The Southern Star In The News Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

WITH the recent arrival of a Hallmark production into the region, West Cork Film Studios landed one of its first major coups. 

It was the first major production to be based at the WCFS, which is located at Baltimore Road in Skibbereen, and has given the studios the perfect opportunity to roll out, and develop, film infrastructure in West Cork.

For The Big Story, Mary McCarthy spoke with directors Édáin O'Donnell and Steve Park about the growing industry and why West Cork's unique community is buying into film in the region.

The Big Story is a digital, subscriber-only series by the Southern Star. Each part will bring subscribers closer to the stories that matter in West Cork. Browse previous Big Stories here.

Produced by Mary McCarthy and Tony O'Shaughnessy. Written and presented by Mary McCarthy. Editing by Dylan Mangan.

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CHRISTMAS, like many other parts of life, has constantly changed with the times. From stockings at the foot of your bed to above the mantlepiece, or from sending turkeys to England in the post to Amazon Prime delivery, Christmas has become a different beast in recent years.

Gerald O'Brien of Skibbereen Historical Society shares his memories of what Christmas was like for him, growing up in West Cork in the 40s and 50s, and how some traditions have changed while others remain the same.

The Big Story is a digital, subscriber-only series by The Southern Star. Each part will bring subscribers closer to the stories that matter in West Cork. Browse previous Big Stories here.

Produced by Mary McCarthy and Tony O'Shaughnessy. Written and presented by Mary McCarthy. Editing by Dylan Mangan.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

FOR A country with 29% of EU fishing waters, Ireland still doesn't have a viable fishing industry.

EU membership, Brexit, and now the decommissioning scheme have all taken their toll, and the demise of the industry has been likened to death by a thousand cuts.

With the deadline for the Government's decommissioning scheme looming ever-closer, Southern Star reporter Jackie Keogh travelled to Castletownbere, where an estimated fifteen boats are due to be decommissioned, to find out if West Cork's fishing industry has a future.

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IT has been a difficult few years for the hospitality industry, first with Covid-19 shutting restaurants and bars down for months, followed by some astronomical energy bills which have seen numerous closures across West Cork and beyond.

The news of the closure of Pilgrim's in Rosscarbery and Cru Wine Bar & Bistro in Kinsale was met with shock, and on the latest edition of the In The News Podcast we chat to Michelin star chef Ahmet Dede about how he has managed during this difficult period and about the restaurant industry as a whole.

We also hear from Star reporter Kieran O'Mahony, who joins us to talk about the trend of recent closures and how some establishments are coming up with novel ways to improve business.

Presented by Dylan Mangan with reporting by Kieran O'Mahony.

Listen to our previous episode: The Holocaust deniers on our doorstep.

Thanks for listening to The Southern Star's In The News Podcast. Please be sure to like, share and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.

For more on this story pick up a copy of this week's Southern Star or subscribe online via www.southernstar.ie/epaper.

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IN RECENT weeks we have seen some anti-aslyum seeker protests take place across the country, with far-right groups and beliefs seeming to take a more mainstream place in Irish culture in recent times.

On today’s podcast we’ll focus on how some beliefs associated with far-right thinking may be closer to home in West Cork than you would imagine, and have been for some time now.

The Southern Star's editor, Siobhán Cronin, joins us to speak about her visit to Auschwitz and a recent court case involving a human rights activist and the SSPX Resistance - a fringe religious group which broke away from mainstream Catholicism over its belief that the modern Church has become too liberal.

Thanks for watching and listening to The Southern Star's In The News podcast. Please be sure to like, share and subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Catch up with our previous episode, focusing on the rise and decline of fishing on Cape Clear, here.

This podcast was produced and presented by Dylan Mangan and Siobhán Cronin.

For more on this story pick up a copy of this week's Southern Star or subscribe online via www.southernstar.ie/epaper.

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FISHING was, for a long time, an important part of island life across Ireland, and remains so, but fortunes have changed for those fishing out of Cape Clear, a West Cork island which finds itself relying more on tourists than marine life for its livelihood.

On the latest edition of our In The News podcast, reporter Jackie Keogh went to Cape Clear to speak with islanders about the iconic location's history and the rise and decline of fishing on the island.

In today’s podcast we’ll hear from Mary O’Driscoll, an islander who has been cataloguing Cape Clear’s fishing history, and Kieran Cotter, a former RNLI coxswain and fisherman.

You can watch the report above, or listen on the go via our audio version.

Thanks for watching and listening to The Southern Star's In The News podcast. Please be sure to like, share and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.

Catch up with our previous episode, focusing on the future of farming in West Cork by clicking here.

Video produced and presented by Jackie Keogh.

For more on this story pick up a copy of this week's Southern Star or subscribe online via www.southernstar.ie/epaper.

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IT HAS been yet another eventful year in a long line of eventful years, not only for the world in general but for West Cork people and communities too.

Today on the In The News podcast, we're joined by the Southern Star's editor Siobhán Cronin, and sports editor Kieran McCarthy to take a look back at the year gone by and to delve into some of the stories that made the headlines this year.

This year saw West Cork fishermen standing up to Russia, Michael Collins' centenary commemorations, rows about bank closures and a windfarm in Gougane Barra, along with much more. We talk about why local media is important and why West Cork is so full of stories each and every week.

2022 was a huge year for West Cork sportspeople as well, who continued to break glass ceilings both locally and nationally, so tune in for The Southern Star's review of the year gone by.

This podcast was produced and presented by Dylan Mangan.

Thank you to Siobhán Cronin and Kieran McCarthy for their input.

Thanks for listening to The Southern Star's In The News Podcast. Please be sure to like, share and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.

For more stories like these, pick up a copy of this week's Southern Star or subscribe online via www.southernstar.ie/epaper.

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THE agricultural sector has to make emissions cuts of 25% by 2030.

Radical policy changes are coming down the tracks from as early as January which will massively change how farmers, especially those involved in dairy, can operate.

In simple terms, for many in West Cork it will mean stocking less cows or acquiring more land.

The Southern Star's deputy editor Emma Connolly has been speaking to farmers and farming interest groups about the year ahead in 2023, as the new emissions targets spell uncertainty for many.

By Emma Connolly & Dylan Mangan.

Thanks for watching and listening to The Southern Star's In The News podcast.

Please be sure to like, share and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.

For more on this story pick up a copy of this week's Southern Star or subscribe online via www.southernstar.ie/epaper.

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A RECENT report from UCC said that West Cork's seven islands face being abandoned like the Blaskets were in the 50s.

Residents on the islands face numerous issues, with one of the main problems highlighted in the report being a lack of housing. People say that they are concerned for the future of younger generations and that many people will have to move to the mainland if changes aren't made.

Emma Connolly, deputy editor of The Southern Star has been reporting on this issue since the publishing of the report, and joins us on the podcast today to go into more detail on its findings.

In our previous episode we focused on how the housing crisis is affecting older people in West Cork, and this episode shows again that the issues affect all parts of society, with residents on the islands facing huge challenges going forward.

Presented and produced by Dylan Mangan with reporting by Emma Connolly.

Thanks for listening to The Southern Star's In The News Podcast. Please be sure to like, share and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.

For more on this story pick up a copy of this week's Southern Star or subscribe online via www.southernstar.ie/epaper.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.