the dear derry podcast

this episode is very special to me. this week’s guest is my uncle paddy, the eldest of the nash family, who was born in a wardrobe in bulcher street, bogside. he has lived an extraordinary life but remains forever humble. a real working class hero.his life reflects many contradictions of that time. he joined the british army young (non combatant), broke stigma by marrying a protestant woman from a loyalist background, and spent time in longkesh a year before his brother was murdered on bloody sunday.paddy later dedicated much of his life to the bloody sunday justice campaign, and to welfare rights and community work.he is the reason myself and my cousin evan care so deeply about learning the truth of bloody sunday. this is what intergenerational storytelling looks like, the baton being passed from one generation to the next.this episode is a two parter. part two coming in two weeks. help support the dear derry podcast on patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/thedearderrypodcast

this week’s guest is billy mcveigh, also known as the best rioter in derry. many will recognise him as the man who stood in the face of oppression armed with nothing but a brick, something you can see on the mural at glenfada park.billy was present during many key moments in derry’s history including the battle of the bogside and bloody sunday. he was also on the run, imprisoned and tortured, something that still gives him ptsd.billy also knew my uncle willie who was shot on bloody sunday. i love listening to him tell stories about them having scraps at the weekend. it makes me feel more connected to my uncle. i have a lot of time for billy and feel very privileged to hear his stories.stream the full episode on your favourite streaming platforms.

meet my first guest, jimmy toye.jimmy is bogside royalty, a man who was present at some of the most prominent moments in derry history, including the battle of the bogside and operation motorman. his family ran a shop in the heart of it all, and he tragically witnessed the deaths of annette mcgavigan and damian harkin, and during bloody sunday, hugh gilmore and barney mcguigan. he later gave evidence at the saville inquiry.he also witnessed the death of the first soldier killed in derry, corporal jolliffe.comments will be turned off due to the sensitivity of the content and out of respect for jimmy, the victims, and the people of derry.if you want to send jimmy some love, message me and i will pass it on.full link to the podcast available on all your favourite streaming platforms

welcome to season two of the dear derry podcast. this season is deeply personal to the people of derry. it focuses on the bloody sunday massacre (derry, 1972). as most people are probs aware, my uncle willie was murdered that day and my granda was shot as he tried to save his dying son. fourteen lives were lost and many more wounded.as a younger family member i feel a deep responsibility to help preserve the truth carried by the first generation and to keep those stories alive. this series explores how pain and legacy are inherited, even when we did not live through the events ourselves.i will be speaking with family members and witnesses, focusing on intergenerational storytelling.

this episode is the second part of paula's interview. if you haven't listened to part 1 yet, i'd recommend going back and listening to that episode first.

in this episode, i sit down with one of my oldest and dearest childhood friends, paula. her life hasn’t been easy, from caring for her mammy most of her life, to surviving a serious burn as a child and a burst stomach ulcer as an adult. but through it all, paula remains strong, funny, kind, and full of heart.we talk about a lot, growing up on a council estate, the highs and lows of mother-daughter relationships, addiction, and what it means to love someone through it. we also chat about bomb scares, the bulgarian mafia, and that wild night the ra chased us out of rosemount with guns.

this episode is the second part of angelina's interview. if you haven't listened to part 1 yet, i'd recommend going back and listening to that episode first.

everyone needs that one friend who’ll call them out. for me, it’s natasha, my childhood best friend. she’s strong, rebellious, loyal, and hilarious and in this episode, we talk about her daddy being shot by the brits, bulimia, motherhood, teenage rebellion, and the time she caught me wearing three pairs of knickers. we even argue over things i wrote in my book. this episode was recorded two years ago, but we recently revisited it together, chatting about generational trauma in ireland and there’s a part two coming in the future, because we’ve still so much to say, especially both coming from masculine and republican backgrounds.