LMFM Documentaries

'This documentary looks back on the career of Bunny Cox, the late Dundalk jockey, breeder and trainer, and one of the North East's greatest horsemen.

He rode his first winner at the age of 13, was Irish champion amateur jockey on 5 occasions, and then went one to carve out a successful training career. 

Furthermore his family were synonymous with the town, and were one of the biggest employers in Dundalk for many years. 

The programme is presented and produced by Colm Corrigan.'

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OUR TY STUDENTS TOOK TO THE AIRWAYS AS PART OF LEARNING WAVES TY MEDIA WEEK FOR 2025

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This is the story of Drogheda United’s incredible 2024 season when they won the FAI Cup for only the second time in their history, qualified for European football and retained their place in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland.

It’s extra special when you consider that Drogheda’s players were mostly part-time, in a league where all of the other clubs boasted fully professional squads.

No one envisaged what was to come in July, as the team were cut adrift at the foot of the Premier Division table and looking certainties to be relegated. Who would have believed that by early November they’d have achieved what can only be described as a remarkable turnaround in fortunes.

Yes 2024 was indeed the Year of the UnderDrogs!

Produced by Gerry Kelly, David Sheehan and Fionn O'Brien.

All clips used are from LMFM Radio.

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Stories from the Boyne

A 1-hour radio documentary for LMFM Radio

Funded by Coimisiún na Meán with the Television Licence Fee

Stories from the Boyne,a new radio documentary by Little Road Productions Ltd., will broadcast at 12noon on Thursday December 26th 2024 on LMFM Radio.

Stories from the Boyne is a one-hour radio documentary that traverses the river’s winding bends as it flows through Louth and Meath from its mouth at Mornington to the Mary McAleese bridge, with all interviews taking place with a new audio-visual perspective of viewing and discussing the land from the water, as opposed to the usual perspective of looking at the water from the land. 

From an aural perspective, the voices we hear along the river seem to travel in a unique way across the water from a moving vessel, depending on so many factors on the river landscape. Whether it’s the roar of traffic as you get closer to the imposing Mary McAleese bridge on the M1 to the roar of the seagulls as you get closer to the sea at Mornington, the aural landscape of the Boyne is varied and unique, especially when paired with the voices of those telling stories that create a sense of place and time. 

These voices include members of the Boyne Fishermen's Rescue and Recovery Service who provide a 24 hour emergency rescue service along the River Boyne, 365 days a year, who discuss the key points of interest along the river from Mornington to their base on the Marsh Road, followed by members of Inver Colpa Rowing Club, who bring us along the river in one of their rowing boats from the Marsh Road to the Mary McAleese bridge.

On this journey, the rhythmic sound of four oars entering and exiting the water in unison, the thud of the turning of the oars in the oar locks as the rowers feather for the next stroke, and the ripples caused by passing boats that lap against the carbon-fibre hull of the boat, all create a calming and unique acoustic backdrop to the many historical, geographical and social conversation points along the way as we pass through the town of Drogheda.

Stories from the Boyneinvites the audience to journey along with these storytellers, who offer a glimpse into the past, present and future of this important and infamous stretch of the river.

The documentary was funded by Coimisiún na Meán with the Television Licence Fee

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A Fiver for a Tenor

A one-hour radio documentary for LMFM

Funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland with the Television Licence Fee

A Fiver for a Tenor, a new one-hour radio documentary from Little Road Productions Ltd., will broadcast at 12noon on Monday October 25th on LMFM.

A ‘Fiver for a Tenor’ is a one-hour radio documentary that will transport us back to May 1963, when a then unknown tenor took to the stage of the Town Hall, Dundalk for his first ever solo performance not in an opera outside of Italy. His name? Luciano Pavarotti.

‘A Fiver for a Tenor’ explores a story that at first read, could be dismissed as local legend. But as we dig deeper, even local legends are often grounded in fact.

It was the spring of 1963 - Eamon de Valera was President and Sean Lemass, Taoiseach. In the South of the country, preparations were well underway for the visit of US President John Kennedy early in the summer. In Dundalk, on May 7th, a group of opera lovers who together formed St. Cecilia’s Gramophone Society were on their way to Belfast to see a performance of Puccini’s La Boheme in the Grand Opera House. Waiting nervously behind the scenes before his performance on that day, was a man whose name would soon become recognised world-wide. That name was Luciano Pavarotti. 

A few days later, the then 27-year was to perform in Dundalk, stopping over with other Italian singers as he was travelling to Dublin to take part in the opera Rigoletto hosted by the DGOS - Dublin Grand Opera Society (as Opera Ireland was then called) - in the Gaiety Theatre. 

The sum paid for his performance in Dundalk? Five punts, with each ticket sold for a half crown. Five days later, on May 12th 1963, the now world-famous Pavarotti took to the small stage of the Town Hall in Dundalk and performed his first ever solo concert outside of Italy, to a small but appreciative audience and accompanied only by a piano. He performed Che Gelida Mamina from Puccini's La Boheme, La Donna E Mobile from Verdi's Rigoletto along with a role in the Duet from Puccini's Butterfly.

‘A Fiver for a Tenor’ explores the story behind how such a world-famous name began his international solo career on a humble Town Hall stage in Ireland. Helping us piece together this story is Sr. Leonie Marron, a lifelong friend of Monsignor Peter Shields, who helped organise the night.  Sr. Leonie recounts the strange rules that existed in the church at the time that meant that Monsignor Shields could organise the trips for the Society to these concerts to places like Dublin and Belfast, but was not allowed to attend many of the performances as it was forbidden by the Archbishop of the Diocese. Also interviewed are Paddy Brennan of the DGOS and Niall Morris, a founding member of ‘The Celtic Tenors’, who staged a show about Pavarotti’s life. 

In the creation of this 1-hour radio documentary, ‘A Fiver for a Tenor’, we seek to elevate what was once local legend to the realms of fact and in doing so, recount an almost unbelievable tale for a modern audience.

The documentary was funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland with the Television Licence Fee.

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The Death Lady’s Cottage

A one-hour radio documentary for LMFM

Funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland with the Television Licence Fee

This one-hour documentary explores the life of Dr Elisabeth Kübler-Ross who came up with what could be the most famous psychological model in existence: The Five Stages of Grief, also known as the Kübler-Ross model.

The documentary delves into her life as a researcher and thinker, but with particular interest in her strange connection with Ireland—for nearly fifteen years from 1990 to 2004 she owned a small cottage in Co Louth where she came to write. Using personal stories from neighbours who met her on the lane, family members and colleagues she knew in Ireland, the documentary uncovers the important story of a woman who found a refuge in Ireland in the midst of world-wide fame.

We all know the psychological model, even if we can’t name where it came from. The Five Stages of Grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance – it has become the go-to source of guidance when talking about the grieving. But what may come as surprise is that the model is just 50 years old this year, with roots in a single book published in 1969 by a fiery psychiatrist intent on changing how the grieving process was thought of around the world.

Dr Elisabeth Kübler-Ross was born in Switzerland in 1926, was educated and worked in the USA for most of her life before dying in August 2004. She was the author of 25 books, including On Death and Dying, which in 1969 catapulted her to global fame with the presentation of her Five Stages of Grief. She was presented with nineteen honorary degrees, named woman of the decade in the 1970s by the Ladies Home Journal, and became known—affectionately—as the Death and Dying Lady.

Elisabeth Kübler-Ross first came to Ireland in the late 1980s, invited by a bourgeoning group of women therapists who wanted to learn from a leader in their field. What is today known as the Turning Point Institute in Dublin hosted seminars by Kübler-Ross, and it is at this point that it appears Kübler-Ross fell in love with Ireland, enough that she purchased a place of her own on the Island.

Nestled in the Cooley Mountains near Omeath, in north County Louth, is a little stone cottage with a broad garden and views of Carlingford Lough. There is no blue plaque on the cottage, and the only people who know that the cottage was once owned by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross are the long-standing neighbours and the current owners, who noticed her name on the deed of ownership. Kübler-Ross spent the summers writing at the cottage, her booming American voice lodged in the minds of those neighbours she met on the laneways.

Using their stories and others, the documentary unfolds the personal story of one of the most important women of the 20th Century, a scholar who sought safety and refuge in the Cooley Mountains of County Louth.

The documentary was funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland with the Television Licence Fee and produced by Chris Nikkel for Little Road Productions Ltd, based in Co. Louth (www.littleroadproductions.com).

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Born in Meath, Made in Hollywood

A 1-hour radio documentary for LMFM Radio

Funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland with the Television Licence Fee

Born in Meath, Made in Hollywood,a new radio documentary by Little Road Productions Ltd., will broadcast at 12noon on Monday December 26th 2022 on LMFM Radio.

Only 13 actors of Irish descent boast stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and very few realise that 3 of those were brothers (Owen, Matt and Tom Moore) who hailed from Fordstown, Co. Meath and who were stalwarts of the early Hollywood film industry, between them boasting over 600 Hollywood film credits. This one-hour radio documentary retells the story of the journey of the Moore Brothers from a small boreen in Co. Meath to Hollywood film stars, along with their contribution to the Golden Age of Hollywood.

When the Moore family, father Tom, mother Rosanna (nee Carry) and their then four children Tom (13), Owen (10), Matt (8) and Mary emigrated to the US as steerage passengers on the SS Anchoria in May 1986, little did they know that their journey would take all of their children to the silver screens of Hollywood while three of them would make such a mark on the film industry that they would have their own stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Tom and Rosanna’s journey to find a better life in the USA took them through the inspection channels of Ellis Island and initially on to Toledo, Ohio, where their fifth child Joe was born. Not long after, teenagers Tom and Owen, sensing that their future lay on the stage and not in the country fields of Ohio, ran away to join a travelling theatre company. They were both seasoned stage performers by the time the Hollywood motion picture industry kicked off in 1908 and both made their movie debuts that year - Owen in ‘The Guerrilla’ and Tom in ‘The Christmas Burglars’, filmed at the Biograph Studios run by the now infamous D. W. Griffith.

Using interviews with Turtle Bunbury, broadcaster, historian and author, who featured the brothers in his recent book ‘The Irish Diaspora’, and Dr. Ruth Barton, Professor of Film Studies at Trinity College Dublin, along with on location commentary from local historians Stephen Ball and Kenny Timmons, the documentary uncovers the story of these siblings who were household names across the US by the mid 1920s, known as the Roaring Twenties, and became as well known as the other Hollywood elite of the Golden Age, starring alongside names like Mae West and Cary Grant.

The documentary was funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland with the Television Licence Fee

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740 & Counting: Collette O’Hagan, Marathon Woman

A one-hour radio documentary for LMFM

Funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland with the Television Licence Fee

‘740 & Counting: Collette O’Hagan, Marathon Woman’, a new one-hour radio documentary from Little Road Productions Ltd., will broadcast at 12noon on Monday Oct 26th at LMFM.

Since October 2017, Collette O’Hagan from Dundalk has held the title of becoming the first woman in Ireland to complete 500 marathons. 3 years later in October 2020, she has now hit an amazing total of 740 marathons!

The mother of five, grandmother and foster parent of over eighty children was encouraged by her husband Larry to take up running at the age of 40, after she had been hospitalised due to illness. She admitted that she initially hated it but persevered and ended up getting the ‘bug’ to keep on running.

Collette went on to complete her first race, the Women’s Mini Marathon in 1990. That year Collette also completed the Dublin Marathon for the first time. Over the past 30 years, Collette has now completed an astonishing 740 marathons all over the world, including the ‘Big Five’ of New York, London, Chicago, Berlin and Boston, and doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon.

Despite her 740 marathons, Collette has only ever been injured once when she suffered a stress fracture in her foot, but that didn’t stop her from running and in August 2015 she completed the Quad Marathon in Donegal while wearing a protective boot.

She believes that you are ‘never too old to start’ and that that running keeps her mentally strong, gives her a goal and helps keep her motivated in life. She also decided to help set up a marathon in her hometown and was one of the main organisers of the first marathon in Dundalk which took place in September 2016.

As if running marathons and ultra-marathons didn’t take up enough of her time, Collette has also fostered over eighty children as well as raising five children of her own. She has also raised money for charity, including an orphanage in Romania. Collette first came in contact with the Aurelia Trust, an Irish charity that helps children in Romanian orphanages at a conference about fostering in 1994. Shortly after that, Colette travelled to Romania to help the children at the Negru Voda Orphanage. The North Louth Hospice is also a charity very close to her heart for whom she often fundraises.

This one-hour radio documentary explores the powerful motivations behind the woman who says that ‘you’re never too old to start’, and who is an inspiration to us all for so many reasons.

The documentary was funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland with the Television Licence Fee.

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Whatever Happened to Gertrude Page?

A 1-hour radio documentary for LMFM Radio

Funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland with the Television Licence Fee

Whatever Happened to Gertrude Page?, a new radio documentary by Chris Nikkel for Little Road Productions Ltd., will broadcast at 12noon on Monday October 31st 2022 on LMFM Radio.

Gertrude Page has been called the Maeve Binchy of her day. She’s also been called, ‘the Kipling of Rhodesia’, the country she lived out the last two decades of her life. Her 20 books sold 2.5 million copies worldwide, making her a household name in Britain and Ireland, and as far away as New Zealand, South Africa and Australia. Her most famous novel, Paddy the Next Best Thing, set in her favourite village of Omeath, in Co Louth, sold more than 300,000 copies.

So popular was Gertrude Page, that when she died in 1922, the play-adaptation of Paddy the Next Best Thing was on a record-breaking run at the Savoy, in London—the following year the Irish story hit the silver screen as a British-made silent film, and then was subsequently remade as a Hollywood blockbuster starting Janet Graynor and heartthrob Warner Baxter. Few writers could top the success of Gertrude Page in the early 20th Century. The question is: Whatever happened to Gertrude Page?

Whatever happened to Gertrude Page? is the story of one writer who scaled the heights of fame and fortune, only to have her legacy dismantled just as quickly because the inevitable shifts in historical and political perspectives. It is a cautionary tale, but also an illustration of a how easily history moves on from the convictions and beliefs of the past.

The documentary was funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland with the Television Licence Fee.

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Have Tyre, Will Travel: Brian Bell, Ultra Runner

A one-hour radio documentary for LMFM

Funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland with the Television Licence Fee

‘Have Tyre, Will Travel: Brian Bell, Ultra Runner’, a new one-hour radio documentary from Little Road Productions Ltd., will broadcast at 12noon on Monday 1st June at LMFM.

Brian Bell has experienced the world in a way that many of us could never even imagine. From the Amazon jungle to the top of the Himalayas and from the Arctic to the Sahara desert, he has taken part in some of the world’s toughest challenges. Taking up ‘Ultra Running’ a little later in life, he has successfully completed challenges in all four Ultra Running environments; Hot (Sahara Desert), Cold (Arctic), Altitude (Himalayas) and Jungle (Amazon).

Already a familiar face to many running across the Cooley Mountains while dragging a tyre strapped to his back, this 1-hour radio documentary explores the man behind ultra-challenges, as we accompany Brian on training sessions and races and seek to understand the motivations of a man who is determined to be anything but ordinary, while examining the effects these challenges can have on the body with the assistance of Michael McCorry, Lecturer in Human Performance from Dundalk Institute of Technology.

Despite having already achieved so much in the ultra-running and endurance arena, Brian is not resting on his laurels and while the Gran Trail Couramayeur in Italy and the and UTMB in the Alps have both been cancelled this summer, Brian is staying closer to home with the 50K Seven Sisters Skyline Race in Donegal in August and the 200K Kerry Way Ultra Marathon in September, a single-stage self-sufficient race.

The documentary was funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland with the Television Licence Fee.

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McClintock: The Forgotten Explorer

A one-hour radio documentary for LMFM

Funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland with the Television Licence Fee

McClintock: The Forgotten Explorer, a new one-hour radio documentary from Little Road Productions Ltd., will broadcast at 11am on Monday August 2nd on LMFM.

2019 marked the 200th anniversary of the birth of Sir Francis Leopold McClintock, a Dundalk native and someone whose name should be as well-known as Ernest Shackleton and Tom Crean as one of the greatest Arctic Explorers of our time, but who has unfortunately largely been forgotten in his home town.

Francis Leopold McClintock was born in 1819 at Seatown Terrace, Dundalk, Co. Louth. The eldest son of fourteen children, he was always an avid explorer and is rumoured to have spent as much time as possible out in the wilds of the Cooley Mountains, roaming the land as a child, always looking for his next big adventure. 

With little formal education, he entered the Royal Navy as a gentleman volunteer in 1831, just before his 12th birthday. While in the Navy, he rose through the ranks and was commissioned as a lieutenant in 1845. 

This was a time of immense Arctic Exploration by the British Navy, in the search of the elusive North West passage that would allow for safe and easy movement of both merchant and navy ships to the Pacific Ocean through the Arctic Ocean. 

The ill-fated Franklin expedition in 1845, where two ships and 129 men were lost, was a huge blow to British Arctic Exploration and in 1857, McClintock re-tread the route of the expedition and in the steps of another Scottish Explorer, John Rae, to confirm their fate that their ships became lodged in ice, causing the men to abandon them and begin to trek across the icy conditions, without correct equipment, food or water, until all finally perished. McClintock’s expedition not only allowed for closure of the Franklin narrative but also to finally map out the so-long sought after North West passage.

Not only was McClintock a master explorer, he also pioneered new methods of polar travelling, preparation and packing styles, using sleds for ease on the body over hundreds of miles. Between 1852 and 1854, it is said that McClintock travelled 1,400 miles by sled and discovered 800 miles of previously unknown coastline along the Arctic Circle.

He also amassed a vast collection of zoological and fossil specimens, many of which were new to science. Today the largest collection of these specimens is held in the Natural History Museum in Dublin. 

Retiring from the army in 1884, he died in 1907 and is buried in the UK, while in his birthplace in Dundalk in Co. Louth, all that remained for many years to mark his memory was a small plaque on the wall of the house where he was born in Seatown Place, which has now been removed, and an exhibition in the local museum.

Over 200 years after his birth, this one-hour radio documentary places the name of Sir Francis Leopold McClintock in the same realm as Shackleton and Crean for those in his home town of Dundalk, Co. Louth and its wider environs.

The documentary was funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland with the Television Licence Fee.

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Each year we invite TY students into LMFM to create their own show , on matters that are important to them

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‘The Big House’ holds an important place in Ireland’s rich history and heritage, with many dating back to the 17th century. Many abandoned and destroyed ‘Big Houses’ still litter the countryside, full of memories and stories long since forgotten. Left victim to the elements and a shadow of what they once were, for many, these stately homes have become symbols of a former divided society.

Using interviews with both locals and historians recorded on location at these now abandoned houses, this one-hour radio documentary will explore the personal narratives behind a selection of these ‘Big Houses’ throughout the counties of Louth and Meath, allowing their rich history to be captured before they disappear from our landscape forever. Recounting the stories of the families who lived there, along with their impact on their local communities, their unique place in local and national history will be captured and preserved.

For LMFM radio. Funded by the BAI.

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The Big House - Dadventures

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LMFM CLASSICAL HOUR - NAVAN CHORAL & INSTRUMENTAL FESTIVAL

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Funded by Coimisiún na Meán with the Television Licence Fee

Louth’s Hidden Musical Gem,a new radio documentary by Little Road Productions Ltd., will broadcast at 12noon on Tuesday December 26th 2023 on LMFM Radio.

Standing tall in the choir loft of St Patrick’s Cathedral in Dundalk since 1900, the pipe organ created by the world-renowned Henry Willis and Sons pipe organ builders in the UK has had many musicians and composers caress its keys since Henry Lucas Balfour, organist at the Royal Albert Hall in London first ‘opened’ the organ on July 1st 1900, with a recital of classical music. In this one-hour radio documentary, we chart the history of the organ through multiple parallel narratives, looking at those who made it and have taken care of it for so many years, along with some of the personal stories of the many organists who have played it over the last 122 years, many of whom are household names in the musical world, such as Michael Van Dessel. 

Featuring an interview on location with the current organist, Brendan McCourt, along with interviews with Brian McIvor, audiovisual producer & broadcaster, Annalisa Monticelli, Programme Director & Répétiteur at Dundalk IT, Brian Walsh, Curator, Louth County Museum and Anne Ward, Former County Librarian & Choir Member, along with archive material, the documentary attempts to uncover the history of Louth’s Hidden Musical Gem for all the world to hear.

The documentary was funded by Coimisiún na Meán with the Television Licence Fee

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LMFM's TY Media Week in association with Learning Waves and the BAI.

The TY students have been busy learning all things radio and have produced their OWN radio programme which was broadcast live on Easter Monday.

Congratulations to all who took part!

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Mike Bunn, the renowned photographer, who celebrates his 80th Birthday this year, recalls moments from a remarkable life in conversation with Gerry Kelly. Yes the man behind the lens is In Camera for once in his life....

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"Joey" tells the story of former World Handball champion Joey Maher, looking back on the Drogheda native's career and the many interests he had away from the alley.

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Did you know that Migraine is the 7th most debilitating condition in the World, affecting up to 12% of the population!

On a personal level Neuroscientist, Dr Sabina Brennan, knows all about Migraine and has encountered it extensively through her work.

She wants to bust the myth that Migraine is just a headache but rather a neurological condition that can be treated and requires greater understanding all round.

For the next hour, Dr Sabina Brennan shines a light on Migraine with her Documentary “Imaginers”  ……..

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He was an Irish revolutionary who went on to become one of the founders of Canada and was assassinated by the Fenians. The documentary, ‘Thomas D’arcy McGee: Irish Rebel, Canadian Patriot’ tells the story of this remarkable Carlingford man. Hear this remarkable documentary LMFM Monday December 30th at 12 noon. Produced for LMFM by Jim Doherty, funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland with the Television licence fee.  

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The year is 1809 in the city of London where Laurence Gilson from Oldcastle, County Meath is writing his last Will and Testament. It is an endowment that will have far reaching consequences for thousands of people across north Meath, Cavan, Westmeath and beyond, for more than two hundred years. 

Hear the story the story of Laurence Gilson and the educational legacy he left in his home town." On Dec 31st from 12 noon here on LMFM.

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 The story of well-known Councillor and former Mayor Frank Godfrey

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'Jim Craven: A Dynamic Genius’ explores the life and works of Jim Craven (1935–1980), a Dundalk poet inspired by Kavanagh and referred to by John B Keane as 'a dynamic genius’. 

Born into a large family, he lived in the townland of Balregan in the Parish of Faughart, just a few miles north of Dundalk. The townland where he spent most of his life resulted in one of his local nicknames becoming the ‘Bard of Balregan’. Many also referred to him as the ‘Laureate of Louth’.  

His poetry explored many themes including childhood, nature, rurality, sexuality, love, violence, religion, mythology and history. He also wrote frequently on ‘The Troubles’, having been brought up only a stone’s throw from the border. 

In his lifetime, Jim had his work published in The Dundalk Democrat and in periodicals in the USA. Two books were published after his death - Selected Poems in 1983 and Nice of You Jim in 2005. His work was also included in Eugene Robert Platt's A Patrick Kavanagh Anthology in 1973 and Daniel J. Casey's Poetry of the Cúchulainn Country in 1978.  

Craven passed away at the age of 45 years on the 27th April 1980 in a car accident. 

Featuring Jim’s brother, Paddy Craven, who wrote a play about Jim’s life that was performed in the Town Hall in 2010, his niece Deirdre Craven, and his good friend Gerry Murphy, the documentary remembers both the man behind the poetry, along with the work that he created during his short life, in order to preserve it for the generations to come. 

Local artist Jinx Lennon is also featured throughout performing some of Jim’s many poems. 

Funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) with the television license fee, and produced by Little Road Productions Ltd.

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A one hour documentary by local production company Little Road Productions.

On October 14th 1918, as the SS Dundalk sailed from Liverpool out into the Irish sea, tragedy struck when it was hit by a German torpedo and spilt in two. Nineteen people from Louth were killed. 

2018 marked the centenary of the tragedy and with a special 100th anniversary committee set up to commemorate those who lost their lives on board that fateful night, this one-hour radio documentary explores the tragic events of 100 years ago with the help of the descendants of the families left behind and the local stories that surround what has been described as “one of the most significant events to affect County Louth during the First World War”.

Featuring members of the SS Dundalk 1918 Centenary Commemorations committee, Brian Walsh of the Louth County Museum, Paddy Agnew of the Dundalk Sub Aqua Search and Rescue team, members of the Newry Maritime Association, and local Cllr Maria Doyle, amongst others, the documentary explores the personal stories behind those who perished and survived on the SS Dundalk and their descendants' efforts to ensure that their legacy is remembered.

The documentary was funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland with the Television Licence Fee.

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The Story of the Beatles...Continued

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The story of the Beatles....Continued.

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Queen from the beginning... Continued

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Queen from the beginning...Continued

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The Story of the band Queen from the beginning, taking in that famous date 13th July 1985 and Live Aid. Concluding with the untimely death of frontman Freddie Mercury in 1991 aged 45.

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The story of the Beatles.... Continued.

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Presented and produced by Colm Corrigan, this programme takes a look back on the music career or Ardee's most famous son, Dermot O'Brien.

Always remembered as Louth's football winning captain of 1957, there was much more to this multi-talented man, and in the years which followed his football success, he cut out a hugely successful career through singing and his skills on the accordion.

This programme retraces that music success, with contributions from family members, fellow musicians and close friends. 

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The Story of the Beatles White album from 1968 to Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of its release. In this documentary we hear from Giles Martin son of George Martin plus an interview with Paul McCartney.

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A tribute to Dermot Finglas with Darren Mahon which aired on Friday night.

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Today Gerry met Nina Browne near Kilmoon Cross where her daughter Sarah lost her life tragically in 1999.  

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Patrick O' Connor died in a single vehicle collision near Kilberry Cross in Co. Meath almost 5 years ago. Today, Gerry met his parents Helena and Gerry at the spot where their son lost his life. In our fourth feature Every Road has a Cross to Bear.

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Gerry met Michael O' Neill on the old Dublin Belfast road near Monasterboice where almost 17 years ago his daugher Fiona and her Fiancé Dominic Wogan lost their lives in a tragic accident only yards from the O' Neill home.

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Gerry went to Rathcairn in Co. Meath where he was joined by Judy Coffey who recalled the day 22 years ago when her son Padraíc Coffey's lost his life on the road.

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In The final episode of Ceol sa Bhaile,  we visit the home of renowned violin player Gerry O Connor, hear how he started out his music career under the watchful eye of his mother, how violin making as well as playing became a passion and a vocation and how music has travelled down the generations to his own children who have become accomplished players in their own right. 

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In part 2 of Ceol sa Bhaile we meet Gerry Cullen founding member of the internationally acclaimed Voice Squad, hear the fascinating stories behind a lot of the songs Gerry has collected over the years which originate in Drogheda, hear about Gerry's early life growing up in a family of 14 in a small terraced house and how the Voice squad were formed and took the world by storm.....

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Sean nos singers father and son Pat and Stuart Carolan join SJ Mc Ardle to discuss the long tradition of singing, and song collecting in their family. They both speak fondly of Mary Ann Carolan Pat's mother and Stuart's grandmother who was influential in keeping the singing tradition alive and well both in their home and on a national scale

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3 musicians 1 kitchen, many cups of tea chat agus ceol. Part 1 of Ceol sa Bhaile our special series celebrating home grown traditional Irish musicians, singers and players. Join  folk singer/songwriter SJ Mc Ardle as he is invited into the homes of the musicians for tea and a chat about their lives and their work away from the stage. 

Part 1 focuses on violin virtuoso Zoe Conway and her husband and musical partner acclaimed guitarist John Mc Intyre. Hear how Zoe's home and school life nurtured her talent, the funny story of how John and Zoe met , fell in love and became partners in life and music.

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The Coke Zero Gr8 Debate 2018

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This one hour radio documentary charts the amazing 21 year history of The Cross Border Orchestra Ireland, who are based in Dundalk, whilst following them through their Peace Proms 2017 concerts in Liverpool, Dublin, Belfast & Limerick.

Founded in 1995 as a peace initiative, the Orchestra has graced some of the most well-known stages across the world.  Over the past 21 years, the Orchestra have performed for President McAleese at Áras an Uachtaráin; for the Queen at Hillsborough Castle; at special gathering of EU Ministers in Slane Castle; in Armagh to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the Belfast agreement and at the Battle of the Boyne site to celebrate the European Union's contribution to Cross-Border Cooperation, amongst others. Internationally, the Orchestra has toured extensively throughout Europe, the United States and Asia.  In addition, they were chosen by the Government to open the 2016 Commemorative Programme Year with a special Peace Proms in the National Convention Centre on New Year's Day 2016.

Featuring interviews with Sharon Treacy-Dunne, Founder of the CBOI, and Greg Beardsell, Musical Director, along with soloists Patricia Treacy, Eoin Hynes, Zena Donnelly, Lauren Murphy and Cormac Keegan, we also hear from members of the orchestra from North and South, including the Colmcille Pipe Band, Harris Piping, the Michelle Johnston School of Highland Dance and the Rooney O'Malley Maguire School of Irish Dancing.

Teachers and pupils involved in the Peace Proms from all across Ireland & from Liverpool are also featured, talking about how taking part in the Peace Proms has been a major event for them over the last number of years.

The documentary highlights the important role the Orchestra has played not only in building and nurturing vital cross-border and cross-community relations, but in offering young Irish musicians the chance to perform on stage to audiences of thousands across the globe.

‘The Cross Border Orchestra of Ireland: 21 Years On' was produced by Little Road Productions Ltd. and funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland with the Television License Fee.  

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"The Tick that Changed Our Lives” tells the story of two sisters in their twenties – Siobhan and Clodagh Laffey from Curragha in County Meath and their battle with Lyme Disease. 

Presenting & Producing this documentary is LMFM's Senior News Reporter Éilís Sheehy, whose previous radio documentaries include the 2016 PPI Award Winning ‘Caught In The Cross-Fire Of The Troubles', ‘The Life And Times of John Boyle O' Reilly', ‘The Dundalk Pile Light' and ‘The Journey Of The Little Tern'.

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“To be involved with horses is an addiction and there is no cure for it” - Adrian McGuinness, Horse Trainer

“Everyone wants to ride at Laytown because it's on a beach, it's so different and it's only on once a year and you only get one chance of doing it” - Luke McGuiness, Amateur Jockey

“When you hear the horses hooves going by, it just gives you goosebumps, the hairs stand up on the back of your neck, it's just so thrilling, where else would you see it” - Anne Coleman, Event Organiser

“When they come to Laytown and they're allowed gallop up the beach before a race it often brings a horse alive, they say that, it's like a new experience for them” - Kevin Coleman Manager, Laytown Races

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The MAMIL (Middle Aged Man in Lycra) is now a regular feature on the highways and byways of every county across Ireland every weekend, much to many motorists' annoyance.

This 1-hour radio documentary takes a light-hearted & local look at the rapid rise of the MAMIL phenomenon in Ireland.  Mixing expert analysis from a sociologist studying the trends alongside input from professional bodies such as Cycling Ireland and most importantly, selected personal stories of self-confessed MAMILs, the phenomena of the MAMIL is explored.

The Rise of the MAMIL was funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland with the Television License fee and produced by Little Road Productions Ltd. for LMFM Radio.

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'Escape from Dundalk Gaol' tells the unbelievable true story about the greatest jailbreak in Europe, way back in 1922 in our small town. The escape was led by Francis Aiken, IRA leader & future minister. The programme features interviews with historians & those with direct links to the jailbreak as well as dramatic reconstruction of the events themselves. The documentary was made by the multi-award winning producer, Conor McGinnity.

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"When Sam Crossed the Boyne" tells the story about that historic day sixty years ago when the great Dermot O Brien captained the Wonderful Wee County to All Ireland glory.

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The Forgotten Gaeltacht captures the stories of the people, landscape,traditionslanguage and culture of the Omeath Gaeltacht together in the form of a 1hour  documentary, over 50 years after the death of the last native Irish speaker and  90 years after the closure of Coláiste Bhríde, which was an Irish College set up in 1912 with important links to Irish revolutionaries such as Eoin MacNeill and Padraig Pearse.This college remained in Omeah until 1926 when it moved to Rannafast in Donegal, where it exists to this day.

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For most locals living in and around the Dundalk and the North-East region, the daily goings-on behind the walls of Aiken Barracks are a bit of a mystery. Despite its rich and varied history – encompassing its buildings, its people, its events, its memorabilia and its artefacts - it remains an unexplored place to most. 

This one-hour radio documentary seeks to knock down the walls of Aiken Barracks and offer listeners a chance to partake in a reconstructed oral history of the barracks, told by those who know it best. Through interviews with current and retired defence force members, the documentary explores the past, present and future of the barracks through the stories associated with key buildings, artefacts and places throughout its large campus, including its museum. 

As one of only two permanent Defence Forces bases situated along the border and one of only ten permanent Defence Forces bases remaining overall throughout the country, Aiken Barracks is an place of immense importance for both the local community and our national defences. 

The proximity of the border to the barracks was for many years an on-going source of tension, and while the advent of the Peace Process may have lessened this tension in the recent past, the impact of Brexit in the not-too-distant future is as of yet unknown for those stationed behind its walls.

Taking the form of a guided walking tour of the barracks, the documentary is interspersed with elements of interviews expanding upon the stories being told at certain locations, with historical sound effects helping to transport the listener back in time.

The barracks is currently home to approximately 440 personnel and it is here that members of both the Permanent and Reserve Defence Forces receive their training. Charting the overall history of the barracks right from its beginnings as an Infantry Barracks to a Cavalry Barracks, through the War of Independence, the Troubles and the current history of the 27th Battalion, the documentary allows the audience to have a brief glimpse behind the walls of a site of enormous historical and social importance for both Dundalk town and its environs.

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Tommy Smyth in New York Christmas 2016

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This is the story of Marie Martin Foundress of the Medical Missionaries of Mary who was one of the most extraordinary Irish women of the 20th Century. Born into a wealthy Dublin family on April 25th 1892 the second eldest of twelve children she went on to lead a remarkable life in which she overcame many obstacles to achieve so much. Have a listen to the story of Mother Mary Martin...

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Caught in the Crossfire of the Troubles tells the story of 22 year old Brendan Megraw from West Belfast who was abducted by the IRA in 1978. For years Brendan's whereabouts remained unknown, leaving his wife, mother, and three siblings in complete turmoil. Finally, 21 years later in 1999, the IRA released a list of people they had disappeared (abducted) and Brendan's name was on the list

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This documentary, broadcast on May 2nd 2016, chronicles the life and career of the legendary Louth footballer, Tom Conlon. Former friends, family members, teammates and opponents talk about one of the greatest players ever to wear the red of Louth, and the green and gold of Stabannon Parnells. The programme is presented and produced by LMFM Sports reporter, Colm Corrigan.

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In 1976 while Minister for Defence, Paddy Donegan called then Irish President Cearbhall O'Dalaigh “a thundering disgrace”. His remarks precipitated the most serious constitutional crisis in the history of the State which led to O'Dalaigh's resignation within days. Though history will always associate Paddy with the controversy there was so much more to the man from Monasterboice. He was a dynamic individual who achieved so much personally, politically and in the world of business. In the course of the story of his life family, friends, political and business associates paint a picture of a man who gave so much of himself to making the lives of others, his community, constituency and country better. Far from a Thundering Disgrace is produced and presented by Gerry Kelly and is supported by the BAI Sound & Vision Fund.

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“The first dance I ever attended in a wheelchair was entirely against my will. I had been very fond of ballroom dancing, and I thought it would be sad for me, and embarrassing for the girls I used to dance with if I were to appear, like a skeleton at a feast...” This is the poignant story not just of Jack's survival, but of the way his life was transformed by friendship, love and sport.

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Join Colm Corrigan and host of Dundalk FC legends. We hear from the double winning side of 1988, FAI Cup winners of 2002, and the local media. . .

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