Stories from the Boyne, a new radio documentary by Little Road Productions Ltd., will broadcast at noon on Thursday, December 26th 2024, on LMFM Radio.
Stories from the Boyne is a one-hour radio documentary that traverses the river’s winding bends as it flows through Louth and Meath from its mouth at Mornington to the Mary McAleese bridge, with all interviews taking place with a new audio-visual perspective of viewing and discussing the land from the water, as opposed to the usual perspective of looking at the water from the land.
From an aural perspective, the voices we hear along the river seem to travel uniquely across the water from a moving vessel, depending on so many factors on the river landscape. Whether it’s the roar of traffic as you get closer to the imposing Mary McAleese bridge on the M1 to the roar of the seagulls as you get closer to the sea at Mornington, the aural landscape of the Boyne is varied and unique, especially when paired with the voices of those telling stories that create a sense of place and time.
These voices include members of the Boyne Fishermen's Rescue and Recovery Service who provide a 24-hour emergency rescue service along the River Boyne, 365 days a year, who discuss the key points of interest along the river from Mornington to their base on the Marsh Road, followed by members of Inver Colpa Rowing Club, who bring us along the river in one of their rowing boats from the Marsh Road to the Mary McAleese bridge.
On this journey, the rhythmic sound of four oars entering and exiting the water in unison, the thud of the turning of the oars in the oar locks as the rowers feather for the next stroke, and the ripples caused by passing boats that lap against the carbon-fibre hull of the boat, all create a calming and unique acoustic backdrop to the many historical, geographical and social conversational points along the way as we pass through the town of Drogheda.
Stories from the Boyne invites the audience to journey along with these storytellers, who offer a glimpse into the past, present and future of this important and infamous stretch of the river.
The documentary was funded by Coimisiún na Meán with the Television Licence Fee
