These are the graduate audio documentaries from 4th Year Journalism and Journalism with a Language classes. These projects were originated and produced at the School of Media, Dublin Institute of Technology, Aungier Street, Dublin 2, Ireland. Please feel free to like and share.

Journalism audio documentaries 2016-2017

The Covid-19 pandemic has revealed just how trivial everything else becomes when our mental and physical health is compromised. The Health Jigsaw brings you practical tips from expert practitioners to stay healthy during these uncertain times.

In this episode, host Eily Burke is joined by Pharmacist and Naturopath John Doran, Nutritionist Louise Furey, and Wellness Expert Catherine O’Brien – to discuss the choices you can make to help boost your immune system.

A School of Media Production for TU Dublin: Series Producer - EILY BURKE; Presenter - EILY BURKE. Instagram: @healthjigsawpodcast. Music (CC licensed): Chad Crouch - Algorithms; Siddhartha Corsus - The Fountain of Living Waters; Christian Bjoerklund - The Professor’s Lab; Siddhartha Corsus - Intoxication; Soft and Furious - Monster.

The Health Jigsaw - Episode 1 - Boost Your Immunity: Prepare & Protect

Piers Plowright described himself as a 'radio man'. He'd grown up in a home where the wireless was moved into the living room of an evening for family listening.

Others have called Piers, who died in July 2021, the Godfather of the British Radio Feature.

His thirty-year BBC career began in 1968 as a trainee in English By Radio, after which he migrated via drama to documentaries. There, his programmes received radio's highest accolade, the Prix Italia, on three occasions. Yet he remained always modest, a practised listener, a supporter of colleagues, a composer of sound, silence and word, and - for all his erudition and love of culture - a mischievous spirit.

All of this is felt in his many programmes (see below). In a medium described as having no memory, the quality and distinctiveness of Piers' radio programmes - and the grace of the man - are long remembered.

You are invited to lend your ears to some of his work in this tribute from colleagues and admirers:
Melvyn Bragg, his close friend from student days and distinguished broadcaster,
Dr Cathy Fitzgerald, an award-winning feature-maker and presenter
Seán Street, poet and Professor of Radio
Marta Medvešek, the young Croatian recipient of the 2021 Prix Europa for radio documentary
Matt Thompson, a younger colleague who fell under Piers' spell in the BBC documentaries department
Julie Shapiro, formerly Artistic Director of the Third Coast Festival in Chicago, which awarded Piers the Audio Luminary Award in 2006
Martin Williams, a celebrated producer and amateur radio historian
Redzi Bernard, producer and co-host of the Telling Stories podcast
Tony Phillips, former production colleague and radio commissioning executive.

Including interview excerpts with Piers from Roger Kneebone's Countercurrent podcast and Victor Hall's Pocketsize Studio
and extracts from the following programmes in the BBC Sound Archive:
Stepping Stones (R4, 2015)
A Fine Blue Day (R4, 1978)
Splashpast! (R4, 1993)
Mirooo (R3, 1993)
Mr B - a portrait of James Bellamy (R4, 1991)
Setting Sail (R4, 1985)
One Big Kitchen Table (R4, 1989)
Mr Fletcher, the Poet (R4, 1986)
Nobody Stays in This House Long (R4, 1983)
What Are They Looking At? (R3, 1997)

First broadcast 18th December 2021, BBC Radio 4
Produced by Alan Hall

Piers Plowright, Soundsmith

Sadhbh McDonnell sheds light on the all too familiar scenario for many young people living in Ireland today. Using individual stories she discusses the reasons behind each of their decisions to emigrate.

Music: 
"Beyond the Line", www.bensound.com
License code: SXTRGZ1VGOIOMK26

"Memories", www.bensound.com
License code: K5TTUE4FE32P6F14

The Irish Goodbye - Sadhbh McDonnell

A story about the real-life Cinderella who escaped from the grasp of her controlling parents and ran away with her own prince charming to find success and happiness.

Produced and presented by Diana Lazar









Music via Pixabay: 

Spirit Landscape by Lexin_Music
Forget by Lesfm
The Cradle of Your Soul by lemonmusicstudio
Tension & Tense Sad Piano by Ashot-Danielyan-Composer
Sad Moment/Sad and Melancholy Piano Background Music by SoulProdMusic
Dramatic Atmosphere with Piano and Violin by UNIVERSFIELD

The Real Cinderella by Diana Lazar

Inflation, rent, and tensions are high on Talbot Street. The shifting currents of our modern society have produced a city no one seems proud of. I’m not on the outside looking in, I’m not in the inside looking out, I’m in the dead centre, looking around.

Take a Look Around

Love Can Move Mountains is the tale of how a 22-year-old woman in 1988 Dublin broke off an engagement and found love behind the Iron Curtain.

Whether it’s the trials and tribulations of navigating a new romance beyond the summer, falling in love after falling out of love, organising a wedding between two countries on opposite sides of the continent, or integrating into each other’s lives – Love Can Move Mountains details the experience of a young Irish woman and what manifested from the serendipitous meet-cute with a young Bulgarian man during the downfall of the Iron Curtain era in Eastern Europe.

Allow yourself to be taken on a journey to the late 1980s as my mother tells all in this tale of how she met my father – all thanks to her and a friend going on a package holiday to Bulgaria by chance instead of Cyprus and a dash of love moving a mountain or two.

An interview recorded over one winter afternoon, my mother brought me down her very own memory lane.

– Part 1: The Meet-Cute [01':18"]
– Part 2: A Wedding and the Iron Curtain [19':38"]
– Part 3: The Iron Curtain Has Fallen [33':32"]
– Part 4: Looking Back in Retrospect and Advice to Future Generations [38':09"]

Produced, narrated and researched by Gary Petrov
Guest: Elizabeth Maguire-Petrov

All of the music used in Love Can Move Mountains was sourced through Pixabay. All of the music used is royalty-free.

Tracklist:
1. Jingle Jazz by Łukasz Przystasz
2. Lost in the Night (Californian 80s High Energy) by Serkan Demiral
3. Remember the 80s by Francis MacDonald
4. Relaxing Guitar Loop V12 by Ide Berg
5. Hug Me Tightly by Purnanand Wasave
6. Ominous Base Ar Riff_Ab Minor AOS by Alexis Sofield
7. Sweet Vibe by Free Sound Community
8. Cowbell for Songs Phonk by U_hl9t53to1m
9. Love Land by Free Sound Community
10. Dreaming in Happiness by Purnanand Wasave
11. 80s Retro Beat by Free Sound Community
12. New Growth by Free Sound Community
13. Tambourine Christmas Sound Effect 25 by Beetpro
14. Christmas Melody V1 by BRG Music
15. Bizarre Funky Keyboard Melody by Alex Jauk
16. Uplifting Pad Texture by Samuel F. Johanns
17. Prime Facts 7 13 Background Bass by Prime Facts
18. Gospel Choir Heavenly Transition 3 by Floraphonic
19. Happy Positive Cheerful Music for Kids by Zec53
20. Organ Practice Schaffhausen Cathedral by Free Sound Community
21. Groove Disco Funk Motion Intro by Stylianos Danezis
22. Enchanted Score by Samuel F. Johanns
23. Light-hearted Piano Tune Excerpt by Free Sound Community
 
The sound effects used in Love Can Move Mountains were also sourced from Pixabay and are royalty-free.
 
Credits for Sound Effects:
Free Sound Community; Krzysztof Szymanski; Beetpro; Diyorbek0022007; Michael Mroziak; Peace, Love, Happiness; Moses Justin; Daniel Roberts; Guillermo Anaya; Pankav Yadaj; Denys Kyschuk; Dheeraj M4jor; Jong Man Kim; Rotich Wilson; Tomáš Herudek; and Jurij.

Love Can Move Mountains by Gary Petrov

Jamie Ryan explores how pornography is impacting young men and women in society. 

Jamie speaks to Registered Systemic Psychotherapist, David Kavanagh, Director of the Sexual Exploitation Research and Policy Institute, Ruth Breslin and an anonymous man who has suffered with porn addiction.  

Please be advised that this documentary covers adult themes and may be triggering to some audiences. 

Music via Pixabay:
Sad Emotional and Dramatic Piano by Cold Fire
Please Calm My Mind by Music for Video

Pornography: The Silent Epidemic by Jamie Ryan

Warriors Thai Boxing Gym in Monkstown, Dublin is home to some of the country’s best Muay Thai fighters and coaches and won the Irish Muay Thai gym of the year in 2023. 

Muay Thai otherwise referred to as Thai boxing is an ancient form of martial arts that originated in Thailand. It is also known as ‘The Art of Eight Limbs’ because the fighters use kicks, punches, knees and elbows.  

Luke Hurson speaks to Warriors Gym fighters/coaches; Cian Cowley, Tom Keogh and Sohail Afshar to find out what it means to be a Muay Thai fighter.

Please note this documentary contains language some users may find offensive.

Music used in the programme:
Documentary | No-Copyright Epic Music | Cinematic by MaxKoMusic 

https://soundcloud.com/maxkomusic/documentary-no-copyright-epic-music-cinematic-free-download 

012204_Muay Thai fighter's entrance by Freesound Community on Pixabay 

https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/012204-muay-thai-fighter39s-entrancemp3-58567/

Warriors of Muay Thai by Luke Hurson

Roll of the Dice is a documentary that explores the mental health benefits associated with playing Dungeons and Dragons and why people are so dedicated to it. 

The documentary is brought to you by Sean Norman in association with TU Dublin Audio Tales.

Roll of the Dice by Sean Norman

Sinead Farrelly brings you an insight into how those who have aspergers and autism find their everyday experiences of college life despite their diagnosis. Full of personal stories and experiences to bring you into their world.


Sinead is a 22 year old final year journalism student in DIT. Diagnosed with aspergers in her teens she developed a keen interest in the area of mental health and when choosing a topic for her final year documentary wanted to explore the topic of autism and third level education in its raw, honest form. A proud Dub who grew up in the Kingdom she tends to have some odd ideas about where she is from but is steadfast in her love for the media and for representing the truth behind many common misconceptions about mental health.

Sinead Farrelly:  What You See Is What You Get - Life With An Invisible Disability

Chelsea Tyler McNeill meets Dublin witch Barbara Lee, to find out about spells, stereotypes and the strange rituals involved in Irish witchcraft. Barbra talks about how her choices led to her children being expelled and how witchcraft helped her cope with the death of her 18-year-old daughter.

Witchcraft was something that always fascinated me but when I discovered through a family friend that hundreds of Irish people identify as witches and attend rituals, I had to know more. I wanted to see what being a witch really entails, how extreme the initiations are and whether the stereotypes in the movies had any truth. Barbara Lee is one of the most respected figures in Irish witchcraft, I knew she would have the knowledge and expertise to answer my questions and I also thought her life story, the death of her daughter and how her kids were treated, would be interesting for the listeners.

Chelsea Tyler McNeill: Hocus Pocus – Up close and personal with an Irish witch

Are you suffering from an eating disorder? Could somebody close to you be? Kieva McLaughlin talks to specialists and listens to personal accounts from people who have struggled from one, and how they came out the other side.

Growing up a good few people from school and a few friends of mine had weird relationships with food and in some cases eating disorders. I realised we weren’t taught about mental health issues in school, including eating disorders. Nobody I knew really knew much about them so that made me realise there was an opening for a documentary like this. When doing my documentary this was highlighted again when the people I was interviewing, who suffered with an eating disorder, told me they weren’t educated on them either, and in one persons case she didn’t even realise she had an eating disorder until she went to a psychologist. I think it is important that parents, young people, and people who are suffering with an eating disorder know a bit about the causes, treatments, and results from having an eating disorder.

Kieva McLaughlin: Mouthful

Ingrid Ieremie takes you into her home to discover what it's really like to be a Romanian immigrant living in Ireland. She and her sister have fully immersed themselves in the Irish lifestyle but their parents have not. They are going back to Romania.

The reason for choosing to do the topic on my life story is so that everyone can understand that being an immigrant in Ireland is not so simple. I have become Irish, but my parents have not. Most importantly, they hope to one day go back to Romania, while I stay here, my home, in Ireland.

Ingrid Ieremie: Flying The Nest Back To Romania

I flinch at the shoves and punches being thrown on the pitch each time there is a GAA game. But am I overreacting? As an outsider to it all, I talk with both players and professionals in the field to see what is behind the pillar of Irish culture that is the GAA.

As I outline in my billing, I have never been sporty or invested in a sports mentality. To me, watching the GAA football or hurling finals every year was spent flinching at the punches and shoves being thrown around. It was interesting to me that the players and fans of the sport saw the issues so differently and even revelled in them. I wanted to approach the project as an outsider to the subject, so that I, along with the listener, could learn as I listened.

Erin Lindsay: When Push Comes To Shove

Aisling Harnett examines the relationships pet owners have with their pets in Ireland nowadays. Harnett asked questions to three pet owners to find out about their close bonds to their pets. She finds out some interesting things and even some tips and tricks along the way...

Background to my idea and my interest: I decided to make this radio documentary because I’m an animal lover and I had owned a cat with my family for 8 years. Therefore, I felt I could relate to the pet owners I talked to for this project because it’s a topic which is relevant to me also. It was easy to come up with questions for the documentary interviews that I wanted answers to like what other pet owners fascinations are with their pets and if their pets are like a close friend, family member or even like a child to them?

Aisling Harnett: Oh Pets, We Love You!

A weekly thirty minute deep-dive behind-the-scenes of the whole world of cinema.

Join Adam Moran and expert guests from across the film industry and get to grips with all the biggest issues, challenges and debates facing the world of cinema today.

Episode One explores the future of film exhibition in the era of streaming and superheroes and why traditional film prints are making a comeback in independent cinemas with the Irish Film Institute's head of cinema programming David O'Mahony as well as projectionist and film writer Paul Markey.

Hard Cut - Episode One: The Future of Cinemas

Welcome listener! This is the showcase for the audio documentaries and features produced by the final year Radio students on the undergraduate Film & Broadcasting and Journalism courses at the School of Media, TU Dublin - City Campus. We were born from the success of DIT FM.

Aisling Harnett: Oh Pets, We Love You!

Audio Tales TU Dublin

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