Paul McDermott
Educator – Broadcaster – Documentary Producer – Writer
Latest Documentary:
An Draíocht
the music of Sliabh Luachra
A Learn & Sing production for RTÉ Lyric fm.
“An Draíocht is an evocative reminder of the magical role music can play in our lives.” Mick Heaney – The Irish Times
“An Draíocht is a powerful piece on the music of Sliabh Luachra.” Declan Lynch – Sunday Independent
Documentaries Playlist:
Latest Podcast Episode:
Latest Articles:
by Paul McDermott
The Goo - Issue 25 (July 2024)
by Paul McDermott
The Goo - Issue 23 (May 2024)
by Paul McDermott
The Goo - Issue 22 (April 2024)
Featured Blog Posts:
“Top 10 Irish songs” taking in: “best of” lists, subjectivity, lost 80s classics, cover versions, The Royal Showband, an orange and cream 1970s Fidelity turntable and keeping music evil. Last week the Irish Independent published a “best of” list titled “The best Irish songs of all time”. Their list was subtitled “ranked: the definitive top 50”. Let’s agree on one thing straight away, “best of” lists are ridiculous, they’re also simultaneously highly entertaining and incredibly frustrating.
*Today
“Peter Watkins’ Privilege” taking in: Paul Jones, Manfred Mann, Jean Shrimpton, Terence Stamp, Tom Jones, Patti Smith, Mike Leander, Eureka Entertainment’s Masters of Cinema series, Punishment Park and The War Game. “A film so bizarre, so controversial, it shall crucify your mind to the tree of conscience.” They don’t write taglines like that anymore.
“Steve Albini - An Appreciation” taking in: Big Black, Shellac, The Wedding Present, Pixies, Nirvana, Palace, Slint, Low, Connolly’s of Leap, Nancy Spains, Sir Henry’s, Bandicoot Promotions, Zeitgeist magazine, Adrian Crowley, Nina Nastasia, Palace Music, Magnolia Electric Co, Bikini Kill, Dirty Three and The Auteurs.
“Julian Cope’s Postcards” taking in: Krautrocksampler, Cope’s Notes, Julian Cope and Donald Ross Skinner’s Rite, Faith magazine, 1993’s The Acoustic Tour, bootleg tapes, John Cooper Clarke, The Modern Antiquarian, Royal Kilmainham Hospital, Vinyl Dublin, stone circles, Gaulstown Dolmen and The Heavy Camel Corps of the Sudan campaign of 1885.
“Werner Herzog in Ireland” taking in: Skellig Michael and Skellig Bheag; Ballinskelligs, Co. Kerry; Reek Sunday; Croagh Patrick; Popol Vuh; Joy Division; Ian Curtis; Factory Records; dead wax inscriptions; Fitzcarraldo; Aguirre; the Wrath of God; Heart of Glass; The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser; cinema lobby cards and secondhand records.
Blog Archive
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June 2024
- 27 Jun 2024 Top 10 Irish Songs*
- 9 Jun 2024 Peter Watkins’ Privilege
- 5 Jun 2024 The Smiths - Rarities
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May 2024
- 29 May 2024 The Smiths - Singles
- 24 May 2024 The Smiths - Bootlegs
- 11 May 2024 Steve Albini - An Appreciation
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April 2024
- 27 Apr 2024 Morrissey - Bootlegs
- 19 Apr 2024 Colin Blunstone and The Zombies
- 15 Apr 2024 Julian Cope’s Postcards
- 8 Apr 2024 Sonic Youth and Nirvana - Sir Henrys 1991
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March 2024
- 6 Mar 2024 Werner Herzog in Ireland
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January 2024
- 28 Jan 2024 “Records give you more of what you want” - CBS Records
- 21 Jan 2024 David Ackles - American Gothic
- 1 Jan 2024 Bill Drummond’s The Man
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December 2023
- 31 Dec 2023 Top 10 #VinylFinds of 2023
- 27 Dec 2023 Dead Dog’s Eyeball
- 16 Dec 2023 Robert Wyatt’s ‘Shipbuilding’
- 4 Dec 2023 Top 10 Irish Albums of 2023
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September 2023
- 26 Sep 2023 Dark Star - Twenty Twenty Sound (Harvest, 1999)
- 22 Sep 2023 Rollerskate Skinny – Interview
- 21 Sep 2023 The Box Tops – The Letter
- 17 Sep 2023 Damien Jurado – Interview
- 9 Sep 2023 American Spring
- 8 Sep 2023 Sufjan Stevens – Interview
- 6 Sep 2023 Guy Chadwick – Interview
- 5 Sep 2023 Richmond Fontaine – Radio Session + Interviews
- 4 Sep 2023 My #CassetteTape Top 10