Fadó Fadó

Fadó Fadó is a programme dedicated to the local culture of Dundalk. The name itself tells the story. Fadó Fadó is the Irish phrase meaning “long, long ago”, the traditional opening of a folk tale or a fireside story, an invitation to settle in and listen to something worth hearing. It is a fitting name for a show that reaches back into the heart of Dundalk’s heritage and brings it forward into the present.

The show is one of the longer-running specialist programmes on Dundalk FM, with records of the programme stretching back to at least 2012. Over the years the team has included Peter Kavanagh, Brendan Coughlan, Michael Dowdall, Jimmy Fergus and the late Cathal Cassidy (RIP) and Seamus Tiernan (RIP), whose contributions to the show and to Irish traditional music in this region will not be forgotten. The presenters draw on local newspaper archives — The Argus and the Dundalk Democrat — as well as the Cooley Man publication to bring local history and memory into each programme.

Fadó Fadó was recognised with a Craol Achievement Award — the Community Radio Forum of Ireland — reflecting the quality and dedication that has gone into this programme year after year. Its presence in the schedule gives listeners a weekly space for music that is thoughtful, rooted, and unhurried, a contrast to the pace of everyday life.

Join Margaret Mallon, Peter Kavanagh and Michael Dowdall on Fadó Fadó each Monday at 6pm on Dundalk FM 97.7.