Big News Coming Soon Podcast

This week I'm honored to sit down with a person who I have admired from a very early age and that man is Fr John Kenny. Growing up, we would have known John as "Fr Trendy" because he was driving sporty cars, he had a huge interest in adventure sports and he was also the dancing priest. John welcomed me into his home for a very open and honest conversation. We spoke about how the church has changed during his time, where he sees it going in the future and we had to talk about his love for cars. Please sign up to my Patreon for weekly bonus episodes: www.patreon.com/BigNewsComingSoon

Harpist Bríd McGowan on her love of music and her day job – as a funeral director and embalmer. Brid has been living her best life for the last 30 years and there is a very peculiar reason why. She joined me for a chat about growing up above a funeral home, her overwhelming love of the Harp and how we shouldn't be afraid of death. Please sign up to my Patreon for weekly bonus episodes: www.patreon.com/BigNewsComingSoon

A real fanboy moment for me getting to interview the comedic legend that is Chris Kent. Chris welcomed me into his beautiful family home in County Cork for a honest chat about his life and his hard earned rise to fame. I couldn't be more honored to have Chris on the podcast. This man is without doubt going to be the next MEGA name in the international comedy scene. Please sign up to my Patreon for weekly bonus episodes: www.patreon.com/BigNewsComingSoon

Stephen Cowboy Kelly drops in to tell us all the gossip from behind the scenes of his tour in Australia, Dubai & New Zealand. Everything from missing flights and getting into fights. Strap in for this one, it's a wild ride. There is also an extra hour with video over on Patreon: www.patreon.com/BigNewsComingSoon

Hermitage Green's Darragh Graham spoke to me about the long journey he went through to track down his birth parents.The multi-instrumentalist with the Irish acoustic folk-rock band sat down with me and spoke about why the urge to try to find his birth parents didn't arise until later in life.Growing up in Co Wicklow in the '90s, the musician knew that he was "a little bit different".In 2019 Darragh set out to find his parents but this is a story that has many twists and turns..... Please sign up to my Patreon for weekly bonus episodes: www.patreon.com/BigNewsComingSoon

'The Suspicious Death of Liam Farrell" - Brendan & Bernie FarrellThe Garda Commissioner is to appoint a senior officer to carry out a peer review of the garda investigation into the death of Liam Farrell.The 87-year-old who lived alone in Rooskey, Co Leitrim, was found by his daughter slumped on his back at the back door of his home on Sunday 13 January 2020.He was covered in blood, his shoes and socks were removed, his watch was broken and he had bruising to his left eye and his feet.Resuscitation efforts were not successful and the family believe he may have been attacked.Gardaí said they carried out a full investigation into the circumstances of Mr Farrell's death and that an investigation file was submitted to the Director of Public Prosecutions, but no prosecution was directed.Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said the peer review is being carried out "with an investigative view in mind".He said a fresh investigation was "not practically possible" and that gardaí "can't start again at day one".I spoke with Brendan & Bernie Farrell who say their only focus is to get justice for Liam. They said if it happened to anyone else, Liam would not stop, so they won't stop until they get answers. If you have any information please call the Garda Confidential Line: 1800 666 111

This weeks podcast is Paddy Cunningham's account of using the weight loss drug Munjaro. It goes without saying but I’ll say it anyway, please consult with your GP & Pharmacist if you're considering taking a weight loss drug and PLEASE do your own extensive research.Do not buy counterfeit versions of these medicines online or from other unregulated sources, as they may be falsified, counterfeit, contaminated, improperly stored and transported and this poses a significant risk to the health of those who used them.Paddy is a qualified PT and has struggled with weight loss his entire life. He has even competed on the reality TV Show “The Biggest Loser UK” to try and get his weight under control but that also failed.This is a very venerable and honest conversation and I thank Paddy for being brave enough to share his entire life with me today.

This weeks guest is another amazing and inspiring person. Geraldine Lavelle’s life changed “in a heartbeat”. That was in October 2013 when she was left paralysed from the chest down following a collision with a lorry.The Mayo native had become accustomed to enjoying an early-morning cycle before work, until the accident cycling on the Longford-Mullingar road changed life for the then 27-year-old. The collision left Geraldine, a graduate of NUI Galway where she gained a first-class master's degree in neuroscience, with life changing injuries.Since then, Geraldine has spent over ten years in an institution and has been become a very well known and highly respected disability rights campaigner. Her victory eventually came to pass recently when the HSE finally provided her with the 56 hours a week of care support she needs to live independently in a specially-adapted home of her own, like any other 30 something-year-old. Geraldine Lavelle is an amazing woman, an author, writer, advocate and resilience speaker.

Frank Forde and I would cross paths at various gigs and I've had the pleasure of sitting down with him for a chat backstage in Green Rooms around the Country. I've always found him warm, engaging and knowledgeable without being condescending or sounding like a know it all. A man who always had time for a chat with no ulterior motive, and that's rare these days. Frank has been a comedian and impressionist for decades and I find it fascinating that he has had such a fantastic career without the help of a fancy website, social media pages or a "hot-shot" manager. I was honored to sit with Frank in his beautiful home and chat about life in general. We touched on many different topics and I really admire his outlook on life. Frank is a man I could talk to for hours and hopefully we will have him back on the podcast before too long. This is a real easy listening podcast and I hope you enjoy it.