Aran Island Discs

Founder and past CEO of a Mental Health/Suicide Prevention organisation that evolved from passionate, persistence, unequivocal belief, anger, commitment and love. I followed my truth and remained authentic in relation to change even when this meant not fitting in, being challenged, bg left on the outskirts but also holding the essence of change in society.

When Conor Niland was 16, he got the chance to hit with Serena Williams at Nick Bollettieri's famed tennis academy. Conor, the Irish junior number one, was feeling a bit homesick. Serena, also 16, already owned her own house beside the academy. Conor Niland knows what it's like when Roger Federer walks into the dressing room ('Ciao, bonjour, hello!'), and he has had the exquisitely terrible experience of facing Novak Djokovic in the world's biggest tennis stadium - while suffering from food poisoning. But he never reached the very top. 

Colm Hayes, is an Irish radio broadcaster and sometimes television presenter. He formerly presented weekend breakfasts on RTE2 FM, The Strawberry Alarm Clock and currently presents The Morning Show on Classic Hits with Lucy Kennedy.Colm has just launched a new podcast with his brother, titled Brothers in Arms.

The story of how the Ryan family came back from the brink, and, in the process, brought low-fare airlines to the world is little known. Yes, people know about Ryanair, which transformed travel in Europe. But there is much more.The family took the Ryanair template and rolled it out in five other low-fare airlines – making flying affordable to billions of people on four continents.This is the story that became the book Aer Dogs. It is, of course, about Tony Ryan, who died in 2007, and the Ryan family. But it is also about other families few have heard of – names such as Carragher, Doherty, Maxwell, Mulvihill, Mason, Goode and Blaney. These were the so-called “Aer Dogs”, people who took the Ryanair spirit and exported it around the world and the story is told by Tom Lyon’s in Aer Dogs, just recently published.

Derek Daly is an Irish former racing driver, businessman and broadcaster, who competed in Formula One from 1978 to 1982.Born and raised in Dublin, Daly won the British Formula Three Championship in 1977, before participating in 64 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting at the 1978 United States Grand Prix West. His 15 championship points made him the first Irish driver to score in Formula One, and remains the highest scoring; he also participated in several non-championship races. After Formula One, Daly moved to the United States to compete in CART and IMSA, where he led Nissan to the IMSA GTP Championship in 1990

Pádraig Ó Céidigh has had multiple careers. He’s been a teacher, an accountant, a lawyer, and an entrepreneur.In 1993, he bought a tiny, failing airline and turned it into a thriving regional carrier with revenues in excess of $150 million. He went on to found and develop businesses across a range of sectors, including property, publishing, printing, and healthcare.Pádraig is a former winner of Ireland EY Entrepreneur of the Year and represented Ireland at EY World Entrepreneur of the Year. He’s also found time to serve on various state and non-state boards and was a senator in the Irish parliament from 2016 to 2020. An alumnus of the University of Galway and Harvard University, he is currently an adjunct professor of entrepreneurship and business at the University of Galway. Pádraig lives in the west of Ireland with his wife, Caitlín. The Purposeful Decision Maker is his first book.

Niall O'Dowd is the Founder of IrishCentral as well as of Irish America Magazine and the Irish Voice Newspaper. He is also responsible for publishing IrishCentral.com community newspaper and The Irish Emigrant newspaper, in Boston. He founded the Wall Street 50 awards, the Top 100 Irish Americans, the Business 100 and more recently the Top 50 Women in Business and the Irish Legal 100 awards.Niall was awarded an honorary doctorate by University College Dublin for his work on the Irish peace process, which was a subject of a book, "Daring Diplomacy" and a PBS Special, "An Irish Voice."His book, An Irish Voice, is a remarkable first-hand account of an Irish emigrant who began as a part-time footballer and house-painter, and became a journalist, author, founder and publisher of two newspapers, a magazine and website, as well as a leading advocate for immigration reform for the ‘illegal’ Irish in the United States. He played a pivotal role in the Northern Ireland peace process, securing a US visa for Gerry Adams in 1994 and acting as intermediary between the White House and Sinn Féin during a critical time in the peace negotiations. He is also the author of Fire in the Morning, about the Irish at the World Trade Centre on 9/11 and an adjunct professor of journalism at Columbia University.He was also a founder of the Irish Americans for Clinton campaign in 1991, supporting candidate Bill Clinton for president. He led an Irish American peace delegation to Northern Ireland after Clinton was elected and acted as intermediary between Sinn Fein and the White House at a critical period in the peace process. His role was featured in the book Daring Diplomacy by Conor O'Clery.O'Dowd created the US Ireland Forum, a forerunner of the Diaspora forum held by the Irish government in 2009.A native of Ireland, (his father was from Cillchuile, Ballydavid Co. Kerry, and lives in New York with wife Debbie McGoldrick and daughter, Alanna..

Dwayne Woods is a Music Publicist and Artist Manager at Butter Wouldn’t Melt. With nearly 20 years of experience in the music industry, Dwayne has honed his expertise across various fields, including Radio Broadcasting, Journalism, Events, PR, and Artist Management and Development. He currently manages musician and visual artist Meljoann.Dwayne is currently on a break from the music industry for mental health reasons, but admits he misses radio deeply, finding anything related to radio or programming therapeutic. Originally from County Leitrim and now living in Drogheda, Dwayne has been on a journey of sobriety since 2022. He is also a dedicated mental health advocate, activist, and openly talks about living with ADHD.Music has been a life-saving force for Dwayne, helping him through the darkest moments and shaping who he is today. Despite facing significant challenges, including eight months of homelessness, he credits music with giving him the strength to carry on and build his career. Dwayne’s passion for music and mental health advocacy continues to drive him forward, embracing life’s challenges with resilience and courage.