The new RTÉ Radio series ‘A Giant at My Shoulder’ is a revival of a programme that first aired in the year 2000, asking artists to share who influenced their work
Edna O’Brien. Photo: Leonardo Cendamo/Getty
They say that you should never have heroes, but a new RTÉ Radio series is the exception to that adage. A Giant at My Shoulder, a revival of the programme that was first broadcast 25 years ago, gives familiar names a chance to worship at their hero’s feet and publicly pay homage to the titular giants looming over their respective shoulders.
The original series, broadcast as part of RTÉ’s millennium celebrations in 2000, saw writers like Edna O’Brien discussing James Joyce; artists like Alice Maher on Louise Bourgeois; pianist John O’Conor on Beethoven and poet Paul Durcan discussing Pope Leo XIIV’s influence.
