Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Cian Cobhin's An Taobh Tuathail marks 25 years on air

22/04/2024

An Taobh Tuathail (ATT), RT Raidi na Gaeltachta's flagship alternative radio, presented by Cian C obh in show turns 25 in May 2024. The acclaimed music show, described by Gruff Rhys of Super Furry Animals in The Irish Times as one of the most radical radio shows in the world , has been broadcasting every Monday to Friday on the national Irish-language station since 1st May 1999.

As part of ATT's 25 year celebrations, from Monday 29th April to Friday 3rd May, the show will feature all exclusive new music, previously unreleased and unheard outside of the musicians' studios, from artists that we admire from home and abroad, including Peter Gordon, Works Of Intent, Dian C cht, Blamhaus, Elliot Adamson, The Shen, Meljoann, Man Power, Junk Drawer and Ambient Babestation Meltdown + Borai.

In addition to the on-air celebrations, Cian will be hosting a special edition of his club night Disco D na in Galway's Cuba venue on Saturday 4th May with an all-night-long DJ set. Tickets are currently on sale via Eventbrite (check Cian's socials for links.)

An Taobh Tuathail the title translates as the other side' is presented in the Irish language by DJ, broadcaster and west Kerry native Cian C obh in. I grew up with radio , says Cian. Before we had a TV in the house, we just had the radio for entertainment, which was playing in the kitchen from dawn to dusk. My father Se n C obh in was one of the first local radio journalists in the country, working with RT RnaG. As a boy, I used to love spending time in the radio studio while he went about his work interviewing the likes of Dolores O' Riordan of The Cranberries and former Taoiseach Charles Haughey.

Later, in university in Galway in 1993, I attended the very first meeting of Radio Soc, whose mission was to set up a college radio station on campus. The station Flirt FM was established on the back of the hard work and perservance of Radio Soc and continues to run to this day. I had been amassing music for a decade and had built up quite a decent collection and wanted nothing more than to share my finds with others and it was on Flirt FM that I got the opportunity to present my first music shows on radio .

After university, Cian briefly worked as an intern at RT RnaG's studios in Casla in Connemara, mostly as a continuity announcer and giving weather updates. The station used to wind up broadcasting at 8pm in the evenings back then, but in early 1999, when it was announced that the station's hours would be extended for a few more hours each night, Cian pounced at the chance of making a case to his employers to host a night-time music show. He wrote a 20 page proposal outlining his ideas. The management liked what he had to say, and the rest is history.

It was a huge deal at the time to hear modern electronic music on RT RnaG , says Cian, the station exclusively played almost all Irish traditional music and folk songs. It was quite the culture shock to go from sean-n s and polkas to the driving, hedonistic techno of Slam's Positive Education' .

While curating An Taobh Tuathail, Cian has also been DJ-ing for over three decades, holding down residences in clubs around the country. He initially burst on the scene through his 110th Street residency in Galway, where he hosted parties with Andrew Weatherall, Erol Alkan, Soulwax, Optimo and many more. To this days he continues to throw parties and DJ most weekends since Covid restrictions lifted, he's been hosting Disco D na (Naughty Disco) parties in intimate venues around the island, as well as regularly spinning at festivals.

Over the decades, ATT has become established as the late night weeknight listen for curious ears across Ireland and beyond. Much of this comes down to allowing the show's DJ to play the music he feels much passionate about, without the restrictions of any station playlist dictating the DJ's choices, as is the case on most commercial radio. Many musicians and producers have had their first ever airplay on the show.

UK music site The Quietus wrote: It's an obvious and lazy comparison to call presenter Cian C obh in the Irish John Peel, but his laid-back manner, combined with the eclectic and astonishing mix of sounds played on the programme, make him more worthy of the mantle than any other DJ I'm aware of in Britain or elsewhere today. The Irish Independent has described ATT as one of the finest music shows ever produced, on any station , while Dance Your Way Home author Emma Warren has compared the programme to Andrew Weatherall's NTS shows. In a recent column in The Observer, Miranda Sawyer also praised the show: ATT is an aural feast An absolute treasure trove .

25 years in, C obh in puts the show's longevity down to listeners trusting him to help them navigate the inexorable flow of new music in the oversaturated, digital world. Our attention spans are being constantly bombarded by the incessant lure of new sounds clamouring for your attention. There is just so much music out there and it can be overwhelming for people leading busy lives to keep up with it at all and sometimes people need more than an algorithm as a guide to find music to connect with. Much of my work is attempting to separate the wheat from the chaff and presenting what I feel are worthwhile discoveries to my listeners. It helps that I love the thrill of the chase and that my curiosity for new music remains undimmed , he says. A listener contacted me to say that she believed it might possibly be public service broadcasting for music lovers at its most purest. If that's my legacy, I'll happily take that.

An online archive of shows covering more than ten years, which includes all playlists and audio streams, can be accessed here.
LINK: https://about.rte.ie/2024/04/22/cian-o-ciobhains-an-taobh-tuathail-mar...
See more stories from rte

Most recent headlines

28/11/2025

Brides Asks for Compassion for Our Youths

Nadia Fall attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Brides at the Egyptian Theatre on January 24, 2025, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Donyale West/...

28/11/2025

4 Reasons Why Keeping Your Spotify App Updated Matters and What You Might Be Missing

It's easy to ignore those little red update available badges. But when it ...

28/11/2025

FCC to Vote on LPTV Rules at Dec. Public Meeting

WASHINGTON Federal Communications Commission has released a tentative agenda for the December Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, December 18, 2025 ...

28/11/2025

Professional Fighters League Packs a Domestic, International MMA Punch (TV Sportsplay)

The Professional Fighters League is looking to super-serve fans of mixed martial...

28/11/2025

Fubo Launches Multiview Beta on Roku

Fubo has released in beta on select Roku devices a new feature that lets users display up to four simultaneous streams at once....

28/11/2025

WNBA Playoffs Continue: What's On This Weekend in TV Sports (Sept. 28-29)

The WNBA playoffs and Week 4 of the NFL regular season highlight the list of live sports events airing on television this weekend....

28/11/2025

Freeze Frame: B+C Hall of Fame 2024

The 32nd class of honorees to the B+C Hall of Fame took to the stage at New York's Ziegfeld Ballroom on September 26 for a gala induction event. Click below...

28/11/2025

Next Text: As DirecTV and Dish Try to Seize the Remains of the Day, Does It Even Matter?

We hold in our hands the very last Next Text for Next TV, the weekly back-and-fo...

28/11/2025

DirecTV Acquires Dish, Unifying Struggling Satellite Business

DirecTV said it made a deal with EchoStar to buy EchoStar's video businesses, including satellite-TV provider Dish TV and virtual MVPD Sling TV, for $1 plus...

28/11/2025

B+C Hall of Fame Announces Its Class of 2025

The Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame, the premier industry event paying tribute to the influencers, innovators and shining lights of broadcast, cable and streami...

28/11/2025

Sky Sports x Slawn drop limited-edition football jersey that unlocks a month of free content from the home of sport

Friday 28 November 2025 Sky Sports x Slawn drop limited-edition football jersey...

28/11/2025

Rohde & Schwarz shows resilience in a challenging environment, revenue exceeds three billion euros for the first time

Rohde & Schwarz shows resilience in a challenging environment, revenue exceeds t...

28/11/2025

Changing children's lives for good: Donations for the RT Toy Show Appeal 2025 open tonight

Unwrapped: The Toy Show Appeal - airing this Sunday on RT One and RT Player- s...

27/11/2025

Vizrt Launches Viz One 8.1 With AI-Powered Features

LONDON Vizrt has added several AI-driven advanced features offering improved speed, intelligence and accuracy in the newest version of its media asset managemen...

27/11/2025

Prime Video Debuts AI-Powered Video Recaps

Prime Video has launched AI-powered video season recaps in a beta version for select English-language Prime Original series in the U.S., a move Amazon is callin...

27/11/2025

Netflix's 'Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders' Marks a Grand World Premiere at IFFI Ahead of Its Global Release on 19th December

Back to All News Netflix's Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders Marks a Grand...

27/11/2025

Sky unveils first look image from high-stakes action thriller Prisoner, coming 2026

Tahar Rahim and Izuka Hoyle star in the gripping six-part Sky Original from Acad...

27/11/2025

Sky Arts Reveals the Nations Greatest Basslines and Queen Reign Supreme

Thursday 27 November 2025 Sky Arts Reveals the Nation's Greatest Basslines - and Queen Reign Supreme The UK's most iconic basslines have been revealed...

27/11/2025

Stranger Things 5': Prepare for One Last Adventure With Our Final Season Coverage Guide

Back to All News Stranger Things 5': Prepare for One Last Adventure With O...

27/11/2025

Elastic Compute for a Sustainable Media Industry

The media industry has a paradox at its core. It's an industry built on light, color and imagination, yet behind the scenes, it's powered by one of the ...

27/11/2025

Arqiva Achieves Five-Star GRESB Rating

Rating reflects rating progress across areas including policies, diversity & inclusion, health & safety and Net Zero leadership Winchester, UK, 27 November 202...

27/11/2025

Retail Media Audits Explained: What Networks Need to Know

What are the industry standards for Retail Media? Kathryn explains that certification is based on the IAB Europe Retail Media Measurement Standards and the IAB ...

27/11/2025

Katie Taylor, Rachael Blackmore and Arthur Gourounlian among the guests on this week's Late Late Show

World champion boxer and Irish sporting icon Katie Taylor will be in studio this...

27/11/2025

Tonight on RT Prime Time, serious child protection concerns emerge over online gaming platform, Roblox

Roblox, one of the world's most popular online gaming platforms for primary ...

27/11/2025

The Ultimate Black Friday Deal Is Here

Black Friday is leveling up. Get ready to score one of the biggest deals of the season - 50% off the first three months of a new GeForce NOW Ultimate membership...

26/11/2025

SVG Sit-Down: Prime Video EP Mike Muriano Previews Massive Black Friday Slate Featuring NFL, NBA, and Golf

SVG Sit-Down: Prime Video EP Mike Muriano Previews Massive Black Friday Slate Fe...

26/11/2025

Inside the Archives: Winter Is in the Air and in Our Festival Films

A cinematic snow sculpture at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival. Photo by Randall Michelson...

26/11/2025

10 Book Podcasts You Can't Miss

Book podcasts are booming. On Spotify, you'll find everything from celebrity book clubs to deep dives with bestselling authors. And in markets where audiobo...

26/11/2025

JioStar and Nielsen Unveil Breakthrough Cross-Screen MeasurementStudy, Redefining Advertising Effectiveness in Live Sports

Mumbai, November 24, 2025: In a first-of-its-kind initiative, JioStar, in collab...

26/11/2025

ITN Deploys IP-Based Production Control Room

LONDON Factual content producer ITN Productions has launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins....

26/11/2025

YouTube TV, TelevisaUnivision End Lengthy Blackout

MIAMI TelevisaUnivision said it struck a new multiyear distribution agreement with YouTube TV that includes distribution of TelevisaUnivision's U.S. network...

26/11/2025

OpenDrives Bridges the Gap Between IT and Creatives with...

OpenDrives, Inc., a leader in software-defined data storage and data services, today announced the launch of the Atlas Corporate Creative Solution. This new Atl...

26/11/2025

Disguise to Showcase Future of Event Visuals at LDI 2025

Disguise, the industry-leading company powering the world's biggest live performances, is partnering with pioneering LED wall manufacturer DVS to give atten...

26/11/2025

HighField AI Expands Global Channel Partner Network to Ac...

HighField AI, the pioneer in agentic and multimodal automation for broadcast and media production, today announced the expansion of its global channel partner n...

26/11/2025

Mono Streaming selects PlayBox Neo to manage English Prem...

As high-stakes Premier League fixtures approach and additional premium content launches, with MONO positioning themselves to dominate Thailand's sports stre...

26/11/2025

Bell Centre arena in Montreal elevates fan experience wit...

Hosting a wide variety of events from high-intensity NHL games to complex live music concerts and major entertainment productions, Montreal's 21,000 capacit...

26/11/2025

Vizrt launches AI-powered advances for speed and accuracy...

Vizrt, the leader in live production technology revolutionizing viewer engagement and experience, releases AI-driven advances focusing on speed, intelligence, a...

26/11/2025

ITN Launches Low-Latency IP Control Room Powered by Teche...

ITN Productions, an award-winning factual content producer, today launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins. Responsible for delivering a leading...

26/11/2025

Ikegami Maintains Initiative in Broadcast Systems Develop...

Ikegami reports ongoing advances throughout 2025 in developing and delivering coordinated television production solutions that maximize quality, versatility and...

26/11/2025

Fubo, NBCUniversal Trade Barbs in Carriage Dispute

Following the Nov. 21 blackout of NBCUniversal channels on Fubo, the two sides have traded barbs about their inability to reach a new carriage deal....

26/11/2025

Global Sports Rights Spending to Top $78 Billion in 2030

LONDON As TV sports rights become increasingly important for both broadcasters and streamers, Ampere Analysis predicts global investment in the genre will surpa...

26/11/2025

Vubiquity Earns AWS Media & Entertainment Competency Status

LOS ANGELES Vubiquity said it has achieved the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Media & Entertainment Competency as part of the AWS Partner Network (APN). This designa...

26/11/2025

Comcast Pays $1.5 Million to Settle FCC Data Breach Probe

WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission's Enforcement Bureau said it has entered into a consent decree with Comcast calling for the cable company t...

26/11/2025

Berklee Named to the Hollywood Reporters Top Music Schools List

Berklee Named to the Hollywood Reporters Top Music Schools List The publication highlights the college's screen scoring program, industry partnerships, and ...

26/11/2025

Animated Series Love Through a Prism' Casts New Light on Romance Between Aristocrat and Exchange Student in London

Back to All News Animated Series Love Through a Prism' Casts New Light on ...

26/11/2025

NALIP Unveils Fifth Cohort of Director Incubator

Back to All News NALIP Unveils Fifth Cohort of Director Incubator Social Impact 26 November 2025 United States Link copied to clipboard The National Assoc...

26/11/2025

YouView Achieves Greenly Gold Certification for Sustainability

YouView Achieves Greenly Gold Certification for SustainabilityNov 26, 2025 YouView is proud to announce a Gold Certification award from Greenly for our perform...