The Shnug

We hope everyone had happy Christmas and you are all now well fed and merry. We thought we’d release an aul podcast for those of you now unsure what day of the week it is. In Episode 17 of the Shnug podcast we speak to radio DJ, presenter and producer Kayte O’Malley. Kayte joins us straight from slot on Galway Bay Radio where she presents ‘On the Move’ weekdays between 3 – 7pm. Originally from Tra...

In Episode 16 of the Shnug podcast we speak to head chef of the G Hotel Dominique Majecki. Dom has been plying his trade across the country for many years and we chat to him about his early life and training in Laval in the Pays de la Loire region of North West France and how the food tradition there inspired him to take up cooking as a profession. Dom then decided to move abroad to broaden his ho...

In Episode 15 of the Shnug podcast we speak to singer/songwriter Mark McConvillie aka Rodney Owl. Mark has been plying his trade across the country for many years and we chat to him about his early life in Lurgan during the 80’s and his amateur boxing days before being robbed in the under 12’s all Ireland final. After that he switched to music and we chatted about busking firstly in London and aft...

We’re back baby and to kick off season 2 we are joined by the Little John Nee , possibly the hardest working man in theatre in Ireland and definitely up there as the one of the most prolific, a writer, performer, actor, musician, poet and storyteller extraordinaire. John has been preforming one way or another since the 70’s and he regales with stories of his time as a performance poet in cabaret’s...

Ahead of the release of season 2 this Monday the 13th of November your favourite podcasters have a little message for you... So our first year went well, we think. 12 episodes, a 4 part mini series and lil bonus episode for the Cruinniú makes 17 in all. But that was just the start, we want MORE... So ahead of the release of Season 2 we'd like to ask you fine people for a bit of a favour, don't wor...

Episode 13 and The Shnug is finally coming to you from a snug. Recorded in Tully’s bar in Kinvara as the town gears up for the 43rd  Cruinniú na mBád festival. A festival that honours the traditional sailing boat of Galway, the Hooker and those that sail them. We chat to Paul Crowley, chairperson of the festival committee, on how the festival has grown over the years since its revival in 1979 by T...

In episode 4 of our mini-series 'The Shnug presents Éalú Le Grá' we chat to festival/event producer Tara Clarke and the curator of this year’s light lab Eoin Finn. We chat to Tara about how she got started in the production side of festivals, the difference between producing a street and a field festival, meeting the ELG gang and how their professionalism and leave no trace approach really impress...

In episode 3 of our mini-series 'The Shnug presents Éalú Le Grá'. We chat to DJ, producer and co-founder Evan Mc Sweeney AKA Burlie Mac and ink illustrator Lizzy Madden. We chat to Evan about perusing his music career in the States, getting his big break via the Celtic Chaos camp at Burning man and meeting his future mentor, legendary House producer Osunlade. Lizzy tells us about her Ink illustrat...

In episode 2 of our mini-series 'The Shnug presents Éalú Le Grá'. We chat to DJ, creative producer and bard Darragh O’Conner AKA Fluid Druid and brewer, builder and DJ Emmet Kerrigan AKA Kegs. We chat to Darragh about starting out in performance poetry, his move to live electronic music, embracing the Irish language and how Éalú Le Grá year 2 led to his one man show Psychegaelic, which he develope...

In episode 1 of our new mini-series 'The Shnug presents Éalú Le Grá'. We chat to Festival co-founder/Lead builder Tommy Bradshaw and multimedia artist Tomás Moran, We chat to Tommy about cutting his teeth as a builder and designer at numerous Burning Man festivals and how that experience coupled with promoting events at home sparked the idea for ELG. Tomás tells us about his work as a visual artis...

It's Episode 12 of the The Shnug Podacst and the season finale. We’re taking a little break for a couple of months, as I am getting married in a few weeks and I’m up to my eyes. So this episode see’s us take a slight departure, we chat about a recent Stag weekend in Kerry, street cheese, aggressive mushrooms and how we found recording the first season of the show.   Well be back soon and we are ve...

In Episode 11 of the Shnug podcast we speak to author, musician, film maker and vegan activist Bip Henderson. Originally from North California Bip has lived in Galway for over a decade, he chats to us about how his Irish back ground and love of traditional music influenced him to move to Ireland. A regular film buff, Bip tells us about how he got involved in film making via the little cinema and h...

In Episode 10 of the Shnug podcast we speak to artist and performer Martisha Sea. From Kryvyi Rih in central Ukraine, Martisha speaks about her harrowing journey to Ireland after the outbreak of the war, trying to find a communal space for other Ukrainian artists here in Ireland and how she has been embraced by the local art scene in Galway. Martisha also discusses how the war has affected her, he...

In Episode 9 of the Shnug podcast we speak to local singer/songwriter Echo Harte. Echo has been plying his trade across the county for last few years and we chat to him about his early musical influences, the drawbacks of Spotify for emerging artists and how the pandemic presented him with a unique opportunity to play to larger crowds and get his name out there. Echo has been a member of number of...

In Episode 8 of the Shnug podcast we speak to writer, poet, journalist and part time rock star Jimi Mc Donnell. A man that has a way with words, we chat to Jimi about his love of language and how this interest has influenced his different pursuits over the rears. An awarding winning writer and published poet, words have been his bread and butter for well over a decade. Jimi’s other love is music,...

In Episode 7 of the Shnug podcast we speak to DJ, Promoter and graphic designer Mitch Mac Donald. Mitch has been plying his trade across Galway City for more than a decade and has been a main stay everywhere from the the Front door and Electric to the Rosion Dubh and the Blue Note, either as a DJ or prompting shows as mictchpresents. He has also recently become the resident DJ for Outset gallery i...

In Episode 6 of the Shnug podcast we speak to seanchaí (Storyteller), writer and educator Rab Fulton. A man of many talents, Rab chats to us about his love of words, the connections between Irish and Scottish storytelling and how his background in performance poetry in Scotland led to his taking up storytelling here. Rab's also uses his experience as a story teller to inspire those of a younger ge...

In Episode 5 we speak to muralist and printmaker Ronan Connor. His work is dotted across the city from pump lane and Eyre square to his most ambitious work yet in Merlin College. We chatted to Ronan about his early artistic influences, studying in ATU and how the street art he came across while traveling and his work with 126 Gallery inspired him to put himself forward for larger jobs once he retu...

In Episode 4 the lads invite another patron into the Shnug, this time it's theatre maker Eimear Finan. We chat to Eimear about her most recent play Tart that ran during the Galway theatre festival, the plays that influenced her along the way such as ‘Low Level Panic’ and the support base she’s found with Fregolit Theatre and Theatre 57 . Tart is a comedic, semi-autobiographical look at her life wh...

Episode 3 sees the two lads interview another patron of the Shnug, this time it’s the man behind the amazing aerial photography of UPINTHEEIRE, Marc Jennings.  We chat to Marc about how the west coast of Ireland has become his main inspiration, the milestones he’s reached in short space of time as an amateur photographer, going viral and how the landscape of social media has changed and made getti...

Episode 2 sees the two lads interview the first patron of the Shnug, historian and genealogist Eamon Healy.  We chat to Eamon about the people who sparked his interest in local history as a child in south Galway, the individuals and stories he came across while working on his blog Beagh Roots Galway, and the remarkable work he does with Ancestry as a Genealogist and the merits of spicy and plain c...

It’s been a long road, but finally we present to you, Episode 1 of The Shnug Podcast. First off, hosts Richie and Lavin introduce themselves and give you an idea of who they are and what the podcast will be about, the lads talk about the west of Ireland, future guests, touring the states and painting pub scenes, all served up with generous portions of ramblings and tangents.

The trailer for a new podcast from the West Coast of Ireland.