Tubridy Show Archive - July 2007

Click on a date to listen to the show.

Wednesday 1st August
Anton Savage presents.

Journalist Margaret E Ward, negotiator Peter Cassells and businessman Bill Cullen discuss why the Irish are so bad at haggling, and what it takes to make a deal.

Ciaran Donnelly, who's currently filming The Tudors in Co. Wicklow, and Tom Collins, who's just won the Screen Guild of Ireland Directors' Finders Series for his film Kings, on this what this award can do for an up-and-coming director.

Lord Diljit Rana, who came to Belfast from Punjab as a young businessman in the 1960s, tells Anton about his experiences and the organisation of the Indian diaspora of which he has just been named chairman, Gopia Ireland.

Tuesday 31st July
Anton Savage presents.

Triona Nicholl gives Anton the latest update from the Sea Stallion Viking Ship, now on the Island of Islay. Find out more about the trip at www.rte.ie/vikings

Canadian journalist Hadani Ditmars, author of Dancing in the No Fly Zone, talks about cultural life in Iraq and the links between that country and Ireland, in advance of a talk at the Abbey on the human stories behind sectarianism, in conjunction with the Abbey production of The Big House. See http://www.abbeytheatre.ie/whatson/talks.html

Singer Eimear Quinn and cellist Neil Martin discuss their creative collaboration and perform 'Silent O Moyle' by Thomas Moore, which is featured in Ulysses. Later, Neil Martin plays the programme out with 'Knocknashee'.

Monday 30th July
Anton Savage presents.

Nuala Harnett of the Post-Polio Support Group talks to Anton about her childhood and the effect of Polio on her life.  Many sufferers who contracted Polio in the 1950s have been surprised to find out that the illness can have an increased effect in later years.  They have formed a support group and Nuala has compiled a book of their stories.  It's titled Polio and Us: Personal Stories of Polio Survivors, which is available from their website: www.ppsg.ie.  The phone number is 01 8898920 and the e-mail address is info@ppsg.ie

Nigel Place performs Sad Songs in studio.  For more information on this Dublin singer-songwriter, go to www.nigelplace.com

Last week The Court of Criminal Appeal rejected the appeal of five young men.  They threw the judgement books at the judges, they spat in court and their supporters were removed from the court for shouting abuse.  Is this unusual behaviour or is it a symptom of modern Irish life and of the general erosion of respect for authority and for each other?  Tom Tuite is a court reporter and author of Minor Offences (Gill & Macmillan).  Catherine Dunne is an author and former secondary school teacher.  Professor Stephen Mennell is a sociologist and Sally Sheils is the principal of the North Dublin Educate Together school.

Friday 27th July
Michael Parkinson is about to retire as one of the world's leading chat show hosts.  Does his departure mark the beginning of the end for the TV chat show?  Anton asks John Masterson, MD of Purcell Masterson and former Late Late Show producer, Sunday Independent television critic Declan Lynch, and media sociologist Eoin Devereux.

Owen Brady's new single is called Waiting for the Sun. He performs it live in studio for Anton.  Check out his webpage, www.myspace.com/owenbrady.

Eric Clark is the author of The Real Toy Story: The Shocking Inside Story On Toys And The Industry That Makes Them (Black Swan).  Eric explains to Anton how the toy makers, film studios and marketing firms work in tandem to target their young consumers.  Eric will take part in the Irish Film Institute's Toys on Film season in Dublin this weekend.  You can get further details online at www.ifi.ie.

Thursday 26th July
Stan Walters, widely consulted US expert on lying, has watched the 2004 Late Late Show interview with Joe O'Reilly, recently convicted of his wife Rachel's murder. Stan tells Anton what he looks out for as signs that suspects are lying, and whether he detected these signs in the Late Late tape of Joe O'Reilly.  See www.thelieguy.com

David Quinn, columnist with the Irish Independent, and also of the pro-marriage Iona Institute, and animator Darragh O'Connell of Brown Bag films, review The Simpsons Movie.

And Jenny Huston and Diarmuid Byrne, rock festival veterans, report on the summer music festival season so far and preview the Midlands Festival and the Electric Picnic.

Wednesday 25th July
As the 60th anniversary of Indian independence from Britain approaches, Reita Faria, who in 1966 became the first Indian woman to win the Miss World title, and has lived in Ireland with her Irish husband and family since the 1970s, and Malcom Sen, historian, discuss India's relationship with its independence, its political affinities with Ireland, and their lives in Ireland.

And filmmakers Ger Philpott and Bill Hughes review Channel 4's season of programming commemorating the decriminalisation in England and Wales of homosexuality in 1967, and talk about representations on the Irish screen of the gay experience.

Tuesday 24th July
The way Irish families take their holidays is changing.  Anton meets two people involved in the travel business - Jacinta Stacey of Trident Holiday Homes and David Roche of Hotels.com.  He also talks to Sean MacConnell and Anne Grogan about how their summer holidays have changed since childhood.

Castletown House has just re-opened to the public after major refurbishment.  But after the recent incident at the Natural History Museum, how safe are our public buildings?  David Byers, commissioner of the Office of Public Works, reassures Anton about Castletown and other public buildings.  Castletown House in Celbridge is now open to the public on a daily basis.

The incoming Belgian prime minister has generated a storm, with his national anthem gaffe.  When asked to sing the Belgian anthem, he launched into the La Marseillaise, which is. the French national anthem!  Anton plays the clip.

David Thompson is the world's most famous Thai food chef and the first to win a coveted Michelin star.  David explains to Anton how an Australian ends up cooking Thai food and gives some advice on how to make the perfect Thai green curry.  According to the TV series Corrigan Knows Food, green curry is Ireland's favourite dish!  David will be cooking at Dublin's Four Seasons Hotel from 18-22 September 2007.

Monday 23rd July
To open the show, violinist Elizabeth Cooney and pianist Elaine Brennan perform Czardas by Monti.

Britain and Russia are currently engaged in a diplomatic spat, arising out of the death of former agent Alexander Litvinenko.  What happens when diplomats get caught in the middle?  Anton speaks to Conor Sweeney, the political correspondent of Reuters Moscow Bureau, former diplomat Eamon Delaney, and Dr Michael Kennedy, editor of the Documents on Irish Foreign Policy series.

Elizabeth Cooney tells Anton about fund-raising efforts to buy her Gofriller violin and her participation in an upcoming RTE television series, The Symphony Sessions.  You can get further details about Elizabeth and her concert dates online at www.elizabethcooney.co.uk.

Elizabeth and Elaine perform "Meditation" from Thais by Massenet.

Kevin Wallace is the producer of a stage version of The Lord of the Rings.  He tells Anton about the production - the most expensive ever staged in London's West End.  More details are available online at www.lotr.com.

Friday 20th July
Mike Scully, executive producer of The Simpsons, talks to Anton about the movie that opens next week.
 
On the 38th anniversary of the moon landings, journalist Anne Stopper and author David Donohue discuss the conspiracy theories that surround the event, which are explored in David's book for children, Moon Man (Egmont), about a boy who can spell backwards and time-travel. See http://www.moonmanonline.com/
 
Joe Cleary, lecturer in English at NUI Maynooth, discusses his contention that Ireland produced a more radical literature before its economic expansion, which he argues in his new book Outrageous Fortune. 

Thursday 19th July
In advance of tonight's screening of the last ever Sopranos episode at 10pm on RTE 2, we ask why this show has been so successful, particularly in Ireland, and where it fits in with the current wave of sophisticated US television drama. Dermot Horan, director of broadcast and acquisitions, RTE; theatre critic Karen Fricker; media lecturer Harry Browne (who is from New Jersey and whose middle name is Mario) and Sunday Times columnist Sarah Carey, discuss.
 
Anton gets an update from Diarmuid Murphy aboard the Viking replica ship the Sea Stallion of Glendalough, which has reached the Orkney Islands, not without some difficulties.
 
Another soprano, Cara O'Sullivan, along with tenor Anthony Kearns and accompanist Andrew Sinnott perform a duet from the Merry Widow which they will sing at the the National Concert Hall Summer Proms in the Iveagh Gardens this Saturday, at 7.30pm. Tickets from the National Concert Hall, www.nch.ie
 
And composer Ronan Hardiman who works with Michael Flatley talks theme tunes and the creative process with Anton. Michael Flatley's Lord of the Dance is on in Citywest Hotel this Saturday, 21 July at 7pm.

Wednesday 18th July
What ever happened to Royston Brady?  He was one of Dublin's most high-profile Lord Mayors and ran a controversial - if unsuccessful - campaign for the European Parliament in 2004.  Royston tells Anton about life before, during and after politics.  Avon Ri in Blessington, where Royston now works, will host the inaugural 'Ten Tasks Challenge' on behalf of The National Children's Hospital, Tallaght, in September.  For further details, check out www.thenationalchildrenshospital.ie or email ten-tasks@thenationalchildrenshospital.ie.

What is the stereotypical image of the ideal man?  And do men feel pressure to achieve this ideal?  Anton discusses the issues with a panel that includes sports psychologist Dr Betty Cody, fashion consultant Eddie Shanahan, counsellor Padraig O'Morain and fitness instructor Aidan Carroll, who runs Focus Fitness (www.focusfitness.ie).

So, what do women want in their ideal man?  Jacqui Corcoran reports from Waterford.

Tuesday 17th July
Lt-Gen Dermot Earley is the new chief-of-staff of the Irish Defence Forces.  Dermot tells Anton about his career as an All-Star Gaelic footballer, his decision to join the army, and the challenges facing him over the next four years.

Billy Flynn is the man from the Tidy Towns.  And he's currently touring 34 off-shore islands, evaluating them for this year's competition.  Billy explains to Anton why it's important to celebrate our island heritage.  You can get further details about the competition online at www.tidytowns.ie.

Exclusive and gated communities are increasingly common in Ireland.  Are we going the route of places like Celebration in Florida or Poundbury in the UK?  Critic Shane O'Toole, eco-village pioneer Iva Pocock and architect Hugh Wallace join Anton to debate the issues.  Details of Iva's project, the Cloughjordan eco-village, are available online at www.thevillage.ie.

Monday 16th July
Ian Lawlor, presenter of RTE's Househunters programme and of the ICES group, Kathy Foley of the Sunday Times and Jim Power, economist with Friends First discuss whether getting rich and staying rich is a matter of genetics, conditioning, or attitude. Books mentioned include Rich Dad, Poor Dad - What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money that the Poor and Middle Class Do Not, by Robert Kiyosaki, and The Richest Man in Babylon, by George Clason.

The members of Arcanadh, six singers and musicians from the length and breadth of Ireland, chat to Anton and play 'Turning of a Day' and 'The Weeping Pilgrim' live in studio.

Irene Keogh tells Anton about summer literacy camps being run under the aegis of the Department of Education and writer and broadcaster Catherine Ann Cullen, talks about the groundbreaking Ladybird books. Her just-published book of poems, A Bone in My Throat (Doghouse) includes a poem inspired by a Ladybird book.

Friday 13th July
Summer reading: Bert Hughes, consultant, and Lynn Crampton, Dubray Books, on the books that are making the summer bestseller lists, their own personal recommendations, and the Tubridy Show's recommended summer reads in shortlist  and longlist. And journalist Greg Delaney reports from Paris on what's making the bestseller lists.

And Anton talks to Drew Westen, the psychology professor who Bill Clinton, among others, believes may be the great white hope of the US Democratic Party. His book is called The Political Brain: The Role of Emotion in Deciding the Fate of the Nation.

Thursday 12th July
Keith Massey of Masseys Funeral Directors, Gavin McArthur, anthropologist, English journalist Amanda Brown, who has yet to see a dead body, discuss the Irish wake. Dr Moosajee Bhamjee chips in on Muslim rituals of death and Eoin Breslin from Gweedore, Donegal takes a call on Donegal funeral traditions.

And singer-songwriter Simon Fagan plays 'Memphis' for Anton, accompanied by Martin and Andrew Quinn. See www.simonfagan.com for more details.

Wednesday 11th July
This summer has seen a number of extremely violent films open in Irish cinemas.  The phenomenon is known as "torture porn" or "gorn".  Anton discusses the use of violence as entertainment with film maker Steven Benedict, psychologist Ian Gargan and Grainne Humphreys of the Dublin International Film Festival.
 
Anton reads a letter from Frances Thomas about her family's love of Harry Potter, and refers to new American research that shows that the Potter phenomenon has NOT had a significant impact on children's reading habits.
 
A new RTE series called Home looks at the changes in Irish domestic life.  Anne Roper, its executive producer, talks about Irish people's capacity for nostalgia and the social shifts she has witnessed in the 30 years since she migrated to Ireland from the USA.  Home will be broadcast on RTE 1 television this Thursday at 7pm.

Tuesday 10th July
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix hits Irish cinemas this weekend, and the last Potter book will finally be published worldwide at midnight on the 21st of July.  Just what is the power of the Potter brand?  Anton asks Pat Kinsley of branding specialists Neworld Associates.

As adjudication continues in the trial of former Telegraph owner Conrad Black, Paddy Clancy and Roddy Flynn debate the power of media moguls and the effect of concentrated media ownership.

Mark Thomas is a stand-up comic and political activist.  The so-called "scourge of the establishment" will bring his one-man show to the Galway Arts Festival next week.  Mark tells Anton about Indonesian arms dealers, smug politicians, and the threat posed by subversive cake icing.  Further information and booking details for Mark's gig are available online at www.galwayartsfestival.com.

Monday 9th July
The changing face of retailing. Anton talks to Andrew Simms, author of the book Tescopoly: How One Shop Came Out on Top and Why It Matters (Constable and Robinson) about the dominance of Tesco in the UK market; to Donald McFettridge of the University of Ulster at Coleraine, an expert on consumer behaviour and to Peter Ward, an independent retailer from Nenagh in Tipperary. We also have a report from Hugh Maguire's butcher's shop in Ashbourne, Co Meath.

Foy Vance, a singer-songwriter from Co Down, was in studio to play his new single, Be With Me. See details of his tour on www.foyvance.com

Actor Ruth Madoc, best-known for her role as Gladys Pugh in the classic British sitcom, Hi-De-Hi, talks about her life on stage and screen. She's appearing as the arch-villain Miss Hannigan in Annie at the Olympia in Dublin from Tues July 10th for three weeks. 

Friday 6th July
The changing world of workplace dress codes. Carol Ann Casey of CA Consulting, Billy Dixon, image consultant, journalist Justine O'Mahony and the formerly dreadlocked Michael Cox, who works in training and development, recall fashion disasters and attempt to set some rules for workplace clothing.

And Taylor Mac, comedian, political-commentator, ukulele player and drag-queen who will perform several Irish dates over the coming week, talks to Anton. See www.taylormac.com for tour dates.

Thursday 5th July
Stand-up comic, writer and actor Kevin Gildea and critic Peter Crawley discuss the areas that are taboo in comedy, with clips from Woody Allen and Lenny Bruce among others.
 
With Dublin finally set to get a directly elected mayor, in 2011 that is, Dr Maire Kennedy, Divisional Librarian in Dublin City Libraries with responsibility for Special Collections, tells us about some of the famous and notorious Lord Mayors of Dublin, including 18th Century gourmet Henry Burrows, the only Dublin mayor ever removed from office. (He spent too much of the city's money on fine food and wine, and left his staff unpaid.) Two very popular men, Daniel O'Connell and Alfie Byrne, are also included.
 
And Anton talks to Steve Drummond, directly elected mayor of Hartlepool in England. He was first elected in 2002 when he campaigned as a joke candidate dressed as a monkey. Mayor Drummond has since been re-elected and is proud of fulfilling his campaign promise of free bananas for all.
 
And we have a report from the deck of the replica Viking ship which set sail from Copenhagan on Sunday, and talk in studio to Triona Nicholl from Leixlip, Co Kildare who will join the ship in Scotland.

Wednesday 4th July
Today's programme comes live from the Hunt Museum in Limerick.

The Brad Pitt Light Orchestra kicks off proceedings with Wake Up Screaming.  You can here more of the Orchestra's music online at www.bplo.org.

The Hunt Museum is currently hosting an exhibition entitled 50s Chic, 60s Cheek. Anton asks his panel -- Celia Holman Lee, Synan O'Mahony and Denise Meagher -- has Ireland lost her glamour?

Kathy Moynes tells Anton about her parents' clothes, which she has donated to the Hunt Orchestra, while Amanda Whittome explains how she became European hairdresser of the year.

Anton offers listeners a prize that includes an overnight at the Absolutehotel.com in Limerick, a guided tour of the Hunt Museum and lunch.  Congratulations to the winner, Raymond Flannery from Dublin.

Joan Enright goes out onto the streets of Limerick to ask: do Shannonsiders have style?

Jon Kenny is a proud Limerick man.  The Hospital native tells Anton how his life as a performer began in ballet school!  Jon's latest project is a collaboration with music outfit, The Roaring Forties.

Oonagh Keogh and Lisa Grosman of the Irish Chamber Orchestra perform Ecstatic Dance II by Ross Edwards.  The 2007 MBNA Shannon International Music Festival opens in Limerick on Wednesday 11 July.

Anton meets Hunt Museum staff, director Virginia Teehan and docent Pat Humphries.  He also speaks to Shauna Zelinski, who has just auditioned for the next Harry Potter film!

A big "thank you" from all the team to everyone who helped make the broadcast possible, especially the staff at the Hunt Museum.  Check out their website on www.huntmuseum.com.

Tuesday 3rd July
Myles Dungan and Niall Stanage on things to love and hate about the USA. Myles's new series, Highway 101, begins on RTE Radio 1 on Saturday.

Jo Holmwood of the children's cultural centre the Ark, Temple Bar, Dublin 2 on the exhibition Toys, which opens on Thursday 5 July. We hear a preview of the show from children from the Herlihy family in Rochestown, Co. Cork and the Duncan family in Ballymun, Dublin. We also hear from Pat Cullen, dolls' house collector, who is featured in the RTE TV show Consuming Passions tomorrow night (Wednesday).

Monday 2nd July
Peter Murtagh, managing editor of the Irish Times,  discusses the letters pages of the paper: who it's for, who writes and why. John O'Connor of the Munster Express explains why regional papers have more limited correspondence from readers. We also hear from letters page regulars Ursula Hough Gormley and Jonathan Irwin.

We run a competition for a VIP package to go and see the Rolling Stones tickets at Slane.  Alan Prendergast from Mayo is the lucky winner. Oliver Rooney of Galway is the runner up. Prizes courtesy of Corporate Solutions www.corporate.ie

As England is the latest country to adopt a smoking in public places ban, James Walton, editor of the Faber Book of Smoking, talks to Anton about the strange history of smoking and campaigns against it.