Clodagh Finn: Radio days — The friendship forged near ‘Jacob’s Ladder’

A chance encounter in 1942 near RTÉ's 'creaking and groaning' lift in the GPO led to a lifelong friendship between two remarkable women, who shared a passion for folklore and food and contributed much to Irish cultural life

Bríd Mahon was an author, a BBC scriptwriter, a theatre critic and a vital member of the Irish Folklore Commission, which assembled one of the biggest collections of folklore in Europe during its 35-year history.

Sat, 17 Jan, 2026 - 01:59

Clodagh Finn

Clodagh Finn is a journalist, writer and collector of stories. Her recent book, The Irish in the Resistance, co-authored with John Morgan, shines a light on the forgotten contributions of the Irish who resisted Hitler during WW2.

As RTÉ returns to the GPO to mark the centenary of Irish radio, it seems like the perfect moment to recall a friendship between two creative powerhouses — one well-remembered, the other less so – that began in the station’s corridors, near ‘Jacob’s Ladder’.

Bríd Mahon, the folklorist who, among many other adventures, once ate fish and chips with JRR Tolkien, had just arrived in the station when she bumped into Maura Laverty, playwright, novelist and broadcaster.