Martin Bridgeman had his first musical experiences growing up in Dublin, soaking up music from his cousins’ record collections and listening to Radio Luxembourg, pirate radio, RTE and the BBC. He found himself on pirate radio as a teenager for a few years both behind and on the mic before swapping a microphone for a drum kit, playing with a variety of bands in the heyday of the Temple Bar artistic community in the 1980’s.
Fast forward a few years and he’s settled with his Kilkenny-born wife in her hometown (sorry CITY!), helped to raise their children and continued to build his expanding music collection, mostly courtesy of Rollercoaster Records, one of the country’s finest small independent record stores. He also heard the call back to radio, joining KCLR in 2005.
For over 14 years, he has presented a variety of shows on KCLR, is a show producer, a documentary maker and musical associate on other programmes, bringing original music to the airwaves across the schedule. He also hosts regular Studio 2 Sessions across a range of local, national and international musicians across a range of genres. In that time he’s presented a weekly alternative/indie music show called “The Eclectic Light Programme”, a weekly traditional music programme called “Blas Glas” and more recently a weekly Folk/Roots programme called (perhaps surprisingly) “Folk/Roots”.
Since December 2017 he’s on air twice a week with “Ceol Anocht”, a mix of classic songs and new Irish music. It’s a show where Irish music features prominently and is heavily supported on air and on his many Studio 2 Sessions. It you like music and don’t get hung up on labels, Tuesday and Thursdays between 10:00 p.m. and 1:00 a.m. is the place to be. Those unlucky enough not to live near Kilkenny or Carlow can listen on www.kclr96fm.com, via the KCLR App or on the Irish Radioplayer App.
Outside of radio, he hosts the monthly Open Mic night at Ryan’s Bar and has begun to promote Songwriter nights at the unique Hole In The Wall tavern, featuring Irish and international performers. He’s also a member of the team for the IMRO award winning Kilkenny TradFest since its inception.
He’s a committed fan of music in all its forms and is a well-respected member of the Kilkenny music and arts scene, a city that punches way above its weight musically and artistically speaking.
Over the years he’s built links with a variety of communities in traditional and social media and continues to explore the opportunities that continue to emerge.
