The ClearOut

In this episode, Dara recounts a series of unexpected events, incidents and coincidences that all occurred in a relatively compressed period of time. Something was obviously in the ether.Amongst other things, he talks about a key moment in the journey of What Does He Need? - the long-running community arts work exploring masculinity with which he has been very involved. An exhibition of a key strand of the work - Boys in the Making - has just opened in the National College of Art and Design in Dublin. Being there gave Dara a chance to enjoy a quarter of the city that is a welcome contrast to more popular areas in the capital.The episode ends with some thoughts on the appeal of Pamela Anderson and Colin Farrell at this stage of their respective journeys.Only one question remains - who sent Dara the mystery postcard? He thinks his daughter doth protest too much...Website: https://theclearout.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theclearoutpodcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theclearoutpodcast/YouTube: The ClearOut PodcastEmail: theclearoutlive@gmail.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theclearout

In this episode, Dara is reflecting on the year that was and acknowledging the tendency many have to do New Year's accounting. For him it is not only the start of a new year, but also his birthday - another prompt to do a stocktake. 2024 wasn't kind, and as he looks down the road of 2025 he wonders what tools are going to serve him best.Last year felt like a negation of many of Dara's principles of wellness and life philosophy, so he considers what he might do differently from here. Even though the last twelve months left him reeling, he realises he has a body of evidence that offers a counter narrative to how he feels - did somebody mention 'units'?Ultimately, while there are areas of his life that need confronting levels of reexamination, he has to conclude there are a few positives that are probably more important than anything else. Which is no small thing.Website: https://theclearout.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theclearoutpodcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theclearoutpodcast/YouTube: The ClearOut PodcastEmail: theclearoutlive@gmail.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theclearout

To kick off the new year, Dara starts with a 'listy' episode, recalling his top 10 movies of 2024. He follows this with a list of his top old or previously seen movies, including 1954's Rear Window and 1982's Fast Times at Ridgemont High.His favourite TV experiences involved a stunning central performance by the Irish actor Andrew Scott, and an actress who featured in two of his top movies of the year - can you guess who it is? Here's a clue, her name rhymes with 'Senbaya'!Documentaries next, all movie or entertainment related, followed by podcasts, which ranged in theme from movies and TV to murderers, economists and Oxford philosophers.Website: https://theclearout.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theclearoutpodcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theclearoutpodcast/YouTube: The ClearOut PodcastEmail: theclearoutlive@gmail.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theclearout

It's the 2024 Christmas Special! Pulling it out of the bag at the eleventh hour, Dara presents a very short, but somehow shaggy interview with his daughter Maeve, who gives a shout-out to Harry Styles, of all people. This is followed by this year's new Christmas story, 'Arrivals'. It follows a father who tries to honour his faith in his missing son by being at a certain place on a certain day every year. Will his faith be rewarded? A quiet and quietly rewarding story for the season that's in it.Finally, the episode plays out with an acapella version of a traditional Christmas carol. Listen, if you dare!Website: https://theclearout.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theclearoutpodcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theclearoutpodcast/YouTube: The ClearOut PodcastEmail: theclearoutlive@gmail.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theclearout

In this episode, Dara is speaking from a position of powerlessness thanks to the after-effects of Storm Darragh, which ripped through many parts of Ireland last week with an unforgiving ferocity.Dara wishes there was more unforgiving ferocity for FIFA, the football organisation that continues to embrace sportswashing with disturbing immorality. In other areas of concern, he celebrates Arundhati Joy’s indictment of Israel’s ongoing perpetration of war crimes in Palestine. Not for the first time, Dara argues that to be critical of Israel need not make one anti-Semitic.Moving on to more cheery subjects, Dara relates the story of how he met his sister for the first time only eighteen months ago. Coincidences abound as he recalls their first moment of contact and the ensuing sharing of information. Most memorable was their first meeting and a hug that will never be forgotten.Also, yet another making of the case for 1944’s ‘Meet Me in St. Louis’ being the ultimate template for the sitcom format that would become ubiquitous in the years to come.The ClearOut episode on Ann Lovett and Joanne Hayes - https://theclearout.com/podcast/the-cost-of-neglect-or-for-whom-will-you-wear-a-yellow-flower-episode-101/Guardian review of Dan Stone's The Holocaust: An Unfinished Story - https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/jan/15/the-holocaust-an-unfinished-history-by-dan-stone-review-a-timely-corrective-to-a-shifting-narrative

In this episode, Dara is warming up for the festive season by acknowledging how stress-inducing it can all get and how it really isn't for everybody. In his own household a new permutation is longed for by some, which doesn't entirely suit him.He's also concerned for his daughter, who has reached the age where the magic of Christmas and Santa Claus is no longer as real to her as it once was. He is not planning to shatter her illusions any further and in fact will lean in even more to prop up the suspension of disbelief. And where better to start than with a box of snowballs! Not those ones, the other ones...Speaking of other ones, Dara selects three left-of-centre Christmas poems for something a bit different. They each have their own qualities to recommend them, but he particularly liked the poem that featured 'squamous' and 'mingeless'. Where else would you get it?Mollie Guidera's brilliant Irish advocacy - https://www.instagram.com/irishwithmollie/Conchobhar Ruadh's beautiful mix of Irish language, history and culture - https://www.instagram.com/sli_na_ruadhWebsite: https://theclearout.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theclearoutpodcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theclearoutpodcast/YouTube: The ClearOut PodcastEmail: theclearoutlive@gmail.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theclearout