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Sin Scéal Eile
5/365: Barbara Grennell in Dublin
Barbara is a quintessential Irish Mammy in all the best ways. I was greeted at her door in Dublin 7 with a big smile, a warm hug and offers of tea, coffee and biscuits (she’d even remembered I was vegan). She has a story that’s been echoed across Ireland for centuries, and one we’ll no doubt hear a lot of in this series. Her children have grown and flown the nest, landing in far away lands like Australia in search of better opportunities (and better weather).
When faced with an abundance of free time on her hands and as a means to stave off any loneliness in the now quiet house, Barbara picked up portraiture.
She kindly shows me around her home studio (which was her daughter's make-up business before she emigrated) and treats me to some of her stunning photos.
Barbara is insightful, compassionate and honest, all of which is reflected back from her imagery. She spends her time mostly photographing elderly people (her Mam included) and the local men’s shed, stressing the importance of connection within the community. - Ruth
Sin Scéal Eile - That's Another Story was hosted and created by Ruth Medjber, with sound by Ronan Lally. The podcast is produced by Dee Reddy at Poddle Audio with original music by Elaine Mai.
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6. 6/365:Kathleen Stokes at the Royal Canal
16:30||Season 1, Ep. 6Kathleen, like myself, loves the Northside. In all the time since she’s moved here from Canada she has yet to cross the Liffey and live on the Southside. She’s found herself moving between houseshares, circling around Dublin 7, even finding herself in a bedroom facing the Phibsborough shopping centre at one stage (my dream!). She talks all sorts of sense about the housing crisis that we find ourselves living through. In her role as an urban geography lecturer at DCU, she teaches students about cities and sustainability, as well as conducting research on incredibly important topics like urban vacancy and building towns that are actually enjoyable to live in. Ruth
4. 4/365: Charlie Moon in Dublin
15:26||Season 1, Ep. 4I met Charlie in the Big Romance on Parnell Street where he plays live jazz every Sunday. Our conversation was not what I was expecting. I ended up learning so much about him through his stories about his career as a music teacher in a prison. A job that you no doubt would need an awful lot of empathy, compassion and resilience for, not to mention a sense of humour. It seems like there were some guiding forces at work, ensuring he found the perfect role at just the right time. Ruth
3. 3/365: Marie Grennell in Dublin
15:21||Season 1, Ep. 3I met Marie almost by chance. I was interviewing her lovely daughter Barbara who mentioned that her 91 year old mother Marie grew up down the road from my family in Marino. Chatting with Marie is like having the opportunity to go back in time and listen to my own Dublin Nana chatting about her life. We hear about her youth and meeting the love of her life, Lauri Grennell. - Ruth
2. 2/365: Sean Smyth in Botanic Gardens
20:36||Season 1, Ep. 2In this episode, myself and Sean Smyth walk through the Botanic Gardens in Dublin. We chat about his late husband, Conor Biddle. Conor was a prolific lighting designer, world renowned and highly accomplished. Conor was my pal, we came up the ranks of the Irish music scene together and he’s dearly missed by so many. I’m honoured that Sean would share their beautiful story with me today. - Ruth
1. 1/365: Elaine Mai at home
12:42||Season 1, Ep. 1I’m starting this series with my friend and artistic collaborator, Elaine Mai. Elaine is a musician and producer. She was once my neighbour in Dublin, but has recently moved back to the West of Ireland where I met her on January 1st 2026. Throughout this whole series, any music you hear in the podcast will have been created by Elaine - Ruth