radio project” – Ciaran Kissane – Broadcasting Authority of Ireland
Produced by Ignacio Irigoien, presented by Noel McGuinness.
This series is funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland Sound & Vision Scheme.
In between recent painful dental work I’ve been busy doing post production on a children’s reading series called Book Worms.
Near FM collaborated with St Davids Boys National School and their principal Dwain Moore.
Each week the boys from Ms Cahills 6th class read from “Gangsta Granny” by David Walliams, followed by a discussion on the topics raised during the reading. The process was facilitated by Near Drama’s Declan Cahill.
3 Episode have aired already with 3 more episodes to air at 9.30am over the next 3 Wednesdays. The 6th episode is particularly fun as the kids read from stories they have written themselves. Some crazy imaginations on some of those kids.
This week I’ve been finishing up production on a new 2 part marine science documentary series called ‘Ireland’s Oceans’ These programmes are funded under the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland’s Sound and Vision scheme, which was established to provide funding in support of high quality programmes on Irish culture, heritage and experience, and programmes to improve adult literacy.
The series is essentially a spin off of the Scibernia podcast I worked on, which was an Irish science podcast that we ran for over a year. I worked on Ireland’s Oceans with Scibernia contributors Lenny Antonelli and Triona O’Connell. (Triona’s Science is Delicious blog is well worth a read)
You can listen to part 1 of Ireland Ocean’s online now and you can hear part 2 next week after it’s broadcast on the 28th of Jan on Near FM 90.3 at 16.30.
Ireland has over 1400 km of coastline and 220 million acres of seabed, some of it as deep as 5km. Our seas have weathered our coastlines and shaped our climate. In the distant past the freezing of these oceans created the icecaps that sculpted our land. And when the ice melted, rising seas turned our fragment of north Atlantic rock into an island. Our oceans brought the first settlers to Ireland but later carried millions away.
Despite living on this small island out on the Atlantic we don’t really think of ourselves as an oceanic country and most of us have little connection with the sea. But today Ireland is leading the way in the study of the sea, and our scientists are starting to understand how our oceans work in ever more complex and exciting ways.
Join Lenny Antonelli in this 2 part programme as he follows our marine scientists onto beaches and boats and into the lab to learn about the science of Ireland’s oceans.
Below you will find more information on the research and organisations features in this programme.
