Drama On Newstalk

Mmanwu is a radio drama that delves into the complexities of maternal struggle, mental health, and the clash between tradition and modernity. Set against the vibrant backdrop of Onitsha, Nigeria, the story follows Ada, a young widow grappling with the overwhelming grief of losing her husband, Bayo.Seeking refuge from the weight of her grief and the overwhelming responsibilities of motherhood, Ada returns to her father, Eze, in Onitsha. A man deeply rooted in Nigerian traditions, Eze offers both solace and conflict, pushing Ada towards conventional methods of coping with loss and raising her young son Zane. This clash between generations and ideologies forms the core of the drama, highlighting the struggle between individual healing and cultural expectations.Through poignant dialogue, music and evocative sound design, Mmanwu explores the depths of Ada's grief and her attempts to hold onto the remnants of her past. Her interactions with her father are rife with cultural references and deeply resonate with theme

Sight Nor Sound Theatre and producer Alan Meaney bring you a comedy of pretence and playfulness in ‘Passengers’.Two people at very different moments in their lives end up beside each other in the VIP waiting lounge at the airport. They make small talk, share a beer, and unwilling to reveal their true selves, a game of mutual deception ensues.Stephen is a young man running away from his life to backpack in an exotic location. Helen is a former film star, hounded by paparazzi and attempting to seem ‘normal’ for a little while. They both, over the course of many beers in the lounge, divulge their untruths and enjoy each other's company. Stephen claims to be a rock star in a famous band with messy interpersonal relationships. Helen is claiming to be someone she is not too – a regular person who just resembles the film star she truly is.Cue some very real moments of self-discovery before fate and chance combine with two vastly contrasting outcomes'Passengers’ was was written by Alan McMonagle, directed by Sight No

Drama on Newstalk presents THE COST OF LIVING, an original radio comedy-drama by Anna Merritt and Deborah Wiseman. The story is a heartfelt and humorous exploration of marital breakdown in a challenging financial landscape in the Ireland of today.Jen and Tony Tully’s twenty-six-year marriage is dead. The separation agreement is signed, only there is no new freedom for them to celebrate or no excitement at the prospect of new beginnings. Victims of the dire cost of living crisis, they have no choice but to continue to live under the same roof. Their cohabitation is rife with tension and a list of rules to manage household conflict isn’t worth the paper it’s written on. With no love, no money, and no space how can they possibly move on?THE COST OF LIVING was funded by Coimisiún na Meán with the Television Licence Fee. It was produced, written and directed by Anna Merritt & Deborah Wiseman. Sound production by Amy O’Dwyer. Jen is played by Mary Murray, Tony is played by Jed Murray, Otis is played by Cal O’Dr

The story of a great Irish poet and the teacher who helped her fear of speaking in public.Principal Anne sees a rolled up ball of paper fall out of Mary Ogun-Banwo's schoolbag. She opens it to reveal a beautiful poem, written fully in the Irish language. Reluctantly, Mary allows her to enter it the All Ireland Schools Poetry Competition and it gets to the final, where she’ll have to read it on live national television! Mary now realises she suffers from chronic stage fright, so Principal Anne sends her to study with unorthodox teacher and trained counsellor, James Jones, in order to help her delve into her past and figure out what’s holding her back. This is a story of a reluctant poet’s rise to win the All Ireland Schools Poetry Competition and the teachers who helped her overcome her stage fright by confronting her personal traumas.‘Speak Through Your Silence' is broadcast on Newstalk on Sunday 17th November with repeat broadcast on Saturday 23rd November.More information on this programme can be found at:

This weekend, Documentary & Drama on Newstalk airs the premiere of Third Time Lucky, a topical comedy-drama in which IMRO-nominated producer Brian Gallagher explores the tensions that arise when allotment holders discover that there is pyrite in their community centre.Third Time Lucky is told partly from the perspective of Councillor Benny Kelly, a slippery local representative who has crossed swords with the residents in the past but who this time sees an opportunity to win favour.With long-standing grievances between members of the allotment committee bubbling below the surface, tempers flare when reactionary Mick Delaney insults an official from the local council – who threatens to close the community centre because of fire and safety irregularities.Meanwhile with government pyrite funding only available for dwelling places, Benny comes under pressure to find some way of obtaining funding for the residents.The stakes are raised when Emma Johnson, a journalist who is also on the committee, writes a

The S.P.A. Weekend is a spooky and hilarious new audio drama written by Emily Gillmor Murphy and produced by the award-winning production team of Hugh Hick and Heather MacLeod.The S.P.A. Weekend will be broadcast on Newstalk on Sunday 11th August at 7am, repeated Saturday 17th August at 9pm, and will be available as a podcast, on GoLoud and all major platforms. Billie and Sophie are booked into a S.P.A. (Supernatural, Paranormal, Activity) weekend with a difference in the infamous Manor Hill House – a place full of bizarre characters and even more bizarre stories. But will they find the ghosts within the walls of the hotel or in their own pasts?One part Fawlty Towers and one part Agatha Christie, The S.P.A. Weekend takes a fresh and witty look at what ghosts still lurk in 21st century Ireland and what we do about them.This is Emily’s second collaboration with Heather and Hugh, after the Prix-Europa nominated drama The Horror Writer. Emily’s sharp and twisting script for the drama was previously shortlist

This goes back over a hundred years for a drama set in the midst of the ‘Spanish Flu’.During the 1918 ‘Spanish Flu’ pandemic, a desperate father brings his sick daughter to find the ‘Miracle Well’ in Gubacreeny.‘1918 Ireland: Having just lost his wife from Spanish Flu, a desperate father vows to bring his sick daughter through a politically divided Ireland to find the ‘Miracle Well’ in Gubacreeny, a place rumoured to cure the illness.’Based on the written accounts by the Irish during the Spanish Flu, this story is a fictionalised version of a local Meath legend. In it, a father (Sean Sheridan) brought his sick daughter (Mary Sheridan) in a cart to the ‘Miracle Well’ in Gubacreeny, Co Leitrim. The cart got stuck and the horse pulling the cart was shot by a roving gang. Sean had to bring her the rest of the way on foot. This ‘Miracle Well’ in Gubacreeny was apparently blessed by the local priest and anyone that visited it was cured of the ‘Big Flu’.

Drama on Newstalk presents SANDWICH, an original radio comedy-drama that follows a frazzled single mum, Eleanor, who is plunged into turmoil when her eco-activist teen daughter, Hazel, is arrested for holding the Minister of the Environment hostage live on TV. While trying to dissuade the police from charging her, Eleanor learns that her estranged and difficult mother with dementia, Phyllis, has a crisis of her own and can no longer live alone. As Eleanor is an only child, she has no choice but to drag a resistant Hazel across the country to her backwater home town of Craughbeg to look after Phyllis. Eleanor hates being back and has made a promise to Hazel (and herself) that this arrangement is temporary – just enough time to find a suitable nursing home for Phyllis. Craughbeg holds too many painful memories, not least Eleanor’s shameful secret – the identity of Hazel’s biological father. How will the three generations cope with this new living arrangement and will Eleanor manage to keep the secrets of the pa

Drama on Newstalk presents a new drama produced by Jonathan Farrelly and Katerina Economides.  Lansdowne ‘73 is a fictionalised version of historical events. ln January 1973, the English Rugby Team came to play lreland at Lansdowne, nearly a year to the day of Bloody Sunday... even though they were warned there could be a bomb in the stadium.This is a fictionalised version and an alternate history of that fateful game. Two Garda are tasked with defusing the bomb before it goes off… but in order to save the day, they need to learn to tolerate each other first!  Lansdowne ‘73 was produced by Jonathan Farrelly and Katerina Economides. The programme was funded by the Coimisiún na Meán with the television licence fee. Acting Credits: JP Wright, Olivia Kenna, Gary Kenna, Katerina Economides, Marty AVG, Jonny Farrelly, Mark Manning and Michael Ryan.

Drama on Newstalk presents “The Man Who Talks To Statues”. An original radio drama that tells the story of Darryl, a thirty-year-old Corkonian.Darryl crashes his father’s car, following which he goes on a magic realist road trip to Limerick and Dublin, encountering characters ranging from suspicious locals to deceased celebrities and historical figures. Darryl has a unique capacity for speaking to statues and during the story he interacts with characters such as Richard Harris, Phil Lynott and Molly Malone.Darryl’s road trip includes acts of hedonism, aggression, denial and punch-drunk self-reflection. He is more than a little bit lost and we’re never quite sure what’s real or what’s imagined or, indeed, if it’s salvation or an escape route he’s looking for.Written and performed by Shane Casey (The Young Offenders) and produced by Ruth Hayes (Whispers) The Man Who Talks To Statues is a contemporary story of a young man lost.Reflecting a sense of disconnect and disenfranchisement which is so often present in y

‘Murdered while ploughing a field in Meath, belonging to his uncle, Mark Clinton was the victim of a widespread campaign by ex-British soldiers to grab land and re-divide it before the dawn of the Irish Free State. A group of local volunteers spent the next three months (and beyond) avenging his death.’  Synopsis:  This is based on a true story from May 1920 (ending in 1923) that shows the chaotic social landscape in Ireland at the time. This is a commemorative piece to remember some of the atrocities that happened in the lead up to the inception of the Irish Free State. It’s a glimpse into a country caught in a ‘leadership vacuum’, where law and order were a lot different than today. The story starts in 1920, but ends on the 6th of January, 1923, when the volunteers who avenged Mark’s death, finally got a land governed by their ‘own’. 'The Murder Of Mark Clinton’ was Produced by Jonathan Farrelly and was funded by Coimisiún Na Meán with the Television Licence Fee.  Acting Credit

Playwright Colin Murphy brings an ancient classic right up the present day in Antigone, the story of a plague, a refugee crisis, a coup, and a body too dangerous to be buried. A plague. A refugee crisis. A coup. This is #ANTIGONE - a dystopian alternative Ireland in which the worst fears of the pandemic have been realised, social order has collapsed, and a military government is attempting to restore order by setting a brutal example.Antigone is the classic account of the conflict between the individual and the State. It is the story of a body too toxic to be buried, a State afraid of a funeral, a people under siege, a city under curfew, a collapse in political authority, and a conflict between loyalty to family and duty to state.In this new version, General Críon, the first female head of the armed forces, has seized power in a coup, in a bid to defend the State both from the plague that is ravaging Europe and from the influx of refugees that are desperately trying to escape the plague. Críon

Set in an Irish coastal town threatened by sea level rise, the story follows two researchers tasked with interviewing the remaining residents about the area's past, present and uncertain future. The researchers hold opposing views about the importance of their work and, as they learn more about the people they meet, their differences of opinion reach breaking point. It is a story set in the near future but very much drawing on the concerns of today, delving into contemporary debates around our relationship with nature, activism, migration and the challenges facing rural communities. Changing Coasts was performed by Kwaku Fortune (Normal People, Hidden Assets), Geraldine McAlinden (The Last Rifleman, Bad Sisters), Maria McDermottroe (The Dead, Glenroe), Paul Murphy (Aisha), Brian Mulvey (Foundation) and Aleesha Joe (Bad Sisters). Sound recording was by Stephen McHale, music by Emer Landers and editing by Rob Flynn. Changing Coasts is a Bear Print Media production funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Irel

Newstalk presents a new radio drama, ‘How I Murdered Lucrezia’ adapted from a short story by Órfhlaith Foyle. Set in an Irish secondary school, outside Galway city, it is a meditation on lust, violence and obsession. A High School shooting has taken place with recently arrived student Lucrezia the victim. Her killer is a boy named Jones Maddox, who commits the act under coercion from Caitlin Purcell. Caitlin is a former friend of Lucrezia, who continues to harbour an infatuation with her. The story follows Caitlin and Jones’ descent into fury and the ultimate act of killing. This contemporary radio drama deals with pertinent themes of violence and racism in the school system. It skewers teen culture, bullying and social media throughout. Caitlin is a sociopath and Jones is under her spell. Her actions are prefaced by a disturbed home life and rejection by her friend Lucrezia. The tension builds as the play reaches its horrible denouement. The audience is asked to question its loyalties as the main charact

Drama on Newstalk presents the premiere of “HIGH DENSITY”, in which IMRO-nominated producer Brian Gallagher explores the tensions that arise in a community when one resident in a small cul-de-sac refuses to sell her home to a developer who wants to build apartments on the site. Starring Marion O’Dwyer, Claudia Carroll, and Mark O’Regan, “HIGH DENSITY” was written and produced by Brian Gallagher. The programme was funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland with the Television License Fee.

What happens when the stupidest man in Irish history is charged with expelling the British Empire from Ireland? Sniper Joe & Sister Jim answers this question and more in a new radio comedy drama for Newstalk. As Ireland enters the final year of centenaries commemorating its ‘decade of change’, Sniper Joe & Sister Jim proposes an alternative account of the happenings a century ago, which changed Ireland forever. It reimagines some of the creation myths surrounding the foundation of the Irish state shining a light on the opportunism and misogyny that sneaked in after all the visionaries died fighting for Irish freedom. Set against a cartooned backdrop of the Irish War of Independence, the play follows sniper gunner Joe Mahon on a heroic quest for the Irish Republican Motherhood, as he avenges the death of his ‘most probable’ father and protects the honour of his unfussy mother. Guided by ‘a foul-mouthed spiritual advisor named ‘Sister Jim’ and a beginner’s guide to sniper gunning (presented by John

Set in Waterford city, ‘An End of Term’ charts the decline of a marriage. Following a series of frustrating Counselling sessions and a series of uncomfortable telephone conversations, Michael , a school teacher and his wife Maura, a Hairdresser, attempt to reconnect their increasingly diverging lives. However, in doing so, all they reveal are milestones on the path of their declining relationship. When an ongoing illness adds further to their problems, attempts at a ‘last chance’ reconciliation may prove to be a final solution or a final straw… ‘An End of Term’ is one of a Trilogy of plays. IMRO Bronze Award winning ‘Terms and Conditions’(2017) and ‘Mid Term Break’(2021) were previously produced for Radio. Executive Producer, Michael Grant brings together a talented and widely experienced cast for the final play. Andrew Holden and Emma Walsh are two of Waterford’s finest actors. Michael is played by Andrew Holden. Maura is played by Emma Walsh. Sound by Heather Troy-Whelan. Executive Producer Michael Grant.

A modern reimagining of Samuel Beckett’s classic play, Waiting for Godot - as an unrelenting satire on the worldwide budget airline industry. Waiting for Faro was written by Eoin Byrne, directed by Jennifer Griffin and produced by Sarah Eva Manson, with location sound recording and foley by Roger Gregg. Edited by Sound Entertaining and produced by Purple.ie and was supported by a grant from the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, as part of the Sound And Vision Scheme.

“The Piana Man” is a one episode drama/musical/comedy about a tourist town entertainer, Danny Boylan - referred to by the venue's owner, Nancy Crowley, as "Danny Boy - to appeal to the Irish Americans". To his face she calls him her "people magnet" and that he certainly is. All goes sweetly through the first season. They plan to do even better the following year but there is an unexplained breakdown in communication. “The Piana Man” is written by Dezy Walls, directed by Ann Shanahan and features, Dezy Walls, Lisa Marie Murphy, Andrew "Skatz" Scattergood, Susan Hennessy, Michael Ryan, Sean Kelleher and Terry Gordon. It was produced at Creation Studios, County Kerry. “The Piana Man”, by Dezy Walls, was funded by the BAI under the sound and vision scheme.

The latest radio drama to be broadcast by Newstalk 106 – 108fm as part of its weekly Documentary & Drama On Newstalk series is ‘Belong’. ‘Belong’ is an original radio drama by Fred O’Connor & Daithí McMahon about one man’s experience of homelessness in modern Dublin The radio premiere of ‘Belong’ airs on Newstalk 106-108fm on Sunday 26th July at 7am, with a repeat broadcast on Saturday 1st August at 9pm. Podcast goes live after first broadcast.    'Belong’ is a contemporary radio drama set in Dublin, told from the perspective of Christy - a single homeless man in his late fifties. Following the breakup of a long-term relationship he loses his job due to his mental health issues and is evicted from his bedsit when the property owner decides to convert the building into luxury apartments. Unable to find affordable accommodation, Christy is forced to take refuge in emergency hostels but eventually ends up sleeping rough on the streets. Christy's depression makes him extremely anxious, withdrawn, and afra