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Singing the Troubles: Music and Identity in Ireland

Irish writers Louise O Neill and Nell McCafferty, Belfast based writers Stuart Bailie and Rosemary Jenkinson, plus Irish punk poet Jinx Lennon.

Art, pop music, literature and folk song from the island of Ireland. As Ireland gets ready to go to the polls to vote on whether or not to liberalise its abortion laws, Irish writers Louise O'Neill and Nell McCafferty discuss the art and literature influenced by the campaign.

Rosemary Jenkinson is a playwright with a self-confessed identity problem. She explains the challenges of identifying as both an East Belfast protestant and as an Irish writer, against the backdrop of Northern Ireland's identity politics.

Belfast based broadcaster and journalist Stuart Bailey talks us through the musical landscape of Northern Ireland, from its troubled past to the historic peace deal of the Good Friday Agreement.

Plus, Jinx Lennon, a punk poet and folk singer from the border region of the Republic of Ireland, sings an untold story from his home town of Dundalk.

Presented by Tina Daheley
Produced by Johny Cassidy

(Photo: Irish rock band U2 at the MTV Europe Music Awards in November 2017 Credit: Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)

Available now

27 minutes

Last on

Mon 21 May 2018 06:32GMT

Broadcasts

  • Sat 19 May 2018 02:32GMT
  • Sun 20 May 2018 19:32GMT
  • Sun 20 May 2018 23:06GMT
  • Mon 21 May 2018 03:32GMT
  • Mon 21 May 2018 06:32GMT

Podcast