In The County Line, renowned poet, playwright and RTE Radio 1 host Vincent Woods sets off on a road trip through the counties of Roscommon, Cavan and Monaghan on a quest to explore each county’s unique identity.
Tracing local cultures through everything from music and history to speech and sports; landscape and poetry, Woods finds vastly different cultures thriving within a few kilometers on either side of county borders. County identity and cultural expression are such a strong part of Irish life that statements such as ‘I’m a proud Meath man’ or “I’m a Sligo woman through and through” are the kind of expression we’re all used to hearing on a daily basis. This series sets out to get to the bottom of this pride, looking at what makes each county unique and gathering perspectives from a rich array of colourful characters, from local historians and musicians to farmers and students. Everyone has their own opinions and interpretations of local culture – but their county loyalty is beyond question.
Programme two of the RTE Radio Documentary focuses on County Roscommon and will be broadcast on Radio 1 this Saturday, August 13th, at 10am.
Vincent meets farmer Michael Naughton on local farming traditions; student Megan Daly who discusses her family’s mining history and her passion for LGBT rights; well known local journalist Seamus Duke comments on Roscommon town and the impact of emigration. RTE presenter Ruth Scott visits her old stomping ground of Rockfords night club and Vincent travels to the centre of Ireland. Musical highlights include the fantastic flute playing of Tommy Guihern and an interview with Cathy Jordan.
Each stop in each county displays a beautiful, unique cultural identity, but the sense of local county pride is just as strong everywhere. This heartwarming series sees music, conversation, history and travel come together on a very special journey, forming a potent radio map of each county in 2016.
Update: If you missed the documentary you can listed back here