The Time Out Podcast

Michael Bonner hails from Glenties Co. Donegal. A singer songwriter with a number of songs released with more to come. Michael's attitude is one to be admired; in his early 20's he took to performing in bars and although it didn't turn out how he'd have liked, the experiences back then are now inspiring him to give it another go in his 40's. During my interview with him, he tells me of his plans in music, his inspirations and how his opening songs came about. I hope you enjoy the interview!

Support the show

Peter Cambpell has worked with the Donegal Democrat since 1977. Starting out in their printing office, he took up a journalism role with them in 1990. He was sports editor between 2004-2021 and in recent years , has retired and but continues to work part time. A respected voice who has seen so much down through the years, and I reflect with him on some of the finest moments he has covered including Donegal's Sam Maguire wins in 1992 and 2012. Elsewhere I chat to Peter about other aspects of life, including his own time playing underage and senior gaelic football with St Nauls and his love of golf which sees him being a member of the Bundoran GC. There's also a full preview of the upcoming club championship matches this weekend Sept 14th/15th in Donegal..

Support the show

Mark Forker from Burtonport currently works as journalist; he is the editor of CNME magazine based in Dubai. A lot of his background is linked to soccer, he played over 100 matches for Ballybofey based club Finn Harps from 2008 to 2014, and to this day still helps out at the club as a coach of their underage teams. Before his move to Finn Park, Mark got a professional contract as a teenager himself with Hearts in Scotland, we talk about a lot of his soccer experiences which include Mark just finishing off the season having lined out for his local team Keadue Rovers in the Donegal Premier Division. So much else is covered in the interview, including Finn Harps current day, and we talk about how the season ended cross channel as well in Scotland and England. Hope you enjoy the interview!

Support the show

Down through the years Stephen McCahill has gotten involved in many different aspects of both community and business life in Donegal and beyond. From Glenties originally he also has strong connections to Ardara where he currently helps out with the running of The Corner House Bar. In 2016 Stephen was named 'Donegal Person Of The Year'.  Among his experiences in life so far he has volunteered quite a lot towards various causes. I speak to him about this during the interview plus about the different jobs he has had including running his own business. I interviewed Stephen on the weekend 'The Cup Of Tae Festival' was going on in Ardara. A festival celebrating  trad music which was set up in the early noughties to honour the renowned local fiddle player John The Tae Gallagher and his impressive musical achievements. Elsewhere Stephen tells me about taking in a Jim McGuniness training session with Donegal while he holidayed in Tenerife plus much more.  I hope you enjoy the interview.

Support the show

Fergal O'Brien recently retired from being a professional snooker player, having enjoyed a 33 year career as a pro. His finest moment came in 1999 when he won the British Open, beating Anthony Hamilton 9-7 in the final. He competed in the Masters final in 2001 v Paul Hunter and just lost out 10-9 having held a 7-3 advantage at one point. He now joins Eurosport to commentate on the 2024 World Snooker Championship at the Crucible. I chat to Fergal about his career and we preview some of the eye catching 1st round fixtures at Snooker's biggest tournament, the world championship in Sheffield! Hope you enjoy the interview!

Support the show

As individual solo acts both Mickey Duffy and Jordan Mogey have gained a large amount of admirers in music, through the combination of the singing voices they possess and for their song-writing talent. The latter being how this great friendship began; a mutual love and appreciation of song-writing. Mickey originally from Paisley in Scotland but now living in Stranorlar has 2 albums behind him. Jordan from Ballymoney Co Antrim has 3 albums under his belt. Currently Mickey and Jordan are working together on finishing off an album they're set to release later this year. A compilation of duets featuring songs all written and sung by these two talented guys. I headed off to Stranorlar last Tuesday evening and caught up with Mickey and Jordan for an in depth chat about the project they're working on plus much more including talking about their influences and some of the songs they've recorded so far. Hope you enjoy the interview! 

Support the show

2023 will be a year that will live long in the memory of all connected with Na Rossa GAA club in Lettermacaward. Despite all the challenges of lack of numbers available to the club as a whole it hasn't stopped success being achieved on the pitch, like in 2023. Junior A Champions, and promotion sealed back to Division 2. I'm joined in this episode to reflect on a great year for Na Rossa by their manager Declan Bonner, captain Daniel Martin Melly and Felix Melly who was part of the backroom team.  Lots discussed, including the memorable Junior A Championship final win over Moville, the league game which clinched promotion, and the dissapointing nature of the club's controversial exit from the Ulster Club Championship. I hope you enjoy the podcast.

Support the show

Danny O'Donnell was born and raised in Islington England but has lived in Donegal since 1991. Both his parents were from Donegal. During my interview with Danny, he talks about his memories of coming to Ireland in his youth and tells how things were back then and how much they've changed. As I myself am a big Manchester United fan for almost 30 years I'm pleased to be including a tribute to the late great Bobby Charlton (RIP) during this interview.  A very important topic discussed at the beginning of the episode is prostate cancer. Danny tells the story of how he was diagnosed with prostate cancer over 7 years ago and how he is now in remission. I'm thankful Danny shared his story and it may help somebody listening. Lots more talked about too, including Movember. I hope you enjoy the interview!

Support the show

Honoured to be featuring two legends of Irish country music in the one episode. Both Sandy Kelly and Brendan Shine are enjoying long successful careers in music. Although both are closely connected to country music, its not the only genre they've been involved with. Sandy Kelly as she describes in the interview has a love for music generally. In 1982 she was part of pop group The Duskeys when they entered eurovision. Sandy formed the group alongside her late sister Barbara and two cousins. One of her greatest feats which she looks back on with great pride is the fact she recorded a duet with the late legend of country Johnny Cash. Brendan Shine is celebrating 60 years in music having started out in a ceilli band at the age of 16. His long career has seen him enjoy vast chart success in Ireland, while in the UK charts he also faired respectably.  He talks in the interview about the backgrounds behind some of his biggest songs.

Support the show

The title of the episode sums it up.  Mary From Dungloe Past & Present. The festival's full title has grown slightly in recent years. Its now 'Mary From Dungloe International Arts Festival'. Since the festival began in 1968 till current day, there is a huge amount of history attached to it. The aim of these 5 interviews is to perhaps share memories or stories with listeners that they might not have known. Guests include the first winner of the Mary From Dungloe in 1968, Celine Powell. Irish Country Music legend Daniel O'Donnell. Spin 'n' Speed Amusements aka McGurks funfair operator Nigel Bell. Irish Country Music singer Eimear Furlong and last but by no means least, former Garda sergeant Joe Joyce Snr. I hope you enjoy the interviews.

Support the show