MONDAY 20TH JANUARY
PRESENTER ANNE CASSIN
PROGRAMME ON THE FRANK AND WALTERS BAND
Ahead of Cork Person of the Year awards which will be presented this Friday, Nationwide meets the winners of the 2023 Award, the Cork based band, The Frank and Walters. In a musical ode to Cork, the band takes presenter Anne Cassin on a personal tour of the city and reflects on their career over the years and on how the city by the Lee influenced them and their music.
WEDNESDAY 22ND JANUARY
PRESENTER BLÁTHNAID NÍ CHOFAIGH
SHOWCASE IRELAND 2025
On this evening’s programme the Nationwide team are at Showcase Ireland at the RDS which this year celebrates its 50th anniversary. What started as a small event, a half a century ago, has since grown into a major selling opportunity for Irish makers and designers. Presenter Bláthnaid Ní Chofaigh meets some of the many talented Irish producers who are exhibiting their produce at this annual event and she meets some of the buyers from around the globe to discover what they are looking for.
Among the talented exhibitors at Showcase Ireland this year is artist Brid Fanning, from the heart of County Meath. Her captivating work explores the essence of Irish history, identity and our native landscape and through her vibrant paintings she connects aspects of the past and brings them to a modern-day audience. Zainab visited her to find out how events, such as Showcase, are important to her business.
FRIDAY 24TH JANUARY
PRESENTER BLÁTHNAID NÍ CHOFAIGH
HOLIDAY IDEAS IRELAND 2025
This evening’s Nationwide programme looks at potential holiday ideas in Ireland for 2025. The team hear about new projects, and they visit a Castle which has been completely refurbished and opened as a hotel in County Armagh and Houses for Hobbits, how a Mayo farm is booked out all year to young guests accompanied by their parents.
While the Wild Atlantic Way provides a brilliant route for visitors, it’s only a guide, you can go off route and explore some of the inland attractions. Recently reporter Niall Martin headed to Mayo glamping near Castlebar to see what the imagination can create.
The tourism industry has ensured that a number of Ireland’s great houses have been maintained, this is as a result of many being utilised as hotels. There are some lovely restoration projects being carried out around the country that breathe life back into formerly derelict buildings. One such project is Killeavy Castle in Armagh which has been utterly transformed by a family with a real love for the area.
