Inishowen Live, the online community radio station for Inishowen, celebrates its first year on air at the end of this month after bieng first broadcast on March 29th, 2013.
The online station was born after the closure of the old ICR FM left Inishowen without its dedicated radio station.
A group of enthusiastic individuals, some of whom had been employees or volunteers at the old station, put their heads together to see what could be done about the situation and Inishowen Live was born.
The group are all volunteers and range from transition year students to retired businessmen all with one thing in common – a passion for local radio.
During its first year Inishowen Live has broadcast a lively daily schedule which includes a range of local news and interviews, current affairs and music to suit all tastes from its Carndonagh-based studio.
A very successful “Official Launch” was held in Simpsons in Carndonagh which showcased a feast of local music talent.
It has also been lucky enough to host some celebrities and scored a few “firsts” – being the first radio station in the world to broadcast tracks from the latest Horslips CD release “Biography” which was released to coincide with the launch of the official Horslips biography released in October – and after that, the book’s author Mark Cunningham came on board as a presenter!
Barry Devlin of Horslips was a guest presenter in the studio in July and was live on Inishowen Live on New Year’s Eve – the only radio station in Ireland to have that honour!
2013 Voice of Ireland finalist Shane McLaughlin has also been a studio guest, as well as local stars such as Kate O’Callaghan, Matt Whoriskey and Winter Mountain.
The team have covered local news stories and welcomed many local guests to the studio; “Sound of Inishowen” and “Planet Inishowen” cover local and global affairs and “The Movie Zone” looks at the movie scene.
As an online station, Inishowen Live reaches out to the Inishowen and Donegal diaspora around the world and “Inishowen Calling” connects Inishowen people from places as far away as Los Angeles and the Caribbean island of St. Maarten, live on air via skype with the folks back home as well as talking to individuals in a variety of locations from Stornoway to Texas!
Now the group is turning its attention towards expanding on to the FMairwaves as a natural next step, and a fundraising campaign has been launched to put in place the necessary equipment.
The station is holding an Anniversary Bash + Fundraiser at Mary Deeney’s in Muff on Friday 21st March to which all are welcome. Music will be by Stringfellas and guests.
You can hear Inishowen Live by connecting to the website at www.inishowenlive.com or using the TuneIn app on your tablet or smart phone. They are also active on Facebook and Twitter.
Tags: