Founded by actor/philanthropist Paul Newman in 1994 to “press play” for children affected by serious illness, Barretstown serves thousands of young people and families at its magical County Kildare castle and beyond with impactful programs across Ireland and the UK.

Our guest Dee Ahearn has been the driving force behind the Barretstown success story, joining in 2010 as CEO after an international career in marketing and communications with a stint as chairperson of the Make A Wish Foundation Ireland.

In this holiday episode Dee shares heartwarming stories of transformation, saying:
“Many parents will say that when they're on the drive out the gates of Barretstown, the conversation with their children is when can we come back? Why do we have to leave? This is better than Disney World! And the teenagers want to know how quickly I can come back, what age I need to be to become a volunteer. ”

But the serious fun of swimming, canoeing, horseback riding, arts & crafts, and putting on plays rests on a foundation of solid governance, a quality that attracted our additional guest Tony Dunne, Bank of Ireland’s US CFO, COO & US Country Manager, to chair the friend-raising and fundraising-focused Barretstown Foundation USA.

The conversation underscores the importance of community and international support, including the cross-Atlantic support from American families and volunteers, and wraps with Dee’s invitation to you to get involved and help Barretstown provide even more “serious fun.”

Links
Barretstown

• Website
• Donate
• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• Facebook
• YouTube
• TwitterX
• TikTok

Barretstown Foundation USA

• Instagram
• Facebook
• Year End Appeal

Dee Ahearn

• LinkedIn

Tony Dunne, CFO, COO & US Country Manager at Bank of Ireland US

• LinkedIn

Episode Details: Season 6, Episode 22; Total Episode Count: 102

In this episode of the Irish Stew Podcast, host Martin Nutty welcomes back Maurice Casey to discuss the exciting developments in his life since his last appearance. Now a Research Fellow at Queen's University in Belfast, Maurice talks about his first book 'Hotel Luxe, An Intimate History of Communism's Forgotten Radicals'. The book has garnered garnered critical acclaim and was shortlisted for an An Post Irish Book Award in the Hodges Figgis History Book of the Year category.

Maurice shares the fascinating origins and research process behind 'Hotel Luxe,' including uncovering the life of Wexford woman May O'Callaghan whose sufragette origins led to a key position in post revolutionary Russia's Comintern. The story focuses on Moscow's delapidated Hotel Luxe in the mid 1920s and the network of revolutionary connections May O'Callaghan established at the eponymous residence. The episode explores the significance of these revolutionary lives in today's context and Maurice reveals his next project focused on a vegetarian cafe in 1930s London that was a hub of anti-Nazi activity.

Hotel Lux Links

• Linktree
• Publisher Page: Footnote Press

Maurice Casey Links

• Website
• Archive Rats SubStack
• Instagram
• BlueSky
• Academia.edu
• LinkedIn

Episode Details:

• Episode 21 of Season 6
• Episode 101 of Irish Stew Podcast

Only 11% of podcasts make it to episode 50 and only 6.4% get to 100.

So, excuse The Stew if they’re feeling a wee bit chuffed to drop episode 100 today.
For this milestone show, co-hosts John Lee and Martin Nutty are on the receiving end of questions from Wexford’s own, attorney Shelley Ann Quilty-Lake, who grills the pair on their four-year journey, their podcast concept, the show’s evolution, their changing interview approach, and how they collaborate. They reflect on the podcast’s dynamic guest lineup from astronauts to archaeologists, standout moments in the first 99 episodes, what they see as their role in the Irish diaspora, and share the buzz from their recent “Irish Stew Gets Lost in Belfast Road Trip 2024” (episodes dropping mid-Jan.), the first, they hope, of many road trips across Global Irish Nation.

And they manage to humble brag about being on the short-list for three 2024 Irish Pod Awards—Best Society & Culture Podcast, Best Hosting Duo/Trio, and Best Editor (thanks to the Stew’s secret weapon, audio guru and inaugural guest Bill Schultz).

With thanks to Shelley Ann for her deft interrogation and deep appreciation for their intriguing guests and loyal listeners, Martin and John look forward to dishing out many more servings of Irish Stew for you.

Links

• Irish Stew Full Episode Listing
  
  
• Team Irish Stew Bios
  
  
• Bill Schultz Episode

Shelley Ann Quilty-Lake

• LinkedIn
  
  
• Facebook

Episode Details Season 6 - Episode 20

Cady Coleman splashes down on Irish Stew to help us explore“The Final Frontier” through the pages of her new book, Sharing Space: An Astronaut's Guide to Mission, Wonder, and Making Change.

Part memoir, part chronicle of the astronaut’s life, part manifesto for the power of mission, Sharing Space explores the significance of collaboration, diversity, and making the most of your missions in bringing people together to meet common goals. Through candid reflections and storytelling, “Astro Cady” tells tales that will inspire anyone, especially women and young people, to contribute to positive global change.

Our episode launches in Ireland under the giant planet Earth rotating at the end of the Trinity College Library Long Room and later touches down in Ireland at its earthiest at the National Ploughing Championships.
Join us on a trip from Ireland to the stars with the astronaut who played Paddy Moloney’s tin whistle and Matt Molloy’s flute while floating high above the Global Irish Nation in Space.

Links:

• Website
• Sharing Space Book Site

Social Media

• Twitter/X
• Facebook
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
  
  
• Seamus Plug: Cady Coleman public speaking
• Previous Irish Stew episode: Irish American Astronaut & Musician

Episode Details: Season 6, Episode 19

In this special check-in episode of the Irish Stew Podcast, host Martin Nutty welcomes back author Cauvery Madhavan to discuss her new novel, 'The Inheritance.' Cauvery shares the inspiration behind the novel, which weaves together stories from the Tudor conquest of Ireland and the more recent 1980s. Set in the Beara Peninsula, a place close to Cauvery's heart, the book explores themes of history, place, and identity while touching on the struggles of everyday people during turbulent times. The episode provides insights into the writing process, the research involved, and Cauvery's personal connection to the setting of the novel.

The Inheritance
It’s 1986 and 29-year-old Marlo O’Sullivan of London-Irish stock has just found out that his sister is his mother. To steady his life, he moves to Glengarriff, to a cottage he has inherited, in the stunning Beara Peninsula. When a neighbour dies unexpectedly, Marlo takes over his minibus service to Cork. There is nothing regular about the regulars on the bus – especially Sully, a non-verbal 6 year old, who goes nowhere but does the journey back and forth every day, on his own. Marlo is landed with this a strange but compassionate arrangement, fashioned to give the child’s mother respite from his care. Sully’s obsession with an imaginary friend in the ancient oak forests of Glengarriff slowly unveils its terrible secrets – a 400-hundred-year-old tragedy reveals itself.

Links

• Website
• The Inheritance
• Original Irish Stew Episode (July 2021)

Healthcare thought leader Michael J. Dowling returns to Irish Stew to discuss his new book The Aging Revolution: The History of Geriatric Health Care and What Really Matters to Older Adults, the launch of Northwell Studios to tell stories that humanize health care, and why he sees gun violence as a public health priority.
Last on Irish Stew in April, 2021, the Limerick-born Northwell Health CEO shares insights into the progress of geriatric healthcare, the societal challenges posed by an aging population, finding the one thing that matters to older adults, and the role of immigration in a graying world.

“We all want to age, nobody says I don't want to get older. So, we should have respect for people as they get older because we will be there someday ourselves,” he says.

Michael also tells how the new Northwell Studios will bring fresh storytelling to healthcare today, building on the success of the acclaimed Netflix documentary series Lenox Hill and Emergency NYC, and the Academy Award-shortlisted Covid-19 documentary The First Wave.

We wrap with Michael’s advocacy for viewing American gun violence as a public health crisis and how corporate America is embracing this new thinking.
To catch Michale Dowling’s infectious optimism, join us on this check-in episode of Irish Stew.

Links

• Website
• Book: The Aging Revolution
• Northwell Health: Michael Dowling
• LinkedIn

John Connell traveled far from Ireland in his 20s, and early in his career, his work yielded accolades in journalism and filmmaking. Yet happiness and contentment proved to be elusive. Returning to the family farm in Longford, one of Ireland's heartland counties, provided a restorative space to pursue a career as an author.

Three books followed, notably The Cow Book, which achieved critical acclaim; despite those successes, the way forward became unclear until an extended trip on the Camino de Santiago revealed the possibilities of another project that added deeper meaning to his life.

Join cohosts John Lee and Martin Nutty as they talk with John Connell about his latest book, The Lambing Season, and how life as a shepherd revealed new truths and understanding of what it takes to live well.

Links
Social Media

• Facebook
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Twitter/X

Books

• The Lambing Season
• The Cow Book (The Farmer's Son)
• The Running Book
• The Stream of Everything

Seamus Plug

• Conor Hammersley

Our Irish Stew Drinks Party is back with PJ Rigney, founder of The Shed Distillery--home of the breakout star of the burgeoning Irish gin category, Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish Gin, along with its Sausage Tree Irish Vodka, and Drumshanbo Irish Whiskey.

The magic happened when PJ rolled the dice after an innovative career in the global drinks industry to strike out on his own.
“To build a distillery is one thing, to create the product is another thing, but to create a way of communicating to consumers to build a brand is another thing entirely,” he says.

PJ wanted his distillery to be in the wild, un-manicured heart of rural Ireland, a place of curiosity & inspiration, surrounded by nature, immersed in rich history. He found it all in the beautiful village of Drumshanbo Co.Leitrim, on the shores of Lough Allen, at the foothills of Sliabh an Iarainn (The Iron Mountain).
His Shed Distillery is now a major contributor to the Leitrim economy and a draw for spirits enthusiasts and tourists worldwide.

Join us as we explore the role of innovation and storytelling in spirits sector success straight from the curious mind of PJ Rigney.

Links
The Shed Distillery

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

Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish Gin

• Website

PJ Rigney

• LinkedIn