The ClearOut

In this episode Dara argues that at a certain moment in autumn, the whole season starts to feel like a Sunday night, and not in a good way! The shortening days, the lengthening nights, it all combines to create a sense of nature closing in to usher us into a dark resting place. And isn't that what Mondays can feel like?Warming to the theme, Dara once again finds himself advocating for more contact with nature and less contact with tech. He wonders if we're not completely losing touch with our instincts as we become ever more subsumed by the numberless conveniences and relentless stimulation of the modern moment. For him it raises the question of knowledge. What do we believe we know? What do we use to inform our existential navigation system?To make the show a bit more high-falutin', Dara sources a handful of autumn poems, including a couple of classics from Dante Gabriel Rosetti and Mary Oliver. Watch out for the falling leaves!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 wondering who the enemy is. Finding himself symbolically shaking his fist at the clouds, he tries to work out who exactly he was angry with, and why. His wife used Jedi mind powers to flip the script which only stoked his fire further. The two choices available to him were obvious, and one was certainly not going to end well...Reflecting on bad behaviour gets Dara thinking about accountability and personal responsibility - integrity is not possible without accountability. There can be no free passes. And if it can't be done in public, it surely must be done in private, which is where personal responsibility comes in.Also in this episode, the Israel/Gaza ceasefire, another great father-daughter conversation in the car, and a furry new addition to The ClearOut family!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

Who needs women when you've got AI? That seems to be the position of AI porn providers who seem pretty confident of their feminist credentials. How could they not be when they're taking the messiness out of porn consumption. And while men are licking their lips over their fembot fantasy, female customers are enjoying committed relationships with AI partners. Welcome to love and sex in the 21st century!Dara tries to get his head around this landscape without losing sight of the underpinning human need for connection and being the focus of somebody else's love and desire. He thinks he's doing well with a solid 'sex-positive' attitude, but then a tech bro gives an example of what you might freely say to an AI coquette, and he has to concede that something is very off. Is misogyny being normalised, or is that an overly moralistic position?Time is set aside at the end of the episode to pay tribute to Manchan Magan, the Irish broadcaster, filmmaker, writer and passionate advocate of Irish language and culture who passed away far too soon last week. Dara reads some passages from Magan's wonderful book "Thirty-Two Words for Field" and it is striking how few AI creations there are to be found, described, or salivated over in the etymological delight. But there are cailleachs - women to be wary of - and maybe that's just what the AI porn consumers are trying to avoid!Guardian article on AI girlfriends: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/oct/06/rise-of-ai-girlfriends-adult-dating-websitesGuardian article on AI relationships: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/sep/09/ai-chatbot-love-relationshipsWebsite: 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

This week's episode couldn't be simpler - it's an hour of Paul Thomas Anderson adulation. More specifically, it is sixty minutes dedicated to his new film, One Battle After Another. A propulsive story of revolution and retreat, of obsession and resignation, of manipulation and resistance. With stellar performances throughout a typically brilliant Anderson cast, it offers new and vivid highs for Leonardo DiCaprio, Benicio Del Toro and Sean Penn. They are more than matched by Teyana Taylor and Chase Infiniti as the women who are the catalytic converters of the story.For a film that features government fascism, white supremacy, forced detention, betrayal and murder, it is infused with heart and humanity. Perhaps this is Anderson's offer to a chaotic and unjust world? Whether it is or not, Dara loved what was served up.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 killing of the prominent Christian Right thought leader, Charlie Kirk. Hailed by his followers as their Martin Luther King Jr i.e. a spiritual martyr and presumably, man of peace, it seems irresponsible not to discuss the tensions and contradictions that arise from the comparison. Kirk's documented racism, homophobia, transphobia and misogyny seem to fly in the face of Christian values, but that is allegedly what he represented.Dara tries to figure out why Kirk's particular brand of faith seemed to have no issue with vilifying and demonising others. He also tries to establish what traditional family units look like and why other arrangements of family should be so threatening to some people. He's pretty sure he and most of his friends came from the type of social unit that Kirk would have valorised - why then does he feel so unmoved by Kirk's rhetoric?Donald Trump's performance at Kirk's memorial service was a further reminder of his pantomime villain status. His unerring nose for what will further divide a fractured America is quite something to behold. Surely, as others have commented, it is a time for cool heads and empathy to prevail.Also, a succinct diagnosis of the American political agenda on both sides of the aisle, an epitaph to remember, and why poultry should be afraid, very afraid...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 very straightforward episode, Dara marks the passing of Hollywood icon Robert Redford by revisiting his career as an actor and director. From his true arrival as a Hollywood A-lister in 1969's Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, all the way to his last leading role in The Old Man and the Gun (2018), Redford held the screen with an effortless charisma and presence, only enhanced by his matinee idol good looks.The high points of his career came in the 70s, after which he made his much-lauded directorial debut with Ordinary People (1980) for which he won his only Academy Award. Dara makes a case for Redford's best acting work being attributable to his innate coldness and paranoia that, when deployed skilfully, brought out exceptional performances. In other words, he was most effective when he was playing not fully likeable characters.Do you know which director he collaborated with most often? You might be surprised to learn the answer. Dara chooses one of those movies for his top Redford picks.Dara also reviews the latest film from two other famous collaborators - Spike Lee and Denzel Washington, who have just released their retelling of Kurosawa's High and Low (1963), the exciting and colourful Highest 2 Lowest.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

Embattled by consecutive migraines, Dara is reckoning with a system under pressure. He attempts to own the state he's in while advocating for a deeper connection with what lies beneath all the turbulence. This line of enquiry leads to thoughts on observing a month's mind for Pepper, the family dog. A phrase used by the Venerable Bede in relation to that tradition inspired a new poem, which is shared.Dara wonders if we know what should and shouldn't be prioritised. He argues that only by doing our own internal work can we really meet the world with confidence and clarity. And when we do that, it is so much easier to connect with others. That connection is what many have been missing as technology encroaches more and more on our ability to separate the wheat from the chaff of our genuinely important concerns.Dara argues that we are energised by both life and love and that in being interested in and caring for others we locate our humanity. Contact, in the flesh, with warm-blooded creatures is the key to our wellness!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 thinking about what comes next. Prompted by an article about Irish people signing up for their bodies to be preserved at death in the hope of waking up in the distant future, he finds himself perplexed by the desire to outlive a natural lifespan. While it is tempting to dismiss the participants as deluded fantasists, he recognises that something deeply anxious lurks beneath the aspirant futurism.This type of scientific pioneering nestles very closely to conceptions not just of highly advanced future existence, but also to spirituality, faith, and the afterlife. Dara reflects on his own atheism and the tension that exists between it and his belief in a universal life force that animates us all. He also admits to praying in the aftermath of his dog's recent death. What was he praying for and to whom did he pray?A funeral at the weekend had Dara recalling the impact of a very significant figure in his young life. He shares his thoughts on a natural end to a long life and the essential quality of a life remembered. He also talks affectionately about his father's grandiosity and how that informs a conception of a life well lived. 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 admits to being a bit exhausted after moving house for the fifth time since the pandemic. It is not the most fun he has ever had and the ongoing grief ripples over Pepper the dog are adding to the load. However, the glass is (probably) half-full and at least the nickname for the new home has come very quickly and easily.Dara found considerable solace from four different podcasts that he is happy to recommend - two movie-related, one about the psychology of grief, and the last about the very nature of being, knowing, and consciousness. One of the film-related podcasts featured a clip from the Coen Brothers' No Country For Old Men (2007), and Dara found what was expressed so compelling that he tries to unpack its significance as a key tool of sustainable wellness and profoundly meaningful survival.It's mortality, it's laughter, it's vulnerability - it's The ClearOut!The Rewatchables do 'Witness' - https://www.theringer.com/podcasts/the-rewatchables/2025/08/25/witness-with-bill-simmons-and-mallory-rubinThe Big Picture 2000s series 'Mission Accomplished' - https://www.theringer.com/podcasts/mission-accomplishedHidden Brain podcast on trauma, loss, and grief - https://hiddenbrain.org/podcast/the-trauma-script/Rupert Spira and Federico Faggin on consciousness - https://rupertspira.libsyn.com/episode-77-federico-fagginWebsite: 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