Sin Scéal Eile

Some people are just sound. Happy, buzzy, salt of the earth, good people. Like Nuala.  She grew up in the caves, literally. Her parents opened the famous show caves 50 years ago to draw tourists to the area when she was just a small girl. Nuala’s parents, their business partners and local residents all formed a community group and together made a plan to bring life back to the Burren and make...

Rowan is brave, resilient and strong. Even though he says he felt much stronger when he was 8 years old. When he was 8 he was sexually abused by three teachers. The abuse continued until he was 11. “The days that I used to get abused in the morning, first thing, they were the best because it was done for the day. So I think back to how strong that little guy was.” It’s difficult for me to even typ...

Aindrias sits in the back of a pub with us in Ennistymon, drinking herbal tea and holding court. He seems to be the most famous man in Clare today with all types of people come up to him for chats. Some went to school with his Dad, others spoke fluently with him in French and Spanish. I asked where he learned so many languages, but I should know better than to expect a straight answer and he retur...

Sitting with a glass of wine in Fiona’s home feels very natural. We sink into a deep and meaningful conversation almost immediately. Fiona is warm, open but also assertive and has strong opinions which she delivers with the most beautiful vocabulary (she is a writer afterall). We talk about what’s common to both of us, atheism and our decision to remain childfree. Rx Sin Scéal Eile - That's Anothe...

I’d like to think that Theresa and I would have been good friends back in the day. By all accounts she seems to have led a very free and independent life, not something a lot of women born in the 40s can say. From working the door at the Television Club (or 4 Ps as it was known back then), having The Who around for tea and cake and eventually marrying a football star.  Rx Sin Scéal Eile - Tha...

PJ is an open book. He’s honest, direct, and provides counselling sessions in ALDI apparently. He’s a father to 2 year old twins, motorbike obsessed and his face is the back of a bus. He came up the ranks in the media world after leaving school at 16. After years of dealing with stage fright and anxiety while doing stand up comedy, he’s now found his dream job of making people laugh first thing in...

Genetics were not on Sarah’s side growing up. By the age of 13, her Mother had gotten a breast cancer diagnosis, one that was known to be hereditary. Sarah had an agonising 5 years to wait before she’d know that she carried the same genes.  Sarah had to battle with surgeons to convince them to give her a double mastectomy and reconstruction, but she was always adamant it was the right choice...

What a life Kieran has led. She was born in America but always felt a pull towards Ireland (her parents of course were Irish too, and desperate to use the name ‘Kieran’ even though she was a girl). Kieran has lived a full life. Working for Sinn Fein during the peace process, a career in Human Rights with Amnesty International, a brief spell learning to weld and now a very fruitful career as a bake...

Like many people her age, Derbáil felt the pull of far away lands. She emigrated to the states when she was in her twenties, followed by a stint in Australia and then Canada.  She’s recently returned home, with an Australian husband in tow, and feels like she’s back at square one. She’s finding her way in this almost new country which is far different from the one she left in her twenties.&nb...

“Sauna Tom” as he's known around Dingle is a blow in whom the town loves. He moved down from Dublin a few years back and had the notion of setting up a sauna (he'd gotten the taste of sauna life and all its mental health benefits in Dublin and missed it dearly out West).  He credits his business venture for introducing him to so many of the locals but for also incentivising him to learn Irish...

The little charmer who sits on Emily’s knee for our whole chat is Cara. She’s Emily’s baby and is the cutest wee dote of all time. Emily loves taking her for walks as she finds people are friendlier and chattier with her when she has a dog.  Emily has faced all types of human interactions from strangers on the street and let’s just say, people can be very cruel.  At the age of 7, Emily w...

George is a director of films and TV. I’ve never been 100% sure what a director does, even though I’ve worked as a stills photographer on his productions. George kindly fills me in on all he does as well as what propelled him along his journey into comedy, including the almost mandatory move to London that a lot of Irish creatives make. Rx Sin Scéal Eile - That's Another Story was hosted and creat...

Ged loves history, reading and Dexter (his dog). He’s an avid collector of signed books, and spends his time in his reading nook (akin to a garden shed) out his back garden. He’s a man who is full of quick wit and excellent banter and regale you with fantastic stories from around the area.  Rx Sin Scéal Eile - That's Another Story was hosted and created by Ruth Medjber, with sound by Ronan La...

Ah the joys of being 22 and just handing in your last college assignment. Amelhyne reflects on her 4 years of college where she solidified her passion as an audiophile. She now has some beautiful decisions to make, whether to go straight into a coveted role in radio or podcast producing, or continue her education with a masters. Either way, she’s utterly convinced that the medium of radio is well...

We pulled our campervan up outside Catherine’s home in Kerry that she shares with her husband, Maurice. It’s the home where she raised her 4, now grown, children. She welcomes us with delicious vegan treats and a completely calming atmosphere. It’s the kind of home that you could sink into storytelling for hours, not watching the time tick by.  Catherine prides herself on being a host and mak...

Maurice is a natural born story teller. We sat at his kitchen table and he brought me on an incredible journey through his life. From his work as an artist and festival producer, to travelling around the world with three small kids, right up to being visited by a fox while eating a 9ct gold ball alone in the woods. I honestly won’t even attempt to paraphrase him, you’ll just have to listen! Rx Sin...

After an epiphany on holidays, Frances packed in her manic life in hospitality and started a slow life, in the form of The Slow Concept. It’s a clothes shop in Dingle that sells Irish made and sustainable designs.  With her own design work, she has managed to save 12 tonnes of towels and sheets from landfill, turning them into beautiful hand painted swim ponchos.  Her workshop is tucked...

Kevin greeted us at the door of the Dingle aquarium and gave us a sneaky behind the scenes tour of the place (including the top of the shark tank).  It's much bigger than you'd ever assume from the outside, full of incredible experiences (they even grow jellyfish out the back). Kevin is passionate about conservation. From indigenous toads, his beloved turtle Molly, to even the conservation of...

You know those beautiful pianos you see in various train stations around? They’re the brain child of John Murphy (and his wife). He petitioned Irish Rail to invite a bit of musical goodness into people’s commutes. As a professional piano tuner, it gives him no greater joy than hearing people play a (tuned) piano in the wild, especially watching young kids getting the opportunity to practice before...

Mark is a storyteller. He held a position in the Dublin Leprechaun for 13 years, telling all sorts of folk tales, one of which he shares with us today. He’s a lover of sticks and unusual trees and is also sometimes a part time Santa (is there such a thing as a full time Santa?). Mark has a lovely cadence to his voice, as well as a sensitive kind of wit, which in turn makes him a great storyteller,...

Sorcha is a musician, a mother and a Kerry native (even though sometimes she feels like a bit of a blow in). She grew up being part of quite a different family than what was the norm in West Kerry in the 90s, but it’s something that she prides herself in these days.  With both parents being uilleann pipers, her childhood was soundtracked by what she describes as intense and sometimes melancho...

The stage is Zia’s life, not necessarily being on it, but lighting it up and designing the sets. She has a very cool job, touring around to different theaters, dreaming up lighting cues and figuring out how to tell a story within a small dark space.  Zia wasn’t always Zia. She was once Aislinn, but as a very creative and strong-willed 3 year old, she decided to change it, making all her famil...

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Wayne chose to meet in Phibsborough because he's a very polite man and thought he would make it easier for me to be closer to town. What we both discover mid interview is that we live about 20 feet from each other. His back garden looks into mine, our dogs clocked each other months ago, but yet we were oblivious. We could have done this interview in our garden!  I was interested in meeting Wa...

Who knew hitting up a random swing dancing lesson could change your life? Christian fell in love, head over brogues, as soon as he laid eyes on the burlesque star, Sorcha. He swung her off her feet in the workmans, now, as a family, they cut a fine figure. They embrace a rockabilly/vintage kinda look that makes them truly unique at the school gates.  Christian has lived a life and a half, fro...