Druid's Exchange

In this episode, we take a look at animal intelligence and how it compares/contrasts with human intelligence. With the aid of some surprising examples, we find there is a lot more going on when it comes to "intelligence".

This is an episode of two halves - the first half takes the form of an interview with Mr Beard asking Me C about his new band 'New Ceremony' and his musical career, and the second half is more a general chat about music. Mr C provides the inside scoop on the creative process and what goes into recording a new album, while Mr Beard provides some anecdotes from his musical background.

In this episode, we take a whistle stop tour of literature in all its forms. Starting at the beginning, we discuss the famous Library of Alexandria and the invention of the Gutenberg Printing Press, then go on to highlight many of our favourite book series and authors including Viktor Schauberger, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Dan Brown, JK Rowling, George RR Martin, Brian Friel and Road Dahl.

In this episode we take a look at the subject of 'technology', with our main topics of discussion covering Nikola Tesla, the invention of the transistor, the iconic Sony Walkman, human-augmenting biotechnology and society-changing Blockchain technology.

In this episode we look at exploration and folklore from the point of view of Ireland and a select group of Irish men and women that epitomize what we consider an explorer. We highlight some historic figures like Tom Crean Antarctic explorer, Anne Bonny an Irish lady pirate, Colin O’ Brady athlete and climber and also a demigod figure from Irish mythology Cu Chulainn.

Time has always been a funny topic of discussion, and for so many the obsession of their lives like Albert Einstein and the great astronomers and ocean explorers of the modern ages. Probably one of the most abstract notions when questioned, What is time? In this episode we tackle some of the ways in which ‘time’ has been described and measured over the centuries.

All across the world and all through time, food is the glue that holds cultures together. Even down to the family unit, everyone sitting around the table and sharing a meal, food can bridge the generational divide and open up lines of communication in ways little else can.

'A new year, a new you' - as clichéd as it sounds, the majority of us set some kind of new year's resolution. But many of us fail to reach our goals. Learn how to set better goals and develop effective processes to improve your chance of success.

With episode #15, we focus in on the almost invisible world that exists right before our eyes. Discussion opens with micro lab techniques, goes through various fascinating microorganisms and ends up with "bugs in space" and the panspermia.

Francis Kelly of Galway Cider joins us in this episode to discuss his business, Galway Cider, his love for Galway United Football Club, why he loves running up mountains, and how he manages to keep it all in balance.

Crafting and the craft. What is it and why are we so good at crafting - creating and building things with our hands. We discuss our favourite examples of crafted art - from Beatles albums to building your own guitar to the magic of live performances.

Space. The final frontier. To infinity and beyond. Where no one can hear you scream. This weeks episode focuses on humanity's journey of exploration and discovery into space. From the humble beginnings of the telescope to colonies on Mars and airship cities on Venus.

With "Lift The Heavy Thing", we talk about weightlifting and how it can not only give you a desirable physique but also improve your quality of life as you age. We also touch on general body movement and posture.

We talk about Stoicism and the cardinal virtues of Courage, Wisdom, Justice and Temperance and do a deep dive into what these virtues mean to us and how these can be applied in our own lives.

“Feel The Rhythm” episode is focusing on the Circadian Rhythm, and the flip side of that coin, Sleep. We deep dive in this episode into the origins of Circadian rhythm throughout the animal kingdom but almost entirely human cycles and rhythms.

In this weeks episode it’s all about media and entertainment in all its forms. Taking a whistle stop tour of some of our favourite shows, books, music and movies. 2020 is the year when none of this happened.

Highlights from this episode cover the history of martial arts. Movies and games in this genre are discussed, with special mention of the practitioners, masters and actors who brought these forms of exceptional discipline, artfulness and entertainment to our Western shores.

This is the recap episode. On our journeys through life, it is a good idea to every once in awhile pause and take stock. Am I heading in the right direction?

In this weeks episode, we go deep. Deep into the depths of the brain and (possibly) the very seat of consciousness. The overarching topic of this weeks episode is ‘mindset’, but we discuss many related topics from perception to the microbiome and epigenetics.

In this weeks episode, it’s all about grit. It’s known by many different names – staying power, self determination, perseverance – but it’s what is needed to stay the course and see your goals and ambitions through to the end. We go through the different aspects and ingredients of grit – how to recognise it, how to develop it, why it is important and the benefits of being “gritty” can bring you.