CenterPieceNY

CenterPieceNY

New York Irish Stories: we chronicle the lives of long-standing members of New York's Irish community, in their own words.

And by 'long-standing' we mean those that have put down some serious roots in the city that never sleeps.

Consider this a luxury brand in podcasting. Each episode is exquisitely designed and precision engineered. Not mass-produced.

Episode schedule: one published per month, towards month end. WE ARE CURRENTLY ON AN EXTENDED HIATUS, but feel free to browse our catalog of past episodes, which we'll continue to host on this website and on all the usual platforms (Spotify, Apple etc..)

Storytelling is the spirit of the times–the zeitgeist !

Recent Episodes

June 29, 2023

S3E10: Linda Bonnar, Checking In

Linda Bonnar is a successful life coach and entrepreneur. She's also a former educator, and has built her services around both her experiences in the teaching profession, and her teenager years with mental health struggles i...

Episode page
May 29, 2023

S3E9: Jennifer Muldowney, a Heart Grows Bigger

Jennifer Muldowney, from Dublin’s fair city, in Ireland, is an author, a podcaster, and a member of that exclusive set of people who has given a TED Talk . But for this vivacious young woman, all these glamorous activities ar...

Episode page
April 26, 2023

S3E8: Denis Maguire, Life on the Peninsula

When it comes to experiences, life is an embarrassment of riches. Even more so, if you're an adventurous, wandering type, which might be another way of saying 'if you're Irish'. Certainly Denis Maguire is, although he has go...

Episode page
March 28, 2023

S3E7: Corina Galvin, Quiet Influencing

Corina Galvin calls County Mayo in Ireland her home. She's also been a New Yorker for almost three decades. And she has accumulated a lot of frequent flyer miles along the way. That's because her job in event planning and...

Episode page
Feb. 28, 2023

S3E6: Jane McCooey and her Band of Sisters.

Jane McCooey thrives when she’s bringing people together to solve a problem, to the benefit of all. When Jane, from County Armagh in Ireland, is confronted with obstacles, she’s not afraid to reach out for help, and her firs...

Episode page
Jan. 31, 2023

S3E5: Niall O'Leary–A Life By, And Of, Design.

Niall O'Leary is best known as a performer of Irish dance in the New York area, and further afield. A lesser known fact about Niall is that he also has his own Manhattan-based architecture practice. The amazing thing about N...

Episode page
Dec. 20, 2022

S3E4: A Sort of Christmas Carol

'Tis the festive season, and as yet another year ends, a time for self-reflection. So we thought we'd take a moment this Christmas to have a closer look at this podcast, delivered in the words of creator, producer and host …

Episode page
Nov. 26, 2022

S3E3: Ray O'Hanlon, Stringer of Pearls

Ray O'Hanlon is a long-standing journalist, author and editor of the weekly Irish Echo news service, which has been a pillar of the Irish American identity since 1928. That's a stretch coming up on 95 years, and Ray has been...

Episode page
Oct. 27, 2022

S3E2: Helen McNamara O'Shea, Healer at Heart

In this episode, Helen McNamara O'Shea tells us of the brave leap she made from a career as an accomplished doctor to that of a singer/songwriter. Given that Helen describes herself as 'ancient', which she is not by any mean...

Episode page

Recent Blog Posts

CenterPieceNY goes on Extended Hiatus..

A message from Paul Finnegan, creator, producer and host of CenterPieceNY.   ==================================================   Dear Friend,   Whether you've been actively listening to my creation, the CenterPieceNY podca…

Single Channel Land

It's fair to say I've been neglecting my blog, The BlogSledder.  A combination of having limited time and a focus on more pressing priorities can be trotted out as my excuses, however strong or weak they may be. Be that as it may, our current …

Ridgewood, home to Nowadays, ranks 4th Coolest Neighborhood on the Planet.

Photograph: Robert Malmberg   Nowadays, a focal point for NYC's dance culture, is one of the highlights of Ridgewood, Queens NYC, which has been named the 4th coolest neighborhood IN THE WORLD by Time Out!!   Eamon Harkin, the vi…