In the early 2000s, trudging via the static of mainstream radio, I stumbled on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta, the Irish-language outpost of Ireland’s nationwide broadcaster – and a programme that flipped the script on radio as I realized it. Presented by Cian Ó Cíobháin from the Atlantic-hugging west Kerry coast, a reasonable stretch from my house in rural Northern Eire, An Taobh Tuathail (“The Other Side”) still feels like a portal to a far-flung realm.
Broadcast each weekday since May 1999, Ó Cíobháin expertly blends leftfield songs: it has championed ambient and electronic pioneers these kinds of as Mexican composer Murcof and the late Japanese musician Susumu Yokota, and spotlighted the curveballing instrumentalism of Irish artists including cellist Eimear Reidy and revered Limerick producer Naive Ted. Super Furry Animals frontman Gruff Rhys is one of many artists to have hailed An Taobh Tuathail’s influence, calling it “one of the most radical radio reveals in the world”.
Contrary to its flagship station Radio 1, RTÉ upheld a ban on actively playing tracks in English on Raidió na Gaeltachta until finally 2005, with Ó Cíobháin navigating the restriction by presenting in Irish although predominantly enjoying instrumental music, spanning publish-rock, electronica, jazz, techno, and far more.
Although the ban has since been lifted, making it possible for for the inclusion of anglophone new music in excess of the past two many years, there’s something in the new music of the Irish tongue that continues to cast its individual spell. Like numerous other regular listeners with only cúpla focal (or “a couple words”), straining my ear has only deepened the appreciation.
“Listeners have messaged me to explain to me that the programme is their sole relationship with the Irish language,” suggests Ó Cíobháin. “It’s a charming thing to hear: that were being it not for the display, hundreds of folks around the entire world may in no way listen to our gorgeous, ancient language.”
“I’m conscious that most listeners never talk the language, so I preserve chat to a bare minimum,” he adds. “I tell you what record I played and what is up following. Listeners who don’t talk the language have contacted me around the a long time to explain to me how they come across it rather comforting to tune in and listen to me talk, even if they might not fully grasp almost everything I say.”
As it celebrates a quarter of a century of quietly kicking in opposition to conference, An Taobh Tuathail is a reminder of how committed and impassioned radio presenters can unlock new musical worlds – even if you really don’t talk their language. In this article are some other cult programmes from all around Europe to find out.
Klaus Fiehe
In 1994, 5 several years before An Taobh Tuathail took to the airwaves, Klaus Fiehe embarked on his personal journey towards earning the title “the German John Peel”: his system, 1Reside Fiehe, broadcast by Cologne general public radio station Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR), showcases a presenter who has usually marched to the beat of his possess drum.
Fiehe’s profession commenced in the early 1980s as a saxophonist for the substitute rock icons Geier Sturzflug, and his 3-hour weekly clearly show, drawing from a private selection of in excess of 60,000 records, reveals his peerless curation, insatiable spirit and storytelling flair inside German pop lifestyle. The Peel parallel retains up. And whilst preferring to be known as “that dude who spins the suitable stuff”, it is Fiehe’s mastery at waxing poetic auf Deutsch that props up this inimitable demonstrate.
Rhys Mwyn
The bassist in the politically outspoken Welsh punk-rock group Anhrefn (or “Chaos”) in the 1980s and 1990s is now a tour information and revered archaeologist, and his BBC radio exhibit is a veritable trove, way too. Mostly introduced in Welsh, Recordiau Rhys Mwyn (“Rhys Mwyn’s Records”) features a sublime blend of lesser-listened to songs and guest reminiscences of the era when his aged band thoroughly toured Europe.
Even so, it’s not purely nostalgic. Together with disco, punk, electronica and a lot more, Mwyn’s perseverance to that includes quite a few modern day artists, many hailing from Wales, seals its enchantment. He sometimes switches to English to benefit English-speaking company, producing the return to the melodious and distinctive Welsh language a wonderful payoff.
Grażyna Biedroń
Using inspiration from the likes of Lyl Radio in Lyon and Tallinn’s Ida, Radio Kapitał in Warsaw has stepped up to fulfill the demand in Poland.
A person DJ shaping its identity is Grażyna Biedroń, who debuted in August 2023. Each other Tuesday morning, she guides listeners by electronic genres from breakbeat to acid household, with themed episodes and a seamless mix of Polish and international appears: “An immersion in underground flavours in just the realm of electronic tunes, with a shared thread that sparks discussions,” she suggests.