West Cork

Shergar6 · 09-02-2018 3:14am #1

Opinions? I'm on episode 4 now

Kingp35 · 09-02-2018 10:32am

Didn't realise this had been released yet. Is it only available on Audible?

What do you think of it so far?

decnug · 09-02-2018 10:50am

I think it is only on audible, I created a trial account to get it. Up to episode 9 and really enjoying it

Kingp35 · 09-02-2018 11:26am

I don't understand Audible, you're charged a monthly subscription and still have to pay to download books. Why anyone would sign up to this I'll never know!

I might get the trial to download the podcast then immediately cancel.

09-02-2018 12:28pm

I listened to a 3/4 episodes so far.
Really plays like amateur hour for the nyards approach on the first day - the French much have been bulling. This was compounded by the fact that it was just before Christmas I guess and the remoteness of the place.
Am a paranoid or is there a slight slight tone of spurn in the presentation - or is it just 'cos the presenters are English?

It's decent but the Irish accents are awful!

09-02-2018 12:38pm

Kingp35 wrote: »

I don't understand Audible, you're charged a monthly subscription and still have to pay to download books. Why anyone would sign up to this I'll never know!

I might get the trial to download the podcast then immediately cancel.

you get one free book a month with the membership as far as I can see. the podcasts seem to be free? (I still have a book credit after starting this podcast)

pitifulgod · 10-02-2018 11:35am

Kingp35 wrote: »

I don't understand Audible, you're charged a monthly subscription and still have to pay to download books. Why anyone would sign up to this I'll never know!

I might get the trial to download the podcast then immediately cancel.

Free book each month at any price. Can build up credits if you want. Eg I got Sherlock Holmes for a credit recently.

weadick · 10-02-2018 10:32pm

glasso wrote: »

I listened to a 3/4 episodes so far.
Really plays like amateur hour for the nyards approach on the first day - the French much have been bulling. This was compounded by the fact that it was just before Christmas I guess and the remoteness of the place.
Am a paranoid or is there a slight slight tone of spurn in the presentation - or is it just 'cos the presenters are English?
It's decent but the Irish accents are awful!

Im on episode 7. It's good, better than I was expecting. Interesting to hear Bailey's back story.

cloudatlas · 12-02-2018 11:04am

Wow, bailey doesn't do himself any favours. The Gardai messed up so much, no wonder the French want nothing to do with the Irish judiciary.

Well produced.

CaoimheSquee · 13-02-2018 5:50pm

I am on episode 7 and thoroughly enjoying so far. Definitely recommend.
It sets the scene incredibly well of the remoteness of the place and characters within it.
Lots of background and as far as I can gather completely objective.

weadick · 14-02-2018 1:39am

So many weird characters in West Cork, from the suspect to the witness to the police. I was quite taken aback listening to Bailey lose his temper in the taxi on the last episode, he does seem to have a bit of a split personality.

PropJoe10 · 14-02-2018 2:01pm

Very good and well presented and researched podcast. Interesting to hear about Ian Bailey's life and hear him and his partner on tape talking about this. 6 episodes in now and really enjoying it. Highly recommended for fans of true crime stuff.

14-02-2018 7:59pm

unusual podcast overall but worth the time.
not sure what to make of things after listening to it though - I suppose that that is the intention - to make you think.
Bailey seems like a genuinely strange person who is certainly a shades of grey type individual.
The guards come out of it appearing to be inept and certainly attempting to short-cut things in terms of picking out Bailey.

mrsdewinter · 15-02-2018 3:07am

I'm only on episode 4 but I'm loving it so far. There's loads of stuff I'd either forgotten or never knew in the first place. However, it's interesting to most of us here, I'm guessing, because we're familiar with how the case has rumbled on for so long. I don't know how somebody coming fresh to the case, who's unaware of the controversy, would put up with the exchanges with the old hippies, or the multiple descriptions of west Cork.

Lady Spangles · 15-02-2018 10:48pm

Currently on episode 10 after downloading it last night. I'd heard of the case, but really didn't know much about it beforehand. It's a really sad, bizarre case. I just don't know what to make of Bailey, yet. Delusional? Quite possibly.

16-02-2018 1:05pm

Interesting side of things that the podcast brought out is how Bailey (not guilty or guilty) seems to have embraced the whole thing as being central to his identity and his life.

anthonyjmaher · 23-02-2018 11:50pm

I absolutely loved this. I wasn't expecting much to be honest, but this is what podcasts should be. I was sick last Monday so I spent the whole day in bed listening to it. And it was a very enjoyable day.
They obviously put a huge amount of work in to this podcast. They got interviews with all the main players, and got a huge amount of time from Ian Bailey. I particularly liked the episode about Ian Bailey's past in England, and where his life started to go off track. Because although he is the villain of the piece, he is also a victim of life. After a promising start, his marriage failed, his career went south, and he moved away.
I got this on Audible free. I'm already a subscriber. If anybody could recommend something similar to this, I would appreciate it.

Mr E · 26-02-2018 1:22pm

Started it this morning. Really enjoying it.

It's really following the Serial template isn't it? Slick background audio, plinky-plonky music and great production values.

26-02-2018 10:48pm

I loved it too. No real spoilers but for me the last episode was the best, so telling... how we speak to and treat those closest to us and all that :eek:

LionelNashe · 28-02-2018 12:35am

Very interesting alright. West Cork sounds like a very different place.

I've always thought he was stitched up and hung out to dry on very little evidence.

mrsdewinter · 28-02-2018 1:00am

Gotta say, it's been a week since I finished the podcast and I'm still thinking about it. Funnily enough, I found a reference to one of the producers in a copy of Totally Dublin magazine the other day. It turns out that Sam Bungey (the male producer) was a magazine editor in Dublin in the mid-2000s. So the 'set-up', that of two naive podcasters coming fresh to the story, was little more than a narrative device - and a really effective one too! Given that he must have been extremely familiar with, say, the libel case, I'm very impressed with the final product.

LionelNashe · 28-02-2018 4:01am

If anyone is thinking of signing up to Audible, bear in mind that Audible.co.uk is £8, whereas Audible.com is $14.95. I was using the .com subscription for years, paying over the odds for no reason.

FishOnABike · 28-02-2018 4:23am

glasso wrote: »

Interesting side of things that the podcast brought out is how Bailey (not guilty or guilty) seems to have embraced the whole thing as being central to his identity and his life.

Not surprising though when you consider the impact it has had on his life.

You have only to look at other circumstances like the Mcbrearty and Sgt McCabe scandals to understand the all enveloping effect these things can have on ones life.

iancairns · 04-03-2018 6:20pm

glasso wrote: »

I listened to a 3/4 episodes so far.
Really plays like amateur hour for the nyards approach on the first day - the French much have been bulling. This was compounded by the fact that it was just before Christmas I guess and the remoteness of the place.
Am a paranoid or is there a slight slight tone of spurn in the presentation - or is it just 'cos the presenters are English?
It's decent but the Irish accents are awful!

“The Irish accents are awful”.....

Eh they’re the speakers actual accents.

Loved the podcast. Haven’t a clue who did it still

Crookhaven one of my fave spots on earth

martyoo · 04-03-2018 6:27pm

The one thing that is clear to me is that Bailey loves being the suspect. It's like the whole thing gives him purpose in his life.

The gardai made a balls of it. Everything from how the scene was managed to solely focsusing on Bailey.

Would love to know who it was that Marie Farrell seen at the bridge that night and who was actually with her in the car.

donalh087 · 04-03-2018 6:30pm

It is a big demand to ask anyone to listen to eight hours of radio. Radio is more passive, more tune in / tune out, and people rarely sit down to actively listen. That said, I have been looking forward for some time to an outsider’s view of the Sophie Toscan du Plantier murder in Schull 20 odd years ago. Would we learn something new? Would there be new allegations?

Eight hours later and I feel like I was bludgeoned to a stupor by a concrete block of boredom by a man in a long coat (probably). There is a depressing backing track of electronic organ that could be cello or French Horn but played (for 8 hours) by someone on sleeping tablets.

Radio requires a certain ‘voice’. An authority, a credibility. Sam Bungey, the presenter, squeaked his way through West Cork trying to make himself sound clever. Which he didn’t manage.

Bungey tries to paint West Cork as this kind of Gothic, bleak, dysfunctional, substance dependent, escape for people who can’t function elsewhere. If it were, then the murder would not have shocked so much.

This podcast misses the beauty of West Cork, it misses the fun and laughter, it misses the generosity of spirit, it misses having a pint outside Bushes or a walk by Lough Hyne, it misses late summer in Barleycove. It misses the fantastic normal country folk. The reason Sophie’s murder was such a shock was because there was a violation of a place and a way of life.

West Cork, Audio Book, imho, is a sadly wasted opportunity.

PropJoe10 · 04-03-2018 6:51pm

donalh087 wrote: »

It is a big demand to ask anyone to listen to eight hours of radio. Radio is more passive, more tune in / tune out, and people rarely sit down to actively listen. That said, I have been looking forward for some time to an outsider’s view of the Sophie Toscan du Plantier murder in Schull 20 odd years ago. Would we learn something new? Would there be new allegations?

Eight hours later and I feel like I was bludgeoned to a stupor by a concrete block of boredom by a man in a long coat (probably). There is a depressing backing track of electronic organ that could be cello or French Horn but played (for 8 hours) by someone on sleeping tablets.

Radio requires a certain ‘voice’. An authority, a credibility. Sam Bungey, the presenter, squeaked his way through West Cork trying to make himself sound clever. Which he didn’t manage.

Bungey tries to paint West Cork as this kind of Gothic, bleak, dysfunctional, substance dependent, escape for people who can’t function elsewhere. If it were, then the murder would not have shocked so much.

This podcast misses the beauty of West Cork, it misses the fun and laughter, it misses the generosity of spirit, it misses having a pint outside Bushes or a walk by Lough Hyne, it misses late summer in Barleycove. It misses the fantastic normal country folk. The reason Sophie’s murder was such a shock was because there was a violation of a place and a way of life.

West Cork, Audio Book, imho, is a sadly wasted opportunity.

Its a podcast that focuses on the murder case, not the West Cork countryside. Not sure what exactly you were expecting from something that clearly bills itself as focusing on the murder. I thought it was extremely well researched and presented.

donalh087 · 04-03-2018 6:59pm

PropJoe10 wrote: »

Its a podcast that focuses on the murder case, not the West Cork countryside. Not sure what exactly you were expecting from something that clearly bills itself as focusing on the murder. I thought it was extremely well researched and presented.

An earlier poster said something about West Cork being full of weirdos. And to listen to the podcast you would agree. All I'm saying is that is a great, vibrant, artistic, creative and fun place too - which is why the murder was more shocking. It is the story of a murder in a community and I think the community is misrepresented.

Mantis Toboggan · 04-03-2018 8:59pm

Do I need to pay 8 pounds a month to listen to this?
Will they release this as a podcast?

martyoo · 04-03-2018 9:01pm

Tyson Fury wrote: »

Do I need to pay 8 pounds a month to listen to this?
Will they release this as a podcast?

No. You can sign up for a free months trial.

PropJoe10 · 04-03-2018 9:41pm

donalh087 wrote: »

An earlier poster said something about West Cork being full of weirdos. And to listen to the podcast you would agree. All I'm saying is that is a great, vibrant, artistic, creative and fun place too - which is why the murder was more shocking. It is the story of a murder in a community and I think the community is misrepresented.

You're not wrong about West Cork being artistic and vibrant but that'd probably be a good topic for another podcast. I don't think the community was misrepresented at all - they were there to tell the story of Ian Bailey and the murder and I thought they did it really well. Each to their own, I suppose!

Standman · 06-03-2018 10:38am

Good podcast. Contrary to what a poster has said above, I actually think the people of west Cork came across quite endearingly.

For sure, the mention of score-settling didn't reflect well on the community, but I think that's something that would happen anywhere, just a human thing.

Funnily enough, I was completely unaware of this case. It was strange to hear the narrator say "Ian Bailey is a household name in Ireland". He certainly wasn't in my household.

cloudatlas · 06-03-2018 11:51am

Anyone who has every lived in a small community knows that there is a collective group think about things so if the community is reflected in a bad light then everyone is reflected in a bad light and they seek to discover what that is and root it out, there is gossip, everyone knows everybody else's business, people are kind because they know you in these one horse towns.

I thought that was reflected very well, I thought they did their homework and I was interested as I knew the case name but not the details.

Arghus · 07-03-2018 3:07am

I often feel like I'm true crime saga-ed out, there's just so many out there, but I found West Cork to be one of the best that I've listened to, despite knowing quite a lot of the story to begin with.

The show was obviously made with an international audience in mind, so the manner in which they reveal Ian Bailey's central role will no doubt stun many from abroad who listen to it.

In a sense the material is such dynamite and the cast of characters are so interesting that I think it would have been next to impossible for them to truly make a bad podcast series, but it is an excellently researched and produced show. Even if, maybe - if I was really nitpicky - some of the material in the latter episodes could have been condensed if they really had to get it under ten episodes. Personally, I found it all interesting, but I could understand if it was repetitive for some.

I don't know how I truly feel about Ian Bailey after listening to it. He seems to me to be an enormous ego-maniacal arsehole. And I have no doubt that if I was a local cop I'd also have been fairly certain he did it too: the man was going around joking about having done it for pity's sake.

But yet, no hard evidence and there's no doubt he was the victim of some serious skulduggery - so, yes, to call him the victim of a witchunt wouldn't be too far off the mark. But yet, the more time I spent listening to him the more I disliked him, even if I found him somewhat fascinating. Maybe he was the victim of a grave injustice but I think one of the contributors hit the nail on head perfectly when he said that it isn't so much that Ian Bailey's life has been taken away from him; being Ian Bailey, number one suspect, has become his life; it's given him the chance to be somebody and there's no doubt in my mind that he craves that notoriety.

Arghus · 07-03-2018 3:23am

donalh087 wrote: »

An earlier poster said something about West Cork being full of weirdos. And to listen to the podcast you would agree. All I'm saying is that is a great, vibrant, artistic, creative and fun place too - which is why the murder was more shocking. It is the story of a murder in a community and I think the community is misrepresented.

I didn't get a sense of that at all from listening to the podcast. I think, in general, it paints the area of West Cork in a very positive light - it's abundantly clear from listening to the show that the murder was something totally at odds with life there. Sure, they even have Sophie Toscan Du Plantier's son speaking about how much he enjoys coming back to that part of the world.

It's also obvious from listening to the show that the area is clearly a vibrant and creative place - some many of the contributors they talk too are artists or craftspeople or poets, but they also had regular ordinary folks, like the publican, giving their opinions too.

I think the pod was very fair to the area and to it's people. To be honest, I felt like I'd like to see it for myself after listening: it sounded great.

Mantis Toboggan · 09-03-2018 10:52pm

Finished this during the week.
It's a good podcast for the most part, a little muddy in parts and slightly drawn out but overall well worth a listen. If I wasn't from this country then I'm not sure if I'd find it as interesting.

It really is a bizarre case, mainly with how the police handled it. Brady is a strange individual and some of his behaviour doesn't paint him in a good light.

I would have always thought that Brady was guilty but with the incompetence of the gardai they botched the investigation. On the other hand with how corrupt the gardai are it's easy to see how they might have gone after Brady as an easy target. You only have to look at what they tried to do to maurice mccabe to see that.

Amazing that no forensics were found which makes it unlikely to ever be solved.

irishgeo · 09-03-2018 11:09pm

Tyson Fury wrote: »

Finished this during the week.
It's a good podcast for the most part, a little muddy in parts and slightly drawn out but overall well worth a listen. If I wasn't from this country then I'm not sure if I'd find it as interesting.

It really is a bizarre case, mainly with how the police handled it. Brady is a strange individual and some of his behaviour doesn't paint him in a good light.

I would have always thought that Brady was guilty but with the incompetence of the gardai they botched the investigation. On the other hand with how corrupt the gardai are it's easy to see how they might have gone after Brady as an easy target. You only have to look at what they tried to do to maurice mccabe to see that.

Amazing that no forensics were found which makes it unlikely to ever be solved.

the forensics team couldn't even find the place and it pissed rain all night, Marie farrell is the oddest person, just making **** up, you couldnt trust a word she said.

PropJoe10 · 10-03-2018 12:08am

irishgeo wrote: »

the forensics team couldn't even find the place and it pissed rain all night, Marie farrell is the oddest person, just making **** up, you couldnt trust a word she said.

Marie Farrell was the biggest surprise for me from that podcast. Seems to be a compulsive liar. So many wild stories, and refusing to name the person she was in the car with even in court was just plain odd.

Mantis Toboggan · 10-03-2018 12:41am

One thing that baffles me was she was found in her nightdress 100 metres from the house with laced up boots. I just can't figure out the scenario.

theboringfox · 10-03-2018 12:50am

Tyson Fury wrote: »

One thing that baffles me was she was found in her nightdress 100 metres from the house with laced up boots. I just can't figure out the scenario.

Yep. What got me by end was just how unclear it all was. It is desperate for the family to not have any closure.

Vim Fuego · 16-03-2018 2:30pm

Been hearing about this case for years but never really followed all the press coverage in much detail. Even the other day, Ian Bailey was on RTÉ news regarding an ongoing defamation court case relating back to this murder.

It’s such a long-running thing, like background noise, and never at the forefront of my attention. So, only knowing some vague details and interested to listen to an Irish-based Serial-like podcast, I signed up for the Audible trial and got this downloaded. I’ve since run through the 13 episodes in a few days.

It’s as good as any of the best-known examples of this type of journalism. The hosts have access to practically everyone involved who is still alive, a huge amount of time spent with Ian Bailey himself and I think they did a reasonable job of covering off all the angles and presenting the case as it is, without trying to colour the story to throw in gimmicky twists.

No one comes out well out of this - the Garda screwed up badly along the way, Bailey relishes the fame of being the prime murder suspect, the key witness seems to be either easily led or a compulsive liar, the residents of Schull come over as generally strange folk with petty scores to settle. It’s a really interesting depiction, though I'm sure if you're familiar with the place (like a poster above), it might be bit out there compared to reality.

Highly recommended, especially for anyone like me who wants to understand the case after hearing about it for so many years. Feel brutal for the family though - it would be like a hole in your heart after this many years.

John Mason · 16-03-2018 7:25pm

Finished this today
really enjoyed it.

murpho999 · 13-05-2018 10:13pm

Listening to this now. Just done 6 episodes.

Find it intriguing, well done and good research by the presenters. (Except to need to learn how to pronounce Schull, it's not Skull:p).

Definitely learnt a lot more about the case than I knew before.

martyoo · 14-05-2018 10:56am

Article about the couple behind the West Cork Podcast.

Everybody is talking about ‘West Cork’, the podcast delving into the murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier. Marjorie Brennan spoke to the couple behind it, and the backlash they had feared as they return to the area this summer for the literary festival.

Link

OMM 0000 · 03-08-2018 4:33pm

Was Marie Farrell even out driving that night? I feel like everything she said is a lie. Like when she says the man standing across the road from her shop was wearing a beret, it seems like she's trying to hint the guy was French... but actually I don't think I've ever seen a French person wear a beret. It's like saying Irish people wear Aran jumpers.

Of course, maybe she is telling the truth and she's a victim in this like Ian Bailey. But maybe neither are victims. The story is so puzzling.

Arghus · 03-08-2018 9:44pm

The impression I got from her is that she was one who had a passing relationship with the truth.

BarryD2 · 03-08-2018 10:20pm

Arghus wrote: »

I don't know how I truly feel about Ian Bailey after listening to it. He seems to me to be an enormous ego-maniacal arsehole. And I have no doubt that if I was a local cop I'd also have been fairly certain he did it too: the man was going around joking about having done it for pity's sake.

But yet, no hard evidence and there's no doubt he was the victim of some serious skulduggery - so, yes, to call him the victim of a witchunt wouldn't be too far off the mark. But yet, the more time I spent listening to him the more I disliked him, even if I found him somewhat fascinating. Maybe he was the victim of a grave injustice but I think one of the contributors hit the nail on head perfectly when he said that it isn't so much that Ian Bailey's life has been taken away from him; being Ian Bailey, number one suspect, has become his life; it's given him the chance to be somebody and there's no doubt in my mind that he craves that notoriety.

+1 He comes across as a strange character alright and seems to live for the limelight.

TomOnBoard · 03-08-2018 11:10pm

What happened to the gate?

OMM 0000 · 05-08-2018 7:39am

TomOnBoard wrote: »

What happened to the gate?

Can you clarify what you mean?

TomOnBoard · 05-08-2018 8:17am

OMM 0000 wrote: »

Can you clarify what you mean?

The gate beside which Mme du Plantier was allegedly brutally murdered was allegedly 'covered in blood'. This gate was removed and it has disappeared. Apparently, no-one knows where it is, where it went and/or who removed it.

Mantis Toboggan · 05-08-2018 9:05am

TomOnBoard wrote: »

What happened to the gate?

I've always felt that this case had the smell of a police cover up. Hopefully someday we'll find out the truth but I somehow doubt it.

West Cork

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