How to be Irish

John McDonagh is quite the character. He’s an Irish-American living in New York, born in Donegal who’s been driving a yellow taxi for the past 40 years. His colourful background in the arts and political activism has left him with a treasure trove of stories about the FBI, Guinness and the Troubles. John has kindly joined me for my first-ever chat for ‘How to be Irish’ where he gives his insight on the North during the Troubles, the perception of Irish Republicans in the US and the importance of storytelling as part of preserving Irish culture. I hope you enjoy listening to this conversation. John has a magnificent way with words and has been proudly flying the flag for Ireland in New York all his life. Keep up to date with John: Instagram: @cabtivist For details about John’s upcoming shows and events: www.offthemeter.net

Pat Falvey is a world record-breaking Irish explorer, having been the first person to climb the highest Seven Summits of the world, twice! His journey starts from a council house in the Northside of Cork City, where he watched planes taking off and landing at Cork airport. He was a dreamer who went on to achieve his dreams such as climbing Mount Everest, leading great expeditions to some of the most extreme corners of our globe, and learning life's most important lessons from the remotest of tribes. In this episode, Pat talks about growing up as a Norrie, going on to become a millionaire aged just 20, to losing it all and becoming depressed aged 29. He explains how climbing Mount Carrauntoohil in County Kerry saved his life, as it gave him a new goal and motivation - to reach the summit of the highest mountain of them all, Mount Everest. Pat explains what he has learned from his achievements and his failures and how being Irish has been an important part of it all. Follow Pat and his adventures over on patfalvey.com, or @patfalveyexplorer on Instagram and YouTube.

To be Irish, is to be from the island of Ireland. Or so Google tells me. But have you ever considered what Irishness means to you? I’m your host, Úna Harty, and I’m super curious about Irishness in the context of modern society. I’m so excited to be chatting to load of wonderful and wacky Irish personalities on this brand new podcast. I want to go beyond the Book of Kells, the sraithphictiúrí and even Cheese and Onion Tayto kinds of Irishness. I’m going to be talking to Irish people who have a unique take on what it means to be Irish. Each episode is based on a guests’ life, interests and perspectives, so I hope there will be something for everyone to enjoy. If you have any feedback or suggestions for the show, get in touch with me on Instagram @howtobeirish.