Aran Island Discs

Growing up in Dublin, Deb Grant was buying records from an early age and started DJing when she was just 15.Her career has been a consistent pursuit of exciting opportunities to share her favourite records with a crowd ready to get down.Deb now lives In Manchester, moving after being in London for many years, for her job as a presenter on BBC Radio 6 Music.

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 one of Ireland’s most celebrated international motor-racing figures. Born in Dublin, he progressed from the Irish racing scene to compete at the highest level of motorsport, making his Formula One debut in 1978.During his Formula One career, Daly drove for teams including Tyrrell, March and Williams, before establishing a successful career in American racing, particularly in the CART/IndyCar series. He competed several times in the legendary Indianapolis 500 and survived one of the most dramatic crashes in the event’s history.After retiring from competitive racing, Daly successfully reinvented himself as a television commentator, broadcaster, author and international speaker, drawing on his experiences of risk, resilience, leadership and high performance.From Dublin racing enthusiast to Formula One driver and respected international broadcaster, Derek Daly’s story is one of ambition, courage and remarkable resilience.

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.