BBC Northern Ireland - "Talkin' Tay" - coming on Sunday night

 

"Yer tea's ready".

And here it is – Talkin' Tay, a kind of sequel to 2021's Whiskey Talkin' will be broadcast this coming Sunday night and will also be on iPlayer for 30 days, (which is how the vast majority of people watch television now). 

Sean has done a mighty job in selecting only the very best ingredients and blending them all together into a flavoursome, yet light and refreshing, one hour documentary.

Huge thanks to everyone who agreed to be on-screen, and to those who helped behind-the-scenes. Go on, put the kettle on!

• Article on NorthernIrelandWorld.com here

• Recent interview on BBC Radio Ulster's Kintra, with Helen Mark, Rab Lennox and Jonnie Crawford is online here

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During the production, and a few lines of which make the programme, I put out a kind of 'appeal' on my Facebook page based on the three rhymes below, each of which follows the same template but localises to specific areas. Two more versions were posted there by friends - maybe there are others forbye.

V1
Donaghadee drinks the tea
Millisle drinks the brandy
Carrowdore is the sportin’ place
And Balbriggan cock-a-dandy
(from my grandfather, William Wilson. Balbriggan was another name for Ballyfrenis)

V2
Moneyreagh for baps an tay
Ballygowan for brandy
Magherascouse for breedin’ soos
But Cummer is the dandy
(from a retired school principal friend, Bill Curry, who grew up in Comber)

V3
Kilrea for drinking tay
Garvagh for asses
Limavady for Irish lace
And Coleraine for lasses
(from Sam Hanna Bell’s ‘Within Our Province’)

V4
"Killyleagh for baps an' tay, Strangford is for brandy"
(from a friend on Facebook)

V5
Lisnaskea for Drinking Tay,
Maguiresbridge drinks Brandy,
Lisbellaw grows rotten straw,
But Derrylin's the Dandy.
(from a friend on Facebook)