Local Voices

#10: Fact and fiction is very much woven together when it comes to the Hellfire Club atop Montpelier Hill. It is the mystery surrounding the hunting lodge and the surrounding scenery of Massy's Wood that has visitors return to the landmark countless times. Plans to construct a €15m Dublin Mountains Visitor Centre at the site were recently passed by An Bord Pleanála. Host Hayden Moore speaks to Elizabeth Davidson of Save the Hellfire, Mayor of South Dublin County Council, Cllr Ed O'Brien, Cllr Madeleine Johansson, David Power from South Dublin Libraries Local Studies, and Frank Nevin, Director of Economic, Enterprise and Tourism Development in the council, about the contentious tourism project.

#9: What impact has the COVID-19 pandemic had on Irish businesses? There is no doubting that the Irish economy has taken a hit, but as businesses re-open, host Hayden Moore talks to them about the challenges they have faced and what lies ahead. John Kilbride from the Jobstown House and The Vintage Room restaurant, Tracey Moran from the Red Cow Moran Hotel, David Fullam from Dave's Academy Barbers, Niamh Honer from The Civic Theatre and CEO of South Dublin Chamber, Peter Byrne, all feature.

#8: A recent study by BeLong To revealed that some 55 percent of LGBTI+ young people struggled with suicide ideation, while 45 percent did with self harm and 60 percent did with loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic. BeLong To CEO Moninne Griffith speaks about their study, coming out and more. Dublin Pride has become one of the biggest parades in Ireland with upwards of 100,000 people attending it every year. Clondalkin native Jamie Kenny joins host Hayden Moore to talk about his work with Dublin Pride, their Digital Pride Parade, trans issues, the college consent crisis and more. 

#7: Men in Ireland experience a disproportionate burden of ill-health, with mental health a particular issue. With it being Men’s Health Week, host Hayden Moore talks to General Manager of Beacon of Light Counselling Centre and the director of the Breakthrough Programme, Geoffrey McCarthy, about the struggles men face. If you have been affected by this story and need support, please contact: Pieta House Dublin South in Tallaght call 01 462 4792, Pieta House Ballyfermot call 01 623 5606, Pieta House Lucan call 01 601 0000, HOPE Suicide Prevention Centre Tallaght call 087 1363082, Samaritans 116 12316. Beacon of Light Counselling Service can be found at 014578700. 

#6: As Indian descendants, Mindi Keane and her family were forced to flee Uganda in 1972 at the behest of dictator Idi Amin, who ordered the expulsion of the country’s Asian minority. On this week’s episode of Local Voices, Knocklyon resident Mindi Keane details her experiences and the history behind the award-winning Mama Nagi’s – the multi-generational authentic Indian pastes and sauces.

#5: Following the death of George Floyd in the Unites States of America, protests have swept across the world highlighting issues of racial injustice - with a protest held in Dublin in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter Movement. Board member with the Irish Network Against Racism and anti-racism activist Claudia Hoareau-Gichuhi speaks about her experiences of dealing with racism growing up in Tallaght, the effects of racist abuse on mental health, hate crime legislation and more. Tallaght Athletic Club sprinter Joseph Ojewumi, who has the goal of becoming the fastest man in Ireland, speaks about racism in sport, the frustration of being racially abused as a child and more.

#4: 9000 people in Ireland currently live with Multiple Sclerosis, the most common progressive, neurological condition in young adults in the country. For World MS Day, host Hayden Moore talks to Ballyboden resident Dorota Kenny about being diagnosed with MS, how her symptoms developed, offering advice for anybody just diagnosed with the the disease, and more. Also joining the show is the CEO of MS Ireland, Ava Battles, to talk about their Virtual Balloon Race on World MS Day to raise much needed funds for the upkeep of their services - which two-thirds of people diagnosed with MS in Ireland use.

#3: In this week's episode, we ask conservationist Collie Ennis about the impact COVID-19 is having on wildlife and how we can help biodiversity at home during National Biodiversity Week. Collie Ennis is host of The Critter Shed podcast, science officer with the Herpetological Society of Ireland, and a zoology research associate in Trinity College Dublin.

#2: What impact does the pandemic caused by the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) have on people experiencing homelessness? Clondalkin native Roisin Kearney talks about her experiences working in a homeless shelter in Toronto, Canada, during the global pandemic. On this week's episode of Local Voices, host Hayden Moore talks to three local people who live abroad about how they've dealt with the pandemic in Toronto, New York, and Spain.

#1: In the launch episode of Local Voices, host Hayden Moore speaks to founders of The Echo Newspaper David and Liz Kennedy as they celebrate 40 years since its first publication. We talk about the impact the newspaper has had on the community, cross-border printing during the troubles, stories that never made it to print and more. We also welcome broadcaster John Murray to the show, who kickstarted his career in journalism with what was then titled the Tallaght Echo back in the early 1980s.