Fionn Davenport To Host A New Arts & Culture Show On RTÉ Radio 1

Fionn Davenport will present the first in the series of RTÉ Radio 1’s brand new arts and culture show, Inside Culture.

This hour-long programme, starting on Monday 11 April at 10pm, will move across disciplines from crafts to cultural agendas and will include long-form discussions and features on well known artists, cultural topics and the history of ideas. The range of topics covered intends to give an access point for the general listener, as well as a more seasoned and professional arts listenership.

“It's a thrill and a real privilege for me to join RTÉ's terrific team of arts presenters and journalists," says Fionn Davenport. "As I imagine it, Inside Culture is all about creativity, culture and the world of ideas – wherever they exist. From digital culture to more traditional pursuits, Inside Culture gets under the hood of what makes us tick, focusing as much on the art, music and literature that brings us pleasure to how we shape our environments and our ideas, and how they in turn help shape our future.”

The first episode of Inside Culture will feature David Rieff - the son of legendary writer, filmmaker and activist, Susan Sontag. David discusses the disadvantages of cultural memory in this decade of commemorations and the old adage “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it". He also talks about his mother and the fact that he was the one to bring her to Sarajevo where she mounted her famous production of Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot.

Also on episode one, Fionn visits Block T in Smithfield to discuss regeneration and the 'art washing’ of the area to make way for redevelopment. Orla Fitzpatrick - a local, photo-historian and Block T studio occupant - gives her impression of the changes in the area over the past 20 years, whilst Block T Managing Director Laura Dovn explains that even though it is closing, Block T is a good model for future organisations.