Home Stories podcast offers insights to lives and hopes of people in Direct Provision
Home Stories is a podcast series that offers insights into the lives, hopes and childhood memories of residents of Direct Provision and Emergency Accommodation in Westmeath.
The writer and broadcaster Manchán Magan has spoken to people from Africa, Asia and South America about their favourite memories of home, their favourite foods and pastimes, and their hopes for the future.
Manchán said: “Ireland is fortunate to have been gifted with this precious influx of people from a range of fascinating and exotic cultures in recent years.
“Most of them have fled some form of trauma and are currently making their way slowly through the Direct Provision system. These new members of our communities offer us a wonderful opportunity to get to know different parts of the world and different cultural practices that are often full of wisdom and new perspectives.”
Home Stories is supported by Creative Ireland Westmeath as part of the Creative Ireland Programme in partnership with Westmeath County Council.
It will be available on all major podcast platforms, as well as at www.manchan.com, and shorter five-minute episodes will be broadcast on Midlands 103.
Sinéad Hubble, head of News, Sport and Current Affairs at Midlands 103 said the station was delighted to work with Manchán to broadcast the stories of new immigrants who have come to the midlands.
“The segments give us a real insight into their lives, hopes and dreams. We will be broadcasting up to three episodes each week, Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays between 9.15am and noon on the Midlands Today show.”
Information is at www.midlands103.com.
The podcast series containing interviews with Direct Provision residents from two accommodation centres (Athlone and Temple) was edited by Lauren Varian, and the soundtrack is by Brían MacGloinn of Ye Vagabonds and Myles O’Reilly.
It offers glimpses into the lives of refugees and asylum seekers who have fled to Ireland from persecution and danger.
Each 10-minute episode consists of a short chat and among the myriad topics under discussion are pagan faiths, ploughing with oxen, rituals of kingship, traditional languages, polygamy, gospel singing, herbal cures, culinary delicacies and the hopes and dreams these people have for their future in Ireland, and the part they would like to play in society.
Westmeath County Council arts officer and Creative Ireland co-ordinator Miriam Mulrennan said: “We are so grateful to the residents of both accommodation centres in Westmeath who shared their stories and memories from Home with Manchán.
“In some ways, the delays caused by Covid-19 forced us to navigate more reflectively and thoughtfully with this project and the work is probably all the stronger because of that.
“As a nation of story-tellers we now have new stories, new contexts and new storytellers that we can to weave into the tapestry of all our histories. The stories may be different in context, but the themes and their poignancy will be familiar to our listeners.
“I invite all to give this some time, it is a revelatory piece of work, and one which Manchán has carried gently and with palpable empathy. The richness of what is being made available through this series is quite something, and not to be missed.”
The full series consists of 18 interviews from across the midlands (Westmeath and Laois).