Cavan is the same size as NYC for podcasters

An impressive programme of events has been arranged across County Cavan for Cruinniú na nÓg, a day of free creative activities for children and young people under the age of 18 years. Here is one of our top five highlights...

Could you be the next Blindboy Boatclub or The Rest is Politics star? A host of young people gave a go at creating their own light hearted podcast, helped along by Shane O'Connor at the Townhall Arts Centre studio.

Shane ran three 45-minute workshops under the title 'Mic Check Podcasting 101', catering for young people aged from 12-18 years.

“The idea is to give a very quick overview of how you can create podcasts at home,” explains Shane.

The crash course, held as part of Cavan Connects, saw them introduced to free software for their phones to record, edit and upload a decent quality podcast.

In pairs the teens discussed a short topic picked out of a hat, such as favourite holiday destination or favourite food, and they could then bounce ideas off one another.

Shane is currently editing the podcasts, which will be available to listen on June 7 for Cruinniú na nÓg.

Shane is well placed to share his expertise as he is set to co-host a new Cavan based podcast series.

Asked about the benefits for young people in making podcasts, Shane doesn’t hesitate.

“It gives them a voice - that's a huge thing. It also gives them confidence in public speaking, that's why we have aimed for that age group. It's to let them understand how to use the technology around them in a positive way,” he says.

Shane shares the Celt's wonder at how democratic the podcast medium can be.

“Podcasters come from everywhere. Young Cavan people may think, oh Cavan is a small town. It's just the same size as New York on the Internet.”

Cruinniú na nÓg takes place on June 7 with activities ranging from workshops and tutorials to recitals and readings. You can find more events in Cavan here.