In this episode of Irish Stew, hosts John Lee and Martin Nutty welcome Julie Breathnach-Banwait, a poet and child psychologist. Julie shares her unique journey from her Connemara home (Ceantar an nOileán) off the west coast of Ireland to the island of Tasmania off the south coast of Australia.

Julie discusses her deep connection to the Irish language, her published works, her latest poetry collection, Split Bones (Cnámha Scoilte), and her experiences living in Tasmania. She reads a poignant bilingual poem exploring themes of emergence and transformation. The episode delves into Julie's nuanced prose poetry, her creative process, and how writing in Irish helps her reconnect with her roots while living far from her birthplace.

Julie Links

• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• TwitterX

Split Bones (Cnámha Scoilte )

• Publisher: Bobtail Books
• Amazon USA
• Amazon UK

This episode of Irish Stew features an in-depth discussion with Dr. Elizabeth Stack, the Executive Director of the American Irish Historical Society (AIHS).

Dr. Stack discusses her journey from Listowel, County Kerry, to her academic career in history and her role in developing the Irish American Heritage Museum in Albany and revitalizing the AIHS.

Recorded at the AIHS's historic Fifth Avenue headquarters in New York, the conversation delves into the importance of preserving Irish American history, the challenges of maintaining the society's landmark building, and the efforts to engage younger generations in Irish heritage. Dr. Stack also reflects on the broader themes of immigration and community integration, emphasizing the continuing relevance of these issues today.

Links
Elizabeth Stack

• LinkedIn

American Irish Historical Society

• Website
• Facebook
• Twitter

In New York for the annual New York New Belfast Conference, Máirtín Ó Muilleoir swung by the Irish Stew Global Headquarters for a transatlantic conversation with co-host John Lee.

In this episode, the Belfast Media Group and Irish Echo publisher tells of growing up during The Troubles, watching gun battles on his Belfast street, his move into politics, the less-than-warm reception he got as a Sinn Féin Belfast City Councillor, the superpower he discovered during his eventful year as the Lord Mayor of Belfast, and his tireless efforts to reach across divides, connect communities, and build bridges.

“When I had to reach out to the other side--sometimes that was tough--but every time I did I was met halfway--not 50 percent of the time, not 70 percent--every time,“ he says. “Every initiative we did reaching out to the Protestant or Unionist people, they responded with generosity and grace.”

He reflects on personal challenges, the conundrum he found waiting for him in the Lord Mayor’s office, his fondest memory from his one-year term, the electricity in the air of the new Belfast, the ongoing need for social justice, the imperative to grow economic opportunity, the indispensable contributions of Irish America, and reason the Northern Ireland Hospice earned his “Seamus Plug,”

And you’ll hear the curious story behind the remarkable Robert Ballagh portrait of him that broke the mold in the “Dome of Delight.”

Links
Social Media

• Twitter/X
• LinkedIn
• Facebook

Business Interests

• Belfast Media Group
• Irish Echo
• Aisling Events

Seamus Plug

• Northern Ireland Hospice

Vibrant Vivienne Sayers O'Callaghan is an Irish Gen Z entrepreneur, Irish language and culture advocate, and NYC social media influencer rapidly rising to the “top of the heap” as Frank Sinatra croons in “New York, New York.”

Viv mixes lively chronicles of her New York adventures with spoon-sized servings of the Irish language and Irish culture, a formula which has earned her almost 40K Instagram followers while her 153K TikTok followers have given her posts over 2.3M likes!

Originally from rural County Cork, Vivian tells of attending an Irish-language girls' boarding school, her foray into classical music conducting, how much she learned starting her own plant business, her inroads into the New York Irish scene, cultural adjustments she’s made as a young Irish woman in New York, and the surprising response her Irish language content is getting from jaded New Yorkers.
Her energy is infectious and once you catch the bug from listening to this lively episode, follow her antics and adventures on social media and enjoy the ride through Viv’s eyes!

Links

• TikTok: vivienne_in_nyc
• Instagram: vivienne_in_nyc
• Patreon: VivienneInNYC
• LinkedIn
• Facebook

Is this one of our author episodes or should it fall into our Irish Drinks category because your co-hosts have grabbed a table by the pot-bellied stove at New York’s legendary McSorley's Old Ale House for a conversation with author, cultural creator, and impresario Charles R. Hale.

Charles is known for curating lively artistic salons, producing eclectic concerts, and presenting original performance pieces that blend music, imagery, video, and storytelling.

We focus on his deeply personal new book Untangling the Shadows: Searching for the Voices of my New York Irish Ancestors. Part memoir, part family history, and something of a detective story, the book traces his search in New York and Ireland for the clues to “untangling the shadows” of his family’s stories.

Over light and dark ale, we delve into his Irish roots, family history, his unlikely path to a creative life, and the diverse art forms he explores.

Why McSorley’s? Charles wrote parts of his book at the same table we’re sitting at, the place is dripping with Irish American history, and McSorley’s has been the muse of artists ranging from famed chronicler of New York Joseph Mitchell to Ashcan school painter John Sloan. Everyone from Abe Lincoln to John Lennon has passed through McSorley’s swinging doors since it opened in 1854. It remains a welcoming refuge where one good ale inevitably leads to another…if you follow their one golden rule:
Be Good or Begone.

We were—Sláinte!

Charles Hale Links:
Websites:

• Charles R. Hale

Social Media:

• Facebook
• Facebook group: NYC: Its Culture, History, Music, Theatre, Film, Art & People - hosted by Charles R. Hale
• Instagram

Book Purchase Link:

• Amazon

McSorley's Old Ale House

• Website

Writer, performer, and force of nature, born Morag Prunty, but best known by her pen name Kate Kerrigan whisks us from London where she grew up with an Irish identity to Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way where she’s living with an English accent.

In this episode, Kate spins tales of idyllic childhood summers in Mayo, the dynamics of being Irish in England during the turbulent 70s and 80s, her challenges in navigating the complex terrain of her Irish identity, and her late-in-life recognition of the obstacles and superpowers in her ADHD.

An in-demand London magazine editor despite dropping out of school at age 15, Kate became a successful novelist with the New York Times bestseller Ellis Island to her credit. Now she’s taken her act to the stage, earning raves for her acclaimed one-woman show, Am I Irish Yet?, which dives into her “feels Irish but sounds English” dilemma in a performance resonating with audiences in Ireland, the UK, and from anyone not living where they were born.

Kate’s next goal is to bring this tour de force to the world’s capital of people not living where they were born—New York City.

Join us for a deeply personal exploration of identity, belonging, and cultural heritage, along with more than a bit of craic with the irrepressible Kate Kerrigan!

Links:
Websites:

• Kate Kerrigan
• Am I Irish Yet?
• Circus 250: Am I Irish Yet?
  
  

Instagram:

• @katekerriganauthor
• @amiirishyet

Other Social Media:

• Facebook
  
  
• Twitter/X
  
  
• LinkedIn: Morag Prunty

In this episode, cohosts John and Martin dive into the world of Olympic shot putting with their guest, Eric Favors, an athlete representing Ireland.

Born and raised in Rockland County, New York, with a rich Irish heritage, Eric shares his journey from trying various sports to specializing in track and field. He discusses the intricacies of shot put, a sport that demands not just brute strength but finesse, technique, and a fine balance between power and agility. Eric also touches on the importance of understanding the technical aspects of shot put, his training regimen, diet, and the mental fortitude needed for competing at the highest levels.

The conversation covers his personal background, experiences growing up in an Irish-American enclave, the evolution of his career, the challenges of maintaining an athletic lifestyle, and his aspirations for the Olympics. Additionally, Eric and the hosts explore the avenues of dealing with the pressures of professional sports, the rigorous drug testing protocols in athletics, and how social media and YouTube play a role in connecting with fans and showcasing the athlete's journey. The episode concludes with Eric's future plans, both within and outside of his athletic career.

Links

• YouTube
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter/X

Irish Stew goes to Canada for a most “Global Irish Nation Conversation” with Jackie Gilna, who’s been Irish in Dublin, Spain, the Netherlands, and now she's Irish in Canada's capital, Ottawa. And through a new venture, she's Irish all around the world.

Jackie launched We Are Global Irish this year to showcase Irish innovation, connect Irish businesses and organizations globally, drive opportunities to and from the island of Ireland, and to engage the Irish diaspora and anyone with an affinity for Ireland. Her “WAGI” platform is an online center for networking, collaboration, and commerce within the international Irish community.

We Are Global Irish is a natural outgrowth of a career that included founding and leading the Irish Canada Business Council and co-founding and leading the Ireland Canada Chamber of Commerce.

Jackie talks of balancing the Irish storytelling culture with the need for direct communications skills in international business, how “Plastic Paddy” thinking is “sand in the gears” for the Irish diaspora, the case for diaspora representation in the Oireachtas, and the bid by Chairman of New York’s St. Patrick's Day Foundation Hilary Beirne to earn the National University of Ireland panel nomination to Seanad Éireann.

Jackie closes with a heartfelt “Seamus Plug” to support your local hospice for children in Ireland or abroad. And she welcomes you to join the We Are Global Irish movement!

Links:
We Are Global Irish

• Website
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Twitter/X

Jackie Gilna

• LinkedIn
• Twitter/X