Sunday Miscellany

War Stories and Winter Light

07 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

John and Yoko in County Mayo, Con Houlihan at 100 and a sniff of Christmas, with Donal Fallon, Louise Kennedy, Niall McArdle, Peter Cunningham Aidan H...

Bicycles and Belfast Boys

30 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

George Best and Harry Gregg’s footballing friendship, a long-forgotten fire in the Liberties and a poet in Kinsale, with Roslyn Dee, Las Fallon, Sha...

Grief and History: Voices from Bloody Sunday, 2020

23 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A special programme marking the anniversary of one of the worst days of violence of the War of Independence, with the support of the GAA Museum at Cro...

Old Friends and New Beginnings

16 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ravens, crows and the last Irish wolf, diplomatic journeys and a poetry journal’s elegant farewell, with John MacKenna, Denise Blake, Zoë Devlin, P...

Starry Skies and Student Rites-of-Passage

09 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The art of persuasion, the pity of war and the sanctuary of home, with tributes to the late, great Conor Gearty and Sister Stanislaus Kennedy; the wri...

Ghosts, Goldcrests and a Lost Manuscript

02 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A prayer for Rudolf Valentino, fleeting memories and a snowy night of opera in St Petersburg, with Georg Grote, Louise Kennedy, Beth Kilkenny, Justin ...

A Last Briquette and a Magic Mountain

26 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Silver sparks, a bog for a pillow and the ‘deserts of the midlands’… A ‘Writing the Bog’ special programme, part 2, in collaboration with th...

A Stolen Tulip and a Hare’s Eyes

19 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Creative discoveries from reading to singing to dancing to painting - a live selection from Waterford Writers’ Weekend and the Red Line Book Festiva...

Architecture, Home and the City

12 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How do the places we build shape our lives? A programme marking Open House Dublin Festival of Architecture, with Éimear Arthur, Cormac Murray, Emmett...

Ringing Bells and Magic Nights

05 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Saluting some treasures of our culture, language and landscape; remembering Brian Friel on his tenth anniversary, and a poem for the late, much-missed...

Both Sides Now

28 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Homecomings and departures, a friend for all seasons and tributes to Derek Mahon, Michael Hartnett and more, with Donal Hayes, Grace Wells, Joe Whelan...

Strange Days and Seasonal Moods

21 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

September rituals and youthful rites of passage, with Paul Muldoon, Carol Taaffe, Conall Hamill, Georg Grote, Antonia Hart and Frank ShouldiceSee omny...

Sun and stardust, Irish words for rain and a gift from Edna O’Brien

14 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A re-broadcast of a special Culture Night Miscellany, hosted by President Higgins and Sabina Higgins at Áras an Uachtaráin in 2024, with Manchán Ma...

Writing the Bog, Part 1

07 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Stories of the Irish boglands, past, present and imagined future, in collaboration with the Irish Architecture Foundation's Bog Bothy project, with Ma...

Back-to-school blues, Thackeray’s Irish tour, and Dev’s favourite transport

31 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ireland’s State Coach, the bittersweet first day of school, Thackeray’s travels in Ireland and young boys robbing orchards, with Jonathan White, Z...

Exam Jitters and Curtain Raisers

24 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Leaving result anxiety, fox cubs by moonlight and meeting Mícheál MacLiammóir -- and a new poem from Paul Muldoon. With Denise Blake, Emma Prunty, ...

Angels, Animals and Daughters of Memory

17 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

From the shores of West Kerry to Dublin city’s Georgian squares, to a Traveller man’s campfire – a special programme on Ireland’s treasure tro...

Oasis, Owls and a Wildean Whodunnit

10 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Marmalade sandwiches and illicit pints of Guinness, and the human tremors and reverberations of history from the Baltic Way to the atrocity of the ato...

Night Owls and Guardian Angels

03 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Fairytales and boarding school blues, travelling light and a treasured sewing machine: a Miscellany archive dip with Michael Harding, Eugene McEldowne...

Dreaming in Green and Gold

27 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

All-Ireland football hopes from Kenmare to Killybegs, Leonard Cohen’s magical Lissadell concert, and more, with John Toal, Regina Devenney, John S D...

Hurling, Hitch-hiking and a Baby Elephant

20 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Thumbing a lift, taming a feral cat, the story behind how Babs Keating became Tipperary’s “barefoot wonder” and a father’s love for Cork’s N...

Live Aid and Limpets

13 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Hazy summer days from West Kerry to Beirut, and saluting the pioneering Yeats sisters, with Michael Hilliard Mulcahy, Eunan McKinney, Mae Leonard, Ale...

A New York State of Mind

06 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Coat checks and cityscapes in New York City; preparing for a family wedding; and reflections on wearing wigs. With Gary Coyle, Neil Hegarty, Cathy Pow...

Ways of Seeing, Notions of Home

29 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How we see ourselves, and others, and what constitutes home; a selection from the Belfast Books Festival in 2023 and 2004 with Wendy Erskine, John Toa...

Travelling West, Travelling East

22 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The mud of Glastonbury and the elegance of the Monet garden, a St John’s Eve bonfire and the bravery of Irishman Graham Dale, with Conall Hamill, La...

Fathers, a Faith Healer and a Missing Football

15 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Solstice meditations, a Sydney nightwalk and a visit to Joyce’s Nighttown, with Colin Regan, Kieran FitzGerald, Grace Wells, Fran O’Rourke, Katrin...

Sunflowers, Spirit Animals and Ziggy Stardust

08 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Live from the Belfast Book Festival 2024, at the Crescent Arts Centre, with Ways of Seeing. Writers: Jan Carson, Lucy Caldwell, Glenn Patterson, Emily...

Glorious Boglands and Glory Days

01 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Exam jitters and poetry grinds for teenagers, the heyday of the Irish Press newspaper, and silage-making with a reluctant farm horse, with Alexander M...

Baltic Adventures and a Colorado Rocky Mountain High

25 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Campervan travels with an intrepid German grandmother, a loaf of heavenly batch bread, and the Heysel Stadium Disaster remembered, with Alexander McMa...

Empty Nests, and Dining with the Future Pope

18 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Leaving home and a kind of homecoming; Eurovision memories and a tribute to a beloved brother, with Gráinne Quinlan, William Wall, Fabian McGrath, Jo...

Royals and Riverkeepers

11 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Post-war wanderings and pilgrimages of the heart, a Rembrandt double-portrait and a poem for Béaltaine, with Denis Tuohy, Clare O’Dea, Barbara Leah...

Seals, Birds and Bees

04 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Encounters with wildlife, labour struggles in Italy and remarkable island architecture, with Michael Cullen, William Wall, Nollaig Rowan, Michael Hill...

Birthdays and Broken Hearts

27 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Shakespeare’s seven ages of man, Jane Austen’s sense and sensibility, pilgrimages of the heart -- and a flickering candle, with Daniel Mulhall, Ro...

Bell Chimes and Baby Chicks

20 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Easter miracles and a newly risen Notre-Dame; natty hats and singing in public, with Fachtna Ó Drisceoil, Aidan Mathews, Roslyn Dee, Olivia O’Leary...

Wobbly Lambs and Swooping Swallows

13 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Stirrings of spring and a stubborn donkey, Easter in Beirut and meeting Samuel Beckett, with Kate O’Shaughnessy, Louise Kennedy, Peter Cunningham, J...

Bedsit Blues and Poker Nights

06 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dentists’ drills, dry stone walls and debtors’ prison, and the Great Gatsby at 100, with Tim Carey, Rebecca Hunter, Brian Crowley, Jessica Freed, ...

Dedicated to the One I Love

30 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Handwritten letters and mother-daughter rites of passage, a search for identity, and the delightful landscapes of Ireland’s South West, with Barbara...

Bittersweet Memories and a Mighty Mouse

23 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Car troubles, revolutionary whispers and a tribute to a hero of Dublin city, with John Toal, Catherine Foley, Rosaleen McDonagh, Kathleen Murphy, Just...

Riverdance and Ronnie Drew, Saint Patrick and the Pogues

16 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Saint Patrick’s hidden holy well, a White House welcome, an encounter with musical genius and a “grand stretch” in the evenings, with Liz Nugent...

Red Books and Yellow Sand

09 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Canine clutter and a feline warrior, a friendship forged in music and a century-old literary scandal, with writers Philip Judge, Alexis MacIsaac, Laoi...

Gongs and Goldfinches

02 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Oscar night fever and Jaws at 50, placenames of Waterford and saluting Ronnie Delany at 90, with John O’Donnell, Zoë Devlin, Val O’Donnell, Niall...

Emigrant Tears and Encounters with Strangers

23 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ghost signs of Dublin, Wexford tales, and climbing Carrauntuohil, with Jamie O’Connell, Margaret Galvin, John MacKenna, AM Cousins, Aoife Barry and ...

Second Chances and Stormy Seas

16 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ministering angels and mutiny at sea, a devastating fire in a Dublin market, and a poem for the late Ivor Browne, with Antonia Hart, Eddie Vallely, Wi...

Weepy Movies and Meeting Marianne

09 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Bittersweet love stories, eye-catching cover art and home thoughts from abroad, with Feargal Ó Dubhghaill, Molly Furey, Joe Kearney, Margaret Galvin,...

Candlemas, Chaplin and the Curragh

02 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Slip-sliding resolutions, sleepy sheep and saluting the darkness even as winter turns to spring, with Conall Hamill, Beth Kilkenny, Kevin Gildea, Karl...

Stormy Seas and a Stitch in Time

26 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Sailing to Antarctica, a few sticks of furniture and the life of O’Reilly in Australia, with Hugh Weldon, Margaret Galvin, Mary Dowey, Beth Kilkenny...

Rainy Days and Range Anxiety

19 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

From Cherbourg to Belmullet to Western Vancouver: friendship, poetry and voyages of the heart, with Mattie Brennan, Peter Cunningham, Cathy Sweeney, G...

Tea Leaves and Theatre Tales

12 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Silk Road meditations, dreamy prophecies and the hard winter of 1947, with Emer O’Kelly, Eileen Casey, John MacKenna, Alexander McMaster, Lani O’H...

Snowy Landscapes and Fresh Beginnings

05 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Diplomatic travels and inner journeys, from Leitrim to Lourdes, from Ontario to Togo and Nauru – meeting a Daniel O’Donnell fan along the way… a...

Music, Memories and Miracles

29 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A friendly spy, Joyce’s favourite music, and remembering the Dead at Christmastime… with archive from and tributes to some much loved writers we l...

Turkeys, traditions and Christmas contemplation

26 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Christmas food, seasonal gifting and contemplation and a Dublin legend, with John Toal, Donal Fallon, Maggie Armstrong, Margaret Galvin, John F Deane ...

Seasonal reflections and unexpected guests

24 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Reflections on the Christmas season and an unexpected house guest, a miniature Miscellany for Christmas Eve, with Olive Travers, James Harpur and John...

Starry Nights and Ghostly Bells

22 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Puccini in Rome, Star Wars fever and a child’s Christmas wonder: part 1 of Christmas Miscellany with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra and special guests, ...

Meeting Wham, and a Christmas Angel

15 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Stories of the revolution and the Irish revival, and heroes and heroines of every hue, with Declan Kiberd, Jim Maguire, Mary Hassett, Síobhra Aiken, ...

Gargoyles, Geese and Election Blues

08 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Saluting Notre-Dame on its grand reopening, wild geese on the wing, rediscovering a love of Latin and saying Thank You to life – by way of Joan Baez...

Turf, Thatch and Secret Worlds

24 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Guy Mitchell in Finglas, a century old bank raid, and other tales from the 80s and 90s programme archive, with Aodhán Madden, Nuala Hayes, Brian Leyd...

Soft Days, a Swing and a Swedish Song

17 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Irishwomen abroad, wearing vintage and bridging the eternal generation gap – with Peter Cunningham, Helen Lahert, Daniel Mulhall, Denise Blake, Kate...

Persimmons and Poppies

10 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A brush with the law in the London of 'Minder', late flowering and vanishing Dublin, with Derek Mahon, with Peter Trant, Neil Hegarty, Niamh Donnelly,...

Jewelled Fruits and a Late, Late Harvest

03 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Apples, blackberries, and bravery in Nazi-occupied Budapest, with Amanda Bell, John MacKenna, John Toal, Brian Farrell, Kathy Donaghy, Oliver Sears an...

Angelus Bells, Opera Nights and Nosferatu

27 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Angelus bells, Wexford opera nights and a glimpse of Nosferatu, with Joe Kearney, Joe Brennan, AM Cousins, Tom Ryan, Judith Mok, Maura Gilligan and Ca...

Poetry of the Skies

21 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Cosmic wonders and maths miracles; book tokens, baby names and a much loved poet’s birthday tribute, with Enda Wyley, Paul Durcan, Colm O’Regan, D...

Architecture and the City

13 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

From Donegal to Dublin, how do the places we build shape our lives? A programme marking Open House Dublin Festival of Architecture, with Éimear Arthu...

Autumn Apples in Leitrim

06 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

From traces of the Gauls in France to a Kurdish boy’s story of finding refuge in Ireland, voices from Leitrim’s Iron Mountain Festival: Mary Byrne...

Libraries and a Lost Key

29 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Paints, pigments and the perfume of old paper. Love objects and the love of books. More from Culture Night at Áras an Uachtaráin, hosted by Presiden...

Live at the Áras: Culture Night

22 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Irish words for rain, ghosts of Kilmainham, a tribute to Edna O’Brien and a sprinkle of stardust - a special live Miscellany at Áras an Uachtaráin...

Artistic treasures and Romantic Ireland

15 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Glorying in artistic treasures, and dealing with artistic reality, with Caitríona Lally, Julie Feeney, Cristín Leach, Julie Morrissy and John Graham...

Sweet Treats and Sweet Music

08 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Brass bands, boarding school blues, and a blacksmith in his forge in Rathiniska, with Carol Taaffe, Colin Regan, Paul Johnston, Margaret Dunne, Fiona ...

A Sea Rescue, and School Leavers Set Sail

01 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Coming-of-age tales and the extraordinary story of the Irish merchant ship the MV Kerlogue, and Seamus Heaney on the byroads of County Wexford, with E...

Urban animals, Frankenstein in Tuscany, and Nell McCafferty at Italia 90

25 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Urban animals and comedy in the city, Frankenstein in Tuscany, and minding the great Nell McCafferty at Italia 90, with John Egan, Ann Marie Durkan, J...

Angels, Animals and Daughters of Memory

18 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

From the shores of West Kerry to Dublin city’s Georgian squares, to a Traveller man’s campfire – a special programme on Ireland’s treasure tro...

Olympians, Elvis and a Storytelling Queen

11 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Irish experiences of the Olympic Games in Moscow 1980 and Paris 1924, Peig Sayers’s resurgence, and a love story at Lough Derg, with John Kirwan, Nu...

Olympians, Artists and Innisfree

04 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A walk in the woods, writing advice from Maeve Binchy and blood in the water at the Melbourne Olympics, with Fergal McCabe, Bernadett Buda, Mike MacDo...

Tribes, Bards and Olympic Dreams

28 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Dance moves on the pitch, climbing the Reek, an encounter with screenwriter Robert Towne -- and swimming lessons from Tarzan, with Karl O’Neill, Vic...

Radio Games and Hurling Dreams

21 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Sliotars, Cork and Clare superstars and the incomparable Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh remembered, with John Cooney, Seamus McKenna, Róisín Bugler, Ji...

French culture, Irish sporting history and the physical world

14 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Finding inspiration in France, a slice of Ireland's sporting history and the importance of our physical world. With Judith Mok, Cathy Power, Alice Rek...

Skyscrapers, painting by owl-light and wigs

07 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Love and a family wedding, an architect’s New York, navigating Irish-African inheritances, wigs and being an artist and easel painting in Donegal. W...

Safe Harbours and a Selkie Song

30 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ways of Seeing 2: More words and music from Belfast Book Festival with Paul McVeigh, Marie Howe, John Toal, Mícheál McCann, Maria McManus, and music...

Sunflowers, Spirit Animals and Ziggy Stardust

23 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Live from Belfast Book Festival at the Crescent Arts Centre, Ways of Seeing: writers Jan Carson, Lucy Caldwell, Glenn Patterson, Emily Byers-Ferrian a...

Butterballs, Bullseyes and Bloomsday

16 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Reflections on fatherhood, and literary Dublin’s first Joycean jaunt, with Patricia Joyce Oliver, Rory Gleeson, Donal Fallon, Ann Breslin and Oliver...

Celestial Considerations and Serendipity

02 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A dip into the Miscellany archive with 1990s pieces by Michael Harding, Nicky Barry, Kevin O’Connor, Patricia O’Reilly, Catherine Ann Cullen and P...

Baby Birds and Barefoot Running

26 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Thin Lizzy in Tramore, Brehon Brutalism in Ballsbridge, feathery feats of nature -- and the wisdom, or not, of meeting your heroes. With John Toal, Jo...

Spring blooms and a batch loaf

19 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Sea pinks on the Copper Coast, intimations of mortality in the Irish hawthorn tree, and ways of making a show of yourself, with Pat Boran, Peter Cunni...

Chieftains and Cherry Blossoms

12 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Cows and cowboy boots, a rookie promoter’s first gig in Galway, and glory days of fun and friendship in Monet’s garden. With Maeve Edwards, Joe Ke...

From La Scala in Milan to Bruce Springsteen in Dublin

05 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

From Milan to Dublin, a programme on song and speech, finding and using your voice, dancing and self-expression-- with Mark Brennock, Doireann Ní Bhr...

A Sculptor’s Sculptor and a Swallow on the Suir

28 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Month’s mind tributes to the late sculptor Imogen Stuart and poet Michael Coady; bonny labouring boy, the smell of new boots and an old coat. With P...

Miracles and Talking Birds

21 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Saints and prayers, crowning glory and a Shakespearean starling, with Elizabeth Oxley, Moya Cannon, Dermot Bolger, Pat Boran, Rosaleen McDonagh and Co...

Moscow, Mustard and Sand Martins

14 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Returning swallows, an Irishman abroad in the USSR, a German eye on Daniel O’Connell, and Harry Nilsson’s Irish love, with Jim Sharkey, Jenny Beal...

Bright visions and moments of joy

07 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A favourite song of Seán Ó Riada’s, wonderful parties, and extraordinary kindness to a young writer starting out: John Banville, Shelly Furlong, D...

Bell chimes and Bach’s St Matthew Passion

31 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Easter eggs, Easter bonnets and the enduring appeal of Bach’s 300 year old masterpiece, with Olivia O’Leary, Paul Johnston, Aidan Mathews, Margare...

Starry Nights and Stardust

24 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Rescue pets and reliquaries, asteroids and a crown of thorns, with Gail Seekamp, Fiona Hyland, AM Cousins, Conor Horgan, Jim Sperin, Mary O’Malley a...

A Saint, a Goat and a Rocky Place

17 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Shades of green in a St Patrick’s Day Miscellany with Seán O’Gorman, Máire T Robinson, Joe Kearney, Bernard Dunleavy, John MacKenna, James Harpu...

Sing-songs, heavenly aspirations and life's paraphernalia - a Mother’s Day Special

10 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Women sewing, singing, loving and maybe even dancing in heaven. A Mother's Day special with Maeve Edwards, Joe Whelan, AM Cousins, Paul Howard, Clare ...

A lamp, a love charm and a library ghost

03 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Voices in harmony at Creative Brain Week and the New Yorker magazine’s own, Irish, long-winded lady, with Mike Hanrahan, Lourdes Mackey, John MacKen...

Fire, Ice and Paper

25 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Confessions of a cocktail piano teen sensation, Father Damo goes to Ted Fest, a letter to Letter from America, and sawing wood in a Siberian gulag, wi...

Maths, Machines and Alphabet Magic

18 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Clowns, candymen and a pocket calculator: a poem celebrating human ingenuity and playfulness, with Neil Hegarty, Henrietta McKervey, Leo Cullen, Evely...

Forbidden love, correct attire, and ancient landscapes

11 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Arboreal hieroglyphics, respectable attire, Gershwin’s Irish influence and a love that couldn’t be stopped. With Kevin McDermott, Margaret Galvin,...

Brigid, Bolivia and Biting Creatures

04 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Nervous patients, home from home and the saint among the box hedges, with Rebecca Hunter, Jenny Beale, Peter Trant, Barbara Scully, Niall McArdle and ...

Feathers, Flappers and a Full Moon

28 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

From Old Moore’s Almanac to the jellyfish apocalypse with birdwatching on the Dodder and capturing a flapper skate along the way, with Joe Kearney, ...

Burns, Borderlands and a New Baby

21 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Stepping out to dance class, serenading a new arrival, skulduggery in a Scottish graveyard – and rereading the searing Diary of Anne Frank, with Eli...

Pilgrim Souls, Old Souls

14 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Paintings and poetry, mending and making do, reciting Yeats in New Delhi and a long night of the soul in the Emergency Department, with Daniel Mulhall...