Songs To Learn And Sing – Selected Episodes

From time to time Songs To Learn And Sing features special episodes focused on an individual artist, theme, genre, record label or album release. Some of these episodes are featured below.

Fidelity HF43 - 1970

Fidelity HF43 - 1970

Songs To Learn And Sing – EP 801
Cathal Coughlan
discusses his new album Song of Co-Aklan, the UK political landscape, Microdisney's reunion shows, some (small) news about the Microdisney Virgin albums, his collaboration with Jacknife Lee, and why it's never advisable to play a gig in a car showroom!

Songs To Learn And Sing – EP 768
Gavin Friday
on the early days of the Virgin Prunes, the influence of David Bowie, Dublin's Project Arts Centre, post-punk philosophies, The Fall, Vox magazine, Michael O'Shea, Five Go Down to the Sea?'s Finbarr Donnelly, PIL, the NME's C81 cassette, My Bloody Valentine, Cathal Coughlan, and London.

Songs To Learn And Sing – EP 793
Rough Trade Records
- Songs from 13 Irish Artists who have released music on Rough Trade Records featuring: Girl Band, Virgin Prunes, David Kitt, SOAK, Princess Tinymeat, Puppy Love Bomb, Hal, Microdisney, The Stars of Heaven, Daniel Figgis, Cara Dillon, Lankum and Stiff Little Fingers.

Songs To Learn And Sing – EP 751
Stano
- a career-spanning interview with the Dublin musician and artist. Chatting about: punk in Dublin, Virgin Prunes, The Threat, gigs at the Magnet, performance artist Nigel Rolfe, Alto Studios, Roger Doyle, My Bloody Valentine, Mother Records, Dave Clifford and Vox magazine, and Michael O'Shea.

Songs To Learn And Sing – EP 697
Quare Groove Vol. 1
- Two of the compilers, John Byrne and Jeremy Murphy, chat about putting the album together, tracking down the records, groove music in Ireland in the late 70s early-80s.

Songs To Learn And Sing – EP 679
Niall Connolly
chats about his 8th album, Dream Your Way Out of This One, his new songs, touring Europe, living in New York and the creative process.

Songs To Learn And Sing – EP 675
Niall McCormick and Dr Ciarán Swan the curators of the Green Sleeves exhibition at the National Print Museum chat about printing in Dublin, the evolution in design of record sleeves, the Showbands, Country & Irish, Irish Punk, and contemporary design.

Songs To Learn And Sing – EP 672
A special tribute to Nigel Grainge who passed away on 11 June, 2017. Nigel founded Ensign Records in 1976 and released albums by Sinéad O'Connor, The Waterboys, World Party, Into Paradise, The Boomtown Rats and Stump. This tribute features an interview with Nigel from 2015.

Songs To Learn And Sing – EP 652
In 2017 the Fortuna Pop! records announced that it was shutting up shop, so this episode was dedicated to the label and songs from its back catalogue including: The Primitives, Comet Gain, The Lucksmiths, Sodastream, September Girls, Darren Hayman, Tender Trap, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart and Crystal Stlits.

Songs To Learn And Sing – EP 648
An interview with director Niall McCann about his film Lost in France. The documentary tells the story of the Glasgow music scene of the mid 90s and the Chemikal Underground record label. Niall picks tunes from Aidan Moffat & Bill Wells, The Delgados, Aidan Crowley, Arab Strap, Franz Ferdinand and Mogwai.

Songs To Learn And Sing – EP 647
Allen Blighe
of The Spook of the Thirteenth Lock chats about band's release The Bullet in the Brick. Allen picks tunes by Planxty, The Last Sound, Katie Kim and some traditional singing from Sardinia and the Russian Republic of Altai.

Songs To Learn And Sing – EP 645
An interview with Niall McGuirk about the publication of In Concert: Favourite Gigs of the Ireland's Music Community. The book is a benefit for Irish Red Cross specifically in their efforts to assist people forced to flee their homes in Syria. It’s available from the Hope Collective.

Songs To Learn And Sing – EP 512
A C86 Special - an hour long special with tracks from the Cherry Red 3CD C86 Boxset.

Songs To Learn And Sing – EP 001
Songs to learn and Sing EP 001. Broadcast on 14 September, 2004. Featuring an interview with The Belles from Lawrence, Kansas chatting about their debut album, Omertá. Repeated as EP 750 on 25 March, 2020.