Publin

In this bonus episode of the Publin podcast, I speak with a few people who tell stories and experiences of working the docks of Dublin port and their lives growing up in the East Wall and Ringsend. This episode was recorded after a live event in December to celebrate a new exhibition called 'Solidarity, the dockers of Dublin port'. My guests on this bonus episode shared some lively, poignant, and funny stories of their working lives and the communities in which they lived. Thanks to Paddy Nevins, John 'Miley' Walsh, Margaret Cullen, Declan Byrne, and Richard 'Boxer' Elliott.SOLIDARITY – THE DOCKERS OF DUBLIN PORTDublin Port Company proudly presents ‘Solidarity: The Dockers of Dublin Port’ an exhibition curated by The Little Museum of Dublin. The exhibition, housed in the newly refurbished Substation building on Alexandra Road, unveils the gripping narrative of Dublin;s dockers - an intriguing industrial subculture that embodies resilience, humor, and unwavering solidarity.Event Details:Where: Substation, Alexandra Road, Dublin PortDate: Every Thursday to Sunday until Sunday 18th February 2024Time: 11:30 am to 3:30 pmEvent Links:Learn More about Solidarity Exhibition

This week I was joined by Dublin Port’s Charlie Murphy and Daryl Hendley Rooney of The Little Museum of Dublin for this special live edition of the Publin Podcast. Recorded in front of an audience at Cleary’s Pub on Amiens Street, we chatted about the Solidarity exhibition at the Port’s Substation, Dublin social history, pubs and so much more.SOLIDARITY – THE DOCKERS OF DUBLIN PORTDublin Port Company proudly presents ‘Solidarity: The Dockers of Dublin Port’ an exhibition curated by The Little Museum of Dublin. The exhibition, housed in the newly refurbished Substation building on Alexandra Road, unveils the gripping narrative of Dublin;s dockers - an intriguing industrial subculture that embodies resilience, humor, and unwavering solidarity.Event Details:Where: Substation, Alexandra Road, Dublin PortDate: Every Thursday to Sunday until early February 2024Time: 11:30 am to 3:30 pmEvent Links:Learn More about Solidarity Exhibition

"I'm the only a man in the history of music promotors to have lost money on a Radiohead gig."In 1993 Radiohead were on a tour of 149 venues across 2 continents to promote their debut album Pablo Honey. It was on that tour that they played their first ever Irish gig in a Temple Bar venue called 'The Rock Garden'. Years later they would be playing to sold out crowds in huge venues. But first, they were at a basement bar playing to a crowd of less than 100. Here's the story of that gig.

Now in a state of total dereliction, The Plough on Abbey Street was once THE theatre pub in the city, drawing crowds of patrons before and after shows in the Abbey Theatre across the road. Some of the most famous faces in Irish film and theatre have had a drink here, including Peter O'Toole, Liam Neeson, and Gabriel Byrne.In this episode, I tell the story of The Plough from it's prior incarnation as an 19th century entertainment club right up to its heyday as a watering hole for theatre goers. In between those years we reveal how the pub was a literal home to Count John McCormack, Ireland's most famous tenor and perhaps the most famous ever musical export.I'm joined by actor Clive Geraghty who tells stories of the Plough and its relation with Ireland's national theatre. He also happens to be my dad.

Here it is, a question that could make or break a nation's morale. Can you fit the entire population of Ireland into a pub at one time. Take out the chairs, tables, and pack every last person you can in to the pubs of Ireland. Could you fit the entire population? Millions and millions of people? Are there enough pubs? What do you think? I put the theory to the test and calculate how many pubs there are in Ireland, how many people you could fit in them and see just how close you can get to fitting them all in. As a bonus, I also calculate how much it would cost the Irish state to buy everyone a round on just such an occasion.

When it comes to pubs, I have a few pet theories. One of them is that every family in Ireland (if they can trace their roots back a few generations) has had a relative who owned or ran a pub. Today, I'm going to tell you the story of the pub linked to my family, Morans in Mornington, County Meath,Through the pub, we explore family history, local folklore and the very idea of the family pub in Ireland.

In 1984, Ronald Reagan visited Ireland and the place of birth of his great grandfather, Michel Regan. On his visit to Ballyporeen, County Tipperary, he visited two cultural institutions; first the local church and then, of course, the local pub. In his honour, O'Farrell's pub was renamed 'The Ronald Reagan'. This podcast is the story of how that pub was saved from being scattered to the four corners of Ireland, and came to re reassembled 8,000km (5,000 miles) away in the Ronald Reagan library in California where you can still get a pint of Guinness today.To find out the full story, I spoke with Fred Ryan. Fred, as well as being the man responsible for the pub making its way to California, worked in the White House with President Reagan, became the president's Chief of Staff after his terms of office, and then became chairman of the board of trustees for the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation. Fred was the first CEO of Politico and most recently is the CEO of The Washington Post.Music used: 'The Encouragement Stick' by Doctor Turtle.

This week we're dealing with a very very serious topic. It is of course the stalwart of the Irish pub culinary tradition, the toasted sandwich, or toastie. I'm joined by a self proclaimed toastie connoisseur on a pub crawl around Dublin, philosophising and investigating what makes a toastie so beloved of Dubliners. And we have to ask the honest question.....is it just a bit crap? And is that the point? Join us on this toastie odyssey around some excellent Dublin pubs.Check out Eoin Whelehan's amazing illustrations, including the Dublin toastie map and all his other pub related creations via eoinwhelehan.carbonmade.com