The ClearOut

It's been 40 years since Star Wars was the most important thing in Dara's universe. He recalls his relationship with the original Star Wars trilogy and says why he thinks it was so successful - clean storytelling and clear characters. He argues that those two things got lost in the subsequent movies.

Dara compares Star Trek with Star Wars and concludes one was far sexier than the other. Having listened to a recent conversation with William Shatner, he is amazed at how young he sounds.

Despite his love of Han Solo, Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia, as well as a host of Marvel comics, Dara insists he is not a nerd, and he lays out why in very clear terms. If further proof were needed, he sets himself a nerd test, which he fails.

As well as that, there is looking for real life heroes in his childhood, innocence as a pre-requisite for the success of fictional idols, and the unbelievably beguiling smell of Star Wars figures!

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In this episode Dara moves from very light to very dark. Recorded on his 20th wedding anniversary, Dara feels duty bound to reflect on that special day in 2003, and he revisits some of the standout moments, including an unlikely mode of transport for the first night of his honeymoon.

Not prompted by those memories, Dara speaks about the impact of neglect and how being overlooked is more painful than being ignored. Something his daughter said to him reinforced his conviction that there is a real danger in failing to pay attention to people close to you. He recalls aspects of his own childhood in this context and considers how approaches to parenting have changed.

From the intimate and familial, Dara journeys to the social and political and revisits two of the most distressing episodes from Ireland's modern past. In 1984, when he was only 10, two stories captured the nation when they exposed a terrible darkness and hypocrisy in cultural attitudes to women, and in particular to young women who found themselves pregnant outside the 'sanctity' of marriage. Ann Lovett and Joanne Hayes were the individuals whose tragic circumstances became a flashpoint that rallied Irish women in a fierce outcry against the misogyny of a repressive, patriarchal society that felt it had the right to police female bodies.

Dara shares his own impressions of the time and how he perceived girls he knew in comparable situations. He wonders who the equivalent victims are today of society's neglect.

Joanne Hayes and the Kerry babies: https://play.acast.com/s/in-the-news/kerry-babies-theres-no-good-end-to-this

Ann Lovett's tragic story: https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-womens-podcast/episode/ep-206-she-was-ann-rose-lovett-mother-to-pat-54022329

Journal.ie article on Ireland's 1983 abortion referendum: https://www.thejournal.ie/abortion-referendum-1983-what-happened-1225430-Dec2013/

New Irish film about Ann Lovett's final day: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10648908/?ref_=tt_mv_close

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In this, the 100th episode of the show, Dara permits himself a stocktake. He reaffirms the recurring themes he has continued to weave through the podcast and examines what wellness with attitude means.

He shoots down 'teachable moments' and what he calls the 'cutesification' of our lives. He leans into messiness and uncertainty and unknowability. He surmises that the podcast is offering a vibe and a non-pressurised space to hang out in once a week. And what's wrong with that?

Ultimately, Dara doubles down on what he does here on The ClearOut because frankly, it's working for him. Anything beyond that is a bonus.

He reads two of his previously unshared poems at the end of the episode, each connected in different ways to items on the agenda. One of the poems was written for a friend, and the other was written for his wife, with whom he's about to celebrate 20 years of marriage. And that's only one of a few significant numbers Dara is thinking about at the moment...

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In this episode, prompted by Spike Lee's He Got Game (1998), Dara examines his convictions as a parent, and recalls how an ill-fated Irish journalist helped him get comfortable with the idea of becoming a father to a daughter. He identifies a pillar of his parenting approach that he hopes he will manage to keep intact. He also looks at the idea of gender-neutral parenting, something he tries to adopt with his daughter.

Talking about peculiar sources of inspiration, Dara argues that there is much to feel positive about if we can draw inspiration from unusual places. He looks at the subjectivity of memory and wonders if objective reality is actually impossible.

Discussing the emergence of his beliefs and values, Dara shares some core convictions he had about his capabilities and aspirations that can be drawn back to his childhood. He recognises the importance of control to his concept of personal wellness and how it enables him to be softer and more vulnerable.

Finally, he asserts that positive and negative beliefs about self can co-exist within us - life is not a zero-sum game!

Website: https://theclearout.com/

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YouTube: The ClearOut Podcast

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Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theclearout

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

In this episode, Dara starts off with thoughts on what defines us as individuals. Is it a higher power? Or is it just what wins the battle for our identity? He believes it is strongly connected to nature, nurture and genetic legacy.

After acquiring a new patron for the podcast, Dara feels it is necessary to express gratitude. He recalls a former workplace being surprised and impressed by a message of thanks he left. He concludes that it is not only good manners, but also excellent karmic practice.

A recent article discussed the categorisation of a particular personality type known as HSPs - Highly Sensitive People. As a self-declared sensitive person, Dara feels well qualified to weigh in on the label and its main characteristics. But he cautions against the expectation that the world should make special dispensation to accommodate the needs of these super-sensitive beings.

Finally, Dara veers off the main drag to look at a religious sect from 18th Century Russia that achieved spiritual purification by removing certain parts of the anatomy - not for the fainthearted! Now, what would you like with that smoothie...?

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

In this episode Dara wrangles with the purpose and direction of the podcast. He wonders if he's doing the pod all right or all wrong. Before he makes any radical changes though, he remains clear that he doesn't want it to be perfectly curated content that becomes bland and generic. He tries to work out who the podcast is for so he can better understand his target audience.

A clip from a George Orwell documentary gets Dara thinking about fascism and oppressive regimes and the influence of Orwell's dystopian 1984. Responding to Orwell's exhortation to resist brutalist government, Dara wonders how someone can do that in ways that aren't connected to direct political action. He concludes the path of resistance is connected to art, aesthetics and self-expression and the ability to be led by one's curiosity.

To demonstrate his theory, and to challenge the fascism of his own unending monologues, Dara reads four poems that he has never seen before, with surprising results.

Elsewhere in the show, time is also found to romanticise a couple of men working in a field. Unprepared, unscripted, and unpredictable, the podcast rolls on!

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YouTube: The ClearOut Podcast

Email: [email protected]

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theclearout

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

In this episode, Dara examines the centrality of heart to his own personal philosophy. He recognises that his concept of the metaphorical heart is suffused with his natural idealism, and how that can lead him into situations where he can be easily wounded. He argues against the interpretation of open-heartedness being equal to naivete.

He talks about a recent incident that he believes was the catalyst for this line of enquiry, and then realises his subconscious had been directing him to things heart-related, including a couple of films featuring heart-battered male leads - Alexander Payne's The Descendents (2011) and Noah Baumbach's Marriage Story (2019), as well a friend's Instagram post about Claddagh rings.

On the lighter side of heart offerings, Dara and his daughter sat down to watch Penny Marshall's Big (1988) which, apart from the enjoyment of a definitive Tom Hanks performance, gave an exciting glimpse to Dara of his daughter's evolving cineaste brain.

Finally, Dara nails his colours to the mast and says why he'll continue facing life with a full and open heart, in spite of the risk-reward ratio sometimes feeling stacked the wrong way. You'll have to decide if he's a sucker or not...

Ian O'Malley's Irish culture tips and English as it's spoken in Ireland Instagram page - https://www.instagram.com/ian_english_language/

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

This episode looks at the problem of having access to too much information, material and opinion in the online space. So much content, and so much for free, and such ease of access, creates an imbalanced relationship that offers dubious benefits. Dara looks at his own internet consumption habits and questions the merits of unearned offerings.

Connected to that theme is Dara's experience of movies that have unearned climaxes which founder on the poverty of the character development and story arcs that preceded them. As a case in point, he cites and discusses in detail Darren Aronofsky's The Whale, for which Brendan Fraser was just awarded the best actor award at the Oscars. Staying with the Academy Awards, Dara argues that Everything Everywhere All At Once is the purest internet age movie that has yet been made. Having watched it twice, he remains unconvinced by its alleged merits, Michelle Yeoh's lovely performance notwithstanding.

Apparently there are women who are sick of men with podcasts and 'podcast bros'. Dara presents a case for the defence and feels pretty confident that he is not one of the bros in question.

The episode concludes with a look at a key aspect of former US President Ronald Reagan's persona and how it might be utilised in a self-care regime. Unlike his predecessor Jimmy Carter, Reagan was a natural radiator. He may not have liked his politics, but Dara recognises the need for a little positivity when times are tough.

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YouTube: The ClearOut Podcast

Email: [email protected]

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theclearout

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

In this episode Dara shares his thoughts and responses after a movie mini-binge. He is struck by the hackneyed plotline of CODA (2021) but thinks the film is saved by the acting and warmth of the main cast. He compares it to a couple of other movies that didn't take flight, including the risible Bohemian Rhapsody (2018), and the glorified Apple commercial that was Ben Stiller's The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013).

Bouncing to the other end of the artistic spectrum, Dara discusses the two other films he watched - Roman Polanski's nightmarish English-language debut Repulsion (1965) and Steven Spielberg's somewhat rose-tinted The Fabelmans (2022), which is a thinly disguised depiction of life growing up in the Spielberg family in the 50s and 60s. He argues that each director's worldview is the opposite of the other's. Polanski's informed by a horrific Holocaust-scarred childhood, Spielberg's by being allowed to document his childhood on camera. An admirer of both, Dara recalls highlights from their filmographies that have stayed with him and point up their differing perspectives of the human condition.

Time is also found to wrap up thoughts on Dara's recent return to the stage, a bad reaction to bad dog behaviour, a chilly spring, phoney Apple advertising, and a tentative writing project.

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YouTube: The ClearOut Podcast

Email: [email protected]

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theclearout

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In this episode, Dara is brushing up against his past and walking the fine line between nostalgia and sentimentality. Spending a lot of time in Dublin recently has provoked a host of memories from over 20 years ago and Dara feels like he keeps bumping into his younger self around every street corner.

He talks about being able to really appreciate Dublin's architecture for the first time and how he used to consider Trinity College students sworn enemies. He recalls his own university experience and shares what priorities trumped the need to attend lectures and become a better student.

Having just finished watching Joanna Hogg's fascinating 80s London-set drama, The Souvenir (not before abandoning it midway to take in John Carney's more easily digestible Dublin-set musical, Once), Dara talks about his relationship to London and how it began in the 80s with the many visits he enjoyed there as a child when visiting his late grandmother.

He discusses the idea of digesting or assimilating memories and experiences at different rates, and the dangers of believing there's nothing new under the sun. He recommends the borrowing of a martial arts concept - beginner's mind - to help keep cynicism and jadedness at bay.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theclearoutpodcast/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/theclearout2

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theclearoutpodcast/

YouTube: The ClearOut Podcast

Email: [email protected]

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theclearout

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