During the course of an outside broadcast the other day at the behest of BBC Radio Ulster, I interviewed a woman and her parrot. People who know me well are aware that I am no slouch when it comes to the art of talking to pet owners and their charges, but this encounter differed from…

NO wonder people from Northern Ireland flee to Donegal whenever they can. I spent last weekend in Kincasslagh, following Daniel O’Donnell around like a puppy, for the purposes of making a radio documentary about the Great One. The village of Kincasslagh is about as far away from anywhere else that a person can get. For…

We at the outerly northern limits of the province take a justified pride in being every bit as up-to-speed on current events as any other Northern Irelander. So, intent on furthering this end, I was devouring a full-page Londonderry Sentinel story about how that newspaper broke the news of the 1879 Zulu rout at Rorke’s…

Recent research has shown that many children who play the recorder at school are put off music for life. The dangerous conclusion drawn from this is that the recorder is to blame. The suggestion is that children would be more inclined to develop an interest in music if they were given guitars to strum. My…

WE live in interesting and acquisitive times. I ponder this as I stand squarely in the middle of a large department store on the day after Boxing Day, observing the carnage that surrounds me. I have foolishly, forgetting the day that’s in it, wandered in from the street to buy some miniscule batteries, otherwise unavailable…

As we come to the end of the year, we have been taking time to reflect on the incredible journey of the Gerry Anderson Music Bursary—and what a journey it has been. What started as a simple hope to honour Gerry’s legacy and support emerging musicians has grown into something truly special, powered by the…

A man recently sent me a clipping from an English language newspaper printed in Spain for consumption by British exiles that leads me to believe Ricky Valance is still alive; older now, silver-haired, alas, but recognisably the pop idol I had known so well. The clipping told me that Ricky had appeared unannounced in a…

THERE is a pub in Co Donegal that shall remain nameless. I first came across it one late afternoon whilst passing through with a showband (no more showband yarns, I promise). Two of us were somehow separated from the pack and found ourselves idly walking down the one and only village street. All was silent.…

PEOPLE from Northern Ireland have always had a communication problem. Not just about how we explain the Troubles, but about almost everything else. I sometimes think that we’re not altogether comfortable with the English language. Unlike people from the south of Ireland, who seem to love words and roll them about their tongues like ice-cream,…

One of our favourite items on the radio show was when Gerry used to read spoof letters that he had received from a lady by the name of “Rosie Ryan”. They have been put together into two books, volume 1 and 2. “Deer Gerry and extended family, how excruciatingly merry it is to sea you…

I HAVE been declared fit enough to present a two-part radio documentary on BBC Radio 2 called ‘How Ireland Went Pop’. The enterprise is ably produced by Owen McFadden and it’s a fascinating story. Part 1 was aired last Saturday night but you can hear Part 2 tonight at 9 o’clock if you feel so…

Gravy train has ground to a halt News drifts towards the province that Irish people in America are scrambling like lemmings to return home. This is happening because the United States is no longer the happy-go-lucky country it was before 9/11. The American authorities used to turn a blind eye when Irish people outstayed their…

I remember thinking American Indians were just like our Derry people. Except their Dole looked different, and wasn’t as crowded. It was sad to note during the week that those most gentle and forgiving of people, the Native Americans, are now just like the rest of the Americans. A young man on an Indian reservation…

GERRY Anderson never dries up. Whether he’s on air or off it he’s unstoppable. You’re tempted to wonder not so much what makes Mr. Anderson tick as what makes him talk. Nonetheless. the fact that he has probably never been party to an embarrassing silence in his life, has paid obvious dividends on his morning…

ONCE, waiting to cash a cheque in an Italian bank, I was attacked by a man on a crutch. Let me set the scene. When one enters a bank in Northern Ireland, one usually joins a long, orderly queue. Civilised and slow-moving, the queue is usually made up of remarkably patient customers who resignedly accept…

IN London last week, and finding myself with an hour or two to spare, I went along to the Aztec Exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts. For those of you who would rather spend your trips to London walking around Piccadilly Circus staring at junkies and girls wearing short skirts, I would highly recommend…

We are very proud to announce that our Dad, Gerry Anderson, will be posthumously awarded the Outstanding Contribution to Music Award at this year’s Northern Ireland Music Prize. Presented by IMRO and supported by the Oh Yeah Music Centre, this award recognises Dad’s lifelong commitment to Northern Irish music, his cherished career in broadcasting, and…

Many of us have ventured across the water to earn our crust. Or as Christy Moore sings: …..you can’t live on love, on love aloneSo you sail cross the ocean, away cross the foam Missing You, Christy Moore And Gerry certainly did his stint away cross the foam. You might be aware of the recent…

We are just past the old Irish festival of Lughnasa or Lughnasadh. Not that I’d ever say Dad was a man of the land, but I think something always stirred in him around this time. This ancient pagan festival marks the start of the harvest season and potentially (hopefully) a time of plenty. According to…