The Celebration Sessions

Seosamh Ó'Broin was a historian, Irish language advocate, and member of the community in Inchicore. His impact on Inchicore is far reaching, from campaigning to save and redevelop Kilmainham Gaol, to building a local cultural centre in the heart of the village, to recording the fascinating history of the area in his wonderful book, "Inchicore, Kilmainham and District".Seosamh sadly passed away on 30th October 2022, and this episode of the podcast celebrates the wonderful legacy Seosamh has left for the people of Inchicore and beyond. I'm joined by Michael Flanagan, Deirdre Farrell, Áine Dé Cleir, and Gerri English to pay tribute to Seosamh and celebrate his impact on the area. The Halla Conradh Na Gaeilge in Inchicore continues to be a big part of the community and you can keep up to date with their events on Twitter / X here

This episode is slightly different as it is Conor on his own, sharing his thoughts about the recent headlines from the Vatican regarding the blessing of same sex unions.The language the Vatican uses when talking about LGBTQI+ people can often be so upsetting and hurtful, and this episode discusses a way forward for people of faith who are made feel 'less than' by the Church. Hopefully the main takeaway from this episode for anyone who has a faith and who feels excluded from the Church, is that they know there is a wonderful community of Celebrants across Ireland and further afield who want to celebrate them while also including their faith and beliefs. If you want to get involved in the conversation you can get in touch via The Celebration Sessions on Instagram

There are wedding bells in the air for this episode as the countdown is on to The Wedding and Honeymoon Show at the RDS.I'm joined by writer broadcaster and presenter Andrea Hayes, and award winning wedding expert Sara Kennedy as they share some of the highlights we can expect at Ireland's largest wedding show, this September at the RDS.Make sure to keep up to date with the latest on the show on socials @weddub You can check out Instagram here and Tik Tok here.A huge thank to the organisers for sharing a discount code so when you're booking your tickets, use code CONOR20 And finally make sure to check out Sara on irishweddingblog.ie and Sara's super podcast Real Weddings with SaraEnjoy the episode and more importantly, get yourself to the RDS this September 2nd and 3rd.

The Irish have have left their imprint on the history of Argentina and for this episode we turn our attention to Mayo born William 'Guillermo' Brown; Father Fahy; Alfie Lamb; and Camila O'Gorman. I'm joined by tour guide Victoria Catta who shares stories of military heroes, religious leaders, and a tragic love story of legendary proportions. A huge thank you to Victoria for sharing her time and joining me on the podcast. While this is not an ad and there are no affiliations, I'd love to mention that Victoria is a wonderful guide with Buenos Aires Free Walks and being apart of her tour was really super.I loved learning about these iconic Argentinians and I hope you enjoy the episode.

I am on board Hurtigruten's MS Roald Amundsen after a wonderful expedition cruise across Antarctica. The ship is named after the fist person to reach the South Pole. So, of course it was so fitting to sit down and chat with one of the fantastic expedition team on board, Luciano Matías.Luciano shares his journey from Chile to life as an Antarctic expedition guide; the pioneering explorers who inspired him; and the beauty of wedding ceremonies in the Antarctic.A huge thank you and lots of gratitude to Luciano who took time out of his time off on board to join me. Its important to say that this episode is not affiliated with Hurtigruten in any way; it is not an advertisement; and Luciano joined me in his own capacity. Muchos gracias Luciano.Enjoy the episode.

I'm joined by Brian Doyle from Jennings Funeral Home to explore the role of the Funeral Director; how they arrive into your life; and how the funeral landscape is looking in Ireland at the moment. As we unpack this episode, hopefully we’ll demystify the person behind the role of the Funeral professional, and perhaps pay homage to the wonderful work they do every day with bereaved families. A huge thank you to Brian Doyle for sharing his time with me on this episode. To get in touch with Brian and his colleagues, they're online at jenningsfuneralhomes.ie

For this episode we turn our attention to Islam as we talk about celebrations in the holy Islamic calendar such as Eid al-Adha, Eid al-Fitr, and the holy month of Ramadan. I'm joined by Tasneem Filaih to talk about ritual, community, and the best knafeh in Dublin!Sincere thanks to Tasneem for joining me for this episode. I really enjoyed learning about Eid, Ramadan and my favourite subject, food! While Tasneem joined me on this podcast in an independent capacity, I met Tasneem while at the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin. Chester Beatty is a wonderful museum in Dublin sharing beautiful artefacts and insights into world cultures from across Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and Asia; so I'd love to share this link to the Chester Beatty Library and encourage listeners to check out this beautiful and fascinating treasure trove in Dublin.

March 31 marks International Transgender Day of Visibility. It’s a day when we can celebrate our trans and non-binary friends and acknowledge the journeys and the struggles of our trans friends.In this episode, activist and founding member of Under the Rainbow Philippa Ryder joins me as we chat about where we're at in Ireland in the quest for trans visibility, equality, representation, inclusion; and what the cisgender community can do to support our trans friends.Under The Rainbow is an award winning inclusive Social Enterprise advocating for human rights, equality, and a world where people can be their true selves. You can find out more about Philippa and Under the Rainbow online at www.undertherainbow.iePhilippa's wonderful memoir is available in all good book shops and also through Mercier Press online here Its a powerful book in which Philippa offers answers to many questions people ask, genuinely, to understand what it means to be transgender.We also mention TENI who do wonderful work creating a world where all people, regardless of gender identity or expression, enjoy full acceptance, equality and human rights. You can find out more about TENI at teni.ie