Sin Scéal Eile

It was Lisa Walsh’s choice that we meet on the banks of the Liffey for our podcast chat today. She’s a true Northside Dubliner from Ballymun. She’s only lived at 3 addresses in her lifetime, a home bird by all accounts. 

Lisa, who trained as a social worker in child protection, loves the feeling of being rooted and acknowledges the sacredness of a home for her children, “It’s their home. They might never be able to afford a house of their own, so they need to see my home as theirs. I’ll leave it to them. But I don’t want to give them too much, I want them to earn for themselves, not to take privileges for granted so that their achievements are all the more sweeter”.

Lisa is now an accomplished playwright who writes what she knows, community, people and Dublin. She describes the Liffey to me and suddenly it’s like I’m seeing it for the first time in years. “It holds the chaos of the city very calmly. When I’m near the Liffey I think of all the people who have crossed it, from South to North, like my parents did way back when they moved for a better life. I think of all the couples who had their photos taken on O’Connell bridge on nights out. The Liffey holds their hopes and dreams, and it’s happy being the rhythm of whole city. No matter what happens, the river holds it all, calmly.”

I don’t think I’ve ever considered the Liffey to be a character in a story the way that Lisa describes it, playing a part in all of our lives. 

She is the first of her family to go to college. She crossed the Ha’penny bridge each day to attend Trinity, in her Doc Marten boots and tights, not knowing what was in store for her on the Southside, she almost used the Liffey as a source of courage. 

“I had no frame of reference for college, I hadn’t got a clue, I was terrified. When I got to the bridge, I remember it so clearly, it was like a magnet, holding on to me, rooting me. I took strength from that. I started to think I could do anything. With every step I got taller, louder, braver. I could take on anything that was in store for me in Trinity”

Lisa and I continue writing a joint love letter to Dublin. My sound engineer who is recording the podcast quips that he’s never met anyone who loves Dublin more than me, until now. We talk about all the issues that affect people, especially young women, growing up in “working class” areas of Dublin. We talk about the social structures that can limit you. The “poverty trap” that informs Lisa’s work. She writes from a working class perspective the way that only those with a lived experience can. 

She grew up in a tight knit community and was always encouraged to advocate for herself.  Knowing when to fight for what you need, and knowing when to adapt and fly under the radar. 

Even in our short conversation I feel empowered and proud to be a Northside woman, our Dublin accents getting beautifully thicker with each sentence shared between us.

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 could have sat in Oli's beautiful wee cottage for hours and hours, drinking tea and listening to the story of his life. His home is as warm and inviting as he is. It's packed with art of various forms, including a gorgeous Mary statue passed down from his grandmother (which has been disco-fied to match the space). Thatch cottage living is in his genes, so it seems only fitting he has settled in and renovated one of his own. Taking time to plant native irish trees in his acre of land and enjoying a peaceful, rural, country life. 

Come back tomorrow for another podcast/story/portrait. We’re interviewing and photographing people from all over Ireland, collecting their stories and sharing them daily. You can be a part of it too, go to SinScealEile.com for more information.

If you love this series and you appreciate that it takes a lot of time, passion and funding to bring it to you every day, consider becoming a sponsor. You can subscribe for exclusive content on Patreon, or make a once off donation on BuyMeACoffee (I’m “ruthlessimagery” on both accounts, or click the link on our website)

xR

#SinScéalEile

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.

Martin plays his cards close to his chest. He was recommended to be in the project by a mutual friend of ours and I can tell that he doesn’t quite know what to make of me and my project. In his lovely home in Ballycastle, we sit on his handmade furniture. His beautiful pieces that would sell for hundreds, if not thousands, in a gallery, modestly decorate his living room. In the local village he facilitates wood working classes and by all accounts is a bit of a local legend. We chat some more about Steiner schools, playing music and bit by bit I think he warms up to me.. 

Come back tomorrow for another podcast/story/portrait. We’re interviewing and photographing people from all over Ireland, collecting their stories and sharing them daily. You can be a part of it too, go to SinScealEile.com for more information.

If you love this series and you appreciate that it takes a lot of time, passion and funding to bring it to you every day, consider becoming a sponsor. You can subscribe for exclusive content on Patreon, or make a once off donation on BuyMeACoffee (I’m “ruthlessimagery” on both accounts, or click the link on our website)

xR

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.

Tony is a journalist, mostly writing about arts, culture and music. He’s written about me a couple of times too and I’ve always thought it was the most well researched interview I’ve ever had. 

In his work, Tony is considerate and respectful of his interviewee. He knows when to push for more and when to stay silent. He favours broadsheets over tabloids and he graciously shares top class interview tips with me. 

Come back tomorrow for another podcast/story/portrait. We’re interviewing and photographing people from all over Ireland, collecting their stories and sharing them daily. You can be a part of it too, go to SinScealEile.com for more information.

If you love this series and you appreciate that it takes a lot of time, passion and funding to bring it to you every day, consider becoming a sponsor. You can subscribe for exclusive content on Patreon, or make a once off donation on BuyMeACoffee (I’m “ruthlessimagery” on both accounts, or click the link on our website)

xR

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.

Gillian is a dog person if ever there was one. After her last wee dog crossed the rainbow bridge, she was obviously devastated. 

Alone in the house, she felt the loss even more, but decided to be both proactive and utterly selfless by taking on the challenge of raising a puppy for Autism Assistance Dogs Ireland. Along came Cupid and with him so much joy, boundless energy and a link to a whole new community of friends for Gillian. 

Come back tomorrow for another podcast/story/portrait. We’re interviewing and photographing people from all over Ireland, collecting their stories and sharing them daily. You can be a part of it too, go to SinScealEile.com for more information.

If you love this series and you appreciate that it takes a lot of time, passion and funding to bring it to you every day, consider becoming a sponsor. You can subscribe for exclusive content on Patreon, or make a once off donation on BuyMeACoffee (I’m “ruthlessimagery” on both accounts, or click the link on our website)

xR

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.

Chandrika is a poet, an immigrant and self-described “diplo-brat”. She has travelled the world from a young age, following her Mum from post to post as she worked as an ambassador and diplomat for India. 

Chandrika found many versions of “home” along the way. She recalls being so warmly welcomed by her classmates in Turkey and has kept those friendships alive well into adulthood. 

It has been a lot more difficult to find herself a permanent home. She doesn't feel a true connection with India, having spent such little time there. She wanted to settle in the UK, but due to new immigration laws found it difficult. Much like our own immigration process in Ireland, it was stressful, long, expensive and oftentimes incredibly distressing.   

She is settled now, living and working happily in Dublin. She owns her own home, she can finally hang picture frames, get a pet, write poetry and no longer be afraid of having to move on.

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 Íde in Boyds pub in Ballycastle. She had seen online that I was bringing this project to the area and looking for people to share their story. She didn’t sign up at the time as she thought maybe I’d find more interesting people. We sat and chat over a few pints and I think she warmed up to me and in turn, really understood that I wanted to chat to all types of people. By the time I got back to my apartment, she had messaged me and told me a snippet of the story she’d like people to know. 

From her food inspired instagram account, @ideiseating, Íde shares recipes and life stories. She wants to show the world all of the delicious food she’s been creating and eating, as a way of changing her relationship with food, and as part of her recovery from anorexia. 

The pandemic and lockdown was a hard time for a lot of people and Íde struggled too. With constant media stories about “how to get fit” and influencers broadcasting their workouts from home, she felt like she needed to emerge from the lockdown as a different person. 

She began to overexercise and drastically reduce her calorie intake. She was young, still a teenager, a time when she should have been socialising, studying, seeing the world, she was trapped and in a very anxious limbo. 

“I think it was just me wanting to be in control of something at a time when everything else was out of my control. I could control what I ate. I could control how I exercised. I just grasped on to this craze of weight loss exercise, dieting. Not that I ever, ever had to lose weight. I was literally eighteen. Perfectly healthy.”

She’s a fiercely brave woman, who now works in the local café & bakery, Ursa Minor. You’d think that putting yourself in a food orientated environment would be triggering for someone with an eating disorder, but it has given Íde both confidence and joy. She has transformed, from being a young woman riddled with anxiety, to this beautiful, chatty person that sits with me here today. She has come through this ordeal and is not mournful or regretful, instead she has a greater understanding of how her mind and her body co-exist. 

Come back tomorrow for another podcast/story/portrait. We’re interviewing and photographing people from all over Ireland, collecting their stories and sharing them daily. You can be a part of it too, go to SinScealEile.com for more information.

If you love this series and you appreciate that it takes a lot of time, passion and funding to bring it to you every day, consider becoming a sponsor. You can subscribe for exclusive content on Patreon, or make a once off donation on BuyMeACoffee (I’m “ruthlessimagery” on both accounts, or click the link on our website)

xR

#SinScéalEile

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.

Colm is a dark horse. You’d think he was just an unassuming man, part time taxi driver, loving Father, Husband etc. What you wouldn’t guess from him is that he’s lived a very full and exciting life. 

He lived in Baghdad for a spell, building an airport for Saddam Hussein, entertaining the locals with his busking everywhere he went. He’s climbed Kilamanjaro and Everest base camp. He’s also a bit of a trailblazer, as both him and his wife have been vegetarian since the 90s, which I know from experience is not an easy thing!

Come back tomorrow for another podcast/story/portrait. We’re interviewing and photographing people from all over Ireland, collecting their stories and sharing them daily. You can be a part of it too, go to SinScealEile.com for more information.

If you love this series and you appreciate that it takes a lot of time, passion and funding to bring it to you every day, consider becoming a sponsor. You can subscribe for exclusive content on Patreon, or make a once off donation on BuyMeACoffee (I’m “ruthlessimagery” on both accounts, or click the link on our website)

xR

#SinScéalEile

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.

This is a very quick paced project. I don’t have any real time to research the life and work of people who I'm meeting, I’m usually learning along with the listener.. 

If I had time to research Julian’s work before meeting him, I probably would have fangirled my way through the interview. He shows me around his studio and I’m utterly dumbstruck by the incredible life and beauty in his paintings.

He paints mostly wildlife. Sometimes he paints from memory, sometimes from photos and sometimes using his collection of roadkill for reference (his collection of skulls will haunt me for life, but in a good way). He also paints native Irish animals which have since gone extinct, which really is the greatest job of all time. 

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 sat down with David to talk about his daughter, Lucia. He tells me that this is her story, not his, and that if she were here today she'd be the one chatting to us.

I've read Lucia's website and her blog, I've got a sense of who she was and David only confirms my impression of her. She was endlessly kind, gracious and compassionate. A young, vibrant and fun woman.

She was a recipient of multiple liver transplants in her short lifetime and in turn she dedicated her time and skills to campaigning for donor awareness.

She set up her website “Live Loudly, Donate Proudly” and encouraged people to have open conversations about organ donation. 

You can read her blog and stories here as well as updates now managed by her family.

www.live-loudly-donate-proudly.org

Come back tomorrow for another podcast/story/portrait. We’re interviewing and photographing people from all over Ireland, collecting their stories and sharing them daily. You can be a part of it too, go to SinScealEile.com for more information.

If you love this series and you appreciate that it takes a lot of time, passion and funding to bring it to you every day, consider becoming a sponsor. You can subscribe for exclusive content on Patreon, or make a once off donation on BuyMeACoffee (I’m “ruthlessimagery” on both accounts, or click the link on our website)

xR

#SinScéalEile

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.