Inside Culture returns to air for another series of culture, creativity and a world of ideas!
Fionn Davenport speaks to the new directors of The Abbey Theatre, Neil Murray and Graham McLaren about their (joint) role at the head of Ireland’s National Theatre. They’ve just begun their tenure there having left the National theatre in Scotland and they discuss their first season, quotas and theatre without walls.
Fionn travels to Cheltenham in the UK to meet Irish sculptor Paul Ferriter whose staute of the Irish jockey AP McCoy was recently unveiled. Ferriter who is based in Dublin has already created sculptures of sporting heroes such as Seve Ballesteros and Jack Nicklaus.
Fionn meets San Francisco based writer and activist Rebecca Solnit. Her recent collection of essays, The Mother Of All Questions, carries on exploring many of the themes that have informed Solnit’s writing over the decades – culture wars, feminism and art. An extended essay she wrote in 2005 called Hope in the Dark has become a surprise best seller in recent months. It was written during the Bush era and the Iraq war. With its affirmative message of hope and solidarity, it has been seen a textbook for today.
Finally, Regan Hutchins asks if it’s possible to disentangle from rolling news coverage and social media and turn to culture and history as a guide to these turbulent times. He turns to writer Neil Hegarty, journalist Julia Barton and poet Eiléan NíChuilleanáin for advice.
Broadcast on Monday, 20th March 2017.
