Episodes

Here in the tenth and final episode of Season Two, we get to know Eamon Harkin, originally from Derry in Ireland, who has achieved celebrity in the world of DJs, and is taking dance culture and its community to a whole other level in Queens, the biggest borough in the city, and one that is not so outer-borough anymore. Eamon’s story takes us from the troubled streets of Derry in the 70s and 80s, over to a hopping London in the 90s, then on to New York, a city in shock in the wake of 9/11, to th...

Amy Brett is a passionate and skilled event planner, an avid Gaelic footballer and a powerful fundraiser for great causes. And she's all 'Mayo for Sam', red and green, through and through. Based in Sunnyside, Queens, she's having the craic in New York. For many from previous generations, that's a familiar tale. The more things change, the more they stay the same. But above all she's a community builder. She loves to bring people together; it's the thing amidst everything else that stands out ...

Claire McGovern is a sustainable interior designer, art advisor and manufacturer, whose recent work uses Irish wool as its basis, a textile she has come to see as a 'miracle fiber' and after listening to this episode you'll think so too. Claire spent her formative years in a small enclave in south Dublin called Dartry, nestled between the more well-known suburbs of Milltown and Rathmines. Perhaps it was under the shelter of these leafy idyllic suburban surroundings that she first developed her ...

We're taking a slightly different approach in this episode. We've gathered some thoughts and memories of several centerpieces, but the centerpiece of their lives in New York was, for a few years, a decade ago, a thing called 'The Computer Club'. The reason we are doing this now is because one of us, Paraic, had to leave the stage this month, and we've put together this episode in his honor. We hope it will help us grieve. Have a listen. If you do, you'll end up feeling connected to a time and ...

Martin Nutty, all 6 foot 4 inches of him, burst onto the global Irish community scene in 2020 when he fetched up alongside the previously-minted local New York Irish community celebrity John Lee, to stand up the innovative Irish Stew podcast. From the throes of the pandemic in 2020 to the current reemergence, he and John have roped in dozens of amazing members of the Global Irish Nation, and in doing so are helping to define it. And Martin has the voice that is the envy of all male podcasters, o...

They say that diversity is being asked to the dance, while inclusion is being asked to dance, but belonging is hearing your music play at the dance. To belong is a fundamental human need, but the road to true belonging continues to be a long one for many in the US. Shelley Ann Quilty-Lake, or simply Shelley, devotes her day, and her life as a lawyer, to those excluded from the dance, and to those who've made it into the dancehall but who aren't allowed onto the dancefloor. Discrimination, racis...

Breda Skeados is the middle child in a family of thirteen siblings from the rural West of Ireland, all born in a twenty-year period between the 30s and 50s. Ten survive to this day. Even during that time, in her hometown of Dunmore, County Galway, families of this size were on the wane. In fact it was so remarkable, some smarty pants composed a rhyme to keep track of all their names in order, a rhyme still recited by children in the region to this day! Breda was raised in a small house on a sm...

Sophie Colgan is one of the finest examples of strong leadership on the rise today among the young in the Irish community of New York. Upon first arrival in the Big Apple in 2013, Sophie Colgan picked up on the background noise of goodwill that benefits all Irish people who come here, an almost universal feeling that has its origins in the aggregation of centuries of small and big contributions to community that the Irish have given this great city. Sophie returned to Ireland to finish her col...

We know County Galway in Ireland has it share of towns (and a city!), each with their own character and traditions, but Tuam–along the northern edge of the county–stands apart in its creative take on the world. It is no surprise that such a free-thinking place, with its vibrant music and theatre scene, should produce an adventurous young lady like Jacqueline Kealy, our centerpiece for this episode. In fact, Ireland produces more such women than most nations, and we'll explore that theme too in...

{Sadly, our dear friend Adrian Flannelly passed away on July 24th 2024. He will be forever missed.} So we're all podcasters nowadays, but what is podcasting but radio on demand ? In this episode we hear the story of one of the great radio pioneers among New York's Irish community, who is still standing and still broadcasting after 50 years, who was plying his trade when it required serious work and investment to do so: studio time, air time and a lot more equipment than a bit of editing softwar...

To kick off Season Two, host Paul Finnegan sat down with well-known Irish comedian, author, broadcaster, MC and podcaster Colm O'Regan. Of course, the marvels of the Internet allowed both chairs to be separated by the Atlantic Ocean. The topic? This podcast itself, and podcasting in general. Have a listen... and keep an ear out for the rattle of a cicada in the background now and then. Loads of energy after 17 years of dormancy! You can find out more about Colm O'Regan on his website: colmoreg...