To mark the release of his debut solo record I Would Not Live Always, John Francis Flynn joins Dónal Dineen to discuss the making of the album in the company of some key collaborators: Ultan O'Brien, Ross Chaney and producer Brendan Jenkinson.   We then journey to heart of a Dublin Saturday night for a selection of tunes at The Cobblestone before taking a deep dive into the world of traditional Irish music which has been pivotal in shaping John's unique sound.   Cathal Caufield makes an...

The Summer installment of our sister series to the Islands, We Are The Makers, is out today. Commissioned by Solas Nua in Washington D.C., episode #2 charts the arc of choreographer Liz Roche's journey to the top of the contemporary dance world.   Find the full episode here: https://pod.link/makers   From starting at ballet school in Dublin at aged of seven, through training in London Contemporary Dance School, to dancing across Europe, Dónal hears how Liz's education and...

In Dublin to perform the album Ceol Ársa Cláirsí at the Tradition Now weekender in the National Concert Hall, Steve Cooney's interpretations of ancient Irish harp tunes for solo guitar has added something new to the canon. There’s ancient magic at work here as these tunes were either composed or collected from the beginning of the 1600s to the end of the 1700s. As a taster for a forthcoming extended Make Me An Island special on his work Episode 48 takes a detailed look at this beautifully...

Reverend Utah Smith was an evangelist preacher based in New Orleans who from 1938 onwards added some electric guitar fire to his sermons as well a pair of two giant seraphim white wings to his back. In this epsiode Donal listens to the incendiary records he released between 1944 and 1953 which puts him very close to the scene of the big bang birth of rock and roll.. 

With the help of some clips from the legendary BP Fallon Orchestra interview with the man himself from April 1987, Dónal Dineen goes on a personal journey to the heart of Ted Hawkins' masterpiece from the penitentiary, Watch Your Step. 

April 8th marks the first anniversary of the launch of Make Me Me An Island. To mark the occasion, talking is mostly suspended in Episode 46 and instead Dónal reverts to the original source of inspiration, the box of 7” singles that formed the foundation for many of the original investigations.     Peppering the melting pot is a bunch of incendiary new tunes from Ireland on fire.      PLAYLIST:    Camille Doughty – Elijah Rock Nairobi Sisters – Promised Land Madlib – Hopprock Civic Edits –...

For 20 years Jennifer Walshe has blazed a trail across the world of contemporary music, all the while making work that was far greater than the sum of its parts and much much more than simply music. Far from being high brow or inaccessible, the most human of touches shapes everything she does in all sorts of magical ways. Jennifer joins Dónal to discuss the many tributaries that comprise her unique journey into sound as well as offering some insights into her singular vocal...

From the very first demos, the arc of the Villagers story has pointed inexorably upwards, always reaching for the higher ground, a climb like no other. In this episode Conor O'Brien joins Dónal in The Sugar Club for a discussion on some of those lofty peaks and how he got there. In-between there's a bunch of live songs as well as a run through some key points of influence from Pierro Umiliani to Dorotthy Ashby, Robert Wyatt and Linda...

An introduction to We Are The Makers, a new series of long-form audio documentaries on Irish artists and their practice. Released today across all the usual platforms, and commissioned by Solas Nua in Washington D.C., first up is photographer Eamonn Doyle who before making a series of groundbreaking photo books of his Dublin street-work, had already made his mark in music with his D1 techno label and the Dublin Electronic Arts Festival. Find the full episode here: https://pod.link/1553840432  

The latest in a series of stunning posthumous Arthur Russell releases, Iowa Dream plays to all of his many strengths. Recorded in The Sugar Club in December, Episode 42 features an illustrated guide to the album by an artist who had an integral role to play in its compilation, editing and mixing, Peter Broderick.   Peter explains how he came to be involved in the production as well as performing a few of his favourite Russell songs, Words of Love, Ely and You Can Make Me Feel...

Recorded live at The Sugar Club in December, the second in the Make Me an Island live series features Myles Manley on stage together with Solamh Kelly and Chris Barry. They play their brilliant 'Cometh The Softies' record in its entirety from start to finish before retiring for a chat with Dónal about its making.  https://mylesmanley.bandcamp.com/album/cometh-the-softies  

Recorded at The Sugar Club in Dublin in December, the first in a series of Make Me An Island Live shows features the mighty John Francis Flynn. Along with producer Brendan Jenkinson and fiddler Ultan O' Brien, John performs a selection of tunes from his forthcoming debut album I Would Not Live Always before chatting to Dónal about the recording process and the journey so far.

Recorded in The Kino in Cork in December 2020, singular film-maker Pat Collins joins Dónal to discuss three of his films: The definitive sea-nós movie Song of Granite, a forthcoming documentary about the American folklorist Henry Glassie and a work-in-progress documenting the ground-breaking Micheal Keegan-Dolan dance production, Mám. Musical dream topping is provided by special guest Elaine Howley (The Altered Hours, Crevice, Howlbox) https://harvestfilms.ie/  

Fresh from her ground-breaking collaboration with Radie Peat on Nollaig na mBan, Katie Kim joins Dónal to tell the story behind their work together as well as to discuss the making of her new album with producer John ‘Spud’ Murphy. Along the way she makes the case for the genius of Mica Levi as well as discussing the merits of Tirzah, Ursula Bognor and more. Diversions there are many! https://katiekim.bandcamp.com/music    

For the first show of 2021 Dónal is joined by Branwen for an illustrated guide to some inspirational female artists the world over as well as to hear some songs from her masterful solo record Hunted and Haunted.   "As this is being released on Nollaig na mBán, I wanted to say that I think it's fantastic to take a moment to give the airspace to celebrating some amazing female artists and I'm delighted to contribute to it. I hope we can continue to move closer to a place of equality and...

Radie Peat is the special guest Islander on this Christmas episode.   She talks about her forthcoming collaboration with Katie Kim and Ellie Myler of Percolator as well as guiding us through a selection box of musical wonders.   https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/katie-kim-and-radie-peat-tickets-131859488279        

Sansbut is the first release on David Kitt's new Awayday label.   At the heart of the record are a series of powerful collaborations with Saxophonist Catherine Sikora that happened spontaneously at the Centre Culturel Irlandais in Paris during lockdown this summer.   In this Episode #35 of Make Me An island, Dónal Dineen gets both sides of the story.   https://sansbut.bandcamp.com/album/vol-1   https://catherinesikora.bandcamp.com/   https://davidkitt.bandcamp.com/    

Recorded at The Kino in Washington Street, Cork, Donal Dineen presents an introduction to the fiddle-playing magic of Julia Clifford and a rough guide to the music of Sliabh Luachra. Musician, soldier-on-the-ground and longtime advocate of the Sliabh Luachra sound, Eoin Stan O' Sullivan, is our guide and illustrator. https://sliabhluachra.bandcamp.com/releases http://kinocork.com/  

Dónal Dineen takes a deep dive through all the new music released by Irish artists since the summer. Patrick Kelleher joins him in the second half to talk about his comeback EP Stereolith forthcoming on Remote Town records. https://patrick-kelleher.bandcamp.com/  

Dónal Dineen pays tribute to the Scottish maverick genius Ivor Cutler and his album Privilege.   Hilary Woods then joins Dónal for a deep dive into her last two records, Colt and Birthmarks, as well as a trip through some her favourite tunes from Sybille Baier to Eartha Kitt.   https://hilarywoodsmusic.bandcamp.com/

In an extended Lockdown Episode #31, Dónal introduces some new music from Loraine James and Star Feminine Band before checking in with two leading Irish lights stateside.   First up is acclaimed author and all-round total legend, Maeve Higgins, who discusses post-election relief on the ground in Brooklyn as well as her sterling work for the New York Times and other publications.   Then it's onto Los Angeles to check back in with B+. As well as making art and films and writing and lecturing,...

To celebrate the release of their debut album Solas An Lae and to mark the 30th episode of Make Me An Island, Eoghan and Ultan join Dónal for an extended birthday edition. In between a feast of live music they discuss the provenance of the songs and the making of the record in Scotland. https://eoghanultan.bandcamp.com/album/solas-an-lae-the-light-of-the-day

For the second show of the Lockdown #2 series, Dónal Dineen is joined by the concertina master from West Kerry, Cormac Begley.  There’s a handful of live tunes as well as discussions on subjects ranging from the origins of his sound, inspiration, and his role in the acclaimed dance production Mám by Michael Keegan-Dolan.   https://cormacbegley.bandcamp.com/    

Dónal Dineen takes a trip back in time to the High Andean city of Ayacucho in Peru to marvel at the field recordings made by David Lewiston in 1967 at the annual carnival. He explores the roots of Huayno music which evolved around ritual celebrations during the Inca Empire.  The temperature drops in the second half with special guest Linda Buckley discussing how inspiration for her album From Ocean’s Floor emerged from the cold seas. https://www.nmcrec.co.uk/composers/linda-buckley          

In Episode #27 Dónal Dineen pays tribute to the legendary Simeon Cox whose band Silver Apples were responsible for electronic music’s Big Bang in 1969. Special guest is Jonny Dillon. He plays a selection of tunes from the LP ‘Songs for a One-String Guitar’ and introduces tracks from the Automatic Tasty record A Farewell to Reason, as well as discussing some influences and his work at the National Folklore Collection.