When Aedín Gormley was asked to host the RTÉ 100: In Concert, her response was "an immediate yes! I love radio, and the idea of celebrating 100 years of radio in such a creative and entertaining way is a great idea."
The concert, produced by RTÉ's Kay Sheehy, took place on Saturday September 5th in the National Concert Hall and was broadcast on RTÉ Radio 1, Lyric FM, the RTÉ Player and on the RTÉ News channel from 7.30 to 10pm. It was a mixture of music, spoken word and archival material, with performers Zoe Conway, Edwina Guckian, Iarla Ó Lionáird, Cathy Jordan, Shobsy, Piaras Ó Lorcáin, Loah, John Francis Flynn, Olivia O Leary, Myles Dungan, Oliver Callan and Éamonn Ó Muircheartaigh. "Kay has done an amazing job in gathering fantastic performers, for both music and spoken word performances as well as archive clips," says Gormley. "And we will have the brilliant The RTE Concert Orchestra on stage."
Kay Sheehy, the woman behind the show, believes the live concert offers a unique opportunity to celebrate a century of Irish radio. "There have been so many events this year marking 100 years of radio and RTÉ. I loved the daily shows that came live from the GPO, looking back at radio and TV," she says. "Then there were the specialist programmes, such as Ceilí House and Late Date coming from Baily and Blacksod lighthouses. Sunday Miscellany asked its writers to recall their interaction with RTE – we have robbed some of these for the NCH show. Arena went to London to mark how important RTE is to the diaspora. What can a concert add to that mix? I think it is live, like radio, but unlike radio there is a live audience in the NCH who can lead our viewers and listeners on Radio 1, Lyric FM, the RTE Player and the RTE News Channel, in a night that recalls radio highlights and personalities, virtuoso performances and beautiful music."
Sheehy was faced with the daunting task of choosing what would best represent a century of Irish broadcasting - and Irish life. "It was a difficult task," she says. "I wanted to represent events that were both relevant to the hundred years of Radio, but also entertaining and at times poignant. For example, I had recently heard Shobsy singing 'Small Town Boy' when Liveline celebrated 40 years of the George Pub, the great gay meeting spot. Shobsy's performance was so moving and evocative of the lives so many gay people had lived in Ireland, he was an easy choice for the RTE 100 In Concert."
She wanted the concert to reflect the wide variety of RTÉ radio offerings. "RTÉ has also brought us a listening choice with Lyric FM, Raidió na Gaeltachta. To reflect Raidió na Gaeltachta's origins as a station that grew out of activism on behalf of the Irish language, a young talent Piaras Ó Lorcáin will perform 'Seán Gabha', one of the songs chosen in RnaG's top 40 songs in the Irish language."
Presenter Aedín Gormley believes that "it's important to note how far we have come over 100 years and to share this event in our National Concert hall with a live audience as well as a live broadcast on Radio and on the RTE player and news channel. We have a lot to celebrate. We Irish love Radio, and this concert will be very moving in spots as well as hugely entertaining as we tell the story of a century of Irish radio. Radio has informed us, entertained us, challenged us, but most importantly it has connected us. I adore working in radio, and it is that conversation between presenter and listener that I love. RTE Radio is a cherished companion for many. What we hear can change our mood and change our day for the better. As we say on RTE Lyric FM, [it's] 'where life sounds better'."
"'It was a huge honour - and frankly quite a surprise- to be asked to take part in the centenary concert, all the more so because next summer I will celebrate my own half-century of RTÉ contributions, so I've been around the organisation for most of the second half of its life," says Myles Dungan. "RTÉ has its detractors but, as a historian, I have some sense of the profound impact that it has made and as a broadcaster I have, since the mid 1970s, had a birds-eye view and an awe-inspired appreciation of the hard work, talent, and frequently the courage that has characterised its output."
Dungan will read his piece about Delia Murphy, the Irish singer who was part of an escape line in Rome in World War II, helping Jewish people elude the Nazis. "I feel a certain guilt about Delia. As a child of the 60s her music had little or no appeal to me but I became fascinated by her when I discovered the role she played in the perilous undercover operation run by Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty in Nazi-occupied Rome. She played a huge part in offering sanctuary and escape to Allied prisoners and Jews threatened with the death camps. Writing the piece was my way of recognising her incredible bravery and atoning for my adolescent antipathy towards her music. Now I can appreciate her appeal.'"
So what does Aedín Gormley hope attendees and viewers will take away from the event? "I would hope a sense of pride in the journey we have been on as a nation over one hundred years," she says. "It's the story of 100 years of broadcasting, but it is also the story of the last 100 years of life in Ireland. It is amazing how we have progressed as a people, and how broadcasting has changed over the years, and expanded in confidence and ambition. It's set to be a hugely enjoyable night - you will laugh, you will cry, you will be entertained. Don't miss it!"
You can listen to and/or watch the event RTÉ Radio 1, Lyric FM, the RTÉ Player and on the RTÉ News channel on Saturday September 5th from 7.30 to 10pm.
