Sin Scéal Eile

This project is amazing for lots of reasons, my favourite being human connection. We’re all hearing little snapshots of other people’s lives and it brings us all closer. I love nothing more when people reach out to me, asking if I can put them in touch with a podcast guest after being moved by their story. Imagine my delight when a name I hadn’t heard in 25 years popped up in my inbox. Colum McNamee and I were friends when we were teens and then sadly lost touch. He saw my project online and decided to volunteer. I’m thrilled to see he still has music in his life. He was an avid piano player back when we were kids, and now he teaches music in the absolutely stunning Castleknock college. Like everyone's, his life has ebbed and flowed. From representing Cambridge in poker tournaments, to coming back to teach in the school where he was once a student.

Some people are just sound. Happy, buzzy, salt of the earth, good people. Like Nuala. She grew up in the caves, literally. Her parents opened the famous show caves 50 years ago to draw tourists to the area when she was just a small girl. Nuala’s parents, their business partners and local residents all formed a community group and together made a plan to bring life back to the Burren and make it the tourist destination it is today. What’s most apparent from talking to Nuala is that the caves are a community endeavour. So many locals have worked there over the years, whether it’s for one season as a teenager, or for most of their adult lives. Nuala knows every inch of these caves, she remembers all the work that happened to excavate the caves and make them passable. As well as all the subsequent work that made the event space, the tea room, the farm shop even the very opportunistic addition of a cheese factory to the newer addition of the bird of prey arena. Rx

Rowan is brave, resilient and strong. Even though he says he felt much stronger when he was 8 years old.When he was 8 he was sexually abused by three teachers. The abuse continued until he was 11. “The days that I used to get abused in the morning, first thing, they were the best because it was done for the day. So I think back to how strong that little guy was.”It’s difficult for me to even type those words, I can’t fathom how hard it’s been for him to say them. He’s 49 now, and it was only just 5 years ago he found the tools he needed to unburden himself. After many years of anguish and pain.His life was not an easy one. He kept the abuse a secret. His parents wondered what had changed to make their young boy start to act out. They sought help from doctors and the school, but yet the abuse continued in secrecy. “I remember going to doctors when I was ten or eleven, but not saying what was going on. My parents knew there was something, but I just couldn’t say it.”Rowan wanted to share his story with me as part of the Sin Scéal Eile project because talking about it helps him. Bringing it out into the light makes it less scary, it allows him to process all that happened to him. Not just the abuse, but the life he lead afterwards. His life was troubled to say the least. He turned to drugs and alcohol to quiet his mind. He was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and lived a very ‘rock n roll’ life in the music industry. It was a life where he could soak up the adrenaline of a live show, and just as easily hide the drug use. “Addiction affects everyone. It ripples out to every part of your life. It pollutes everything and I got into bad patterns, for decades restarting my life every three or four years.”He would constantly crash and burn and then he’d seek help and try to reset his life. It wasn’t until five years ago a therapist suggested he write down his troubles. It was then, for the first time, he found the format he needed to tell the story of the awful things that happened to him as a child.“I just sat down and wrote all about the abuse, you know, just pages and pages and pages and just sent it to the therapist and she was like, okay, finally we know.”“I literally could not physically talk about it. But then with some psychology, eventually I became able to talk about it. When I was able to interact with others, I went on to do a trauma course in St Pats and talk with even more psychologists.”Rowan’s recovery since then has been remarkable. He has left the music industry and swapped his once hedonistic lifestyle for a sober life in rural Clare. He has been clean for 5 years now. He spends his days rescuing abandoned dogs and intends to set up a kennel business near his cottage. All because he found his voice, told his story, and eventually he found his peace. “It’s just peaceful here and I’ve found peace within myself. I know it sounds really cliche, but if I’m feeling crap, I just look out the window or take the dogs for a walk on the beach. It won’t fix everything, but it’s a start. It’s a tool to help me cope, one that doesn’t hurt others and that doesn’t hurt myself.”This episode contains a story which might be distressing to some listeners, so please take care when listening.Rx

Aindrias sits in the back of a pub with us in Ennistymon, drinking herbal tea and holding court. He seems to be the most famous man in Clare today with all types of people come up to him for chats. Some went to school with his Dad, others spoke fluently with him in French and Spanish. I asked where he learned so many languages, but I should know better than to expect a straight answer and he returns with just a wink and a smile. He’s the character of all characters. Destined from birth to be a bardic storyteller and when he talks he carries you on epic journeys around Ireland and beyond. 

Sitting with a glass of wine in Fiona’s home feels very natural. We sink into a deep and meaningful conversation almost immediately. Fiona is warm, open but also assertive and has strong opinions which she delivers with the most beautiful vocabulary (she is a writer afterall). We talk about what’s common to both of us, atheism and our decision to remain childfree. Rx

PJ is an open book. He’s honest, direct, and provides counselling sessions in ALDI apparently. He’s a father to 2 year old twins, motorbike obsessed and his face is the back of a bus.He came up the ranks in the media world after leaving school at 16. After years of dealing with stage fright and anxiety while doing stand up comedy, he’s now found his dream job of making people laugh first thing in the morning on breakfast radio.

Genetics were not on Sarah’s side growing up. By the age of 13, her Mother had gotten a breast cancer diagnosis, one that was known to be hereditary. Sarah had an agonising 5 years to wait before she’d know that she carried the same genes. Sarah had to battle with surgeons to convince them to give her a double mastectomy and reconstruction, but she was always adamant it was the right choice for her. With the odds of getting breast cancer at 85%, it’s not a risk she was ever willing to take. Sarah now lives her life to the fullest. She makes a conscious effort to enjoy every day and celebrate life with a positive attitude. Rx

What a life Kieran has led. She was born in America but always felt a pull towards Ireland (her parents of course were Irish too, and desperate to use the name ‘Kieran’ even though she was a girl).Kieran has lived a full life. Working for Sinn Fein during the peace process, a career in Human Rights with Amnesty International, a brief spell learning to weld and now a very fruitful career as a baker. She started making bagels simply because she missed them (Irish bagels do not compare to New York bagels apparently). From her modest wee home in Ringsend, she boils and bakes the absolute most delish bagels I’ve ever tasted and she sells them directly to the people who collect them from her front door.