What's the Story, Dublin?

In this episode of What’s the Story, Dublin?, brought to you by Dublin City Council, we sit down with John Stack from the Nature-Based Surface Water Projects Unit to explore how the city is working to improve the health of its rivers. John explains the impact of the EU Water Framework Directive and outlines the challenges facing seven of Dublin’s key waterways — including the Liffey and Dodder — which are currently experiencing poor water quality.
He discusses the main pressures on urban rivers, from polluted runoff to plumbing misconnections, and highlights the innovative Rainscapes project in the Santry catchment. Using nature-based solutions like swales and rain gardens, the project is helping to capture and clean rainwater while reducing flood risk. It’s a conversation about sustainable urban design, shared responsibility, and how collaboration across communities, businesses, and public bodies can help restore Dublin’s rivers for the future.
Recorded in April 2026. Graphics by John Stone.
Music: ‘The Right Direction’ by Shane Ivers ⁠https://www.silvermansound.com⁠
For updates from Dublin City Council, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter, or visit dublincity.ie.

In this episode of What’s the Story, Dublin?, brought to you by Dublin City Council, we sit down with Ray Yeates, Dublin’s City Arts Officer, to explore how the arts shape the life of the city. Ray talks about the role of the Arts Office as “an opportunity maker… a developmental job” and explains how Dublin supports practitioners, participants and audiences across every art form — from theatre and visual arts to circus, film and dance.
He reflects on his 30‑year theatre background, the growth of Culture Night, the challenge of creating new audiences, and major cultural projects transforming the city — including new artist studios, public art, and emerging creative spaces. It’s a conversation about why creativity matters, how it builds community, and what’s coming next for Dublin’s cultural landscape.
Recorded in April 2026.Graphics by John Stone.Music: ‘The Right Direction’ by Shane Ivers — https://www.silvermansound.com
For updates from Dublin City Council, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter, or visit dublincity.ie.

Sabrina Dekker explains some of the challenges and potentials solution to Dublin becoming a climate resilient city.

The recent Saint Patrick's Day parade brought over half a million revellers into the city which, as you can imagine produced a lot of rubbish.

In this episode we talk to Sean Michael Larkin from our waste management section on how the streets were cleaned-up in the aftermath of all the festivities.

In this episode of What’s the Story, Dublin?, we speak to Reuben Hambakachere about his role as Integration Support Coordinator in Dublin City Council and the career path that led him there.
The Local Authority Integration Team, or LAIT, works with refugees and others seeking international protection to help them integrate into communities and signposts them to additional means of support.
Reuben explains how and why LAITs became a priority for DCC and other local authorities. We discuss the challenges of the work, including combatting misinformation, and its fulfilling aspects.
This podcast was recorded on 16 December 2025. Graphics are by John Stone. Music: ‘The Right Direction’ by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com