Drama On Newstalk is delighted to announce the premiere broadcast of a new home-grown radio drama, The Man From Moogaga, created and performed by Aindriais de Staic.
Broadcasting at 6pm on St. Patrick's Day, The Man from Moogaga tells the story of a young musician and his friends growing up rural Ireland where football is their currency.
The piece, a musical-comedy-storytelling hybrid, is written and performed by celebrated Galway entertainer Aindrias de Staic.
What started as a small one-man stage show about music, magic, friendship and football, The Man from Moogaga has blossomed into a beautifully crafted, theatrical radio production.
Premiering on Newstalk 106-108fm at 6pm on St. Patrick’s Day, The Man from Moogaga casts de Staic in full seanachaí mode, and the performance sees him using his exquisite fiddle playing and mastery of a loop pedal to embellish the narrative. The result is a riotous affair, which celebrates the rhythms of small town life in rural Ireland, taking inspiration from Dylan Thomas’ Under Milk Wood, and from Irish traditions of storytelling and music.
Have a listen to a clip here:
According to de Staic, “the show is a simple rites of passage story, tracing the journey of a few lads in a village and their struggles from innocent times in the 80’s, through their teenage years, to them becoming men, right up to the present day in post recession Ireland. I wanted to create a show that was deeper, that looked at the Irish psyche, but at the same time preserve my own style of storytelling where humor is pivotal. The Man from Moogaga evolved from what were once my inner ponderings, to a stage show and now a radio drama. By challenging myself to adapt this drama for radio, the ambition was to take the ancient art-form of storytelling and update it with my own distinctive musical style so that we have something so intrinsically and anciently Irish yet modern and appealing at the same time.”
The rare mix of spoken word and virtuoso violin playing is a compelling combination in a story that is both local and universal, with themes that ring true to all of us. Even the bane of every Irish schoolchild’s life: the conditional tense of the “modh coinniolach” gets an airing as one of the characters, Morris Conneely: a ‘shoulda/woulda/coulda’ kind of a fella…
The Man from Moogaga is fundamentally a piece of uniquely Irish storytelling and music, performed with the ferocious rhythm of a reel. Performers like de Staic are essential for preserving and furthering the traditions that define us as a people.
‘The Man from Moogaga’ will be broadcast on Newstalk 106-108fm at 6pm on St Patrick’s Day 2017, and repeated on 18th March at 7am/11pm.
- BROADCAST DETAILS: ‘The Man from Moogaga’ is part of the Spring Season of Drama on Newstalk.
- BROADCAST TIMES: ‘The Man from Moogaga’ will be broadcast on Newstalk 106-108fm at 6pm on St Patrick’s Day Friday 17th March 2017, and repeated on Saturday 18th March at 7am/11pm.
- LISTEN LIVE: ‘The Man from Moogaga’ can also be listened to online at: www.newstalk.com
- PODCAST: Podcast available at: www.newstalk.com/documentaryonnewstalk after the first broadcast.
- CREDITS: ‘The Man from Moogaga’ was written and performed by Aindrias de Staic, produced by Francesca Lalor, engineered by Neil Kavanagh.
- The project was supported by a grant from the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, as part of the Sound and Vision Scheme. The show was initially developed with support from the Arts council, traditional arts office.
- LIVE PERFORMANCE: Aindrias performs the piece live in Dublin’s Grand Social on Sunday March 19th at 8p.m.
- Images by Marta Barcikowska
Please note that this programme contains language of a sexual nature which some listeners may find offensive. Listener discretion advised. The programme also explores issues around mental health. If you are affected by the issues raised by this programme, please call Samaritans’ 24-hour helpline: Freephone 116 123.
