New Irish Digital outposts! Cape Clear and Sherkin Island launch community radio station

This weekend Cape Clear and Sherkin Island communities will launch a new community radio station. Oileáin FM, featuring interviews, storytelling, plays and music by inhabitants of the two islands and covering topics of local interest from island history, culture and nature to biographies and current affairs, including some in Gaeilge. This year there will be 16 unique broadcasts on Sundays, with some rebroadcast on Thursdays, airing on 93.8 FM and streaming on bit.ly/oileanfm.

Oileáin FM is supported by Sherkin Island Development Society, Comharchumann Chléire Teo, University College Cork and Bere Island Community, through The Grassroot Wavelengths project. This project is funded through the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 framework, under the forward-looking Collective Awareness Program (ICT-11). Bere Island’s, and other existing Irish, community radio stations are providing support. Established through the Grassroot Wavelengths project, only a year ago, Bere Island’s community radio, has been valuable to local life during the lockdown.

Cape Clear and Sherkin Island launch community radio station

Oileáin FM’s committee comprises ordinary women and men, of a wide range of ages, from Cape Clear and Sherkin Island communities. They coordinate to produce and broadcast the programmes and involve other islanders. Over the past few months, staff in UCC’s Department of Applied Psychology, have taught them how to edit interviews and other recordings, using computers, the internet and simple software.

As station co-manager on Sherkin, Aisling said: “Everyone involved in the radio project have been on a journey, everything is new, the technology, the content, the interviewing skills. Together we are learning; which, is building trust, friendship, kindness, and understanding within and between communities. The project excites us all and we are eagerly anticipating our first broadcast. We have all worked hard to get to this point and are hopeful that the whole community will see the benefit and beauty in having our very own platform for communication. A true gift for any community. All volunteers are welcome”.

Oileáin FM’s aerial is installed on the highest point, Quarantine Hill on Cape Clear, providing a signal to both islands, Bantry Bay and some of the near mainland. The aerial uses solar electricity, that as a Cape committee member Máirtín explained, “is a way that a new project can implement our Clean Energy Transition goals by using renewable energy to power our broadcasts”.

If you are from or live on Cape Clear and Sherkin Island, Oileáin FM would love you to volunteer; please contact: [email protected].

Join between 12:30 and 3:30pm on Sunday 5th July on 93.8 FM, or over the internet using the URL: bit.ly/oileanfm.

The dates of Sunday broadcasts:

July: 5, 12, 26 – August: 9, 16, 30 – September: 13, 27 – October: 11, 25 – November: 8, 15, 22 – December: 6, 20, 24

The dates of Thursday rebroadcasts:

July: 16, 30 – August: 13, 20 – September: 3, 17 – October: 1, 15, 29 – November: 12, 19, 26 – December: 10

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