This Ain't No Disco is an eclectic online Irish alternative music programme, showcasing some of the most talented (but under-represented and hard to pigeonhole) musical visionaries in Ireland today.
Hosted by DJ (and former host of the cult 90's RTÉ program, No Disco) Donal Dineen, This Ain't No Disco is voluntarily produced by a skeleton crew of friends and music enthusiasts, and directed by music documentarian and award-winning cinematographer Myles O'Reilly.
Ahead of the forthcoming This Ain’t No Disco Live event at D-Light Studios, Dublin, Thursday 26th September, Donal writes for RTÉ Culture about his musical journey to date, and how the spirit of the underground music community fuels his latest project.
Way back in the dim and distant mid ‘90s, I presented a music show called No Disco on RTE. I say ‘presented’, but what I did on that show could hardly be called presentation. My lines were more awkwardly mumbled than actually delivered. And those were the good ones! It was mostly awful stuff. A quarter of a century later I can still recall the horror of doing those pieces to camera. I was somebody who hated having my picture taken, so finding myself in front of TV cameras was quite a jump. But we persisted.
The man who devised the show, Colm O’ Callaghan, had a lot to do with that. For one thing, he was skilled in the fine art of gentle persuasion.
The idea for This Ain't No Disco was born out of a series of discussions we had about how a golden age of Irish music was being underrepresented on TV and radio.
That’s how I found myself there in the first place. More importantly, he was a staunch music fan and that was enough for me. Bringing music we loved to the TV screen was all we cared about and that’s all we tried to do.
So it was all about the music and however embarrassing the presentation was the bits in between were undoubtedly interesting to music fans like ourselves. I can appreciate that now.
Once we found our feet, the things that made it different became our calling card. It felt like we were there to represent the music. And we were part of a community. That was a good feeling.
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Listen: Donal Dineen's Parish live at Body & Soul 2011
As difficult as it was to negotiate being on TV, I was blessed to be given such a lucky break because it lead to other things, all fueled by the same passion for music and underpinned by the same beliefs about the role of the appreciator in the media. I felt that the best I could do was be a conduit for all the amazing music that stirred my soul. It was also the least I could do. Rocket science it wasn’t.
Very much arising out of my role on No Disco, I found myself on Radio Ireland from the moment of its inception in 1997 onwards. Being on the radio was a dream come true. I could reach into worlds of music that I could never get close to on No Disco.
That was what I had wanted to do from day one. Lucky me. 14 years was a pretty good innings on air. The story of how I lasted that long and the rearguard action it took to keep the show on the road is one for another day.
Suffice to say that the curtain came down unceremoniously in 2011 - and there began the wilderness years.
The story that started with No Disco and continued through Here Comes The Night and The Small Hours didn’t stop there, it just took a big diversion. Finding and connecting with that audience was more difficult thereafter. My belief in the value of the role of the appreciator never diminished, however. I just had to find different ways and means to express it. Such is life. Mainly I did so through DJ’ing and devising live shows with visuals and other added extras. I was never short of help or support from music people and music fans in this regard.
I have always found the spirit of the underground music community in this country to be incredibly strong and I have benefitted hugely from that strength.
That’s how I met Myles O’ Reilly.
For a couple of years at the Body and Soul area of the Electric Picnic, I assembled a group of musicians to perform with me under the name Parish. Those were heady nights.
Myles had just taken to filming like the proverbial duck to water, and, unbidden, he came and documented one of those sessions.
He did a brilliant job with just one camera. Myles is a master at what he does.
The arc of his journey to where he is at now is there for all to see on his Arbutus Yarns website. It's a steep upward curve that continues to rise.
The idea for This Ain’t No Disco was born out of a series of discussions we had about how a golden age of Irish music was being underrepresented on TV and radio. The determination to do something about it gathered momentum with every chat. Seeing a film on RTÉ.ie by Tony McMahon about the Listowel Fleadh in 1974 was a turning point. The way that captured a moment in time so perfectly was a big inspiration to both of us. That was the spark that lit the fire.
The natural touch that is the hallmark of Myles' direction is where the style of the show is derived. The content we work on together. There is an embarrassment of riches in Irish music at present, so we try to pick out strands of golden thread and stitch each episode together with due care. There is a collaboration of sorts at the heart of each edition. For the second series, we plan to spread the net wider and dig deeper again to unearth these stories. It’s just a snapshot of what’s happening. To map the whole rich tapestry would be impossible so we concentrate on important parts of the pattern as we see it and do our best to faithfully present that in the best light possible. For historical purposes alone, we feel it’s an important endeavour.
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We are happy that the first season is a faithful enough depiction of what was going on musically in Ireland in 2017. It’s by no means exhaustive but it’s a flavour at least. By dipping in we are hoping people will develop a taste for more. And there’s so much more.
The first season was put together on a wing and a prayer without a budget but with the help of a small but incredibly dedicated crew as well as the unerring support of the musicians we worked with.
All those earlier dreams about community were realised in the making of those four shows. That same spirit is what inspires us to make some more. You gotta serve somebody!
Following a successful debut season, a new series of This Aint No Disco is set to be released on New Year's Day, 2020. To raise funds and celebrate the launch of the new season, the show will host This Ain’t No Disco Live in D-Light Studios, Dublin, Thursday 26th September, featuring appearances a roster of stars from Season I – Junior Brother, Anna Mieke, John Francis Flynn and Emmet Kirwan. Find out more here.
