WITH the recent arrival of a Hallmark production into the region, West Cork Film Studios landed one of its first major coups.

It was the first major production to be based at the WCFS, which is located at Baltimore Road in Skibbereen, and has given the studios the perfect opportunity to roll out, and develop, film infrastructure in West Cork.

For The Big Story, Mary McCarthy spoke with directors Édáin O'Donnell and Steve Park about the growing industry and why West Cork's unique community is buying into film in the region.

The Big Story is a digital, subscriber-only series by the Southern Star. Each part will bring subscribers closer to the stories that matter in West Cork. Browse previous Big Stories here.

Produced by Mary McCarthy and Tony O'Shaughnessy. Written and presented by Mary McCarthy. Editing by Dylan Mangan.

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CHRISTMAS, like many other parts of life, has constantly changed with the times. From stockings at the foot of your bed to above the mantlepiece, or from sending turkeys to England in the post to Amazon Prime delivery, Christmas has become a different beast in recent years.

Gerald O'Brien of Skibbereen Historical Society shares his memories of what Christmas was like for him, growing up in West Cork in the 40s and 50s, and how some traditions have changed while others remain the same.

The Big Story is a digital, subscriber-only series by The Southern Star. Each part will bring subscribers closer to the stories that matter in West Cork. Browse previous Big Stories here.

Produced by Mary McCarthy and Tony O'Shaughnessy. Written and presented by Mary McCarthy. Editing by Dylan Mangan.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the general election results fade into the distance, and there has been a widespread sigh of relief that no far right candidates were successful, there are some political observers who believe it’s only a matter of time before the hate-filled messages of some agitators start to resonate with elements of the electorate, as they have in other countries across Europe.

In November, a Jewish student was attacked by three men in a nightclub in Dublin, in a suspected anti-Semitic assault. Gardaí are investigating it as a potential hate crime.

In this special podcast documentary, the Southern Star’s editor Siobhán Cronin investigates a secretive community which has established a base in the centre of West Cork and has some very unsavoury connections around the world.

Thanks to Father Tom Hayes, Harry Shuckman and Fiona O'Leary for their time and input.

Thank you for listening to this special big story podcast by The Southern Star. If you’ve been affected by any of the topics discussed in this episode, or have further information relating to the SSPX resistance in West Cork or beyond, please contact us on editor@southernstar.ie.

This episode was written and presented by Southern Star editor Siobhan Cronin, with additional reporting by Star journalist Jackie Keogh and editing by Dylan Mangan.

Additional audio clips from:

Virgin Media News

AP Press

New Zealand Herald

53sig, pprzes01, We Love Tradition on YouTube

Thanks for listening, and don’t forget that you can find more trusted, local journalism like this inside The Southern Star, which is in shops and online every single Thursday.

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Bere Island Community Radio invited Southern Star reporter Jackie Keogh on the air recently to speak about the General Election which is taking place on Friday, November 29th.

We will be running a live blog with updates on the count, from early Friday morning, on southernstar.ie so don’t forget to have it bookmarked on your laptop, phone or whatever device you have that day – and see who will be representing you in the 34th Dáil.

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Welcome to this special Election edition of the In the News podcast where we are taking a look at the election in West Cork – with just over two weeks to election day on Nov 29th.

Southern Star editor, Siobhán Cronin was joined by reporters Jackie Keogh and Kieran O’Mahony and deputy editor Martin Claffey on today's episode.

Jackie Keogh gives us a quick rundown of who is running and how it’s looking so far.

Kieran O’Mahony delves into Cork North West – a constituency that a lot of other media don’t realise encompasses a fair bit of West Cork.

Martin Claffey, who lives on the edge of the city but has come to be familiar with West Cork politics in recent years, tells us how he thinks the constituencies will pan out.

There are just two weeks left in this race and anything could happen throughout the campaign, and most certainly, at the count centre which looks like it will be in Mallow, on November 30th.

On that day we will be running a live blog with updates on the count, from early Saturday morning, on southernstar.ie so don’t forget to have it bookmarked on your laptop, phone or whatever device you have that day – and see who will be representing you in the 34th Dáil

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A SPECIAL summer open door event showcasing the works and talents of three West Cork artists will take place at The Yellow Door in Baltimore village from July 27th to the end of August.

Sherkin Island based painter Majella O’Neill Collins, and artists Paula Marten and Aisling Roche have teamed up for a unique showcase, offering art enthusiasts a special opportunity to experience the creativity and passion of their work with scheduled and unscheduled talks throughout the summer.

The three women joined Star digital manager Dylan Mangan for a conversation about their art, where they find inspiration, teaching and the unique draw West Cork has for artists.

Listen below, or search 'Southern Star In The News' wherever you get your podcasts.

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FRANCIS Humphrys has been involved with the West Cork Music Chamber Festival for 29 years since it’s first edition in 1996. He is now festival director and West Cork Music chief executive.

This year’s festival kicks off on Friday, June 28th and runs for 10 days. While the buildup to opening night is always hectic, this year is more so than usual with so many musicians set to fly into Ireland, and the Aer Lingus pilots’ strike threatening to damage months of careful planning.

You can read more about the strike and the festival in this week’s Southern Star, but for now Star deputy editor Martin Claffey caught up with Humphrys ahead of the opening to chat about the festival, the strike, how the festival organisers need to be able to pivot at a moment’s notice and even Taylor Swift.

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ON this week's podcast, Southern Star editor Siobhán Cronin is joined by journalist & author Kathy Donaghy to talk about depression, miscarriage and how swimming has helped heal her.

Donaghy's book, Finding My Wild: How a Move to the Edge Brought Me Home, tells her story of moving home from Dublin to the Inishowen peninsula with her young family.

It is ode to the extraordinary healing powers of immersing yourself in the natural world, especially the sea, and she joins the podcast to talk about why she made the move.

This is the second episode in our latest series focusing on sea swimming. Listen back to the first episode with total immersion swim coach Melissa Duncan here.

Swimming became a lifeline for many during the pandemic, and so many have kept it going, which has left Ireland with a really strong and wonderful community.

Over the next few months, we will feature interviews with prominent figures in the swimming scene, from both West Cork and beyond.

This episode was produced and presented by Siobhán Cronin, with editing by Dylan Mangan.

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