Waterford Whispers has been a cultural phenomenon in Irish life for more than a decade. With over half a million Facebook followers and 2 million hits a month on the site, WWN is Ireland's answer to The Onion. The creative powerhouse behind the headlines is my guest on this episode of My Hometown, Colm Williamson.  
WWN has had some of its 'stories' carried in mainstream media around the world including ' North Korea  Lands First Ever Man On The Sun',  poked fun at religion, 'Jesus Not Coming Back Anytime Soon Admits Vatican'. But perhaps most importantly it's story 'Dozens Injured In Stampede After 2nd Aisle In Lidl Is Opened' led to the discount retailer to change it's policy on how many aisles it has open for shoppers........well sort of.

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Fergus O'Brien left his hometown of Dungarvan for London in the mid 1980s. He first found success as a hairdresser to the stars before pivoting to pursue a career in television.  Having worked as a successful documentary maker, five years ago Fergus began directing tv drama including the iconic final episodes of 'Happy Valley' and the new BBC drama, The Tourist starring Jamie Dornan that premieres on New Years Day 2024. 

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Shane Hegarty made the bold decision to quit his permanent and pensionable job as Arts Editor of The Irish Times to become a full time writer. Ten years and as many books later I got to catch up with the author of the 'Darkmouth', 'Boot' and 'The Shop of Impossible Ice Creams' series to hear about his life in his hometown of Skerries.

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Life was going really well. She was happily married with a young son and living in the house her loving husband had built. But just as she finished her Master’s Degree in International Law, disaster struck. The US withdrawal from Afghanistan cleared the way for the Taliban to sweep into her hometown of Kabul. 

Mahbooba Faiz was forced to flee her home and Afghanistan with just her son and a backpack. Her husband’s work as a human rights activist and her position as an educated woman made them Taliban targets. Together the Faiz family endured a living nightmare as they sought to escape to freedom, eventually ending up in Ireland. 

Mahbooba’s story is powerful and a timely reminder of the fragility of democracy and our accepted way of life. 

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Matt Cooper has been a constant in Irish journalism for well over 30 years.  As well as being a broadcaster and columnist, he was the youngest ever editor of an Irish national newspaper. His latest book 'Who Really Owns Ireland' is on the Irish Bestseller list.  In this episode of My Hometown, Matt talks openly about the impact his upbringing in Cork has had on his successful career, and how despite having lived in Dublin longer than he did in his hometown, his DNA is pure Leeside.  He remains as passionate and as curious in his work  as he was when he first began his career in the late 1980s. 

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Tony Kelly has realised a life long ambition to write, direct and star in his own feature film. The Hurler - A Campion's Tale goes on release in cinemas across Ireland this weekend. In this, the first episode of My Hometown, Tony talks to Ian Noctor about his love of Waterford City and how it has helped shape the man he is now.

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