Silence Would Be Treason
The last writings of Ken Saro-Wiwa from prison in Nigeria to an Irish nun in the run up to his execution in November 1995. Smuggled out of prison in bread baskets, they are the final testament of a man who gave everything he had in the struggle for social and ecological justice.
Signing In: New Irish Writers - Documentary On Newstalk
Poets and editors from Nigeria, Zimbabwe, India and South Africa give us an in-depth look at diversity in Irish writing and publishing.
Nidhi Zak/Aria Eipe, Christie Kandiwa, Chandrika Narayanan-Mohan, Khanyo Dlamini and Chiamaka Enyi-Amadi read their poetry of love, migration, family - and share their own unique experiences of ‘home’.
Alternative Learning: The Cork Life Centre
Producer Bairbre Flood talks to students and teachers and examines what the education system can learn from the success of this iconic Cork school.
Funded by the BAI (Broadcasting Authority of Ireland).
Short Talks
Artists, activists, refugees and community workers talk about different aspects of migration.
Against The Wire: Documentary On Newstalk
In 'Against The Wire', Producer Bairbre Flood travels to Lesvos, Greece to talk to volunteers and refugees working in Moria Refugee Camp.
‘There are so many people there with different skills, who have a high educational background, but they are stuck there. They want to help develop their society. No one wants to come here to live here in that kind of situation.’ Abdul, from Ghana, coordinator of the One Happy Family school on the island.
The radio premiere of ‘Against The Wire’ airs on News...
Burning Hope on Lesvos: a blog
Ali is a soft-spoken, thoughtful artist I met while in Moria refugee camp earlier this year. Originally from Afghanistan, he claimed asylum in Greece, but his application was refused; he was arrested and put in the prison inside the camp to await deportation. Usually involved in creative projects, Ali found prison conditions difficult to endure. An appeal was put together, but it’s unclear how this will progress, after the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) in the camp was completely destr...
People in refugee camps won’t survive the pandemic unless we act now
As I left Greece in March, Moria refugee camp on Lesvos was trying to prepare itself for coronavirus.
With sporadic running water, little access to soap and severe overcrowding, everyone is worried about what will happen if the virus hits.
‘We will be wiped out,’ Baqir, a 17-year old who made the journey to Europe alone, told me. ‘We can’t even wash our hands here.’
I had met Baqir and some of the other unaccompanied minors in the camp – there are 10,000 – through Elena Lydon, an Irish nurse ...
Against The Wire – lockdown in Lesvos: a blog
When I left Lesvos in mid-March, Moria refugee camp was still running out of water in some parts by 9.30am. Social distancing was almost impossible, and residents feared the worst if the pandemic hit. New groups were formed – The Moria Corona Awareness Team, and The Moria White Helmets – and refugees organised with local Greeks (Stand By Me Lesvos) and international NGOs such as, Movement On The Ground, to improve living conditions. Other groups campaigned for an evacuation of the camp, and m...
MU Library Ken Saro-Wiwa School Poetry
A three episode series produced for Maynooth University Library.
Episode one features Christeen Udokamma Obasi, Conor Walsh and Eva Paturyan. The poems are part of a new collection: I Am A Man Of Peace: Writings inspired by the Maynooth University Ken Saro-Wiwa Collection published by Daraja Press and edited by deputy librarian Helen Fallon.
I Am A Man Of Peace - Ken Saro-Wiwa School Podcast
Blog post for Maynooth University Library about podcast I produced with winners of the school category of 'I Am A Man Of Peace: Writings inspired by the Maynooth University Ken Saro-Wiwa Collection' (edited by Helen Fallon, and published by Daraja Press).
Ireland And The Slave Trade
In Ireland we’re more familiar with thinking of ourselves as the victims of history – which we were – than as active participants in colonialism. But it’s an uncomfortable fact that the Irish were also slave owners, slave traders, overseers and agents. We helped build the slave empire on behalf of Britain, France and other countries, and shared in the profits of this horrendous system over the course of several hundred years.
Talking to historians, academics and writers, producer Bairbre Floo...
Mary Elmes: Documentary On Newstalk
Documentary celebrating the Irish aid worker who saved the lives of many Jewish children during WW11
"It’s estimated that at least 80 children were directly saved by Mary Elmes. She never sought any attention for her actions, and her story has only recently become known".
In her new radio documentary feature, ‘Mary Elmes’, premiering this weekend on Newstalk 106-108fm as part of the Documentary On Newstalk Series, producer Bairbre Flood tells the extraordinary true story of Irish relief worke...
Righteous Among The Irish
Born in Ballintemple, Cork, Mary Elmes smuggled dozens of children to safety during WW2 and although imprisoned by the Gestapo on suspicion of this work – she managed to survive and live a long life in the South of France with her husband and two children.
She’s a fascinating character for many reasons, and her work during the Spanish Civil War and then in Rivesaltes Refugee Camp in the South of France are noteworthy even in themselves.
But it’s for risking her life, rescuing Jewish refugees who were being sent to concentration camps that she’ll be most remembered.
Learning To Change In Israeli & Palestinian Communities
Fund recipient Bairbre Flood was supported to travel to Israel and Palestine to produce a documentary on how marginalised Palestinian and Israeli communities have more in common with one another than is usually portrayed in western media. The following is a blog post offering further insight into Bairbre’s project.