Best Of Belfast: Northern Ireland's #1 Interview Podcast

Steve Strange is an agent from Carrickfergus who started his career in the music industry as a drummer for Northern Irish rock band No Hot Ashes.

 

Since then he worked with some of the biggest names in the world including Eminem, Coldplay, Snow Patrol, Queens of the Stone Age, Jimmy Eat World, Foy Vance, Ash, Ryan McMullan, Alice in Chains and many, many more. 

 

In today's show, Rigsy sits down with Steve to talk about:

• His first memories and early experiences
• Some of the urban legends surrounding his career
• The importance of building bands organically
• And the greatest challenges/successes he's experienced along the way.

Check it out.

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Webpage for this episode: https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/steve-strange-x-ray-touring

 

Best Of Belfast is Northern Ireland's #1 Interview Podcast. We've shared 100+ hour-long conversations with incredible people from Northern Ireland.

 

To find out more, or join 'The Producers Club' please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/

 

Cheers!

 

— Matt 

 

Sir John Lavery is a painter from Northern Ireland best known for his portraits of Michael Collins, Churchhill and Queen Victoria.

 

But besides being the most famous painter of his day, the Belfast-born boy came from humble-beginnings.

 

Baptised in St. Patricks Church, the Cathedral Quarter native was orphaned at a young age when his mother died in childbirth and his father died at sea — after which lived in Moira with his extended family before moving across the pond to work as a photographer's apprentice.

 

It was there that John developed his passion and talent for art — one that would take him on an extraordinary journey all over the world, and back again to Belfast.

 

In today's episode, we discover the amazing life and legacy of one of Belfast's most famous individuals while diving deep into the history of the streets he once called home.

 

Along the way, we meet historians, priests, art curators, modern-day painters and even a publican to try and understand why his story is important for us today.

 

Check it out.

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This episode is part of The Streets Where They Lived: a new documentary collaboration between Successful Belfast, Belfast Buildings Trust, and Best of Belfast. The Streets Where They Lived will feature the stories of six incredible but sometimes overlooked men and women from Belfast and some of the buildings and places in the City with which they’re connected.

 

The project is a collaboration with Successful Belfast, a project of Belfast Buildings Trust. It is supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Belfast Buildings Trust is a charity founded in 1996 to regenerate Belfast’s landmark buildings. The Trust works to ensure that the City’s authentic heritage is made relevant for people today. One of its projects is Successful Belfast, which champions new and creative ways of involving people in Belfast’s future development.  

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Website link: https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/sir-john-lavery-painter

 

Best Of Belfast is Northern Ireland's #1 Interview Podcast. We've shared 100+ hour-long conversations with incredible people from Northern Ireland.

 

To find out more, or join 'The Producers Club' please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/

 

Cheers!

 

— Matt 

 

Neil Walsh is Chief of the Cybercrime, Counter-Terrorist Finance and Anti-Money Laundering Department at the United Nations where he and his team advise the UN Senior Leadership on conflict prevention in cyberspace.   Prior to joining the UN, Neil served for over 15 years within the UK National Crime Agency countering international organised crime and terrorism — including long-term postings The Hague and Malta.   Outside of work he's married with four kids and is an avid advocate for bowel cancer, brain haemorrhage, liver failure, osteoporosis and pulmonary embolism awareness (having survived all of these conditions himself).   In today's episode we talk about:

• Surviving a terrorist attack at age 13
• Working for the National Crime Agency
• Beating cancer (twice)
• What we can do to keep our kids safe online
• And the greatest challenges/successes he's experienced along the way

  Check it out.  

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To see a 'treasure trove' of all things related to Neil (including a photo) please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/neil-walsh-united-nations

 

Best Of Belfast is Northern Ireland's #1 Interview Podcast. We've shared 100+ hour-long conversations with incredible people from Northern Ireland.

 

To find out more, or join 'The Producers Club' please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/

 

Cheers!

 

— Matt 

Hannah Crowdy is the Head Of Curatorial for National Museums NI.     In 2009 she relocated from Brighton to Belfast and eleven years later, she is very happy to call this place home.     As a museum professional for eighteen years, Hannah has worked in museums of all shapes and sizes.     At National Museums NI she has taken a leading role in such major projects as the Titanica exhibition at the Ulster Transport Museum and the recent Troubles and Beyond exhibition at the Ulster Museum.     In today’s episode we talk about:

• Her first heritage-related memories
• How she ‘got into' museums (and why!)
• The role museums play in our culture
• And the greatest successes/challenges she’s faced along the way

  Check it out!  

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To see a 'treasure trove' of all things related to Hannah (including a photo) please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/national-museums-ni-hannah-crowdy

 

Best Of Belfast is Northern Ireland's #1 Interview Podcast. We've shared 100+ hour-long conversations with incredible people from Northern Ireland.

 

To find out more, or join 'The Producers Club' please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/

 

Cheers!

 

— Matt 

Steve Ilardi is a professor of psychology and a clinical researcher specialising in the treatment of mental illness.  He's worked with several hundred patients suffering from clinical depression and other serious disorders and has authored over 50 scholarly articles and papers on mental illness.      Over the last two decades, Dr. Ilardi and his research team have developed and refined a promising treatment program for depression called Therapeutic Lifestyle Change (TLC).     This innovative approach is grounded in the reality that we as humans were never designed for the indoor, socially isolated, sleep-deprived, fast-food-laden, screen-addicted, frenetic pace of 21st-century life. His TEDx Talk "Depression Is a Disease of Civilization", has been viewed over 2 million times and his book "The Depression Cure" has been translated into 11 languages.

  In today's show we talk about:

• How light is a 'drug' that can treat depression
• The importance of Vitamin D & Omega 3 for your brain
• Why depression hates activity
• And the greatest lessons Steve's learned along the way

Check it out!

P.S. For more about Matt's story and link to supplements mentioned in today's episode check out this blog post.

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To see a 'treasure trove' of all things related to Steve (including a photo) please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/steve-ilardi-the-depression-cure

 

Best Of Belfast is Northern Ireland's #1 Interview Podcast. We've shared 100+ hour-long conversations with incredible people from Northern Ireland.

 

To find out more, or join 'The Producers Club' please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/

 

Cheers!

 

— Matt 

Noel McKee was a firefighter in North Belfast for 32 years before training as a counsellor and launching his own practice in 2004.     Since then he has logged over 6,500 supervised counselling hours of one-to-one therapy and has become a registered member of the British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists.     His company East Antrim Counselling serves the Northern Trust, local Health centres and actively engages within the community through talks in schools, public lectures, and charity events.     In today’s episode we talk about:

• What being a firefighter taught Noel about trauma and loss
• The role generational trauma plays in Northern Ireland
• How we can take care of our own mental health
• And the greatest insights he’s discovered along the way

  Check it out.  

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To see a 'treasure trove' of all things related to Noel (including a photo) please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/east-antrim-counselling-noel-mckee

 

Best Of Belfast is Northern Ireland's #1 Interview Podcast. We've shared 100+ hour-long conversations with incredible people from Northern Ireland.

 

To find out more, or join 'The Producers Club' please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/

 

Cheers!

 

— Matt 

Leah McCourt is an MMA Fighter from Belfast Northern Ireland.     Alongside being a blackbelt in Judo and brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Leah was also the first female in Europe to Headline a Mixed-Martial Arts Fight.     In today’s episode we talk about:

• The challenges of training
• The importance of visualisation
• How to manage a personal life alongside a professional one
• And the greatest challenges/successes she’s experienced along the way

  Check it out.   //

Webpage for this episode: https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/leah-mccourt-mma

 

Best Of Belfast is Northern Ireland's #1 Interview Podcast. We've shared 100+ hour-long conversations with incredible people from Northern Ireland.

 

To find out more, or join 'The Producers Club' please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/

 

Cheers!

 

— Matt 

Greg Bradley is the founder and CEO of BLK BOX Fitness: a company that specialises in the design, manufacture and delivery of fitness equipment.      Since 2012, the Belfast-based team have worked with some of the leading sports clubs in the world, including Irish Rugby, Arsenal, Google, LinkedIn, The Royals in Dubai and many more.     BLK BOX operates from the Titanic Quarter, right beside the Harland and Wolff cranes and currently employs 70 people.     In today’s episode we talk about:

• Greg’s early experiences/memories
• Some of the leaps of faiths he’s taken along his business journey
• The important books he’s read and lessons he’s learned along the way
• And the greatest challenges/successes

  Check it out.  

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To see a 'treasure trove' of all things related to Greg (including a photo) please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/blk-box-fitness-greg-bradley

 

Best Of Belfast is Northern Ireland's #1 Interview Podcast. We've shared 100+ hour-long conversations with incredible people from Northern Ireland.

 

To find out more, or join 'The Producers Club' please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/

 

Cheers!

 

— Matt 

John Elliott is a serial-entrepreneur from Larne, Northern Ireland.     He’s best known for starting Clements Coffee, a chain of over 10 cafes launched in 1999 that has paved the way for Belfast’s now thriving coffee scene.     (Though Clements is still the only café in NI to have held the highly acclaimed UK Barista Champion title!)     Alongside his other three businesses, John also served as the General Manager of the Belfast Giant’s Ice Hockey Team after they almost went bankrupt in 2003.      Across a four-year period, John put in place a strategic plan to enable the team to survive and he used all of his business experience to convince sponsors and fans alike that the Giants were a real positive thing for this wonderful city we call home.    In today’s episode we talk about:

• His first memories and early experiences
• How and why he pivoted from sport into business
• What made him launch his first business
• The Clements Coffee Origin Story
• And the greatest challenges/successes he’s experienced along the way

  Check it out!  

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To see a 'treasure trove' of all things related to John (including a photo) please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/john-elliott-clements-coffee

 

Best Of Belfast is Northern Ireland's #1 Interview Podcast. We've shared 100+ hour-long conversations with incredible people from Northern Ireland.

 

To find out more, or join 'The Producers Club' please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/

 

Cheers!

 

— Matt 

Frank Morris is a tinkerer, builder and inventor from Northern Ireland.

 

After growing up on a "farm" and being inspired by the handiness of his grandas, he always messing about with stuff at a young age including radios, field cars and household appliances.

 

While touring in a band, he also got into building his own speakers and amplifiers before going to work full-time for BT.

 

Alongside his day job, Frank worked on many projects at home in his garage ranging from big to small: but none were as big as when he decided to build airplane.

 

(And learn how to fly it!)

 

In today's episode we talk about:

- Frank's early memories

- What it was like raking about as a youngster

- How he built an airplane in his garage

- And some of the highs/lows he experienced along the way.

 

Check it out!

 

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To see a 'treasure trove' of all things related to Frank (including a photo) please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/frank-morris-airplane

 

Best Of Belfast is Northern Ireland's #1 Interview Podcast. We've shared 100+ hour-long conversations with incredible people from Northern Ireland.

 

To find out more, or join 'The Producers Club' please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/

 

Cheers!

 

— Matt