HIDE FM

Garrett Phelan
HIDE FM
Latest episode

20 episodes

  • HIDE FM

    SKYLARK - ALAUDA ARVENSIS

    14/04/2026 | 59 mins.
    The SKYLARK’s name in the Irish Language is ‘Fuiseog’. The Latin name is ‘ALAUDA ARVENSIS ’. It is an AMBER listed bird in Ireland.
    In this podcast Garrett talks about Juliana Barnes, a nun from the late 1300's who is really responsible for the collective nouns for birds. She called her list of nouns 'The Companies of Beasties and Fowlies'. The collective nouns for SKYLARKs are; an exultation, a hover, bevy or descent of SKYLARKs. The SKYLARK symbolises joy, optimism, and hope. The SKYLARK has deep cultural connections with Ireland, stretching back to the time of Fionn Mac Cumhaill who in a poem wrote of "The lark singing out his clear tidings". The SKYLARK is the focus of an old English folk song the 'Lark in the Morning' musicians like Paddy Tunney and the Dubliners covered this song. SKYLARKs can be heard at any time of the year, mainly in the spring and summer. They do most of their singing in the morning, peaking in late afternoon.
    You can recap by listening to Garrett’s other HIDE FM podcasts to date by searching HIDE FM on any podcast distributor, apart from Spotify. HIDE FM is a Per Cent for Art commission by Fingal County Council.
    Please FOLLOW / SUBSCRIBE!
    Send all of your questions regarding this podcast to [email protected]
    #art #SKYLARK #environmentalism #birds
  • HIDE FM

    WIGEON - MARECA PENELOPE

    18/03/2026 | 1h 2 mins.
    The WIGEON’s name in the Irish Language is ‘Rualacha’. The Latin name is ‘MARECA PENELOPE’. It is an AMBER listed bird in Ireland.
    It is a duck. Females look like female mallards. Collective nouns for the wigeon are;  flock, team, raft, brace, bunch of Wigeons. The Wigeon can symbolise intuition or psychic abilities and is sometimes associated with goddesses of wisdom, self awareness. Out here in the Rogerstown estuary you can hear the Widgeon's whistle throughout the day, it's like a 'wheee-ooooooo', females make a different type of sound, like a growl. Garrett talks about the OPEN SEASON ORDER (The legislation in Ireland for the hunting of certain birds.) The Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981, provides wigeons with protection against being captured, killed or injured, and also makes it illegal to damage or destroy their nests or eggs. The name ‘wigeon’ is thought to be derived from the Middle French or Old French words vigeon, vingeon and vignier, meaning “to whine or shout”, which echoes the sharp, piercing whistle made by males.
    You can recap by listening to Garrett’s other HIDE FM podcasts to date by searching HIDE FM on any podcast distributor, apart from Spotify. HIDE FM is a Per Cent for Art commission by Fingal County Council.
    Please FOLLOW / SUBSCRIBE!
    Send all of your questions regarding this podcast to [email protected]
  • HIDE FM

    WHIMBREL - NUMENIUS PHAEOPUS

    04/03/2026 | 1h 6 mins.
    The WHIMBREL's name in the Irish Language is ‘Crotach eanaigh’. The Latin name is ‘NUMENIUS PHAEOPUS’. It is a GREEN LISTED bird in Ireland.
    It is a wader. Visually it's a close relative of the curlew. Both come from the genus 'Numenius' which comes from the words 'new' and 'moon'. Probably a reference to both bills and the crescent shape curve they have. Whimbrels are 'passage migrants'. So they don't hang around long. The big difference is the length of the bill, the Whimbrel's is much shorter. Whimbrel's also have shorter legs and a light stripe above the eye. Good luck with identifying that. Garrett has been at it for years and still admits he finds it difficult to differentiate birds that have similar plummage. They stop off in April and May on the way down from the Arctic to Spain and Africa.

    A single whistle from a whimbrel means good weather, a quivery whistle means bad weather. Also In folklore the Whimbrel gets a bad rap as it is considered to be a bird of bad omen.
    You can recap by listening to Garrett's other HIDE FM podcasts to date by searching HIDE FM on any podcast distributor, apart from Spotify. HIDE FM is a Per Cent for Art commission by Fingal County Council.
    Please FOLLOW / SUBSCRIBE!
    Send all of your questions regarding this podcast to [email protected]
  • HIDE FM

    REDKNOT - CALIDRIS CANUTUS

    05/02/2026 | 54 mins.
    REDKNOT is known simply as KNOT. Its name in the Irish Language is ‘Cnota’. The Latin name is ‘CALIDRIS CANUTUS’.  It is a RED LISTED bird in Ireland.  It belongs to the family of the Sandpiper. It usually comes to Ireland during October to February. It comes all the way from Greenland and other high atlantic islands.  Once one of these little birds tagged as B95 had the nickname 'MOONBIRD'. This is because during the lifetime of this little plucky bird, its long-distance migrations exceeded the length of the journey from the Earth to the Moon.

    Before migration the  bird undergoes some physiological changes to account for the long journey. Flight muscles increase, leg muscles decrease. Similarly to other migrant birds, its stomach and gizzard mass decreases while fat mass increases by 50%. This is why it is incredibly important to preserve migrant bird landing/feeding grounds. Once they land they must instantly begin to feed. The conservation of the ecosystem is so important for the survival of the species.
    Garrett continues to imagine to observe the birds of the Rogerstown Estuary at THE HIDE SCULPTURE. You can recap by listening to his other HIDE FM podcasts to dateby searching HIDE FM on any podcast distributor. 
    HIDE FM is a Per Cent for Art commission by Fingal County Council.
    Please FOLLOW / SUBSCRIBE!
    Send all of your questions regarding this podcast to [email protected] Thanks for listening!
  • HIDE FM

    SHELDUCK - TADORNA TADORNA

    05/01/2026 | 1h 1 mins.
    SHELDUCK. Its name in the Irish Language is ‘Seil-lacha'. The Latin name is ‘TADORNA TADORNA’.  It is an AMBER LISTED bird in Ireland. DUCK is the common name for many species of waterfoul in the family of Anatidae. The word 'Duck' comes from the old english word 'Dūce - Diver'. The female is a 'Duck' the male is a 'Drake'. The shell part has nothing to do with Shells. 'Sheld' is the old english word for mixed in colour or pied. 
    There are several types of Shelduck. The one Garrett is imagining here is a 'Common' Shelduck. Ducks were important solar symbols in Celtic culture. Shelducks usually nest in holes like rabbit holes. Shelducks are not diving birds. Possibly when young but generally not as adults. More on this and subjects like the Irish Wildlife Act, Birdwatch Ireland, the importance of 'Bird Listening' - identifying birds by sound and how he learned to do this as a child, etc.
    Garrett continues to imagine to observe the birds of the Rogerstown Estuary at THE HIDE SCULPTURE. You can recap by listening to his other HIDE FM podcasts to date.
    HIDE FM is a Per Cent for Art commission by Fingal County Council.
    Please FOLLOW / SUBSCRIBE!

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About HIDE FM

HIDE FM - Podcast is a work of art by artist Garrett Phelan. It takes the form of 28 imagined and performed monologues on 28 birds that are visitors to the Rogerstown Estuary, Lusk, North County Dublin, Ireland. They were performed by Garrett from October 2023 - January 2024 in Millbrook Studios, Rathfarnham, Dublin. They were originally transmitted via an independent radio station HIDE FM during Spring 2025. The podcast is a sensitive exploration of the Fragility of our ecosystem. Garrett explores the status, sound, diet, breeding patterns, movement and folklore of each bird type, with ‘sonic interruptions’ interspersed into the podcasts. They were performed and created to depict viewing birds during the seasons of Autumn/Winter/Early Spring at the location of THE HIDE SCULPTURE, Lusk, Co.Dublin. 12 of the 28 birds he features are on the endangered RED list. 10 of the birds are on the endangered AMBER list and 6 are on the GREEN LIST. The HIDE FM - Podcast IS NOT REAL. It is an ‘IMAGINED, PERFECT’ landscape. Each week we will release a podcast that will focus on one particular bird from the area. For more information on what we do follow us @thehideproject on Instagram or go to www.thehideproject.com HIDE FM is a Per Cent for Art Commission by Fingal County Council. Send all of your questions to [email protected]
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