“With Chequerboard, it was very hard for me to avoid putting him on, because I’m such a huge fan. After My Bloody Valentine, he is probably my favourite Irish act of all time. But it had to be something different as well, and with this track (‘Skating Couple’), it was actually a remix that Cyril (Briscoe) who I DJ with had done; the same with Cane 141.”

In recent years, Cian’s show has changed. One of the reasons for this was the decision three years ago by RnaG to allow English lyrics on the station: “Some listeners were annoyed when that happened; they loved that lyric-free zone. I reckon loads of them were teachers who were correcting papers at the time!”

Another difference is in the structure of An Taobh Tuathail, whereby Mondays and Tuesday veer more towards folk, and instrument-based music, while Thursdays and Fridays are electronic based, with Cian’s aptitude as a DJ (he ran renowned Galway clubnight 110th Street for years) put to the test with splatterings of techno and house.

At the time of our conversation, Ó Cíobháin is sweating over the arrival of the CDs, which had been delayed by a few weeks. However, he assures me that they will be ready for the Limerick launch for the album at Trinity Rooms this Friday, with live sets coming from Rarely Seen Above Ground and Alphamono.

Both acts are part of the Psychonavagation stable, the label that has put out the two ATT volumes thus far. Psychonavagation head honcho Keith Downey will join Cian on the decks during the festivities.

Once the business of touring and promoting this disc are out of the way, has O’Cíobháin any plans for a third instalment in his increasingly acclaimed series? “You know, someone just mentioned in the last few days that I’ll be doing the radio show ten years come May, so we may just have to do something for that,” he says.

In the meantime, expect to discover a plethora of underground gems as Cian sticks to the name of his show, and unearths plenty of ear candy from ‘the other side’.

‘An Taobh Tuathail Volume II’ is launched at Trinity Rooms this Friday, August 22. Doors at 9pm. Entry is free before 10pm/€8 after. For more info, go to www.psychonavagation.com and www.myspace.com/antaobhtuathail

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