The Galway Podcast

Episode 46 brings you an in depth conversation with the tourism officer of Galway City Council, Mr Ruairí Lehmann. Ruairi discusses the challenges and joys of his job, how popular Galway is as a tourist destination, how Galway County and Galway City work in tandem with each other, the importance of the tourists and students to the economy to Galway and the west of Ireland, development plans for the future, the different festivals - big and small, the tourism season of Galway, how Galway is a MedTech capital globally, balancing Galway's heritage with its developing future, public consultations, the challenges of opening a new business in Galway, what the council are doing with sustainability and green energy, short term lets and new legislation, the night time economy as well as other topics. Relevant Links https://www.galwaycity.ie Photo by Professor Chaosheng Zhang https://www.instagram.com/chaoshengzhang Additional Links https://atasteofgalway.com https://www.wildlands.ie https://gleg.ie https://www.giaf.ie https://tonnta.eu https://www.instagram.com/ar_imeall https://www.localenterprise.ie

Episode 45 is a very in-depth conversation with Katharine Mac Mághnuis from the Athenry Music School where she discusses her background, the birth of Athenry Music School, the philosophy of Suzuki Education, the lessons available, her suggestions for how much practise a child should do, the school regulations, awards and partnerships, upcoming events as well as other topics. Photo by Brad Anderson. Relevant Links https://athenrymusicschool.com

Episode 44. A great day out in Galway with fine dignitaries and artists unveiling a plaque in Rahoon Cemetery to commemorate the relationship between James Joyce and Galway via the ex boyfriend of Nora Barnacle, Michael ‘Sonny’ Bodkin. Vocals by the esteemed Noel O'Grady.

Episode 43. This episode was initially scheduled to be published on The Galway Podcast but we published it on The Ireland Podcast first. Now we are publishing it here. Apologies to those who are subscribed to both channels. If you are not subscribed to The Ireland Podcast, please do! This episode brings you Nicole Schwabacher, a teacher turned author at the start of her literary career where she discusses her first novel: Inyo's Ring. As it is described on her website: "A young sailor’s quest for survival turns into an epic battle for love, freedom, and justice in this gripping reimagined legend of the Tudor Era. The coast of Ireland, 1588: Aboard a lone galleon, part of what once was the mighty Armada, Inyo Fernández has barely survived weeks of starvation and harrowing sea battles, when his ship is far off course, heading straight into a catastrophic storm. In Ireland, the O’Malley chieftain’s granddaughter, Finley, has only recently discovered how badly her world is broken. And now, she and the entire clan are about to be plunged into a desperate struggle against foreign domination. ​So much is already at stake, and hiding someone hunted by the English will endanger everyone’s lives even more. Finley, however, is inexplicably drawn to the stranger and can’t shake the feeling that she knows him. But how? Amid uncertain days, a spark ignites between Finley and Inyo, a growing flame that outshines the darkness around them. Yet both know that inevitable heartbreak looms because Inyo simply has to flee. When Finley’s kin are ambushed and captured, facing the gallows, Inyo and Finley unexpectedly find themselves catapulted into untold dangers across the sea." There's a challenge in this episode to turn this book into a screenplay and then who knows what may become of it?

Episode 42. The first episode of 2024 is a recording from the Galway Bay Cycling Club's Christmas Party in December 2023 featuring Liam Moran, Seán Hernon and Oonagh McArdle. Liam and Oonagh talk about a wide range of topics including the Galway Bay Cycling Club, its members, how to become a member, why you should consider becoming a member, the club's achievements, the barriers to entry, the future for the club, the need for someone to take on a social media role, safety in cycling as well as other topics. Seán also talks about his Mizen to Malin record and how he broke it, how it was then broken by Ronan McLaughlin and his ambitions to reclaim that record. Seán gives some great inside tips on how he hopes to do that as well as other talking points. Relevant Links https://galwaybaycycling.com

Episode 41. An end of the year special brings you a conversation straight from the Christmas party of the Galway Bay Cycling Club between two people who have broken the record for cycling from Mizen to Malin. Sean Hernon who knocked 15mins off the male record in 2021 with a time of around 17h 20m interviews this year's female record holder Karen Cassidy. Sean actually held back on asking Karen any questions in advance of this conversation so what you have here is a genuine deep dive into the prep work Karen underwent, the challenges she faced, what kept her motivated and why she would ever dream of doing anything like this again. Sean was interviewed separately along with other members of Galway Bay Cycling Club and you should be able to hear that conversation in the next episode. In the meantime enjoy this very insightful conversation. Special thanks to Karen, Sean and all at GBCC for this episode. Relevant Links https://galwaybaycycling.com

Episode 40. Discussion with Niamh Ryan who is a sex, love & relationship coach. a mentor as well as other things. Niamh empowers women to come home to their womb space. She has had a very personal health journey which she shares on this episode. Along with being a mentor Niamh even runs Sunrise Social Galway which is a coffee/swim/hiking group. She has a studio in Liosban and discusses that too. Niamh also discusses her experience in the corporate and legal world as well as other topics. WARNING: This episode discusses some adult themes. Relevant Links Website: www.spiralwithniamh.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spiral_niamh https://www.instagram.com/wildroseholistics Wild Rose Holistics: Wild Rose Holistic Galway — Spiral with Niamh www.spiralwithniamh.com/wildroseholistic https://www.instagram.com/sunrisesocialgalway/ Tune Into Niamh's Podcast: The Unbound WOMBON Delve deeper into Niamh's wisdom on her podcast, exploring the realms of love, sexuality, and relationships. A platform for candid conversations and transformative insights. https://open.spotify.com/show/6FYJqgLa8ZkUKeMFvxMptr?si=riAUpSHxTB6TSyQkceq0NQ Virtual Assistant Lauren Kavanagh https://www.instagram.com/laurenkavanagh.co

Episode 39. This weeks guests are John Cunningham and Amelia Walker. They are here to talk about a new book released this year which is called Hardiman and Beyond. Hardiman and Beyond was edited by John along with Ciaran McDonough and it is the follow up to a famous publication released in 1820 called ‘History of the Town and County of the Town of Galway’. So Hardiman and Beyond is basically a recap of Galway since then. And excellent it is too. We walk through the history of how the book came into existence, all the different contributors as well as delving into the content and way in which the book is divided. We go through each of the contributors and what they did. Those people are Síobhra Aiken, Marie Boran, Sarah-Anne Buckley, Richard Butler, Brian Casey, Mary Clancy, Mary Cunningham, Anna Falkenau, Elaine Feeney, Dara Folan, Adrian Frazier, Gerard (Gerry) Hanberry, Jonathan Hannon, James Hardiman, Anne Hodge, Michael Kavanagh, Úna Kavanagh, Tom Kenny, Mícheál Mac Craith, Gerard Madden, Charlie McBride, Maria McGarrity, John Mulhern, Méabh Ní Fhuartháin, Ailbhe Ní Ghearbhuigh, Jimmy O’Brien Moran, Lillis Ó Laoire, Nollaig Ó Muraíle, Gearóid Ó Tuathaigh, James Pethica, Lionel Pilkington, Henrike Rau, Alison Titley, Tony Tracy, Chaosheng Zhang. Also mentioned are the Festival Galway contributors of Kernan Andrews, Páraic Breathnach, Sarah Clancy, Martin Conneely, Maura Cronin, Dave Donovan, Lelia Doolan, Kerry Guinan, James Harrold, Ollie Jennings, Fred Johnston, Lali Morris, Judy Murphy, Lorna Siggins. Artwork by John Mulhern. Relevant Links https://ardenpublishing.sumupstore.comhttps://ardenpublishing.sumupstore.com Hardiman & Beyond social media: @hardimansgalway https://www.instagram.com/hardimansgalwayhttps://twitter.com/hardimansgalwayhttp://www.facebook.com/hardimansgalway Amelia social media: https://www.instagram.com/design_amelia https://twitter.com/design_amelia http://www.ameliadesign.net

Clíona Standun talks about how, with her sister Laragh, they run Standún in the heart of Connemara. Included in the conversation is how their grandparents met, the first shop, a long cycle, the Connemara bus, selling sweaters and bicycles etc., 700 knitters around the country, sending sweaters to Nordstrom, assembling the different parts of the sweaters, being the first company to export the Aran sweater, dealing with mail orders, when they first started selling online, working as a teenager in the shop, November and December being the busiest months, the shop being a great environment to grow up in, getting a buzz out of working there, getting off the grid, the rising costs of small businesses, rates, a message to policy makers, how it’s increasingly difficult to run a business in Ireland, championing the indigenous arts, the appeal of Irish made products, the cost of labour and the availability of people, the costs of running a business in Ireland, how customers want to support Irish businesses and Irish manufacturing vs the right price point, how Standún does their best to support Irish made products, the heartbreaking sight of villages with boarded up shops, the supermarket factor, the challenges of being a business in Spiddal, how tourists love Connemara, the foresighted skills of Donal Standún, how he built it into a strong business as a tourist destination, the education provided by being on the shop floor, the best place to buy an Aran sweater according to the Wall Street Journal, customer service being in the Standún DNA, and how Donal prioritised that, the percentage of sales being online, the future of retail, how the business has grown every year since 2015, how Galway city is quite competitive, how Standún is a destination store, the future plans, Merino wool, early wetsuits, lanolin, hand knitting vs machine knitting, the 1950s and 1960s, their aunt Dearbhaill Standún, caring for Aran sweaters, woolite, employing about 22 staff, being full-on busy right up until 5pm Christmas Eve, as well as other topics.

Episode 37. Conversation with our two youngest guests where they discuss what it takes to become All Ireland champions. A truly inspirational conversation covering the early inspiration which motivated the girls getting into football,, life in England, Salthill Knocknacarra GAA, Roisín's grandfather Michael Duignan who used to play with Saint Michael’s GAA, the great O’Donnell football family, becoming All Ireland Winners, playing for Club and County, the different positions on the field, self-motivation, the Leaving Cert, composing music, choosing a university, University of Limerick, Boston Scientific, Christopher Reeve, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, radiography, Galway being a big wee town, strokes, life not always being a bed of roses, becoming ladies, their ambitions for the future, Taylor Swift, and a whole bunch of other topics. Go n-éirí an bóthar leo! Relevant Links https://galwaylgfa.ie https://skgaa.clubforce.com https://www.stmichaelsgalway.ie https://www.instagram.com/sportsfileben (Photographer)

Episode 36. Sinéad McKiernan in conversation talking about services offered, Yoga’s popularity in Galway and the world, Mysore, India, anxiety attacks, being true to oneself, panic disorders, agoraphobia, the health benefits of yoga, which yoga style suits which people, the pressures put upon the body by overstimulation of the brain, karma, Hinduism, intentions vs. gratitudes, Catholicism, Buddhism, Sam Harris, tuning out stress, getting ill, body image, what a typical class looks like, sleeping in class, online vs. real. vs. pre-recorded lessons, corporate work, good leadership, data driven aims to improving wellness within the workplace through improving productivity, staff retention and other topics. Relevant Links www.moveandbreathe.ie www.livewellworkwell.ie

Episode 35. A celebration of one of the gems of Galway City, arguably the biggest gem: Saint Nicholas Collegiate Church. Walking us through the discussion is Ireland's first Heritage Officer, Jim O'hUiginn (Higgins) from Galway City Council. In Episode 2 Jim cited this church as one of his favourite buildings in Galway and here he discusses why as well as the urgent reparation work which is currently being undertaken. Jim also mentions how dating takes place, his involvement with the data collection from various graveyards in Galway, his favourite stone angel, the Claddagh ring and other topics. Relevant Links https://stnicholas.ie Images on Instagram 1 Images on Instagram 2 Images on Instagram 3 https://historicgraves.com

Episode 34. Collette discusses how she got interested in sailing, her travels to Antartica, her scary experiences at sea and dealing with those crises moments, the epiphany moment when she realised that she could sail in Galway, the history of the club and its connection with Nicky Dolan, the amount of members and how amazing they are, the courses available, the different roles within the club, the iconography of the hookers, the “replunging” of Loveen, the location of the club, the support from local businesses, Galway Bay Seafoods, Galway Bay Tours, Galway City Museum, Scoil Bhride (especially Class 5), Galway Sea Scouts, The Port Of Galway, McHugh Property Holdings, her message to members and non members as well as other topics. Relevant Links https://www.galwayhookersailingclub.ie https://www.galwaybaytours.com https://www.thedocksidedeligalway.com https://www.scoilbhrideshantalla.ie https://galwayseascouts.com https://theportofgalway.ie Honorable Mentions McHugh Property Holdings

Episode 33. A wide ranging interview with the Tournament Director of Galway Bridge Club: Gay Keaveney. Gay discusses his achievements in competitive bridge, his role as tournament director, the challenges and achievements, how bridge is misrepresented as an older people's sport, how and why people of all ages could and should get involved in bridge, the history of the bridge centre and the ingenious way in which they acquired the building, Michael O'Kane, the late Paddy Walsh and his son David who runs Lapteck in Galway city centre, the social aspect of bridge, the two halves of the game (bidding and playing), being called upon for advice by other tournament directors, Fergal O'Boyle, why you should play a simple game and other topics. Relevant Links https://www.bridgewebs.com/galway/

Episode 32. A wide ranging interview with the General Manager of Galway Golf Club: Niall McGahon. Discussion includes how Niall got the position, his mentor Michael Moss, peer assists, the club’s size, managing the wishes of 1400 adult members, Justin Rose, modernising a golf club with so much history, Niall's first gold club aged 4, Sammy Hempel, Alan Hunter, the mid-Atlantic accent, Ricky Elliott, the different stages of being a great golfer, the demands put upon elite golfers, Joe Lyons, Ronan Mullarney, Liam Nolan, how golf can be a lonely sport at the elite level, why does Ireland punch above its weight in some sports, the difference in Derry and Galway vernacular, encouraging kids in golf, Derry Seniors’ new management, how we learn as children, how we parent, the care the club has shown Niall, being a networker and unbeknownst to it, the passing of our parents, Billy Connell, Bernadette, the challenges, the achievements as well as other topics. Relevant Links http://www.galwaygolf.com

Second half of a conversation with Sharon Shannon covering all manners of things, most of which centre around Galway including performing for ‘The Hostage’ by Brendan Behan in the Druid Theatre in Galway and beyond, Alec Finn, Frankie Gavin, Seán Smyth, The Quays, Brendan Regan, Kevin Hough, composing, Steve Earle, Gerry Hanley, life in Doolin, life in Cork, Páraic Mac Donnchadha, Andrew McNamara, The Tulla Céilí Band, sessions in Tigh Neachtain's, the difference in sessions in Doolin and Galway, Arcady, The Waterboys, her daily routine at home, her manager John Dunford, The Purty Loft, Dún Laoghaire, Mike Scott, BP Fallon, her favourite cities in the world (apart from Galway), the excesses on the road, the success of Galway Girl, Director James Clenaghan and her work with him, Top Dog Gaffo video, O’Connors pub in Doolin, driving through Salthill as a kid, favourite place in Galway, Bruce Du Ve, Tom Giblin, her sister Mary and her brother Garry, her tribute to Gerard ‘Gerry’ Mulholland (Jarír al-Majar) as well as other topics. Sharon is an ambassador for Madra: an organisation which rescues, rehabilitates and rehomes unwanted, neglected, abused and abandoned dogs. You can find out more information here: www.madra.ie. Sharon is also the National Ambassador for Rosabel’s Rooms, a Galway-born child loss project that is reaching out to bereaved parents and families all over Ireland. https://hospicefoundation.ie/our-supports-services/bereavement-loss-hub/rosabels-rooms/ The other half of this conversation is available on The Ireland Podcast. Top Dog Gaffo video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3UE55kshmk

The second half of a conversation with Donegal's James Gallagher who has been living in Galway for quite a few years. James talks us through what it is like to make a living as a musician, straddling the world of busking as well as playing in one of Ireland's most popular tribute bands: The Dubliners Experience. See if you can spot the difference in James' singing voice and that of Luke Kelly! For more information please visit their website: www.thedublinersexperience.com

A conversation with Donegal's James Gallagher who has been living in Galway for quite a few years. James talks us through what it is like to make a living as a musician, straddling the world of busking as well as playing in one of Ireland's most popular tribute bands: The Dubliners Experience. See if you can spot the difference in James' singing voice and that of Luke Kelly! For more information please visit their website: www.thedublinersexperience.com This is the first half of a two part conversation. Part two will be published next week.

Salthill Media is proud to announce the launch of another podcast: The Ireland Podcast. Be sure to subscribe on your favourite podcast player or go to salthillmedia.com to hear episodes. Thanks.

Episode 27. Second half of a highly amusing conversation with Bam Artiste, who can often be seen on Shop Street selling his paintings or playing his drum and singing and entertaining the passers-by. Bam has been a fixture on the streets of Galway for almost 20 years. He tells his story of how he came from Jamaica where he received his education in engineering, to travelling to Scotland and then to Ireland. Hear how he is methodical in his approach to his work which is now seeing him venture into the world of programming. This is the second half of a two part conversation. Part one is Episode 25.