Sin Scéal Eile

At just 23 years of age, Amy is already living the dream. She’s young and but beautifully enthused about life and work and everything that’s coming her way. 

She always wanted to be a school teacher, and it’s her first year in the job. We stroll around the Botanic Gardens, just a stones throw from St Patrick’s college where just last year she graduated. She teaches a large group of second class students and by all accounts it sounds like she’s the “fun” teacher. 

She’s truly passionate about her job and you can even hear it in her stories that she really loves working with the children.

Rx

Sin Scéal Eile - That's Another Story was hosted and created by Ruth Medjber, with sound by Ronan Lally. The podcast is produced by Dee Reddy at Poddle Audio with original music by Elaine Mai.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ryan is 27 but has a life tougher than most will ever know. His parents were only children themselves when they had him, just 15 & 17. They brought Ryan up in a house where he was surrounded by drug use and other harmful situations. 

But Ryan made a decision early on not to let his challenges define him. He worked hard, attended school and got his leaving cert. However, after years of battling just to live a normal life, he got himself caught up in a world he always tried to avoid. 

He sits here with me today and speaks so proudly and passionately but with lots of humility too, he knows that without the help of his grandparents and extended family, and even his school teachers, his life could have taken a very dark path.

He’s an incredibly brave young man who has been clean and sober since September. Each day he tries to be a good role model for his younger siblings, so that they know how much they can accomplish in life.

Rx

Sin Scéal Eile - That's Another Story was hosted and created by Ruth Medjber, with sound by Ronan Lally. The podcast is produced by Dee Reddy at Poddle Audio with original music by Elaine Mai.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I met Shantanu at a festival a few years ago and straight away we buzzed off each other. He’s one of those priceless festival friends who when you spot across the crowd, you know that your night is going to go from zero to ninety instantly. When Ray O’Neill (97/365) told me that Shantanu had an epic origin story to tell, I was all ears. 

In 2015 Shantanu landed in Ireland, after completing an absolutely mind boggling and utterly ambitious photo project. I thought my wee 365 project was intense, but his was next level. 

“Between the 25th June 2012 and the 25th November 2015 I successfully traveled to all seven continents of the globe trading my services as a photographer for life’s basic necessities. No currency, no contracts, only my camera and the curiosity of a cat. In exchange for my skills as a professional photographer, my subjects provided a roof to sleep under, food to keep the stomach happy and a ticket or ride to the next trade. Shelter, food and transport traded for whatever photography work was needed.’

Rx

Sin Scéal Eile - That's Another Story was hosted and created by Ruth Medjber, with sound by Ronan Lally. The podcast is produced by Dee Reddy at Poddle Audio with original music by Elaine Mai.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Declan and his mates have formed an “Old Dads Club”. He was 48 when he had his first child, and his second one soon after. We took around the Docklands where Declan has worked for the past 27 years, and he tells me about the joys of fatherhood, and the need to keep fit to keep up with his little ones. He starts his day at 5am, so that he can be home in good time to play with the kids, help with the housework and do storytime at bed.               

Sin Scéal Eile - That's Another Story was hosted and created by Ruth Medjber, with sound by Ronan Lally. The podcast is produced by Dee Reddy at Poddle Audio with original music by Elaine Mai.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Miriam didn’t always have narcolepsy, she developed it when she was in her 40s. It sounds like an incredibly debilitating disorder to have. It affects her ability to drive, to work and to just partake in the simplest of life’s tasks. She is battling with tiredness the whole time she’s awake

She also suffers with cataplexy, which she describes as almost being drunk, your legs just go from under you, you lose control of your muscles, and you cannot speak to let those around you know that you’ll be fine in a few moments. 

With all of this going on, it’s hard for Miriam to travel, to visit her son and his family in Canada. She’s fearful of airports and high stress situations that can bring on the cataplexy. However, she’s still positive. She feels that out of all the neurological disorders she could have gotten, this one was the best.

Rx

Sin Scéal Eile - That's Another Story was hosted and created by Ruth Medjber, with sound by Ronan Lally. The podcast is produced by Dee Reddy at Poddle Audio with original music by Elaine Mai.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For this daily portrait and podcast project, I’ve invited people to tell me their stories. These can be any stories at all that people wish to share and be remembered for, anything that’s on their mind or that they feel defines them. I could not have anticipated the sheer volume of people who have been in touch who have been diagnosed with some form of cancer. 

It seems to be the illness that we’re suffering from the most and it’s wholly heartbreaking to see. We’ve chatted to people who have terminal cancer and who are getting treatment while trying to maximise their last few months and years. We’ve also chatted to people who have lost loved ones because of cancer and they’re trying to pick up the pieces of their lives. Cancer is a horrendous scourge that seemingly every single person has been in some way affected by. 

Peter Cooney has Stage Two Hodgkin's Lymphoma, but you won’t find him wallowing in despair, in fact, he’s happier now than he has ever been. 

The cancer that Peter has is thankfully very treatable with a high success rate. His team are confident that he will soon be cancer free, but what the cancer has done for him is truly remarkable.

“I'm a naturally grumpy person, but I actually feel far more positive since getting the diagnosis. In the office it would have been well known that I was surly and the lads would always try to wind me up, make me crack. After the diagnosis, I whinge less. Nothing is really worth getting worked up about.” 

Peter has tried to not let his day to day life change too much, while still taking the treatment seriously, however he has noticed that the people around him have changed. “Everyone's come out of woodwork to show their support, even people I’ve not talked to in years.”

“I think when you get diagnosed you really start to see the love around you, and the support that you have and it’s been incredible. I just get overly emotional now about the kindness and the love that people show. It’s turned me into a much more positive person than I’ve ever been.”

Peter initially thought that the cancer diagnosis may have helped him write some dark and depressing music for his metal band, but he jokes “I thought, great, here’s a chance to play on the misery and use it in the band, but it just never came, I’ve got absolutely nothing and will have to switch to writing in major keys.”

Peter is constantly seeing the funny side of his whole experience. He shaved his head when his hair fell out, but jokes that the only bad thing is now he looks more like his brother. He tells me stories about being in the hospital wards with some elderly men and how he found their constant chatter to be hilarious, as opposed to annoying, and how he was sent the worlds biggest pizza while on the ward and the embarrassment of having to carry it through the hospital.

“My mates did a whip around and sent me sixteen hundred quid on Revolut. And I was like, you know, cancer treatment’s free?. He plans to have a massive party at the end of the year, put some cash behind the bar, and celebrate with his mates who have seen him through.

“Like don't get me wrong, it is shit at times. But it's a minor inconvenience for six months. Whereas I get to then just continue with my life with a whole new perspective, new personality,  and I’m grateful for that, other people aren't that lucky.”

Ruth’s Sin Scéal Eile – That’s Another Story conversations are available as a podcast and at sinscealeile.com

Rx

Sin Scéal Eile - That's Another Story was hosted and created by Ruth Medjber, with sound by Ronan Lally. The podcast is produced by Dee Reddy at Poddle Audio with original music by Elaine Mai.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fatima is a strong, charismatic, funny and incredibly intellectual young Mother. She has chosen to share the story of her baby girl, Poppy, who was born still in April 2021 and is very much missed. Fatima feels that women today need to share their experiences of stillbirth, miscarriages and traumatic births more frequently and openly. She received a flood of messages from friends and acquaintances after losing Poppy, not realising the extent of people who shared similar experiences. 

There are far too many of my own friends who suffer in silence, when there’s really no need. 

Let’s start being real about childbirth, telling people the news, whether it’s happy or sad, so they can support you in your journey. 

Sin Scéal Eile - That's Another Story was hosted and created by Ruth Medjber, with sound by Ronan Lally. The podcast is produced by Dee Reddy at Poddle Audio with original music by Elaine Mai.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I can’t believe I got to meet the winner of Cabra’s Lovely Gardens competition. Ray moved into his beautiful home not too long ago and found himself in love with ‘Fabra’. The neighbours, the location, but mostly, the joy of having a bit of space to start a garden. 

It’s quite the achievement these days to be able to have a dream home like Ray’s, and he shares some handy tips to how he managed to snag his wee oasis, like bidding in December when most other people have clocked off for Christmas. He also trusted his mate to design it (a mate who had never designed a house before!)

When he’s not cooking up a storm in his café/catering business, Slice, he’s entertaining mates at his kitchen island, always making sure to send them home with goodies from the garden. We happily walked away with all sorts of greens to keep us going.

Rx

Sin Scéal Eile - That's Another Story was hosted and created by Ruth Medjber, with sound by Ronan Lally. The podcast is produced by Dee Reddy at Poddle Audio with original music by Elaine Mai.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ken is a tour guide with a very unique selling point. He’s different from any other tour guide you’ll find in Dublin City Centre and I’ll bet you that he knows these streets better than any other Dubliner. 

Ken once called the streets of Dublin home. He has lived a life alongside addiction and all that that brings with it, including sleeping rough, frequenting homeless shelters and methadone clinics. 

He takes me on a tour around Dublin Castle, Christchurch, and up to Stephen’s Green, pointing out various buildings that I’ve never noticed before, explaining the different types of homeless hostels and rating the good vs the bad ones. 

He shares his own story of addiction and recovery, the people and organisations who helped him get clean and stay clean and how he now, as part of Secret Street Tours, takes tourists around his old haunts and gives them a truly unique insight into this city. 

Rx

Sin Scéal Eile - That's Another Story was hosted and created by Ruth Medjber, with sound by Ronan Lally. The podcast is produced by Dee Reddy at Poddle Audio with original music by Elaine Mai.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ann’s story could have been one of sadness, anger, total depression. She had every right to take to the bed and wallow in her misfortune when her husband received his diagnosis of terminal cancer, but she couldn’t, she had a newborn baby to care for. 

Javier navigated the hospital wards and into surgery on his own. It was the height of lockdown, people were social distancing, hospitals were only allowing the patients in. The world was terrifying and isolating.

When their little girl was just 15 months old, Javier passed away surrounded by his friends and family in Spain. 

Ann has gone on to do wonderful things with her grief (as mad as that may sound). She noticed a real lack of support groups in her community for grieving people, so she has since started one in Rialto. It’s a space where people can come and support each other, sharing stories and experiences. Ann also practices Reiki healing and finds enormous purpose and strength in helping others through their darkest days.

Rx

Sin Scéal Eile - That's Another Story was hosted and created by Ruth Medjber, with sound by Ronan Lally. The podcast is produced by Dee Reddy at Poddle Audio with original music by Elaine Mai.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.