Episode 24: Meet Ross - tour guide, culture and history content creator, podcaster

Go raibh míle maith agat, a chara! Thanks a million, friend! Bhain mé an-taitneamh as ár gcomhrá - I really enjoyed our conversation.

Episode 23: David Keoghan - Stone Lifter

Go raibh míle maith agat, a chara! Thanks a million, friend! Bhain mé an-taitneamh as ár gcomhrá - I really enjoyed our conversation. Is laoch thú - You're a legend.

Abi and I touch on the hilarious, haunting and heartwarming aspects of growing a creative business online, and her chaotic but highly productive capacity to generate ideas and transform them into sellable art and viral videos, which works seamlessly thanks to her organised, efficient other half, Audrey.

There is an increased consciousness of buying Irish, and buying from small family-run businesses and Abi and Audrey are a wonderful example of a hard-working, values-driven, compatible partners who clearly care about what they do, as do their loyal and growing customer base.

We are not only enjoying Abi's artistic output, but she is also a rising comedic star, displaying some hard and painful truths about the Irish psyche, giving the simple advice:

"The best remedy comes from the harsh Irish mother to make you pull your pants up".

Their well-known Jesus Christ calendar, which was embroiled in a scurrilous scandal (!) is a comment on vernacular. We discuss the concept of blasphemy, and the unique relationship the Irish have with humour and laughter being a gift from God.

Absolutely loved chatting to you, a chara (friend).

Míle buíochas! Many thanks :)

I encourage you all to check out www.weirdwatercolours.com for beautiful quality, funny Christmas gifts :)

@weird_watercolours on Instagram

My guest this week, Caoimhín, is a talented musician, an Irish Language advocate, a creative storyteller and a gentle soul, as his name "Caoimhín" suggests. In this soothing episode, Caoimhín takes us from his childhood all the way into his adult life where the common denominator was, and still is, music. He is a gifted traditional musician and plays various instruments including the banjo, flute and fiddle. Caoimhín adores traditional Irish music and he claims he enjoyed it even when it wasn't as cool as it is today! Despite his love and respect for the music in its traditional form, he has been known to add a kick drum or a sub base to ancient Irish songs as seen in his latest single, Bímse féin ag iascaireacht. The complex layer of trance and dance which he adds to the music has allowed him to preserve Irish music while adding to it, which he believes is a beautiful way to modernise and have fun with traditional components of our music. Caoimhín is a Gaeilgeoir but highlights the importance of lifelong learning and even shares some innovative tips and tricks on how to practise and incorporate the language into everyday life. This episode is not to be missed - I thoroughly enjoyed my chat with Caoimhín. Be sure to follow Caoimhín on Instagram at @caoimhinceol to keep up to date with his latest projects. Go raibh míle maith agat, a chara - Thank you, friend. Ba mhór an pléisiúr é - It was a great pleasure!

#20 Ryan Dixon - Lakota Name: Taṡuƞka Wakiƞyaƞ Watogla (Wild Thunder Horse) is an inspiring Native American Educator and Indigenous Language Activist who has been teaching and coaching the Dakota Language since 2012. He has co-founded C̣aƞṡayapi Waḳaƞyeża Owayawa Oti- Lower Sioux Headstart and Early Headstart and drives the language movement forward with his community projects, leadership teams, competitions and innovative educational development. We talk about language loss, the revitalisation projects underway, the current status of Lakota and Dakota, colonisation, decolonisation, and hope for the future.

Eimear is Chosen Chief of the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids. She is a Storyteller and a Psychologist. She has a deep love of the ancient Irish tales and has a passion for storytelling. In this conversation we talk about the healing power of nature, Eimear's earth-based exploration, her growing community, thin places and thin times.

Eimear loves to weave in song and the harp into her stories. She particularly enjoys showing people the sacred sites of Ireland and telling the ancient tales right where they happened.

Eimear has private practice as a Counselling Psychologist and her interests in Druidry and psychology have led her to act as a Celebrant, helping people to design and enact meaningful rites of passage.

She is licensed to perform legal weddings in the Republic of Ireland and can also offer non legal ceremonies.

Eimear is also a Priestess dedicated to Danú in the Fellowship of Isis. She is an Arch Druidess in the Druid Clan of Dana and a member of the Noble Order of Tara.

Enjoy! Bain taitneamh as :)

Thanks a million, Eimear - Go raibh míle maith agat, a Eimear!

www.kilkennydruidry.com

www.druidry.org/

eimear_burke_druid on instagram

Kevin Whelan is one of Ireland's most widely published scholars, and a professor at the University of Notre Dame Dublin, having lectured at top universities all over the world and worked on over 20 books.

Kevin was also the historical advisor to the Irish Government on the Famine and the 1798 Rebellion.

His articulate and expansive reflections on the ecocidal agenda of the Irish Famine are illuminating and sobering. We discuss the project of imperalism and globalisation, and how Ireland was an early ethnocidal experiment, which has affected Ireland to such an extent we could have talked for days.

"We live with a degree of post traumatic disorder. And what kind of country is it that some people think it's totally fine to denigrate the national langauge, or even think that being monolingual is superior to being bilingual!?"

Go raibh míle maith agat, a chara - Thanks a million, friend. It was such an honour to talk to you and learn from you, Kevin.

What a pleasure, what lark! Talking to Barbara Scully about becoming more ourselves, knowing the privilege of ageing, cultivating a habit of gratitude, and making decisions on our own attitude... uáu! I loved our conversation, a chara!

Barbara is an accomplished writer, columnist, and broadcaster, comedian, and BANLAOCH (female warrior). She is frequently published in the national press and magazines. Her first book, ‘Wise Up, Power, Wisdom and the Older Woman’ was published in summer 2022 and has been widely well-received. Marian Keyes described it as “a warm, accessible, personal account of what it is to be a woman - and the unexpected courage and freedom we get as we age”.

Barbara is a familiar voice on radio and TV, contributing to talk shows on both local and national radio (including RTE Radio One) and she is one half of the very popular So You Think You’re An Adult slot every week on the Moncrieff Show on Newstalk with Declan Buckley.

She is an experienced MC and public speaker and her popular talk, entitled “What If The Best Is Yet To Come” has been delivered to both corporate and public audiences.

In 2023 Barbara inadvertently dipped her toes into stand-up comedy. It went better than she expected and so she did it again at the Funny Women show in Whelans in May 2024. As a result she is now working on her own one woman show which she hopes to perform later this year.

Follow Barbara on Instagram @barbarascully111 and on X @barbarascully.

Wise Up is available from www.barbarascully.com and also on Amazon.

In this episode, I am joined by the fantastic Seva, an enthusiastic linguist with vast knowledge and expertise around indigenous languages. He is a language professor who grew up in a bilingual environment in the Soviet Union. He studied anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley and now teaches academic Spanish and Italian in a community college in Seattle. He is an academic who poses questions regarding the connection between language and identity, a concept that is challenged and questioned in both Ukraine and Ireland. This comparison makes for a fascinating conversation about the parallels that exist between the Irish language and the Ukrainian language. This thought-provoking, informative conversation addresses the war in Ukraine and the political unrest that is still happening back home for Vsevolod. He speaks concisely about the ongoing war and shines a light on the experiences of the colonised people. An episode not to be missed with this fountain of knowledge! Go raibh míle maith agat, a chara! Thank you, friend! D'fhoghlaim mé go leor uait. I learned a lot from you

Find Seva's lessons here: www.sevalanguages.com

This week's conversation was with the one and only, Órla McGovern. A lengthy introduction is needed for this multitalented individual. She is an imaginative storyteller, a gifted actress, a sharp playwright, a dedicated teacher, a poetic author, and an entertaining performer. Órla allows us into her world of imagination and reveals how the Arts allow her to express herself and find her truth. She is a creative, progressive person who delves into hot topics such as blackcurrant in Guinness, her draw towards bodies of water and taking on a voice during the act of telling a story. Not only do we meet Órla in this week's episode, but we also meet her hilarious separate entity named Mrs. Nelly Murphy, who has been known to be successful in storytelling competitions. Órla has written folktales for children and is the founder of Moth and Butterfly Stories, a monthly storytelling and improvisation night in Co. Galway, as well as an annual International storytelling festival. This episode is not to be missed - an endearing chat with an Irish legend. Go raibh míle maith agat, a chara - Thank you friend! Thaitin an comhrá go mór liom - I really enjoyed the conversation. Make sure to keep up to date with Órla's work on her Instagram @theorlamcgovern, her storytelling events @mothandbutterflystories, and her Facebook page, Moth and Butterfly.