Sin Scéal Eile

Motherhood and pregnancy is something that a lot of people wish to talk to me about in this daily podcast project so of course I oblige. It’s a topic that doesn’t affect me personally (apart from being born myself) as I don’t have any children, nor do I plan on having any. Possibly one of the factors that turned me off having children was the way that the birthing process is handled in Ireland. I don’t like hospitals, and I naively thought that was the only choice in childbirth. Until this week, when I met Ali Boylan, a registered HSE midwife, who cleared up some very common myths that besiege her profession. Ali is a home birth midwife and believes greatly in empowering women and their partners to have their babies from the comfort of their own homes. She is a very ‘hands off’ midwife. “I say to couples, you guys are having a baby and I'm going to come and keep you clinically safe and I'm going to be with you. But it's you having the baby, you're having the baby and you're okay.”Ali says that “the free HSE homebirth service is the best kept secret of the HSE.Most of the consultants in Irish hospitals, especially in the Dublin ones that I've worked in, they've never seen quiet, calm, sacred spaces. They’ve usually never seen a physiological birth.” She notes that a lot of GPs will rarely promote the service, so it really is kept secret.  Ali is adamant that birthing at home is safe, even for first time Mums. She has a backup midwife in attendance at all times as well as an ambulance service on standby, just in case it’s needed. “I work with the mum and the family and we build up a relationship so that when I come into the birth, I know what her blood pressure usually is. I know what her baby's heart rate usually is. I know how she responds in different situations. I know her partner well enough that I can ask if she's looking okay to you. She feels safe with me because she knows me. She’s not stressed, so we're not adding in any cortisol or any adrenaline to the situation. The physiological hormones can work and the mother can birth her baby knowing that she's being held. And it doesn't make birth more romantic or more orgasmic, it’s just the comfort in safety and being at home.” The aftercare she provides seems absolutely extraordinary and I know for a fact that a lot of my friends would have been thrilled with receiving so much help.“About an hour or two after birthing, I help them shower, dress them, and take them back to bed with the baby. I make sure the baby is feeding and settled and then I go home. I come back to visit for 7 to 10 days after that to make sure everyone is fed, sleeping and that mother has transitioned well into motherhood.”I'm delighted to share an insight into Ali's profession today and hopefully spread the message of what she does to whomever might be considering having a baby and is looking for an alternative birthing experience. . “When you get a woman through a physiological birth, she feels empowered. Imagine if all the women, all your friends that had babies were feeling on top of the world and they felt like they did something that can change the world, rather than coming home a bit broken, a bit shook, scared and traumatised. That's going to change how you show up in the world, isn't it?”

George is my nextdoor neighbour. We live in a little estate in the middle of Finglas and it’s the kind of place where everyone knows each other and you’ll also keep an eye out for each other. Shamefully I knew little of George’s life before this conversation so it was a total treat to be invited into his home and hear all his stories. He spent 30 odd years working for An Post, had 4 sons and married his late wife Marie back when he was 19 (they met when he was 15). He’s hilarious and kind. Born in the tenements in Ballyfermot and has lived a full life ever since. I could probably talk to George every day for the rest of the year and still not run out of stories. Come back tomorrow for another podcast/story/portrait. We’re interviewing and photographing people from all over Ireland, collecting their stories and sharing them daily. You can be a part of it too, go to SinScealEile.com for more information.If you love this series and you appreciate that it takes a lot of time, passion and funding to bring it to you every day, consider becoming a sponsor. You can subscribe for exclusive content on Patreon, or make a once off donation on BuyMeACoffee (I’m “ruthlessimagery” on both accounts, or click the link on our website)xR

I’m just going to preface this by saying I LOVE a library. The admin of this daily project is huge, I don’t have an office or a studio, we live in a tiny apartment, so I take myself off to my old college library and bask in the quiet. It’s been years since I’ve been to a public library and Sarah tells me just how much they’ve changed. No joining fees, no late fees, playstation games to borrow and even sewing machines! Not to mention that when you borrow a book from one library, you can bring it back to any other library in Ireland. That’s a game changer for campervan life! Sarah has a huge grá for libraries, which started from childhood when visiting her librarian Aunty at work. She sees the impact that a space like this can have on a community. Welcoming vulnerable people on a cold day, providing quiet and calm in a noisy world and just generally being sound and allowing people to occupy space without the need to spend money. I was only delighted to sign up for my brand new public library card today.Come back tomorrow for another podcast/story/portrait. We’re interviewing and photographing people from all over Ireland, collecting their stories and sharing them daily. You can be a part of it too, go to SinScealEile.com for more information.If you love this series and you appreciate that it takes a lot of time, passion and funding to bring it to you every day, consider becoming a sponsor. You can subscribe for exclusive content on Patreon, or make a once off donation on BuyMeACoffee (I’m “ruthlessimagery” on both accounts, or click the link on our website)xR#SinScéalEile

Jess has recently discovered a whole new strand to her family. She bought a DNA test for her Mum’s birthday and now has a new uncle and a whole heap of cousins. It’s amazing to think back to just a few generations ago, when people often made heartbreaking decisions to give up much loved children and the need to take those secrets to the grave. Together they’ve been discovering so much about their own history and unique connection with Ireland, tracing their Nigerian side as far back as 1930 in Dublin.Come back tomorrow for another podcast/story/portrait. We’re interviewing and photographing people from all over Ireland, collecting their stories and sharing them daily. You can be a part of it too, go to SinScealEile.com for more information.If you love this series and you appreciate that it takes a lot of time, passion and funding to bring it to you every day, consider becoming a sponsor. You can subscribe for exclusive content on Patreon, or make a once off donation on BuyMeACoffee (I’m “ruthlessimagery” on both accounts, or click the link on our website)xR#SinScéalEile

Dimitrios is Greek by birth, but Irish by heart. He arrived here in 1989 and was met with nothing but good old Irish hospitality (a cup of tea and a scone). He speaks so fondly of Ireland that I find myself beaming with pride as he reads a short piece he wrote about his experience of being an immigrant in our country. Come back tomorrow for another podcast/story/portrait. We’re interviewing and photographing people from all over Ireland, collecting their stories and sharing them daily. You can be a part of it too, go to SinScealEile.com for more information.If you love this series and you appreciate that it takes a lot of time, passion and funding to bring it to you every day, consider becoming a sponsor. You can subscribe for exclusive content on Patreon, or make a once off donation on BuyMeACoffee (I’m “ruthlessimagery” on both accounts, or click the link on our website)xR

Life feels truly unfair sometimes. All Alan has wanted in life is a family of his own. After being abandoned at a train station in the UK by his mother when he was a child, he finally made his way back to Ireland and started his own family. He has 5 wonderful children, a wife and a 10 week old puppy called Elvis. When Alan first reached out to me, he wanted to tell me his adoption story, that was November 2025. By the time I made it to Laois, Alan had received some devastating news. In December 2025 he started to get some worrying symptoms. He twinged his back while carrying his 5 year old autistic son and he also had blood in his stool. At the hospital he was diagnosed with terminal colon cancer. The cancer has spread to his liver and bones. His back is fractured due to weakened bones, leaving him fairly bedridden. His life has been turned upside down and even with chemo he’s not sure how long he has left. All he wants now is to do everything as big and extravagantly as possible so as to leave his kids with the most amazing memories of him. He’s secured concert tickets for the older ones, hoping maybe they’ll get to meet their musical heroes and remember the night forever. He is also trying to figure out something perfectly ‘Mickey Mouse’ related for the youngest. In an ideal world he’d take them all to Disneyland. In an ideal world, his cancer wouldn’t exist. Chatting to me today was exhausting for Alan, but he did it so that other people would take their symptoms seriously. More and more people under 50 are presenting with colon cancer. If bowel cancer is found early, it’s easier to treat and there’s a better chance of recovery.Today is the start of Bowel Cancer Awareness month. Today’s episode was earmarked for my pal, Glenn Keating. We were to record his own story of bowel cancer on March 18th, but cancer took him sooner than we all thought. Meeting Alan, hearing his story (so similar to Glenn’s), and publishing it on this day, was all purely coincidental.I’m so grateful to Alan for sharing his story today. Please see @bowelcancerireland for more information, get yourself screened regularly, and take all symptoms seriously. Rx

I’ve never met someone who loves the art of book publishing more than Gráinne Clear. We met in her family home in Navan, where she pops back every few weeks from her base in London. She exploded her life not too long ago and luckily landed her dream job as a result. She works in children’s books for a publisher that she’s long admired. We have a fascinating chat about the psychology of reading and how she feels responsible for minding little minds. Come back tomorrow for another podcast/story/portrait. We’re interviewing and photographing people from all over Ireland, collecting their stories and sharing them daily. You can be a part of it too, go to SinScealEile.com for more information.If you love this series and you appreciate that it takes a lot of time, passion and funding to bring it to you every day, consider becoming a sponsor. You can subscribe for exclusive content on Patreon, or make a once off donation on BuyMeACoffee (I’m “ruthlessimagery” on both accounts, or click the link on our website)xR

Róisín has quit her lovely stable job as a teacher and has followed her passion of professional birdwatching. We took a stroll around Tymon Park on a rainy Sunday morning and chatted about birds, spotting herons, blackbirds, and even some divorced swans. Sometimes it’s the simplest topics which are the most enjoyable. Come back tomorrow for another podcast/story/portrait. We’re interviewing and photographing people from all over Ireland, collecting their stories and sharing them daily. You can be a part of it too, go to SinScealEile.com for more information.If you love this series and you appreciate that it takes a lot of time, passion and funding to bring it to you every day, consider becoming a sponsor. You can subscribe for exclusive content on Patreon, or make a once off donation on BuyMeACoffee (I’m “ruthlessimagery” on both accounts, or click the link on our website)xR

It was Lisa Walsh’s choice that we meet on the banks of the Liffey for our podcast chat today. She’s a true Northside Dubliner from Ballymun. She’s only lived at 3 addresses in her lifetime, a home bird by all accounts. Lisa, who trained as a social worker in child protection, loves the feeling of being rooted and acknowledges the sacredness of a home for her children, “It’s their home. They might never be able to afford a house of their own, so they need to see my home as theirs. I’ll leave it to them. But I don’t want to give them too much, I want them to earn for themselves, not to take privileges for granted so that their achievements are all the more sweeter”.Lisa is now an accomplished playwright who writes what she knows, community, people and Dublin. She describes the Liffey to me and suddenly it’s like I’m seeing it for the first time in years. “It holds the chaos of the city very calmly. When I’m near the Liffey I think of all the people who have crossed it, from South to North, like my parents did way back when they moved for a better life. I think of all the couples who had their photos taken on O’Connell bridge on nights out. The Liffey holds their hopes and dreams, and it’s happy being the rhythm of whole city. No matter what happens, the river holds it all, calmly.” I don’t think I’ve ever considered the Liffey to be a character in a story the way that Lisa describes it, playing a part in all of our lives. She is the first of her family to go to college. She crossed the Ha’penny bridge each day to attend Trinity, in her Doc Marten boots and tights, not knowing what was in store for her on the Southside, she almost used the Liffey as a source of courage. “I had no frame of reference for college, I hadn’t got a clue, I was terrified. When I got to the bridge, I remember it so clearly, it was like a magnet, holding on to me, rooting me. I took strength from that. I started to think I could do anything. With every step I got taller, louder, braver. I could take on anything that was in store for me in Trinity”Lisa and I continue writing a joint love letter to Dublin. My sound engineer who is recording the podcast quips that he’s never met anyone who loves Dublin more than me, until now. We talk about all the issues that affect people, especially young women, growing up in “working class” areas of Dublin. We talk about the social structures that can limit you. The “poverty trap” that informs Lisa’s work. She writes from a working class perspective the way that only those with a lived experience can. She grew up in a tight knit community and was always encouraged to advocate for herself.  Knowing when to fight for what you need, and knowing when to adapt and fly under the radar. Even in our short conversation I feel empowered and proud to be a Northside woman, our Dublin accents getting beautifully thicker with each sentence shared between us. Rx