Fields of Dreams

Booze, drugs... and rock & roll | 10

In the last episode of the series, we hear the story of rock 'n’ roll excess - drugs, booze and living in Lillie Bordellos. We go back to the beginning, hear the U2 dou

Contract Killers | 9

This episode takes us inside the struggle at the top of the music tree. We learn why some massive Irish bands failed to make a cent from their careers despite their song

Pop Culture | 8

Ireland goes pop mad as girl and boy bands dominate the UK charts, while Riverdance emerges as a cultural force. Rock n’roll Kids singer Paul Harrington takes centre st

The Changing of the Guard | 7

Come with us in this episode to recall the astonishing rise of dance music which made Dublin the party mecca in the 1990s. We hear how U2’s the Kitchen and John Reynold

The Main Event- Féile | 6

This episode looks at the amazing story behind Irish kids’ right of passage - the Trip to Tipp. Mary Black tells us how she avoided being arrested, we hear about how th

The Main Event- Slane | 5

This episode tells the stories behind the rise of Slane and Croke Park as Ireland’s major music venues. We hear why Bruce Springsteen lost the plot, how promoter Peter

Alternative Realities Part Two | 4

This episode hears some amazing stories behind the 1980s charity singles, the rise of Mary Black and why Whitney Houston couldn’t top the Irish charts. We hear how a Ram

Alternative Realities Part One | 3

The astonishing rise of U2 as Irish cities become a hotbed of musical creativity in the 1980s. The Hothouse Flowers - labelled the hottest unsigned act on the planet at

The End of the Beginning | 2

The end of the beginning as the glut of new festivals are taken down by a combination of tragedy, money and competition. The mainly Irish line-ups become more internati

Out with the Old | 1

The story of what Ireland’s music scene was, and an introduction to what it would become. This episode introduces the grim 1970s, and the young people’s desire to leave

Fields of Dreams- a new podcast on Ireland's music industry- out now

In 1970s Ireland, the nation's youth were craving an escape - and music was going to provide it. Over the course of the next few decades, what had been a gigging backwat