Celebrating #JimCapaldi of #Traffic on the show tonight from 8 with tracks from #DearMrFantasy, a tribute boxset that features the likes of @paulwellernews.bsky.social @joewalsh.bsky.social #yusufislam and @stevewinwood001.bsky.social 20 years gone but not forgotten. @cherryredrecords.bsky.social

Spending a little quality time with the greatest music mag ever. I mean come on who else has the gonads and indeed good taste to put garage punk legends #TheMonks on the front cover? @shindigmagazine.bsky.social rocks!

Both as lead singer of #TheZombies and as a solo artist #ColinBlunstone has made some truly beautiful records. I’m talking with Colin later today about the peerless #OdysseyAndOracle and a beautiful new Zombies doc #HungUpOnADream. Will share on the radio show soon.

So..#Queen #ANightAtTheOpera is our next big vinyl night at the #islandartscentre in Lisburn next Friday followed by #LedZeppelin IV in Nov. We’ve more to come in 2026 so tell me..what albums would you like to see featured? Any style or any vintage. Hit me! #ralphsrecordclub

It’s a long way from the Peguis First Nation in Manitoba to Belfast city. Talking with #WilliamPrince about his life in music on the show tonight. Also new music from Willie Nelson, Margo Price, Holly Carter and more. #RalphMcLeanCountry from 8 on BBC Radio Ulster and Sounds.

🔔 Programme starting now on BBC Radio Ulster #NeilHannon #TheDivineComedy @ralphmclean.bsky.social

Neil Hannon is in conversation with yours truly this evening from 8 on BBC Radio Ulster & Sounds. Talking new #DivineComedy, writing songs for #Wonka, the joys of modern touring and the ever present God like genius of #ScottWalker in his life…amongst other stuff. @divinecomedyhq.bsky.social

I’ve the first of a couple of specials with the great #NeilHannon of #TheDivineComedy coming up on BBC Radio Ulster & Sounds tonight from 8. It’s a shorter catch up with Neil this evening but a 2 hour special with more chat and session tracks will be along soon! @divinecomedyhq.bsky.social

Monday 8th September: BBC Radio Ulster Time: 8-10pm BST Listen at: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m... 'Talking new Divine Comedy albums, wonderful Wonka soundtracks and loads more.' The show will be available on BBC Sounds after broadcast. #NeilHannon #TheDivineComedy @ralphmclean.bsky.social

Three Stetson hat wearing Texans and a baldy twit from Lisburn walk into a backstage bar…..sounds like the set up to the worst gag ever right? Hanging out with #Midland ahead of their big Belfast gig tonight. Hear our chat on Wednesday night’s country show. #midland

Lovely chat just now with #NeilHannon talking new #DivineComedy albums, wonderful #Wonka soundtracks, #ScottWalker and loads more. Neil is an old pal and he’s always great company. Hear our chat this Mon night on BBC Radio Ulster from 8pm. @divinecomedyhq.bsky.social #rainysundayafternoon

The ghosts of Conway and Loretta are looking down on us so we can’t go wrong can we? Classic sounds tonight on #RalphMcLeanCountry and new tunes from #Midland #MollyTuttle #RodneyCrowell #EmmaSwift and more. 8pm on BBC Radio Ulster or listen whenever via the BBC Sounds app.

I’ve got some prime 1975 #BobMarley for you on the radio show tonight. Don’t say I do nothing for ya! Also spinning some #JoeStrummer #TheSpecials & #HothouseFlowers On air 8pm as per usual. #ralphmcleanshow @bbcradioulster @BBCSounds

Happy birthday Sir Van Morrison. Still gigging at 80. Like the song says..fair play to you! Our #AstralWeekend continues all day on BBC Radio Ulster & there’s a ton of Van treats (inc all my Top 80 countdown shows) at bbc.co.uk/musicni #VanMorrison #vanmorrison80

My Van Top 5 albums. What’s yours? #vanmorrison80 #vanmorrison www.facebook.com/share/r/16Dj...

Finally diving really deep into the #BruceSpringsteen #TracksII boxset on Monday’s radio show. It’s a daunting prospect taking on 7 whole albums of new material but it’s been worth the effort. Some real gems in there. Hope you can join me for 2 hours of Boss sounds on Mon from 8.

Three of the finest #MickeyNewbury albums have just been reissued by @fatpossumrecords.bsky.social and I’m going to feature one a week on the next 3 #RalphMcLeanCountry shows starting tonight with this masterpiece from 1971 #FriscoMabelJoy. Sublime songwriting. #BBCSounds #bbcradioulster

Going deep into The Making Of Five Leaves Left by Nick Drake on the radio show tonight from 8. Spread the word! #NickDrake #FiveLeavesLeft

#VanMorrison80 #VanTheMan @ralphmclean.bsky.social 🎵Van Morrison Top 80 🎵 Part Four - the final 20 tracks (20-1) All Listener Choices 🎂 BBC Sounds 📡📻 Check out all previous episodes at The Ralph McLean Show www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

It’s the final part of our Van Morrison 80 At 80 countdown tonight from 8 on BBC Radio Ulster and Sounds. Numbers 20 through to number one ahead of Van’s big birthday this weekend. Some belters in there as you’d expect. #vanmorrison80 @vanmorrison.bsky.social

#VanMorrison80 #VanTheMan @ralphmclean.bsky.social Van Morrison Top 80 🎵 Part Three - the third 20 tracks (40-20) All Listener Choices 🎂 BBC Sounds 📡📻 www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Talking with these two diamonds of the Irish music scene on the show tonight. #RoryFriers from #ASIWYFA and #MichaelKeeney from #TheDarklingAir They’ll be talking about Rory’s new Home EP, #BelfastFestival & more. @bbcradioulster & @bbcsounds from 8. Pass it on!

It’s the penultimate part of my #VanMorrison80 countdown tonight (Mon 18/08) from 8pm. It’s numbers 40 to 21 tonight all chosen once again by you. 20 to number 1 will follow next Monday, the week before his 80th birthday on the 31st. Spread the word friends!

#VanMorrison80 #VanTheMan @ralphmclean.bsky.social Van Morrison Top 80 🎵 Part Two - the second 20 tracks (60-40) BBC Sounds 📡📻 www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Ahead of the big #Oasis gigs this weekend I’m talking with musician/author #JohnRobb on the radio show tonight about his new book #LiveForever that tells the tale of the rise, fall and re-birth of the band. John was there and tells a great story. Join us from 8. #OasisDublin

It’s part 2 of our Van Morrison Top 80 tonight from 8 on BBC Radio Ulster and Sounds. Counting down your choices from numbers 60 to 40 and there are some real gems in there! #vanmorrison #vanmorrison80

For your radio delight tonight..tributes to #TerryReid and #FlacoJimenez & new music from #SunnySweeney, #JohnFogerty and #TheWorryDolls 8pm start as usual. See you there fellow roots music revellers! #ralphmcleancountry

Bought several sheds worth of musical boxsets in my time but rarely been in them! Proud to have a few pages in the brilliant new #HorslipsAtTheBBC set from @MadfishmusicTalking in-depth with Barry and Jim from the band on @bbcradioulster & @BBCSounds tonight from 8.

Dog sitting for Bruce today getting used to his cone of shame after an ear op. He’s fast asleep and deaf so the Van the Man Top 80 selection on @ralphmclean.bsky.social show as I pen Wilkys Weekend goes right over his head. Here’s me & Mrs Wilks at a Van landmark location

Spending Saturday afternoon in the company of #HorslipsAtTheBBC. Such a pioneering band in so many way. Talking with my old friends Jim and Barry from the group about their BBC adventures through the 70s and beyond on Tuesday’s radio show from 8.

The great Peggy Seeger is 90 and still making brave, adventurous roots music. In fact her new album Teleology is one of my favourite albums of 2025 so far. Tunes from it and loads more from 8 on BBC Radio Ulster & Sounds.#ralphmcleancountry #PeggySeeger

Van The Baby doesn’t have quite the same ring as Van The Man does it? Counting down the Top 80 Van Morrison tracks as chosen by Radio Ulster listeners every Monday night through out August. Still time to pick a track folks. Let me know below! @vanmorrison.bsky.social #vanmorrison80

Well now that was quite the afternoon’s craic! Been chatting about the new #HorslipsAtTheBBC boxset with my old pals #BarryDevlin and #JimLockhart Fab tales of memorable sessions for Auntie and even the odd rogue Dalek or two! BBC Radio special next Tues night.#Horslips

To celebrate Sir Van Morrison’s 80th at the end of Aug I’m counting down his 80 greatest songs on the radio..all chosen by you! From early classics to new tunes..much loved standards to deep album cuts..it’s up to you. Get choosing people! @vanmorrison.bsky.social #VanMorrison80

The bold #MichaelSmiley is back behind the BBC Radio Ulster decks to Co-present tonight’s radio show with me and he’s got 2..count ‘em folks!…hours of fab music for you from Bill Withers, Marvin Gaye, The Low Anthem and more. 8pm start folks. Bring your dancing shoes! @michaelsmiley.bsky.social

You may know #MichaelSmiley from the likes of #Spaced #AFieldInEngland and #KillList (still get the shivers thinking about that mind melter of a film!) but I know him as a good mate & a real music buff. He’s Co-presenting my show on Mon from 8. Pass it on! @michaelsmiley.bsky.social

Stuart Maconie is my special guest on the show tonight from 8 on Radio Ulster & Sounds talking about his fab new #Beatles book #WithALittleHelpFromTheirFriends @harpernorth.bsky.social Great stories told with genuine affection for the subject…you couldn’t ask for more. @stuartmaconie.bsky.social

Over the next two Monday nights I’m joined by @acerecords.bsky.social & #ChiswickRecords cofounder #RogerArmstrong who’ll be picking all the tracks from that peerless back catalogue. Show one tonight from 8 on @bbcradioulster & @bbcsounds looks back on Ace and Chiswick at 50. #Ace50

NP Unsatisfied Heart from @springsteen “Lost” boxset. Just stunning. How was this not released before? It’s everything that makes The Boss well ..The Boss basically! More to come on the show later…#brucespringsteen

On the radio show tonight…I’ve @vanmorrison.bsky.social (tracks from both the new album Remembering Now and No Guru No Method No Teacher is my classic album of the night), previously unheard #NickDrake, brand new #Pulp and a little garage punk from #TheSonics…all from 8 on BBC Radio Ulster & Sounds.

Been a lot of places with my old pal Ricky Warwick down the years..from Tupelo to Patsy Cline’s House and even the Joshua Tree..but it’s hard to beat the old BBC studio when Ricky’s picking all the tunes like he’s doing tonight from 8. Spread the word music lovers! #rickywarwick

This Monday night I’m joined by my old pal #rickywarwick who’s going to co-present the radio show. He’s chosen some proper classics from the likes of SLF, Hank Williams and The Ruts. Come join us Monday night from 8 on BBC Radio Ulster and Sounds and spread the word people!

Tracing the folk country and blues roots of Rod Stewart on the radio show tonight from 8 ahead of the man’s big #Glastonbury appearance this weekend. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again..they all go country in the end! 😂 #bbcglastonbury #rodstewart #ralphmcleancountry

Looking for some radio joy this fine Friday morning? Try my #MaryChapinCarpenter 2 hour country show special. It’s like audio balm for these troubled times. Just click below. Have a great weekend folks. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Saddened to hear of the passing of #LordHenryMountcharles. Spent a lovely day down at his #Slane gaff a few years back and I found him a genuinely charming man with a great love of music. Put on some magical gigs in his back garden down the years and all.

I’m running a #MaryChapinCarpenter special on #RalphMcLeanCountry tonight on BBC Radio Ulster from 8. She tells all about her brand new album Personal History and looks back at her life in music. All tracks chosen by you guys. Spread the word friends!

On this his 83rd birthday I’m reminded of the one time I met #PaulMcCartney back in 2003. These days it says a lot about me that I’m more impressed by the fact that “Diplomat Travel” took us out to dinner than the “meet and greet” with Macca! Lol Happy birthday Paul!

Getting the vinyl out for tonight’s Brian Wilson Beach Boys special. On air from 8pm. Waxed down surf boards and bushy bushy blonde hair dos optional! #brianwilson #beachboys #brianwilsonbbc

Sorry if this is triggering for fans of other..let’s be honest..lesser teams but have to doff a cap to the son Dan’s choice of Father’s Day present. He knows his aul Da too well. Scarf now pride of place in the study until it gets a day out at Anfield soon. #twentytimes #YNWA

Dug out my Beach Boys Smile boxset for first time in ages just now and found this little button badge in it. Just says Smile. It worked for me! Might wear it today. Full #BrianWilson tribute show coming Monday night on BBC Radio Ulster & Sounds. Spread the word people! #Smile