Sin Scéal Eile

To say that Angela Dorgan is well known in the Irish music industry would be the understatement of the year. Many would say she IS the Irish music industry. She’s the driving force behind Ireland Music Week, which gives so many young Irish bands their start. She uses her abundance of passion, her smarts, her charm and her incredible knowledge and compassion to ensure that baby bands get all the resources, funding, support and confidence they need to make it out of Ireland. 

Angela has also been instrumental in Ireland welcoming the Basic Income for the Arts scheme. She fought so hard for Irish artists to be recognised and respected by the Irish government. She lobbied, argued, and fought for us all, all the while fighting her own battle with cancer. Legend. 

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.ie for more information.

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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.

I got emotional talking to Geoff, not for sad reasons, but because it’s rare that I encounter someone who is so selfless, humble, proud of others, and so unbelievably grateful to his own Mother. 

Geoff is two things, a poet and a principal and for the first time today he’s letting those two sides of himself come out in one interview.

Geoff and his team of teachers, SNAs and support staff have created a space that I could only have dreamed of when I was a child. The walls are colourful, and bouncing off them in huge letters are positive messages of encouragement. 

“We believe in positive affirmation. That's our only rule in the school, kind hands, kind feet and kind words.”

Geoff didn’t ever see himself as a Principal, but he did always want to teach. His art loving, well-read Mother instilled in him the value of a good education his whole life. 

“She'd say to me, they can take everything, son, but they can't take your education.” It’s a line that is echoed in a poem Geoff recites to me at the end of our chat today. 

“My siblings and I went to a gaelscoil, when my mates all went to schools in the area. I saw the effects of a good education, something that my mates didn't have. They drifted towards drugs, dealing, using heroin, that type of stuff.”

What I see in Geoff is the effects of a strong matriarch, raising her children to have courage, pride and compassion. And in turn, what Geoff is doing in this school is giving so many little boys and girls a chance in life they may not otherwise have. 

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.

Being a touring musician for most of his adult life, Alex Ryan has a unique perspective on the music industry. We sat in Walsh’s pub for the afternoon and reminisced about life on the road touring with Hozier and all that it offered us, the friends we made, relationships we formed and the craic that was had. 

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.ie for more information.

x R

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’ve never met anyone who has worked in Antarctica before so it was such a joy to sit and chat with Ruth about her adventures there. Ruth is bubbly, hilarious and full of life.

It’s no surprise that she sold her house (almost on a whim), packed everything into her van and went to work in the kitchens of McMurdo station. 

By all accounts, it sounded cold, very strange, but also romantic and fun in parts too. 

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.ie for more information.

x R

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’ve lost many a night (and day) sitting in the iconic Cobblestone pub, listening to tunes and sharing stories with friends. 

I was so intrigued to chat with Tomás who grew up in the pub (and his Father, who himself has a few tales to tell) about their love of folklore and archiving. 

Together they instill an amazing ethos in the pub, one of mutual respect and camaraderie between the pub owners, the musicians who play in it, and the punters who frequent it. It’s one of the reasons the pub is so loved within the community and why people rallied round to save it from developers.

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, just follow @ruthlessimagery online for more details.

x R

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.

You might think it’s weird or morbid to talk about death, it’s definitely discouraged in a lot of circles, but talking about death is something both Liza and I agree should be done more often. She’s even gone as far as hosting Death Cafés.

Liza found her way into the life of a death doula and undertaker after her husband passed. With no one to truly eulogise him the way he would have wanted, Liza stepped up. Little did she know at the time that she’d be stepping into the role more permanently, taking her life in a brand new direction, and in turn helping so many more families give a fitting goodbye to their loved ones. 

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, just follow @ruthlessimagery online for more details.

x R

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.

When Sam wrote to me to be included in the project, the first thing that struck me was the eloquence of their writing. They were passionate, proud and really understood my mission with this project. It was no surprise to hear that Sam is a writer and director for film and TV, a world which they have been extremely inamoured with from a young age. 

What Sam loves the most about their job is that it provides an opportunity to give representation to the trans and queer communities they cherish so much. A way of ensuring that their lives are seen as “liveable lives”. Lives that can be happy, fulfilled and normal.

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, just follow @ruthlessimagery online for more details.

x R

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’m buzzing from my morning of cuddles with the two of the most giggliest babies ever. Today I got to meet Sharon, a single mum of six beautiful, smart, confident children (who are an absolute credit to her). If you asked AI to imagine an “Irish Mammy”, you’d probably get a photo of a dowdy, middle aged woman in an apron, surrounded by peeled spuds or something equally as old fashioned and offensive.

The person who I sit with today is anything but that. She’s vibrant, young, glamorous. She has all the traits of a great Mam, she’s kind, supportive and fun. She puts her children, their education and their happiness first (something she learned from her own parents). She’s covered in tattoos, loves to pole dance, and works as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) on the ambulances and tells me the gorgeous story of how her twins came into this world.

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, just follow @ruthlessimagery online for more details.

x R

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 Mo Arekat in the Fumbally Cafe where he works as a chef and instantly I realise that he is a bit of a local celebrity. Everyone has a big hello and hugs for him as we wander through the busy cafe on his day off. 

He is well loved in his new community and that feeling is truly reciprocated. Mo is bursting to tell me his story, but not the one you may think of when you meet a Palestinian/Jordanian asylum seeker, he wants to tell me about his amazing new Irish family. The people who rescued him from sleeping on the streets and the extended community who have surrounded and supported him since.

Mo landed in Ireland on a cold February day, he registered as an asylum seeker and was handed a tent. He had been sleeping on the streets for two weeks when he met some outreach volunteers. These people saw him for what he was, a young man of just 22, in need of help. He was terrified, with no money and no where to go.

The volunteers offered to house Mo for a few days while he recovered from a cold. “They welcomed me into their home. Not as a refugee, not as a case number. As a family. We shared dinners and they’d ask how my day was. Those small, ordinary moments did something powerful. They made me feel safe.” Mo got along so well with the family and their kids they invited him to stay for as long as he needed and until he got himself truly settled. 

The young man who sits before me today is eloquent and witty. He has the same cheeky charm of many Irish men I’ve met before, so I’m surprised to hear he didn’t speak any english only two years prior when he arrived. 

Hearing that Mo was rescued by absolute angels on the streets of Ireland and welcomed wholeheartedly by the Fumbally community gives me an enormous amount of pride. It also leaves me very saddened to know that there must be so many more people like him, clutching a tent, who simply want to be safe, to contribute and to belong. 

As I tuck into Mo’s incredible carrot and tomato soup today, I overhear the table next to us raving about the food “the chefs here are amazing” and I agree.

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, just follow @ruthlessimagery online for more details.

x R

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 don’t think you’ll ever find a more passionate person than Keith when he’s talking about wrestling. In a great big barn in the middle of nowhere you’ll find The School of Irish Wrestling.

It may look like a cattle shed outside, but inside you’ll find two massive wrestling rings and huge posters of all the famous Irish wrestlers who’ve gone on to the WWE (the ultimate dream job according to Keith.) 

I learned so much about wrestling, the touring, the performance element and yes, apparently it really does hurt! 

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, just follow @ruthlessimagery online for more details.

x R

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.