Inishowen Community Radio has received a welcome boost with the news that it has been approved for a total of €16,000 from the BAI and ESB ElectricAid Ireland to produce two community-based radio documentary series.
The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI), through the Broadcasting Funding Scheme, has approved €9,000 for a 5 part series called ‘Bog Stories’ which explores the tradition and history of turf cutting in Inishowen.
ESB ElectricAid Ireland awarded the station €7,000 for ‘Mind Yourself’, a 4 part series exploring mental health issues in Inishowen and the resources and mechanisms to deal with this growing problem.
ICR Chairman, Raymond Doherty, was delighted at the news: ‘Many people at ICR are working hard to keep the show on the road and this news is testament to the fact that many of our funders have faith in us.
“Funding is getting harder to come by for all community groups but we will continue in our efforts to provide a quality community service and resource here. These programmes are a great example of what we’re about, providing programming that helps entertain, inform and educate our community’.
The bog has long been a part of Inishowen‟s cultural, social, historical and economic heritage. ‘Bog Stories’ will explore that heritage through the contributions of local historians and people who made their living from the bog in an entertaining, informative way.
Series producer Jim Doherty is confident that the series will interest many listeners.
“The bog, or the hill as we called it, was a big part of many of our lives growing up. EU rules and other factors will consign this to the past. I think it’s important to document this heritage now before it disappears completely.”
A key element of the series will be the presenter working with a traditional turf-cutter to harvest a crop of turf from start to finish.
Segments of this will be mixed with interviews from other contributors on the themes and topics of each episode. The series will examine the importance and influence of the bogs on many aspects of the lives of Inishowen people from earlier times to the present day.
The Broadcasting Funding Scheme was established to provide funding in support of high quality programmes on Irish culture, heritage and experience, and programmes to improve adult literacy. The Broadcasting Act, 2009 also extended the scheme to offer funding towards programmes dealing with the themes of media literacy and global affairs and increased the percentage level of funding for the Scheme via the television licence fee to 7%.
‘Mind Yourself’, which will be produced by Anne Gill, will provide an in depth look at the issue of mental health and how factors such as the recession have a bearing on our mental well being.
Particular emphasis will be placed on mental health issues in the Inishowen community and will feature local people who are willing to share their stories. The series will look at how mental health is being addressed in the peninsula and at the support that is available to people living here.
The programmes will attempt to help people to develop their mental resilience and to provide positive mental health messages through members of the local community speaking from their individual perspectives.
Anne Sheridan, Mental Health Promotion/Suicide Resource Officer commenting on the series said: “The impact of the recession on the mental health of individuals and families is very significant and having a series which informs the community of the issues and local sources of support is invaluable. It helps remove the stigma often associated with mental health problems and suicide and by involving members of the local community in the initiative will ensure that it has a strong resonance for listeners.”
If anyone is interested in contributing to or getting involved in ‘Mind Yourself’ they should contact Anne on 07493 29105.
