Filling the Sink

Catalonia's education system is facing a turbulent start to the new school year, with teachers continuing to strike over pay, working conditions and investment in schools.

In this episode of Filling the Sink, Lorcan Doherty and Cillian Shields look at the background to the long-running dispute between teachers' unions and the Catalan government, and hear from teachers and parents taking part in the latest mobilisations, as well as education officials responding to the strikes.

We also look at Catalonia's controversial PISA results. A "technical incident" meant that almost a quarter of selected students were exempted from the tests, making the results invalid for comparison with previous years or other regions.

And with further negotiations, a proposed increase in education spending and more mobilisations on the horizon, what happens next for Catalonia's education system?

Expanding career opportunities, helping children with their homework, building friendships and relationships, and feeling at home in Catalonia – these are just some of the reasons Catalan learners give for learning the language.

This episode of Filling the Sink explores what it's like to learn Catalan, and the challenges and opportunities facing the language today.

Lorcan Doherty is joined by Jordi Ballart from the CPNL (Consorci per a la Normalització Lingüística) and Catalan learner Grace Ferris to discuss the current state of the language, the growing demand for Catalan classes, and the transition from the classroom to real-life conversation.

Cillian Shields speaks with CPNL teacher Mafalda Palà and one of her students, Alejandro Merayo, who moved to Barcelona from Argentina and has embraced learning Catalan as part of settling into life in Catalonia.

We also drop in on a Speak Catalan meetup, organised by Eloi Rodrígues and Arnau Torner, where learners and native speakers gather in cafés and other venues to practise Catalan through conversation in a fun, informal setting.

100 years since the death of architect Antoni Gaudí, his vision, the Sagrada Família, is almost complete.

This episode marks several milestones: the centenary of Gaudí's death, the Pope's inauguration of the Sagrada Família's Tower of Jesus, and the 250th episode of Filling the Sink!

Lorcan Doherty explores the life and work of Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí and his masterpiece, the Sagrada Família, in conversation with Marta Otzet, Director of Culture and Social and Educational Outreach at the basilica.

Cillian Shields takes viewers on a tour of Gaudí's Barcelona, exploring his dragon-inspired designs, fascination with the natural world, and the tragic accident that ended the architect's extraordinary creative life.

Anna Glass looks at the relationship between Gaudí and Eusebi Güell, the industrialist whose financial support helped bring many of the architect's ambitious ideas to life.

Solar, wind, fossil fuels, nuclear. Energy makes the world go round. But, on an ever-warming planet, the question of where it comes from is increasingly urgent.

As well as the green energy transition and the climate crisis, geopolitical tensions and energy sovereignty are also shaping the debate.

On this episode of Filling the Sink we're looking at the state of play in Catalonia, just over a year on from the blackout that hit the Iberian Peninsula.

Catalonia is still heavily reliant on nuclear power and lags behind Spain and the EU on renewable energy, with only around 20% of electricity coming from green sources.

From a low base, solar capacity is now expanding and energy communities are growing rapidly in Catalonia.

Batteries are emerging as a key solution to balancing supply and demand, although progress remains limited.

Lorcan Doherty is joined by Cillian Shields with additional reporting from Telma Altes Safont.

Bona diada de Sant Jordi a tothom! April 23 is Saint George's Day, the patron saint of Catalonia, and it is a magical day here. Full of love, romance, roses, dragons, and books. It's like Valentine's Day but better. 

Today, we'll be exploring the world of Catalan literature, together with a special guest, Izaskun Arretxe, Director of the Literature Department at the Ramon Llull Institute, who we were delighted to welcome in studio to discuss how Catalan literature is spreading across the globe. In this episode, we pose the question: Sant Jordi is obviously a huge literary celebration within Catalonia, but does it help give Catalan literature visibility outside Catalonia?

And with major international success in recent years with Eva Baltasar's Boulder, which was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize through its English translation by Julia Sanches, as well as Irene Solà's When I Sing, Mountains Dance (Canto jo i la muntanya balla), we examine if international readers are more likely to discover Catalan literature through the classics or through these more contemporary voices.

Plus, we hear from Oriol Escudé who clears up some common myths and misconceptions about the literary day, and Cillian Shields visits Backstory and Come In, two English-language bookshops in Barcelona, to learn about how they’re fostering community among international readers in Catalonia.