The Plastic Podcasts

Michael Flavin – The Many Small Steps of Birmingham Irishness

The proud possessor of three masters degrees and two doctorates, Michael Flavin is a Reader in Global Education in the African Leadership Centre at King’s College London. He is the author of two books on technology enhanced learning, two on nineteenth-century literature, and two novels. The first of these, One Small Step, tells the tale of a Birmingham Irish boy and the aftermath of the pub bombings of 1974. He’s also an open, incisive and entertaining interviewee. Plus John Merrigan and Danielle Morgan (aka Fatdan) raise two unique Plastic Pedestals

Fatdan Fables - John and Danielle Sing Songs of Behan and Beyond

John Merrigan and Danielle Morgan – aka fatdan productions – take a break between rehearsals to tell us about their lives, their love and their latest play (with music): “Brendan, Son Of Dublin.” Theirs is a journey that takes us from Dublin and Tipperary to London and Liverpool via Dubai, from working a life surrounded by books and theatre to the oil industry, from the BRIT School to the police. They talk about Wilde and Lynott and the centenary of Behan, about musicals for people who don’t like musicals and reveal the mystery of “fatdan”. Plus, Emma O’Rourke places Sinead…

Emma O'Rourke: Painting Memories in Light and Shade (and Knicker Pink)

London-born artist Emma O’Rourke uses her own personal archive – and those of other people and institutions – to negotiate that most Irish of concerns: memory and remembrance. Whether sourcing family photos, the recollections of strangers or museum artefacts, her abstractions are both warm and bold. We talk about the effects of interpreting memory along with family, class, holidays and the “best colour”. Plus Declan McSweeney raises James “Big Jim” Larkin onto The Plastic Pedestal.

Declan McSweeney: The Trials of the International Local Journalist

Declan McSweeney has over twenty five years experience as a local correspondent and writer on either side of the water. As a journalist with the Offaly Express he covered the disappearance – still unsolved – of Fiona Pender, before working both with the Romford Recorder and as a freelance columnist across England. He tells of the changes in regional press, the differences between Irish and English methods and the barriers now facing him and other European journalists when trying to report outside of London. Plus Mick Ord raises his Aunt Phyllis onto The Plastic Pedestal

Mick Ord: Adoption, Discovery and The Power of Memory

Journalist, Media Consultant, Producer and Podcaster, Mick Ord is a legend among the broadcast press of Merseyside. A former head of BBC Radio Merseyside, he has covered such events as Heysel, Hillsborough, the Warrington bomb and Liverpool’s successful bid for Capital of Culture. He was NUJ Regional Journalist of the Year in 1990 for his…