The Southern Star Podcast

What happens when a financial consultant specialising in corporate finance and funding meets with a young man with Autism and ADHD and an abiding interest in politics? Dan Kelleher interviews Max O’Mahony, who is well known locally and lives in Castletownshend, in a wide-ranging 10-minute podcast that has been shared with The Southern Star . It is the first in what is likely to be a series of podc...

WITH the recent arrival of a Hallmark production into the region, West Cork Film Studios landed one of its first major coups.  It was the first major production to be based at the WCFS, which is located at Baltimore Road in Skibbereen, and has given the studios the perfect opportunity to roll out, and develop, film infrastructure in West Cork. For The Big Story , Mary McCarthy spoke with...

CHRISTMAS, like many other parts of life, has constantly changed with the times. From stockings at the foot of your bed to above the mantlepiece, or from sending turkeys to England in the post to Amazon Prime delivery, Christmas has become a different beast in recent years. Gerald O'Brien of Skibbereen Historical Society shares his memories of what Christmas was like for him, growing up in West Co...

As the general election results fade into the distance, and there has been a widespread sigh of relief that no far right candidates were successful, there are some political observers who believe it’s only a matter of time before the hate-filled messages of some agitators start to resonate with elements of the electorate, as they have in other countries across Europe. In November, a Jewish student...

Bere Island Community Radio invited Southern Star reporter Jackie Keogh on the air recently to speak about the General Election which is taking place on Friday, November 29th. We will be running a live blog with updates on the count, from early Friday morning, on southernstar.ie  so don’t forget to have it bookmarked on your laptop, phone or whatever device you have that day – and see who wil...

Welcome to this special Election edition of the In the News podcast where we are taking a look at the election in West Cork – with just over two weeks to election day on Nov 29th.   Southern Star editor, Siobhán Cronin was joined by reporters Jackie Keogh and Kieran O’Mahony and deputy editor Martin Claffey on today's episode. Jackie Keogh gives us a quick rundown of who is running and how it...

A SPECIAL summer open door event showcasing the works and talents of three West Cork artists will take place at The Yellow Door in Baltimore village from July 27th to the end of August. Sherkin Island based painter Majella O’Neill Collins, and artists Paula Marten and Aisling Roche have teamed up for a unique showcase, offering art enthusiasts a special opportunity to experience the creativity and...

FRANCIS Humphrys has been involved with the West Cork Music Chamber Festival for 29 years since it’s first edition in 1996. He is now festival director and West Cork Music chief executive. This year’s festival kicks off on Friday, June 28th and runs for 10 days. While the buildup to opening night is always hectic, this year is more so than usual with so many musicians set to fly into Ireland, and...

ON this week's podcast, Southern Star editor Siobhán Cronin is joined by journalist & author Kathy Donaghy to talk about depression, miscarriage and how swimming has helped heal her.   Donaghy's book, Finding My Wild: How a Move to the Edge Brought Me Home,  tells her story of moving home from Dublin to the Inishowen peninsula with her young family. It is ode to the extraordinar...

ON this week's podcast, Southern Star editor Siobhán Cronin speaks to Melissa Duncan – a 'total immersion' expert and fellow sea swimming fanatic – about a shared love of the sea, building her own swimming pool, and some well-known West Cork names she has coached along the way. Swimming became a lifeline for many during the pandemic, and so many have kept it going, which has left Ireland with a re...

WEST Cork's film industry is on the rise. On the latest episode of The Southern Star's In The News podcast, Dylan Mangan focuses on how the film industry is developing in West Cork The region has some of the best locations in the country and more and more production companies are deciding to shoot their next projects here. We hear from Star reporter Kieran O'Mahony, who has been reporting on the f...

FOR A country with 29% of EU fishing waters, Ireland still doesn't have a viable fishing industry. EU membership, Brexit, and now the decommissioning scheme have all taken their toll, and the demise of the industry has been likened to death by a thousand cuts. With the deadline for the Government's decommissioning scheme looming ever-closer, Southern Star  reporter Jackie Keogh travelled to C...

IT has been a difficult few years for the hospitality industry, first with Covid-19 shutting restaurants and bars down for months, followed by some astronomical energy bills which have seen numerous closures across West Cork and beyond. The news of the closure of Pilgrim's in Rosscarbery and Cru Wine Bar & Bistro in Kinsale was met with shock, and on the latest edition of the In The News Podca...

IN RECENT weeks we have seen some anti-aslyum seeker protests take place across the country, with far-right groups and beliefs seeming to take a more mainstream place in Irish culture in recent times. On today’s podcast we’ll focus on how some beliefs associated with far-right thinking may be closer to home in West Cork than you would imagine, and have been for some time now. The Southern Star's e...

FISHING was, for a long time, an important part of island life across Ireland, and remains so, but fortunes have changed for those fishing out of Cape Clear, a West Cork island which finds itself relying more on tourists than marine life for its livelihood. On the latest edition of our  In The News  podcast, reporter Jackie Keogh went to Cape Clear to speak with islanders about the iconi...

IT HAS been yet another eventful year in a long line of eventful years, not only for the world in general but for West Cork people and communities too. Today on the In The News podcast, we're joined by the Southern Star's editor Siobhán Cronin, and sports editor Kieran McCarthy to take a look back at the year gone by and to delve into some of the stories that made the headlines this year. This yea...

THE agricultural sector has to make emissions cuts of 25% by 2030. Radical policy changes are coming down the tracks from as early as January which will massively change how farmers, especially those involved in dairy, can operate. In simple terms, for many in West Cork it will mean stocking less cows or acquiring more land. The Southern Star's  deputy editor Emma Connolly has been speaking t...

A RECENT report from UCC said that West Cork's seven islands face being abandoned like the Blaskets were in the 50s. Residents on the islands face numerous issues, with one of the main problems highlighted in the report being a lack of housing. People say that they are concerned for the future of younger generations and that many people will have to move to the mainland if changes aren't made. Emm...

The housing crisis is an ongoing issue across the country, with high rent and house prices affecting many and some of the highest homeless figures ever seen. While much of the focus is on younger people and city problems, West Cork is no stranger to the same concerns.  The Southern Star reported last week that the number of elderly people facing eviction and other struggles is on the rise - and th...

100 years ago this month, General Michael Collins was killed in an ambush at Beál na Bláth, not far from his hometown of Clonakilty.  As we approach the centenary of the passing of this charismatic and sometimes ruthless revolutionary leader, we’re delving into the final journey of the man affectionately known as ‘The Big Fella’. On this edition of the In The News podcast The Southern Star's Dylan...

Good weather and great beaches - West Cork is a haven for swimmers and holidaymakers, but the sea can pose problems for anyone who enters it.    On this week's In The News Podcast, Dylan Mangan speaks to Cork County Council lifeguards who spend the summer months looking after beachgoers in more ways than one. We learn about rip currents, jellyfish stings, and the best ways to stay safe in the sea....

For months it was a case of water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink for the 25 residents of Whiddy Island. There has been a problem with the island’s water supply since Irish Water issued a ‘do not consume’ notice last September. It is understood that the problem arose following a dry spell when the water table reached very low levels at the intake point. This meant that the water entering...

West Cork Women Against Violence is a formidable organisation. And the woman who runs it is a formidable woman. Marie Mulholland – Belfast woman, life-long campaigner & women’s rights activist … and now the chief executive of West Cork’s only domestic violence service. An agency which has seen its workload grow massively in the last two decades. On this week's In The News Podcast, Siobhán Cron...

Irish people taking to the sea in their droves has become a bit of a cliché during the pandemic.  But the truth is, for some of us, it was never a fad – it was just a part of life. Whether it’s used as a tool for socialising, exercising or reasons related to the reported mental health benefits - open water swimming has fast become a pastime for everyone - not just the endurance athletes training t...

Though born in Ballyshannon in Donegal, it was the rebel county of Cork where legendary Irish musician William Rory Gallagher grew up and first made his name.  Throughout the 1960s, 70s and 80s, this soft spoken, perfectionist, rock star dominated the Irish music scene thanks to his generational musical ability and unwavering dedication to his craft.  But what was it about Rory that drove him to b...