Showing results by narrator "Stephen Hogan" in All Categories

In this comprehensive anthology, former Poet Laureate Andrew Motion has gathered together exceptional poems from the 14th century through to the present day, creating an extraordinary poetic journey for the listener. From the love poems of Shelley and Keats to the grim war elegies of Owen and Sassoon, there is a poem here for every sentiment, each with something different to offer.

All alone in the bath, five-year-old Benny invents a story about a terrifying creature that lives in the plughole. Just as he reaches the part about the creature’s appetite for toes, Benny feels something brush against his legs....

A natural on a horse since he was able to walk, and imbued with a pure love of riding, Declan Murphy became one of the most brilliant jockeys of his generation before his world came crashing down at the final hurdle of a race at Haydock Park. His skull shattered in 12 places, he was believed to be dead, the last rites were read and the Racing Post published his obituary. Miraculously, and the word is not used lightly, he survived and defied medical thinking in recovering to the extent that 18 months after his fall, he was able to saddle up for one more race.

It is 1916, and Europe is at war: Jimmy Conway’s father is fighting for the British Army in France. Jimmy dreams of becoming a soldier and winning glory on the battlefield. Then rebellion breaks out in Dublin and Jimmy witnesses the taking of the General Post Office. Soon buildings are destroyed and people are killed. His uncle Mick is among the rebels. Where do Jimmy’s loyalties lie now? In an attempt to find food for his family, Jimmy crosses the battle-scarred city, weaving through army patrols and dodging shooting.

In this gripping series, Helena Kennedy, celebrated human rights lawyer, broadcaster and civil liberties expert and playwright Rib Davis bring to life eight groundbreaking twentieth century trials. With the help of a full cast, they reveal how the British legal system has been influenced by powerful human stories that redefined the law to better reflect our modern society.

Tony Cooney, a local-radio DJ, spends his days on air, talking to the listeners of Cork. They call in to tell him about overturned sewage trucks and nuisance graffiti artists, each story a small testimony to the bustle of life that goes on in the county. Off air, however, Tony is beginning to feel unsettled. His long marriage is strained, his teenage daughter is struggling with her mental health and then out of the blue, an old girlfriend gets in touch and suggests he come to visit.

The James Joyce Collection includes Joyce's 2 most celebrated novels, short fiction from Dubliners, and a selection of his poetry. Read by a wonderful Irish cast of Aoife McMahon, Aidan Kelly, and Stephen Hogan.

Fleeing his failed marriage in Berlin, Lukas Dorn revisits the West of Ireland, the place of his honeymoon two decades earlier. While his former wife is being cancelled at work and his daughter is arrested at a street protest, he tries to make sense of his broken life with his journal as his sole companion. His inherited memory of the Nazi Holocaust comes face to face with the present when he meets a refugee from a recent warzone. As Lukas communes with the elements in this wild coastal place, he is forced into a confrontation with the past that will carry him to the edge of existence.

Debauched pop star Howie Howden has led a charmed life – there has been nothing a fat cheque, a non-disclosure agreement or a course of penicillin hasn’t made go away. But a calamitous night on the town, with his troubled yet dutiful manager Eddy Katz, has consequences for both men.

From mystery and crime to romance and tragedy, in this collection you will discover award-winning writing that effortlessly spans genre and style. Witness the excess and luxury of 1920s America in The Great Gatsby, experience profound meditations on death in The Bridge of San Luis Rey, as well as Poirot's very first murder case in The Mysterious Affair at Styles. The titles included in this collection, in order of appearance, are: The Hound of the Baskervilles, by Arthur Conan Doyle; The Call of the Wild, by Jack London; The Weary Blues, by Langston Hughes; The Great Gatsby, by F.

Francis Edward Ledwidge was born on 19th August, 1887, in the small village of Janeville in Slane, County Meath, in Ireland to parents that believed strongly in education. At the age of 5 his father died and the entire family, already desperately poor, were forced into work and by 13 the young Ledwidge took whatever job was to hand—from farm hand to road labourer. Throughout this time he applied himself to his poetry writing whenever and wherever he could. His poems were published on a regular basis from the age of 14 in the Drogheda Independent, his local paper.

James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was born on the 2nd February 1882, in Dublin, into a middle-class family, and the eldest of ten surviving siblings. After publishing a poetry volume, ‘Chamber Music’, in 1907, his short story collection ‘The Dubliners’, in 1914, helped establish his talent in the rapidly changing world. Although far from home Joyce’s literary heart and works were set in his recollections of Dublin. Characters are close resemblances of family and friends and indeed enemies.

When an acrimonious songwriting couple are facing threats from notorious gangster Brannigan, will a song save the day? Sometimes the hour can seem long when you're radio staff - so what happens when Chicago snow traps you in the building completely? A new manager plans to change the whole format of the show, but a deep-voiced celebrity could use his charm to stop the manager in his tracks. And when the station is threatened with closure by the League of Decency, Katharine Hepburn herself comes to the rescue with her inimitable style.

This audiobook tells the exciting story of Sarah (Jimmy's young sister) and their family who are involved in the spying activities of Michael Collins during the War of Independence. Sarah, a young 11-year-old, cannot figure out why her family is so neutral towards the war and why everybody is so secretive. A strong rebel herself, she wants to do her bit for Ireland. Then she finds out the terrible truth - and she, too, carries secrets which could cost her her life.

All alone, with only his electric guitar and his overactive ego for company, Eddie Virago, proud owner of the last Mohican haircut in Dublin, leaves his home town to find fame in the wild world of the London rock scene. Things don't quite go as planned, however, and he finds himself living in a ramshackle hotel with a neurotic girl he met on the ferry over while a bewildering array of acid-house ravers, saloon-bar revolutionaries, music biz wideboys and media primadonnas all seem oh-so-anxious to help Eddie on his way....

Suspended from the Irish police for reasons he won't explain, Detective Inspector Stefan Gillespie is working on his father's farm in Wicklow. One day he vanishes, leaving no sign of where he is heading - or why. Even in rural Ireland, rumours of assassination and Nazi spies fill the air, leaving Stefan's father to wonder whether he is in terrible danger. Meanwhile in London, Stefan is undercover, working in a pub: The Bedford Arms in Camden. But behind closed doors, a different war is being fought, and Stefan has more work than pulling pints on his hands.

Garda Inspector Michael McLoughlin is trying to enjoy his retirement doing a bit of PI work on the side, meeting up with former colleagues, fixing up a grand old house in a genteel Dublin suburb near the sea. Then he discovers the body of his neighbour, a retired judge brutally murdered, shot through the back of the neck, his face mutilated beyond recognition. McLoughlin finds himself drawn into the murky past of the murdered judge, which leads him back to his own father's killing, decades earlier, by the IRA.

Tara has it all. Married and about to move into her dream home, she can't explain why she is tempted by one last fling with her ex before she settles down. David would do anything for Tara. So when he finds her with another man, his world starts to crumble around him. Ryan isn't prepared for the punch David throws at him. Stumbling, he slips over the balcony and falls three stories to the patio below. In one split second a man will be killed. In one split second David and Tara's life will change forever.

As Chief Executive of her local council, Robyn has just days to stop recycling being wiped from her ambitious environmental plans. But the credit crunch continues to put pressure on other priorities. Meanwhile, her daughter, Afrah, provides a safe house for a fiercely committed environmentalist from Eastern Europe. Written by D. J. Britton and starring Lesley Sharp, Anamaria Marinca, Lizzy Watts, Sam Dale, Ben Askew, Stephen Hogan, and Philip Fox. Produced by Pam Marshall.

With George Monbiot, Paul Allen and Peter Harper. Have you got what it takes to get to zero carbon? Our expert panel set one average family the task of eliminating their carbon footprint... and living with the consequences. Originally broadcast in March 2009. Starring Kate Ashfield, Don Gilet, Poppy Lee Friar, Ryan Watson, Malcolm Tierney, Jonathan Tafler, Janice Acquah, and Stephen Hogan. Producer/Director: Jonquil Panting.