Radio Nowhere?

Like the buses you wait an hour for and then three arrive at once, I'm lucky to be back on the airwaves this week not once, not twice, but thrice.

I began this evening on Radio Tallaght, a new Community Radio initative broadcasting from the new Rua/Red building beside the Council Offices and the Civic Theatre in Tallaght. Radio Tallaght is run by Tallaght Community Arts, that fine organisation who do so much across the arts in Dublin 24, along with the Tallaght Radio Forum, a group of community radio activists.

Having worked for a few months a few years ago in Newstalk - unpaid I hasten to add - and done a few radio shows, I was delighted with the professionalism of the set up. Radio Tallaght will be broadcasting for six weekends this year, and we rounded up the January broadcast with a quiz between local politicians and students.

To my mild amusement I was on a team with Fianna Fáil's local TD, Charlie O'Connor, and Fine Gael Cllr for Tallaght South, Karen Warren, competing against three Tallaght IT students.

The show was hosted by Eoin Sweeney of RTÉ Radio and Newstalk fame. A number of times he referred to me keeping the red flag flying, a phrase I can be partial to myself, but one which sturck me as unusual from a radio presenter - until I found his profile on the website for the Bread and Roses project, which I suppose brought the 'Red Flag' song back to the Irish left.

Despite being up against three students well versed in quizzes, 'we' managed to triumph by three points. I found it a little awkward being on a team of politicians, given that I don't see myself as one, but liking the odd quiz myself, I acquitted myself respectably, even managing a few political jibes in between the questions :)

One nice moment was during a question on the meaning of 'Tamhlacht,' an Ghaeilge ar Tallaght. With the students getting it wrong, the question was passed to our team. The so-called 'Mr Tallaght,' Charlie O'Connor TD, insisted it meant 'black stone,' but my interests in local history meant I pushed for 'burial mound.' I felt a little bad slagging Charlie off after my answer was accepted but all in good fun and all that...

I'm looking forward to the next broadcast from Radio Tallaght in March, whose diverse programming really shows up a lot of the commercial nonsense we hear on the airwaves.

It's the first of three radio programmes for me this week. Tomorrow - Monday - I am speaking about my candidature, the Labour Party, education and the economy on 103.2 Dublin City FM (formerly Anna Livia) from 1.30-2pm on the 'Student Talk' show with two local secondary students. You can hear it online at http://dublincityfm.ie/.

And to round up the radio appearances - surely that word can't be right - beidh mé ar Raidió na Life ar oíche Dé Máirt idir 6 agus 7, ag caint faoin feachtas Obama agus an baint a raibh agam leis i Virginia. With Obama's inauguration leading the news, I'll be speaking about my involvement in the Virginia campaign between 6 and 7pm with Paul Mulville. You can tune into it at 106fm or listen live at http://azul.streamguys.com/rnl106 .

Off now to the Foclóir Béarla-Gaeilge to find out the Gaeilge ar 'inauguration' anois...

Gaza: Sunday Times Has a Go

Liam Fay, a Sunday Times columnist, had a pop in today's paper.

Make of it what you will. For me, it's ignorance is only matched by its childishness. A letter of reply awaits.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/ireland/article5488694.ece?token=null&offset=12&page=2

Gaza plan a Looney idea

All politics is local but some local politicians must be living on another planet. In an shameless act of self-promotion evidently motivated by forthcoming council elections, Dermot Looney, a Labour candidate, has called for the twinning of his native Tallaght with Gaza city.

The Greenhills-based Looney suggested the twinning would constitute a display of “material and infrastructural support from the people of Tallaght and south Dublin council in the time ahead”. We can but hope he at least has some idea what he’s on about.

With the economy in turmoil and local authorities strapped for cash, this year’s council elections are likely to be extremely strange. Unable to make credible promises about improving services in their own wards, some of these parish-pump demagogues may well seek publicity by trying to make grandiose interventions in international events.

Think global, act local and emigrate before it’s too late.

Class Size Shame

I had a text read out on RTÉ's Drivetime programme just before six o'clock this evening in relation to class size.

For some reason my name wasn't mentioned, but you can hear it here by going to 1.25.55 in the programme.

Mary Wilson:

"This from a newly-qualified primary teacher who says he's in a great school with a brilliant staff but his first ever class has 32 pupils. The school has to work extra hard to fundraise for necessary resources and technology. Surely, he says, a nonsense like this should be consignded to the past. In an economic downturn, serious investment throughout the education system is a requirement, not an option. Shame on the shortsightedness of the government."