Long reads about real people

Samuel Casey, an Irish visual artist left his hometown in Dublin to find adventure and inspiration in New York, eventually landing his dream role assisting world-renowned photographer Spencer Tunik. He describes how the experience changed his life and gave him new artistic direction and determination, overcoming some long-held inhibitions in the process.
Meet Mark and Vivienne Lucey, partners in both life and beer making. The duo founded Dublin-based LINEMAN Brewery in 2017, turning Electronic Engineer Mark’s passion for brewing into a business; but the story of LINEMAN actually stretches much further back to pre-craft beer boom Ireland.
Hazel and Kari spend their days running projects that give artists much needed support and take the public on inspiring, immersive journeys. Here we discuss their huge reverence for nature, the merits of being creative and the value placed on art by society.
Emma Flynn is a mother, a midwife and a successful artist. Her hugely popular Instagram page showcases her illustrations about her experience of motherhood, the highs and the extreme lows. In this interview Emma talks candidly about her experience with post-natal depression and how she used art to help herself get better.
Dave Mulligan is the man behind the newly-opened Bar 1661, which is dedicated to celebrating the incredible variety and history of Poitín, a drink with an unique story. Here he explains how his passion for Poitín came about, and how its taken him on a journey from bar to brand owner and back again, via the streets of London and Dublin.
Lily Ramirez-Foran has called Ireland home for the past 18.5 years. In this interview we learn about her route here. Why she is passionate about Mexican food and why the history of it is so important.
The story of Conor Lyons’ ‘island inspired’ Rock Steady Food Company is much like the batches of hot sauce he and business partner Aaron Comerford concoct, just the right amount of luck, support, passion and timing were necessary to bring the mix together.
Nick Reynold’s Caribbean Kitchen ‘Lil Portie’ has proven to be a hit with Dubliners. Here he explains how he developed the idea to fuse the Jamaican recipes taught to him by his Nan with cooking techniques inspired by his travels in South America.
Barry Wallace opened his latest eatery Pang on Dublin’s Kevin Street a year ago, a healthy takeaway specialising in Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls. Here he explains how the recession became the catalyst for starting his own business, how a market stall opened with a friend in a suburban business park became a successful brand and how his travels in Asia and passion for variety and sustainability inspired him to bring this latest unique concept to Dublin.
The Trinity College Zoological Museum is tucked away towards the back of the Trinity College campus. Housed within the busy Zoology Department, the museum is enthusiastically staffed by the students themselves. Curator Dr Martyn Linnie discusses his vision for the future of one of the city’s most unusual attractions, and shares some of the fascinating tales behind the specimens themselves.
A death in the family prompted Brian McMahon to digitise his prized collection of old Irish adverts and pop culture keepsakes. What began as a hobby evolved into a blog, and from that grew the award-winning Brandnewretro.ie, a digital time-capsule preserving over 3,000 of them, all scanned and uploaded by Brian himself.
Kelli and Patrick Marjolet started dabbling in chocolate-making after getting an unexpected gift of cocoa beans from a friend in San Francisco. Their passion for the process eventually led to them leaving their respective careers in the corporate world to start their own business, The Proper Chocolate Company.
Ireland is experiencing a craft beer revolution, with smaller independent brands swaying the masses away from the mainstays. One of these is DOT brew. Founded by Shane Kelly in 2015, they have focused on serving up distinctive brews to their followers. Here Shane describes his passion for brewing, and how it all came about in the first instance.
Breaking into the fashion industry can be tough but Dublin-native and National College of Art and Design graduate Aisling Duffy is blazing her own trail. She’s creating work that is resonating at home and abroad. Here she describes the process of discovering her identity as an artist, developing a brand of her own that was true to her values and the various passion projects, and commissions she keeps up on the side.
Laura Molloy is a Latvian native that made the move to Ireland well over a decade ago. In this interview she talks about how she graduated from working in a factory to running an award winning cocktail bar in south Dublin.
Artist Ciarán Taylor talks about his ambitious (and successful) community art project. He is recreating a cairn (old Celtic structure) on the Dublin Mountains with the help of the local community. Individuals are walking from Tallaght to the cairn site with pieces of boulder. In this interview he talks about his reasons for doing this project.
Just a browse of Maria Tapper’s CV will have you in awe. She is a costume designer that has worked with Ikea, the Wexford Opera Festival, Macnas and John Rocha to name but a few. In this interview she explains how she broke into the industry and what entails staying relevant in it.
The Dublin branch of the High Hopes Community Choir explored the concept of home as part of This is Pop Baby’s ‘Where We Live’ performance series at the St Patrick’s Festival. High Hopes have a particularly special insight into the word as they are no ordinary choir, being entirely made up by individuals who have experienced the hardship of having nowhere at all to call home. In this interview we chat with what the choir means to its members.
The Cupcake Bloke aka Graham Herterich talks about how he went from working in high end kitchens to studying to become a priest, to dropping out to create his own business. This interview details how a series of lucky breaks took him to where he is now, a successful business owner with a regular TV slot.
In this interview we meet Steve O’Donnell the owner of the creative agency, All Out Design. He explains how his love of graffiti and teaching led him to working with organisations like RTÉ and Adidas. He also talks about a stunt that got him over a million views worldwide and his work philosophy.
Alicia Byrne-Keane (stage name ABK) talks about her path to Spoken Word, what the scene is like in Ireland and her preferred poetry form. Her humourous style has made her a fan of many. She is a regular performer and organiser on the Spoken Word scene.
Paul O Connor and Stephen Clinch are cousins and owners of Trouble Brewing. In this interview they talk about their desire to get away from working for someone else so that they could own something of their own. They also chat about not chasing targets and their love of a good pun.
A rugby injury helped Adam Kilbride discover Parkour. He talks about his love of the sport and how it allows him to connect on a deeper level with an urban environment.
Hugo Camacho Romero is the owner of Café Azetca in Dublin. He’s from Mexico City and has lived in Ireland since the 90’s. In this interview he talks about his passion for real Mexican food and his mission to teach people about it. He shares his love of Irish culture which led him to learn the tin whistle and flute. He also talks about his other love, water polo.
DJ Killian Redmond talks about how Dabbledoo Music, an online music resource for teachers, came into being. He chats about how everyone is capable of musical ability, it just depends on how it’s taught. He also laments the lack of funding the arts get in contrast to the sciences.
Bethan talks about how her son’s unexplained illness spurned her on to develop a compassion based training targeted at children. She also expresses her skepticism about the mindfulness movement.
Read about a couple that both left their respective careers in animation and film. They transferred their creative skills into opening a unique florist, locally famed for it’s imaginative displays.
Rachel Lee set an Irish record when she swam the English channel. She also rescued a man from the river Liffey in the course of her job as a Dublin firefighter. In this interview she talks about how to train for the channel swim with a family and full-time job.
Brian Kenny, founder of Silverskin, details how his first job in coffee at aged sixteen determined his career. He shares his experience of opening up a coffee-shop in Dublin’s most expensive property, to getting nudged out by Starbucks. Read how he get to where he is now, owner of a coffee roastery.
Peters day job is as a firefighter for the Dublin Fire Brigade but it’s his activities outside of work that piqued our interest. From champion kick-boxer to president of the Irish whiskey association to his current quest, to climb the seven summits of the world… he’s got two left to climb.
Ali Lowndes talks about the current landscape in Dublin for makers. She shares her story about how she built her business, a vintage inspired company that creates handmade cards, miniature teacup jewellery, laser cut jewellery, collar brooches and retro head scarves. She also explains the realities of being a self-employed mother.
Niall Kinsella is a veteran firefighter for the Dublin Fire Brigade. He talks about his long career. From colleagues that committed suicide to ungrateful members of the public. He explains the adrenaline rush of going into a fire as well as the comradery of his squad and why he loves his job.
Violet Connaughton talks about her time playing soccer for Ireland in the 1970’s. She recounts the camaraderie of the women and how a funeral reunited them once more. It was a period of Irish sporting history that the Football Association of Ireland still has not recognised.
Read about Ciaran Burke, a gardener that set up a social enterprise gardening initiative in Dublin. Its mission is to support the unemployed & people with intellectual disabilities.
Oliver talks about why he set up his dumpling business in Ireland. He explains why doing business in China is oppressive compared to the openness of Ireland. He also enthuses about why he wants people to try real Chinese food.
Steve McCarthy is a celebrated illustrator that has worked with several worldwide brands such as Jameson whiskey. In this interview, he recounts how he never took a formal educational exam. He details how he managed to get admitted to art school despite the challenges set against him.
Peter Sztal, co-founder of Cloud Picker coffee, talks about his journey from Poland to Ireland. He details how a family tragedy inspired his motto, “no regrets”. He shares how he fell in love with an Irish man and how their relationship produced two companies.
Artist Leah Hewson talks about how she shunned art at one stage in order to fit in. She charts the point that she finally embraced it. She shares how her art has evolved and the challenges for an artist starting out.
Tae Kim explains how his childhood in Alaska informed his current business. He details his career from the design director of The North Face for over six years to his creation of a movement he calls casual camping.
Alec Farmer, founder of Trakke, talks about the journey of his company who specialise in handmade outdoor bags; the importance of Glasgow and his ambition to bring manufacturing back to Britain.
Nadine Schrader and Julia Wilczok share a love for moving images. After their ways had parted for many years they finally crossed again at a New Year’s Eve Party in Berlin. It marked the start of a new beginning, indeed: They founded their own business Acapulco to direct movies for the advertising industry. Here they talk about their varied experiences as an independent directors duo.
Whisky specialist Angus MacRaild has witnessed the whisky industry dramatically change in the past decade and not always for the best. Here he speaks candidly about his passion for whisky that began from a surprisingly young age.
James Earley is a successful Dublin based artist. In this interview he talks about his family ties to art, how he got into the sub-culture of graffiti and why his designs were chosen by Jameson Whiskey.
Daniel Dennehy is an Irish champion freestyler footballer that is based in London. He also talks about producing beats for American chart topper Fatty Waps.
Ben had an accident that resulted in him having to use a wheelchair. His Doctor’s advice was to not return to Berlin. However, Ben proved him wrong.
After many attempts Chris Flack left the corporate world to dedicate his life to teaching Eastern philosophy in a Western world. Read how volunteering in India and morning raves in Ireland helped him get on his path.
Shane Bonner has set up the first shared use kitchen in Ireland. He talks about going from the dole to challenging the government to get it done.
Angela Dorgan is the CEO of First Music Contact. In this interview she explains why she is driven to protect musicians with the fierceness of a brown bear.
Cheryl Dolan’s brother’s suicide led her to find the sport of bodybuilding. She talks about her tumultuous journey to that point and her success in the sport which is a surprise to her.
We talk to Shaun O’Boyle, about his work in the Science Gallery, the radio he has produced and why the future for him is entertainment.
Eamon McGee is president of the Federation of Beekeepers of Ireland. He explains why he loves bees.
Timi Ogunyemi spent his childhood living around the world but now Dublin is home. He tells us about his experience living in Ireland’s capital city.
Leonard Hanna is the man behind the huge resurgence of pro wrestling interest in Ireland. He tells us why he loves what he does.
We talk to Mick Reddy & Pieter Reid of Native Blenders. They talk about lack of government support for their business & how money does not drive them.
We talk to radio producer Julien Clancy about working at luck and what drives him to make radio.
World Champion boxer Alicia Ashley talks about her background in dance, how she regrets turning pro and being a stuntwoman in films like Girlfight.
Journalist Jim Carroll is a rarity in a modern world that his become scared to offend, he asks the hard questions. He talks to us about his journey to where he is now.
Dublin native Ruth O’Sullivan talks about her boxing career in New York and how she balanced it with motherhood.
We talk to Kevin Johnstone & Ray O’Hara about why they left their office jobs to make cold press juices.
With his thick beard, long hair and softly spoken voice an immediate parallel to the singer Devendra Banhart circa 2008 springs to mind when you first meet artist Adam Gibney.
Blacks of Kinsale is a husband and wife team. We learn why they left their careers in nursing and engineering to brew beer.
Graphic designer Duane Dalton talks about his hugely popular stamp project and about his path to a London agency.
Alex and Luigi are childhood friends from Nairobi. They came together in Celbridge, County Kildare, Ireland to set up their coffee shop, Baobab.
Pierce Healy is an illustrator, jeweller and musician. After several years pursuing a music dream in San Francisco he returned to his home in Dublin to focus on design.
Alex Petrilli used to work for the Italian army as a dog specialist during natural disasters. He then went on to work for tech companies like Facebook, eventually his love of dogs called him back.
Bike shop owner and mechanic, Sean Papenfuss talks about travel, fatherhood and taking risks.
It’s not about the money for chocolate maker Shana Wilkie. Her motivation is to create an environmentally sustainable business.
Dr Brock distills gin in south London. We learn why she decided against a career in medicine.
Irish designer Niamh Spain talks about how Japan influences her as well as the risk of undervaluing your work.
Ms Joan Stokes talks about her time teaching in Ghana during the 1960s.
Hailing from Atlanta Georgia, Brian Short talks about his background in art which eventually led to brewing beer in Dublin Ireland.
Brian Birdy is a coffee roaster from Monaghan. He tells us how a series of chances led to where he is now.