The Ballad of the Stolwijk Rescue
In December 1940, eight fishermen from Arranmore Island in County Donegal rescued 18 Dutch sailors from the SS Stolwijk, a cargo ship which had been wrecked on rocks in a hurricane force storm. Singer and multi-instrumentalist, Brían Mac Gloinn, who is one half of the well-known folk duo Ye Vagabonds, heard the story from the last living eyewitness, Andrew Early, who knew the lifeboat crew who effected the daring rescue. Using his testimony and that of other islanders, Brían has woven a radio ballad to commemorate the events of that day. The radio ballad is a particular form of radio storytelling that was pioneered by Ewan McColl, Peggy Seeger and Charles Parker, where eyewitness accounts are augmented by new original music and sound effects to recreate the emotional context of an event. This may be the first ever Irish radio ballad.
This programme was shortlisted for both the Prix Italia and Prix Europa radio awards in 2021.
Written, presented and performed by Brían Mac Gloinn,
Sound mixing by Brían MacGloinn.
Produced by Brían Mac Gloinn and Eoin O Kelly
(First broadcast 24th December 2020)
RTÉ lyric fm, Sunday 8th June, 6pm-7pm
