The Greg Hughes Podcast

From Derry’s showband scene to international chart success, Phil Coulter’s career has been shaped by two very different ambitions: writing a hit and writing something that matters personally.

In this episode, Phil joins Greg Hughes to revisit his upbringing in Derry and the breakthrough that helped turn a young musician into a professional songwriter. His early song Foolin’ Time attracted the attention of Des Kelly and the Capitol Showband—a pivotal step towards a career that would bring Eurovision success with Puppet on a String and Congratulations.

Behind the commercial achievements lies a more personal body of work. Phil explores the difference between writing for the charts and drawing on his own experiences—the territory that produced The Town I Loved So Well and Scorn Not His Simplicity. The latter was inspired by his son Paul, who was born with Down syndrome. Phil speaks about the loss of his son and the place music has held in his life through grief.

The conversation also turns to Donegal, a lifelong source of inspiration, and Wild Flowers, his new duet with his wife, singer Geraldine Branagan. With Phil also at the piano, this is a conversation about the craft of songwriting, the pull of home, and the experiences behind the music.

Enjoy The Greg Hughes Podcast? Recommend it to a friend. To suggest a guest or share a story, contact researcher and producer Caroline Orr at [email protected].

For years, Nikki Hayes was one of the most recognizable voices on Irish radio. From RTÉ 2FM to SPIN 1038, she enjoyed the kind of career many could only dream of. But behind the familiar voice and public success, a very different story was unfolding.

Addiction would eventually cost Nikki almost everything. Her career, her home, her relationships and, for a time, the life she had built. At her lowest point, the woman who had once entertained audiences across Ireland was sleeping rough on the streets of Dublin, feeling invisible to the world around her.

In this deeply personal conversation with Greg Hughes, Nikki's extraordinary story takes us from the highs of national recognition to the devastating realities of alcohol addiction, homelessness and rock bottom.

But this is also a story of survival, recovery and second chances.

Nikki reflects on the long road back, the people who helped her rebuild her life, the importance of taking responsibility and the hope she now offers others facing their own struggles.

Today, back working in radio and using her experience to advocate for people affected by addiction, Nikki Hayes has found a new purpose.

An extraordinary journey from having it all, to losing almost everything, and discovering what really matters.

This is The Greg Hughes Podcast.

Eight years to get 0.13 seconds faster. How do you keep believing when the stopwatch won’t budge?

Irish Olympian and European 800m champion Mark English knows the patience elite sport demands. After running a personal best in 2013, he waited until 2021 to improve it — a breakthrough that also broke a longstanding Irish record and secured his place at the Tokyo Olympics.

In this episode, Mark joins me to explore his journey from Donegal to international athletics, his early passion for sport and the challenge of pursuing medicine alongside competing at the highest level.

We discuss the injuries, setbacks and breakthroughs that shaped his career, including rebuilding after injury and racing against some of the greatest athletes in the sport. What keeps you motivated through years of uncertainty? How do you manage the physical and mental demands? And what changes when you commit fully to finding out how good you can be?

A conversation about the person behind the performances, the cost of ambition and the persistence behind every fraction of a second.

In this episode, I sit down with retired Bishop of Derry, Donal McKeown, to reflect on a life shaped by faith, sport, education and service.

We explore his early years, his connections to Belfast and his childhood passion for sport, before following his journey through education and theological formation towards the priesthood.

We also discuss retirement, his plans for the future and what comes next after decades of ministry. A personal conversation about the experiences behind a public life, and the beginning of a new chapter.

This week, author, regular television personality and Ambassador for Harvey’s Point hotel, Noel Cunningham, joins us for an honest conversation about growing up gay in rural Donegal, the loneliness of feeling different, and his journey through alcohol addiction to sobriety.

Known to many through his appearances on Ireland AM, Noel reflects on the experiences behind his familiar public presence. We discuss his difficult early years, the impact of his drinking, the regrets he carries, and the turning point that led him to stop.

He also shares how life opened up in recovery, finding greater self-acceptance and seeing his career flourish. It’s a personal conversation about living with the past, rebuilding a life and finding hope in a new beginning.

From the Irish underground to Coachella and the Las Vegas Sphere, DJ and producer Rebūke has taken his sound around the world. His 2018 breakthrough, “Along Came Polly”, topped the Beatport chart, while collaborations with Anyma on “Syren” and deadmau5 on “Endless” have added to an impressive career.

This week, Greg sits down with Rebūke, aka Reuben Keeney, to talk about where it all began: his early love of music, finding his own sound, and the breakthrough that helped him make his name on the international scene.

He also shares a fascinating story about one of his biggest early influences later asking him to produce a track. It sounds like the opportunity any young producer would dream of—but creative differences led him to respectfully decline. We discuss what it means to trust your own judgement, even when the person on the other side of the conversation helped inspire you in the first place.

And despite everything he’s achieved, Rebūke is already planning to take a step back. We explore his thinking, how his priorities are changing, and what he wants from the next chapter.

A candid conversation about making your name, staying true to your music, and deciding what success means to you.

From a family rooted in Ireland to the leadership of the world’s largest global law firm, Kate Barton’s story reaches across generations and continents.

This week on The Greg Hughes Podcast, Greg welcomes Kate Barton, Global CEO of Dentons and a recipient of the 2026 Tip O’Neill Irish Diaspora Award.

The granddaughter of four Irish grandparents who emigrated to Boston, Kate has built an international career while retaining a strong connection to her Irish heritage. She credits her grandparents’ resilience, storytelling and humour with helping shape her approach to leadership and giving back.

Before taking the helm at Dentons, Kate spent more than three decades at EY, rising to senior global leadership roles. Alongside her professional achievements, she supports charitable and educational organisations, including The Ireland Funds and the Shanti Bhavan Children’s Project.

As she prepares to receive her award in Donegal, join Greg and Kate for this standalone episode featuring a member of the Irish diaspora whose family roots remain an important part of her story.

New episodes of The Greg Hughes Podcast arrive every Friday at 11am. 

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A proud Carrigart man who made his life in London, Brendan ‘Tiny’ Vaughan has spent decades helping others while keeping Donegal close to his heart.

This week on The Greg Hughes Podcast, Tiny joins Greg ahead of receiving the 2026 Tip O’Neill Irish Diaspora Award for an honest, deeply personal and at times intensely emotional conversation about his life, his love of home and his plans to return to Donegal.

His commitment to charity has touched lives across Ireland and Britain. The Donegal Hospice Calendar, which he established in memory of his mother, has raised approximately €240,000, while the London Irish Vintage Club, which he co-founded, has raised more than £1 million through its annual charity event.

In this conversation, we get under the famous cap and meet the man behind those remarkable fundraising efforts. As he prepares to accept recognition for years of giving back, Tiny reflects on the life he has built away from Carrigart and what coming home will mean to him.

New episodes of The Greg Hughes Podcast arrive every Friday at 11am. Listen at highlandradio.com, on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also watch on YouTube.

Follow or subscribe so you never miss an episode.

From the Gaeltacht village of Rann na Feirste to the fictional shores of Ros na Rún, this week’s guest is a titan of Irish-language media whose career spans over three decades on stage, screen, and behind the camera.

Niall Mac Eachmharcaigh joins the podcast to reflect on a remarkable life in storytelling. Best known to millions as John Joe Daly—a role he inhabited for roughly 24 years on TG4’s flagship drama—Niall opens up about the tight-knit community of Donegal actors in An Spidéal and how a chance encounter watching a live stage play in his hometown at age 13 sparked a lifelong devotion to drama.

We trace his journey from starting out as a theatre prompter in Donegal in 1973 to multi-hyphenate creative work, including writing, directing, and producing the 1990s comedy series C.U. Burn through his company Lios na Si. Niall also discusses his recent screen work, including the 2024 crime series Crá, Aontas, and his dual-language voice acting debut as the Giant Deer in the 2025 animated Christmas short Nollaí.

An inspiring, funny, and deeply engaging conversation celebrating Gaeltacht culture and a legendary career in broadcasting.

Starting school is a milestone every parent marks with excitement — the tiny uniform, the brand-new shoes, the photo by the front door. But for Alicia McHugh, this week’s school run brings a painful reminder of the little boy who should have been standing in that photo.

In November 2021, Alicia’s son Andrew was stillborn at 36 weeks. Facing an unimaginable grief, she turned to a tiny patch of dirt in her back garden, finding solace in caring for growing plants when she couldn't care for her son. That small plot eventually grew into Butterfly Bears Flower Farm in Killygordon — a living tribute where every bloom honors Andrew's memory.

In this moving bonus episode, as Andrew would have taken his first steps into primary school alongside his siblings, Alicia shares her journey through grief, the deep symbolism behind the farm’s name, and how nurturing nature helped her find a way forward.

In This Episode:

A Milestone Marked in Silence: Navigating the emotion of the first day of primary school when a child is missing from the front door photo.

Finding Solace in the Soil: How tending to a small garden plot provided a tangible way to care for Andrew when he was gone.

Butterfly Bears Flower Farm: Building a flower farm in Killygordon as a lasting, living memorial.

The Story Behind the Name: The powerful meaning connecting the Ursa Minor ("Little Bear") star named for Andrew and the symbolic butterfly wings.