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a radio documentary about an enclosed way of life in modern Ireland, as told from behind the monastery walls

A Radio Documentary about the Poor Clares community in Cork city will air on Cork Campus Radio, 98.3FM, on Thursday July 2nd (repeated on Friday July 3rd). The hour-long piece was made by local independent producer Conor O’Toole and features extensive interviews with five of the nuns who live in the monastery on College Road, as well as a self-recorded “guided tour” - the first time ever a microphone has been behind the monastery walls. A portrait emerges of a community of women set apart from 21st century life - as most people know it – and of a little-known corner of Cork’s broad cultural heritage.

History The Poor Clares monastery in Cork was founded in 1914 and has been an integral part of the local community around College Road, and Cork city in general, ever since. The community survives solely on donations and has done since its foundation. The order is enclosed, so that as well as vows of chastity, poverty and obedience, those joining also take a vow of enclosure. This means that the sisters agree to live their lives exclusively in the enclosed building and grounds of the monastery, in order to pursue a monastic, contemplative life. Contact with the public is restricted to set visiting times and meetings are conducted in rooms divided by a grille partition, which stands as a symbol of the nuns’ enclosed existence. No members of the public are allowed into the enclosed section of the monastery, which consists of living areas, kitchens, garden etc..

The Making of the Piece In order to give as full a picture of the nuns’ daily lives as possible, one of the community agreed to self-record a “guided tour” of the enclosed part of the monastery (using a portable Dictaphone). This footage paints a fascinating picture of a part of Cork city not open to public view. These recordings are interspersed with the interviews to give an impression of the daily life and routine of these women. Ultimately, despite the obvious sacrifices involved in choosing their way of life, these women come across as happy and fulfilled.

Broadcast details: “A Quiet Life: The Cork Poor Clares”, Cork Campus Radio 98.3FM

Cork Campus Radio 98.3FM schedule

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• Cork Campus Radio (.pls)

Station Producer - Kieran Hurley

Cork Campus Radio 98.3FM,

Aras Na Mac Lein,

UCC,

T +353 (0)21 490 2170

E radioATucc.ie

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• 1.The Von Bondies Interview
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'A Life Without Liberty' is a 6-part documentary series recording life in Cork Prison (the men's medium-security jail on Rathmore Road). Produced by Kieran Hurley & Catriona Chambers, the series won the 2004 Justice Media Award presented by the Law Society of Ireland, and was nominated to the shortlist of the ESB National Media Awards the same year.
• ALWL Part 1
• ALWL Part 2
• ALWL Part 3
• ALWL Part 4
• ALWL Part 5
• ALWL Part 6
The series features interviews with prisoners, staff, ex-prisoners, support staff, etc and was recorded over a number of months in 2004. Cork Campus Radio 98.3FM sincerely thanks Colm O'Herlihy, Head of the Cork Prison Education Unit and former Governor Sean Quigley for their invaluable assistance during the making of the series.

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