This will be my first blog post here on The Wild Geese. Be gentle with me! I'm only part of this flock since October last year and am just about stretching my wings to fly now. To be honest, I have "flown" before. In the mid 90s I ventured to Herefordshire , England where I spent 3 wonderful years as a broadcaster for the local BBC Radio station as a presenter and producer. As an emigrant from the wilds of County Armagh, I was able to bring a modicum of culture with me and regained the airwaves with what the locals called a warm and welcoming brogue, or accent. Never thought I had one, to tell you the truth, but there you go.

I made the leap of faith to come Stateside to be a little closer to an older brother who is confined to convalescence in Marin County, just north of San Francisco. Since arriving into the Golden State, I've managed to create some documentary making, a little bit of writing and some social networking consultancy to pay the bills. I hope to create much more of the same in the coming months.

I have a strong interest in mental health and wellbeing issues. Having earned a t-shirt as I fought with depression a few years ago, I now regularly present a weekly radio programme on such matters in San Jose. I am a freelance writer for the area's Irish Herald, the Irish community's newspaper. Just to complicate my life a little more, I also present and produce a weekly podcast called "Irish Voices" which develops the diaspora conversation, primarily throughout the Bay Irish community, with the longer term intention to reach the wide world audience such conversation offers. I include a link to my regular podcasts. I anticipate you will listen to all. So certain am i that you shall, I shall be asking questions on the various episode, before you leave the Wild Geese website1

Thank you for passing by and taking time to read the first blog.

https://audioboom.com/users/3219919/boos

Views: 300

Tags: Armagh, California, San Francisco

Comment by Gerry Regan on June 5, 2015 at 2:36pm

Welcome, Donagh. Tell us a bit about the embedded photo.

Comment by Donagh McKeown on June 5, 2015 at 3:12pm

The photo was taken on St Stephen's Day evening at a party in San Francisco. It's of the local Wren Boys grouping who recreate the earl Irish Christian tradition of chasing the wren who was regarded as a sign of bad luck and evil, through a suggestion that the bird was witness to the death of Jesus on the cross. At least that's one suggestion. There may be a few pre Christian connections also. The people in the photo are part of the Cooley Keegan Cheoltas group set up in the city I produced a podcast of the event, a link to it is now below this comment. The gentleman with the hat is Michael Murphy, a born and bred American who teaches Irish Dancing throughout Northern California 

Wren Boys Party

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