Diana Bunici is a talented Irish journalist and broadcaster who made a name for herself presenting a popular children's TV show on RTÈ, the national broadcaster. From the outset it seemed like she had it all; a dream job, on the cover of magazines, and a great boyfriend. But when you hear her story of how she got to where she is today, it's much more impressive and interesting. Diana grew up in rural Moldova in Eastern Europe. Money was scare, life was simple, and opportunities were few and far between. But thanks to her parent's sacrifice and determination, they moved to Ireland and embarked on a new life. 

In this podcast Diana talks about what it was like starting life in a new country, and trying to fit in with your school mates. She speaks about her time working in television and the insecurity she was feeling around that time, always afraid of how others would perceive her. And we talk about her engagement to Kodaline singer, Steve Garrigan.

Here is Diana Bunici's story. 

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Finn Boylan is an Irish filmmaker from Bray in Co. Wicklow. He has always had a strong interest in the history of wars and conflicts around the world, feeling a fascination with places of unrest. When the war broke out in Ukraine in 2022 he had just started filmmaking and felt a strong urge that he had to travel to Ukraine and capture what was happening. Finn realised history was being made and he wanted to play his part. But nothing could have prepared him for what he would witness over the next five months as his camera brought him right into the middle of the tragedy that was unfolding. The footage he captured is real, is raw, and tells the story of a country fighting to survive amidst such heartache and devastation. Now, for the first time in an extended interview, the man behind the camera, Finn Boylan, tells his story.

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David Harper is a broadcaster from the UK, working with networks like the BBC World Service. In fact, his voice can often be heard reading news live to millions of people around the world. He also covers a wide range of stories for other TV and radio networks in the UK. He has a passion for what he does!

But his job can be very demanding and high-pressured at times, and being a freelancer the work can be unstable. But what makes David's situation a bit more difficult, is that he suffers from Bipolar Disorder. He kept his condition a secret for many years, fearing what others would think, and the possibility of losing work as looking unstable. But recently he uploaded a video to X (formerly Twitter) where he talked about his diagnoses and how that affected his life. 

In this podcast, David tells me about what it's like living with extreme lows, and manic highs, and how it affects his life every day. He also talks openly about the problems bipolar disorder can have on his family and friends, and those closest to him. We discuss the medication he has tried, and what he says eventually worked for him in terms of coping with it.

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The name Lucy Letby has now become a name associated with pure evil.  The story that has shocked and horrified England, and people all over the world is something you wouldn’t find in even the worst horror movies. A young nurse murdering tiny babies while working in the neonatal unit of a UK hospital. Instead of caring for the most vulnerable, she was injecting them with air, milk, and insulin.. And in one case, even inserting a sharp instrument into a baby’s throat to try and make it bleed to death….  But yet, a UK court has just ruled that this is exactly what Lucy Letby did between 2015 and 2015 when she was just 25 years old. She killed infant babies while on duty and then pretend to the heartbroken parents that she had done everything she could to try and save their child. In some cases she even look up the parents on facebook after, and wrote messages of sympathy to them.

We now know the where, when, and how of these horrific crimes, but we do not know the why. Dr. David Holmes is one of the UK's leading criminal psychologist and joins Colm Flynn on this podcast to try and give an insight into the mind of someone like Lucy Letby, and why someone with psychopathic tendencies can be driven to do acts of pure evil.  They also discuss the public's fascination with the case, and serial killers in general, and whether or not people like Lucy Letby should be named in public, given the attention their narcissistic personality so badly craves, or if they should be simply ignored and left to die in prison. 

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Growing up in a dysfunctional family in the UK, Lucy Barnes felt lost and unloved as a child. Her mother wasn't able to be the kind of mother a child needs, and Lucy had five siblings from five different fathers. So the concept of a solid loving family was something she never experienced from a young age. Men were constantly coming and going in their home, and Lucy often found herself in difficult and dangerous situations. Eventually things got so bad, when she was 13 she kicked out of her home by her mother, and then a social worker got her into foster care. 

With the foster family, for once in her life she experienced love and acceptance, but didn't know how to handle it and so rebelled. Throughout her teenage years she battled with shame and guilt, thinking of her childhood and where she had come from. When she was 16 she was kicked out of foster care and returned back to her mother's house. 

But rather than letting the cycle continue, Lucy realised that the only way she would break it would be through education and she set herself an ambitious task - to study law. 

This is Lucy's amazing story of how, against the odds, she pursued her dream and went to law school, and now is on her way to becoming a barrister. 

Lucy Barnes had to mature at a younger age than most, and experienced obstacles in life that has made her stronger and more determined. In this podcast she shares her amazing story, and the valuable insights she has learned throughout her life. 

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Jordan Pulmano is a filmmaker from California who specialises in shooting music videos and festivals. His work has brought him all over the United States, and to other parts of the world. But back in 2017 he got a call to film a music festival that would go down in history, but for all the wrong reasons. 'Fyre Festival' was billed as a glamorous, exclusive, and one-of-a-kind music festival which was to be held on an island in the Bahamas. 

Jordan was really excited to go and film with his team who would be documenting everything over the course of the festival. Their job was to produce a highlights video at the end that would be used to promote the festival the following year. But as they landed on the tropical island, straight away it was apparent that things were not going according to plan, and over the next couple of days things quickly fell apart. 

The man who organised the festival, Billy McFarland, was jailed for four years.

Here is Jordan's story of being hired to film the infamous Fyre Festival.

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Emily Mais is a writer and an author who, after losing her mother to cancer, decided to reevaluate her life and change the things that didn't make her happy. Like so many other people her age, she was at a point in life with a steady long-term boyfriend, a good job, and a nice apartment in Toronto, but ultimately wasn't happy. It took losing her mother to help her realise that life is short, and you only get one chance at things. So, with no real plan or agenda, she left her home in Canada, changed careers, and moved to Rome in Italy where she now lives. 

In this podcast, Emily talks to Colm about what those final months with her mother were like, and how it inspired her to become a writer focusing on love, loss and grief. The three things she says we all experience but never plan for. 

You can follow Emily on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emaisy/

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All his life Tanner Charles has been running towards the very thing that people most people run away from, Tornadoes! Since he was a teenager he has been a passionate storm chaser, constantly trying to get closer and closer to the danger.  From Minnesota, Tanner now produces Youtube videos where he follows violent and destructive storms, sometimes driving for hours just to see one. 

In this podcast interview, Tanner tells Colm about his love of seeing Tornadoes hit land and experiencing their sheer power. He also opens up about the most emotional storm chase ever where he found himself helping an elderly couple whose home was completely destroyed. 

Colm and Tanner also talk about the ethics behind the videos he makes, and whether promoting and filming storm chasing is responsible, especially when they cause so much destruction, and sometimes even death.

Finally, in a surprising twist to the interview, Tanner reveals he is a Christian and talks about how he sees tornadoes as part of God's plan. 

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Louise Cooney is one of Ireland's most successful social media stars, with almost a quarter of a million followers on Instagram alone. But behind the seemingly always glamorous lifestyle online, in this episode of the Colm Flynn podcast, Louise talks about the hard work that goes into building a brand and business. She talks about the pros and cons of being self employed and the kind of challenges she faced when launching a new clothing band, Cloo Active. In this interview Louise also opens up about her big move to New York city and how the experience wasn't quite what she expected or hoped it would be. But as you'll hear Louise reveal, she believes everything happens for a reason, and has never been happier to be back in Ireland now where she has found love, happiness and appreciation for everything she has.

Follow Louise on social media @louisecooney_

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In this episode of the Colm Flynn Podcast, I chat to Irish social media influencer and reality TV star, Cormac Murphy. Living in New York City, Cormac featured in the first season of 'Love Island' on CBS and also appeared on the E4 show of 'Celebs Go Dating' in the UK. But behind the chiselled instagram pictures and seemingly perfect life in the US, Cormac was secretary battling with addiction and depression. His addiction to alcohol and drugs became so bad that his family eventually had to intervene and bring him back to Ireland and to rehab. Cormac claims he believes he would always have ended up in rehab, but thinks the party lifestyle that came with recognition from his TV work accelerated that. Now, Cormac is back in New York City and living a new life. He's sober, healthy, happy, and running a successful fitness company called Macc Fitness. 

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