Voices of Boyle
- Episodes
- 98
- Released
- monthly
- Location
- Boyle, County Roscommon, Ireland
- Latest episode
- Oct 25, 2026
About the podcast
Finally, after years of talking about bringing a podcast to Boyle, we’re live! This podcast is our way of documenting stories about Boyle and its people.So what motivated us to take this big leap into the unknown (it’s our first time recording audio and doing interviews!)? We were lucky enough to spend 7+ years travelling and, like the majority of people that live abroad, we came back to Boyle with a greater appreciation for our hometown, its people and its history.We love the idea of creating a space on the internet where people from all over the world can tune in to listen to stories about Boyle. Each show will feature a different guest and we hope to cover lots of topics ranging from the old fair days to current events that are happening in the town.
Contributors
- Carlo CretaroHost
- Florence CretaroHost
Episodes 98
Ruth Regan - A Dive Into The Archives
Send us Fan MailEp 97---Ruth Regan joins Florence to talk about growing up on Handley Avenue, getting a degree at 39, and the stories she has dug out of old Roscommon newspapers.In this episode:Calling to …
Show notes
Ep 97---
Ruth Regan joins Florence to talk about growing up on Handley Avenue, getting a degree at 39, and the stories she has dug out of old Roscommon newspapers.
In this episode:
Calling to Francie Geelan’s house to find out when the disco was on
Bugsy Malone, the first film when the cinema reopened in 1977
Bosco the German Wizard pulling a dozen eggs out of an empty bag at the courthouse in 1861
Alex Linton, the sword swallower from Boyle
The prisoner who walked out of the Bridewell in his wife’s clothes
Visit the blog post that goes along with this episode - https://www.voicesofboyle.com/ruthreganJoin us on:
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If you’d like to be on the show or if you know someone who would like to chat with us, then drop us an email at ( [email protected] )
Thanks to Brendan O' Dowd for creating and recording the musical piece for the podcast.Tommy King - Butchery, Darts & Painting Boyle's History
Send us Fan MailEp 96---Tommy King grew up in a house with a shop in the front room, where neighbours knocked at eleven at night for a drop of milk. In 1984 he started as an apprentice butcher with Stanley …
Show notes
Ep 96---
Tommy King grew up in a house with a shop in the front room, where neighbours knocked at eleven at night for a drop of milk. In 1984 he started as an apprentice butcher with Stanley Taylor on £30.30 a week, and on his first morning he had his arm down a pickle barrel, numb to the shoulder. He talks about twenty years behind the counter, Thursday darts nights in Boyle's pubs, and the paintings he started about four years ago.
Check out the full blog post for this episode - https://www.voicesofboyle.com/tommy_king/Join us on:
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If you’d like to be on the show or if you know someone who would like to chat with us, then drop us an email at ( [email protected] )
Thanks to Brendan O' Dowd for creating and recording the musical piece for the podcast.Jane Suffin & Paul Forde - The Aldi Project in Boyle
Send us Fan MailEp 95---3,207 signatures in four days. That is what a table on The Crescent and an online petition gathered in support of Aldi's plans for the old Candon's site on Patrick Street …
Show notes
Ep 95---
3,207 signatures in four days. That is what a table on The Crescent and an online petition gathered in support of Aldi's plans for the old Candon's site on Patrick Street, while the planning appeal against it waits on a decision. Jane Suffin, who started the petition, and former postmaster Paul Forde sit down with Florence and Carlo, who were on the team with them, to talk about why a supermarket matters so much to a town the size of Boyle, and about who turned up to sign.
Check out the full blog post about this episode - https://www.voicesofboyle.com/the-aldi-project-boyle/Join us on:
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If you’d like to be on the show or if you know someone who would like to chat with us, then drop us an email at ( [email protected] )
Thanks to Brendan O' Dowd for creating and recording the musical piece for the podcast.Andrea Cosgrave - Family Travel & Making Memories
Send us Fan MailEp 94---Andrea Cosgrave set up a travel page to document a family trip to Iceland. The trip never happened. It was the Saint Patrick's weekend that the country shut down, and she was left …
Show notes
Ep 94---
Andrea Cosgrave set up a travel page to document a family trip to Iceland. The trip never happened. It was the Saint Patrick's weekend that the country shut down, and she was left with an empty account and a folder of older photographs.She started posting them anyway. Six years and somewhere past twenty countries later, she talks to Florence about spreadsheets, Thailand, a passport that expired at the check in desk, and why she would rather it was hard in the sunshine.
Check out the full blog post for this episode -
https://www.voicesofboyle.com/andrea-cosgrave/Join us on:
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If you’d like to be on the show or if you know someone who would like to chat with us, then drop us an email at ( [email protected] )
Thanks to Brendan O' Dowd for creating and recording the musical piece for the podcast.Paul Connolly - Landed Estates of County Roscommon
Send us Fan MailEp 93---Historian and author Paul Connolly joins Carlo for what turned into a proper local history lesson.It starts with a ruin across the road from his national school in Mount Talbot, and a …
Show notes
Ep 93---
Historian and author Paul Connolly joins Carlo for what turned into a proper local history lesson.
It starts with a ruin across the road from his national school in Mount Talbot, and a teacher named Sonny Cronin who had his pupils naming spring flowers in Latin and Irish decades before anyone used the word biodiversity. It goes on through sixteen years of senior hurling, and the void that opens when the matches stop.
Then there is the day that changed everything. Paul took a day off work, drove to Boyle, walked into King House and introduced himself to Tommy Egan. Three or four hours later he drove back to Galway with a whole book formed in his head.
In this conversation: the night Rockingham burned in 1957 and the local people who saved what furniture they could. Why King House is standing today and Moat Park is not. The Quakers of Frybrook who fed the starving from their own kitchen. Castle Island, the McDermotts, and the castle Yeats never built. Why the gate lodges survived when the mansions did not.
And a question worth sitting with. We are the most photographed generation who ever lived, and we may be the one that leaves the least behind.
Check out the full blog post for this episode - https://www.voicesofboyle.com/paulconnolly
Join us on:
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If you’d like to be on the show or if you know someone who would like to chat with us, then drop us an email at ( [email protected] )
Thanks to Brendan O' Dowd for creating and recording the musical piece for the podcast.Nicola Wynne - War Zones, Skyscrapers and the Road Back To Boyle
Send us Fan MailEp 92---This week, Carlo chats with Nicola Wynne, who grew up on the Carrick Road and went on to live a life you would struggle to believe.She spent five and a half years with the United Nations …
Show notes
Ep 92---
This week, Carlo chats with Nicola Wynne, who grew up on the Carrick Road and went on to live a life you would struggle to believe.She spent five and a half years with the United Nations in former Yugoslavia during the war. She was also based in New York on September 11th 2001. She built a 20-year career in real estate in New Jersey. And when she lost her father and her American visa in the same year, she came home to Boyle for three years during COVID that she still calls some of the happiest and most healing of her life.
Nicola lives in Mallorca now, but this conversation is a love letter to Boyle and to what home really means.
Have a listen, and share it on to someone who would appreciate it.
Check out the full length blog post that goes along with this episode over on https://www.voicesofboyle.com/nicolawynne/Join us on:
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If you’d like to be on the show or if you know someone who would like to chat with us, then drop us an email at ( [email protected] )
Thanks to Brendan O' Dowd for creating and recording the musical piece for the podcast.Vincent Beirne - The Truth
Send us Fan MailEp 91---Carlo and Florence sit down with Vincent Beirne, originally from Plunkett Avenue in Boyle, now living in the west of Ireland, for a wide-ranging conversation about life, loss, healing …
Show notes
Ep 91---
Carlo and Florence sit down with Vincent Beirne, originally from Plunkett Avenue in Boyle, now living in the west of Ireland, for a wide-ranging conversation about life, loss, healing and the path he has taken since losing his father.
Vincent talks about growing up in Boyle, his father's profound influence on his life, losing a property at 21 through adverse possession, the shamanic practice he trained in and now works with, his understanding of soul loss, the man he helped over a 22-year alcohol relapse, the election he stood in as an independent, and his vision for bringing a rambling house back to Boyle.
He also talks about the fire, the importance of looking within, and what he would put on a billboard in the town.
Check out for full blog post to go with this episode - https://www.voicesofboyle.com/vincentbeirne/Join us on:
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If you’d like to be on the show or if you know someone who would like to chat with us, then drop us an email at ( [email protected] )
Thanks to Brendan O' Dowd for creating and recording the musical piece for the podcast.Dolores Sheerin - You Leave With A Tale To Tell
Send us Fan MailEp 90---Carlo and Florence sit down with Dolores Sheerin, a Termon woman with a life full of stories. From working as a telephonist in Galway in the late 1970s, where she answered a bomb threat …
Show notes
Ep 90---
Carlo and Florence sit down with Dolores Sheerin, a Termon woman with a life full of stories.
From working as a telephonist in Galway in the late 1970s, where she answered a bomb threat during the Troubles and climbed onto the roof of the telephone exchange to watch Pope John Paul II bless them from his helicopter, to raising three sons in Boyle, joining the Moylurg Writers Group and discovering she could write, and travelling to Bosnia in 1994 with 26 suitcases of aid during the war.
Dolores also shares memories of characters and corners of Boyle that have largely disappeared, her deep faith, and the poem she wrote for the Moylurg writers simply called Boyle. A warm, funny, moving and genuinely memorable conversation.
Check out for full blog post to accompany this episode here - https://www.voicesofboyle.com/doloressheerinJoin us on:
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If you’d like to be on the show or if you know someone who would like to chat with us, then drop us an email at ( [email protected] )
Thanks to Brendan O' Dowd for creating and recording the musical piece for the podcast.David McGee - Ships, Cameras and a Silver Play Button
Send us Fan MailEp 89---Carlo sits down with David McGee, a young man from Boyle who has quietly built one of the most niche and impressive YouTube channels in Ireland. Blue Star Line, his channel dedicated to …
Show notes
Ep 89---
Carlo sits down with David McGee, a young man from Boyle who has quietly built one of the most niche and impressive YouTube channels in Ireland.Blue Star Line, his channel dedicated to historically accurate 3D ship animations, has over 127,000 subscribers and a single video with close to 7 million views.
David talks about growing up beside the boys school in Boyle, his grandfather Dick McGee's influence on his love of photography and storytelling, making short films on a Nintendo 3DS, his obsession with the Titanic since the age of four or five, and how a school musical called All Shook Up set him on the path to technical production.
He also covers commissions from Italian documentary companies, drone footage of the hot air balloons at Lough Key that went viral, working on the film "Ann" in Boyle, and what it takes to render a 20-minute animation that can take a month to produce.
A genuinely fascinating conversation about creativity, craft and a passion pursued quietly but brilliantly.
Check out the full blog post on this episode - https://www.voicesofboyle.com/davidmcgeeJoin us on:
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If you’d like to be on the show or if you know someone who would like to chat with us, then drop us an email at ( [email protected] )
Thanks to Brendan O' Dowd for creating and recording the musical piece for the podcast.Mairead Cogan - Farming, Fitness and Volunteering
Send us Fan MailEp 88---Carlo sits down with Mairead Cogan, the youngest of six children raised on a farm in the Curlew Mountains, who went on to play GAA, break her leg and ankle in 2019, discover a passion …
Show notes
Ep 88---
Carlo sits down with Mairead Cogan, the youngest of six children raised on a farm in the Curlew Mountains, who went on to play GAA, break her leg and ankle in 2019, discover a passion for coaching, and found her own fitness business, Supple Fitness.
But this episode is about more than fitness. Mairead also talks about two volunteer trips to Africa with Plant the Planet Games in partnership with Self Help Africa and Warriors for Humanity. A warm, honest and genuinely moving conversation about hard work, community, perspective, and what really matters in life.
Check out the full blog post - https://www.voicesofboyle.com/maireadcogan
Join us on:
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If you’d like to be on the show or if you know someone who would like to chat with us, then drop us an email at ( [email protected] )
Thanks to Brendan O' Dowd for creating and recording the musical piece for the podcast.Paul Forde - Boyle Post Office
Send us Fan MailEp 87---In towns like Boyle, a post office was never just a place to buy stamps or send parcels. It was where news arrived before phones ever rang, where pensions were collected with a handshake …
Show notes
Ep 87---
In towns like Boyle, a post office was never just a place to buy stamps or send parcels. It was where news arrived before phones ever rang, where pensions were collected with a handshake and a chat, and where generations crossed the same threshold week after week. The red brick building on Shop Street stood quietly at the centre of it all, watching the town change while somehow staying the same.
For decades, people stepped inside carrying letters, savings books, worries, and good news. Behind the counter for the past few decades stood a familiar face who saw Boyle through its busiest days and its quietest moments, through the shift from handwritten envelopes to digital screens, from queues at the counter to a changing world outside the door.
Today both Florence and I are sitting down with the last postmaster of the old Post Office, Paul Forde. This is a conversation about community, memory, and a place that meant far more than its walls ever suggested. Because when a post office leaves a building like that, it’s not just a relocation. It marks the end of an era in the life of the town.
You’re very welcome to the Voices of Boyle. This is episode 87 with Paul Forde.
If you'd like to see some photos of the final day of business with Paul and customers, then please click hereJoin us on:
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If you’d like to be on the show or if you know someone who would like to chat with us, then drop us an email at ( [email protected] )
Thanks to Brendan O' Dowd for creating and recording the musical piece for the podcast.Maria Liddy - Our Home In Lough Key
Send us Fan MailEp 86---Maria Liddy's story begins in Enniskerry, Co. Wicklow, where her parents ran a restaurant in Dalkey while the family lived up in the mountains. When Maria was 8, they made the leap …
Show notes
Ep 86---
Maria Liddy's story begins in Enniskerry, Co. Wicklow, where her parents ran a restaurant in Dalkey while the family lived up in the mountains. When Maria was 8, they made the leap to Boyle, taking on the Lakeshore Restaurant at Lough Key Forest Park. It was only two and a half hours away, but it felt like a different world.
Growing up with 800 acres as your back garden turns out to be as magical as it sounds. Maria describes watching deer graze on the front lawn by lamplight on winter evenings, the mist over the water on September mornings, and the chaos of the ballooning championships when the whole park came alive. Her mother insisted she and her brother learn to swim at Doonshore so they could wander freely without anyone worrying. The whole family washed dishes, worked the shop, and waited tables as soon as they were old enough.
School life in Boyle left a deep mark. Maria arrived at Scoil Chriost Rí with a plaited Heidi hairstyle and the unusual surname Le Hiff, and was briefly assumed to be German. She threw herself into school musicals under Frank O'Mahony, who she later nominated for a Gay Byrne Person of the Year award, landing her first-ever radio interview in the process. She credits both Frank and Boyle itself for giving her a rounded foundation she drew on for years afterwards.
Her twenties were full of movement: social studies in Sligo IT, three months in New Zealand with her grandmother, two years working with adults with special needs in outer London, and then a return home prompted by her grandfather's death. Back in Ireland, she worked with young offenders through the Youth Action Project in Sligo, completed her degree, and eventually pursued a master's in criminology at Maynooth, with a thesis on the youth justice system and the experience of families within it.
The pivot came in 2012. On an empty stomach in a Dublin dental hospital waiting room, a penicillin reaction sent Maria into anaphylactic shock. She describes what happened in the minutes that followed as a near-death experience, a slide toward something warm and beautiful, before the adrenaline brought her back. It took a year for the message to land fully, but on the anniversary of that day she left her relationship, packed one suitcase, and walked out. Six weeks later she met her now-husband Arlo, a man she had briefly hidden from in a kitchen at sixteen because he was simply too much for her.
She and Arlo have one son, Ruan, who Maria says announced himself before he was conceived. She has also had two miscarriages, in 2020 and 2022, and speaks about them with the honesty and gentleness of someone who has done the work of acknowledging them fully. Those losses, combined with her training as a death doula and family constellations facilitator, led her to create the Lily and Max miscarriage care packages: locally sourced, biodegradable boxes designed to give families something tangible to hold during one of the hardest experiences a person can go through.
The episode ends with Maria talking about the hot air balloons returning to Boyle last September, chasing one all the way to Highwood, and feeling, as she put it, really, really lucky to have been brought to Boyle and to still be living here.
Check out the full blog post to accompany this episode: https://www.voicesofboyle.com/marialiddyJoin us on:
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If you’d like to be on the show or if you know someone who would like to chat with us, then drop us an email at ( [email protected] )
Thanks to Brendan O' Dowd for creating and recording the musical piece for the podcast.David Cryan - Life Before and After
Send us Fan MailEp 85---David Cryan grew up on a farm in Cloonloo, in a household where after-school hours meant feeding cattle, mucking out sheds and drinking raw milk straight from the cow. He went to St …
Show notes
Ep 85---
David Cryan grew up on a farm in Cloonloo, in a household where after-school hours meant feeding cattle, mucking out sheds and drinking raw milk straight from the cow. He went to St. Mary's secondary school in Boyle, mitched exactly once and got caught, and remembers the morning assemblies with Father Lavender or Father Early before everyone headed off to class.From there, the conversation moves through the Boyle of the late 1980s and early 1990s, a town David describes as a place that was genuinely buzzing. He talks about working behind the bar in Parkers nightclub as a 17-year-old, the nights when you could not get through the door of the Moylurg before half nine, the factions and the fighting that were somehow just part of the culture, and the busloads of people coming over from Carrick-on-Shannon because Boyle was simply the better night out.
Then, in 1992, everything changed. David was involved in an accident and left paralysed. He was 20 years old. In the years that followed, he faced the reality of his situation largely without professional support, which simply did not exist in the way it does today. Alcohol became a way of coping, and he is honest about how that played out over a long stretch of years, until the death of a close friend became the moment that changed his direction. He gave up drink, started counselling, and began to deal with things properly.
David also touches on his brief but enjoyable time in local politics, filling a vacant seat on behalf of a cousin who passed away. He talks about his electric drive-assist wheelchair, the freedom it has given him to get around, and the gaps that still exist in accessibility across the town. He ends with a clear message to younger listeners: you have one life, and you are better off living it as yourself.
Check out the blog post for this episode - https://www.voicesofboyle.com/davidcryanJoin us on:
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If you’d like to be on the show or if you know someone who would like to chat with us, then drop us an email at ( [email protected] )
Thanks to Brendan O' Dowd for creating and recording the musical piece for the podcast.Georgette Marshall - Her Journey, Creativity, and the Rise of Sauna Hats
Send us Fan MailEp 84---Florence sits down with Georgette, a Somerset-born creative who has been living just outside Boyle for the past ten years. Georgette grew up in the English countryside, left home at 17 …
Show notes
Ep 84---
Florence sits down with Georgette, a Somerset-born creative who has been living just outside Boyle for the past ten years. Georgette grew up in the English countryside, left home at 17, worked in Egypt as a teenager, and spent years moving between cities before eventually landing in rural Wales and then Roscommon.
Now she works part time at Leitrim Design House and has recently launched Crack and Crackle, a small handmade business producing quality sauna hats from her home. The conversation covers her love of craft, why sewing is a life skill the next generation is being denied, the explosion of sauna culture in Ireland, and why she believes handmade will always beat mass produced.
A warm, honest and genuinely entertaining episode about creativity, community and following an idea all the way through.
Visit the full blog post for this episode on our website - https://www.voicesofboyle.com/georgettemarshall/Join us on:
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If you’d like to be on the show or if you know someone who would like to chat with us, then drop us an email at ( [email protected] )
Thanks to Brendan O' Dowd for creating and recording the musical piece for the podcast.Colin & Aethel Beirne - Their Story
Send us Fan MailEp 83---A lovely double episode this week as Carlo and Florence sit down with Colin, a Boyle native from Termon Road, and his partner Aethel, who grew up on a farm in Galway, spent ten years …
Show notes
Ep 83---
A lovely double episode this week as Carlo and Florence sit down with Colin, a Boyle native from Termon Road, and his partner Aethel, who grew up on a farm in Galway, spent ten years living across four American states, and eventually found her way to Boyle almost by accident.
Together they cover childhood memories of Boyle in the 1990s, from the Round Balls and Hares and Hounds to Ballinagare disco and the floodgates, Aethel's journey through Las Vegas, Utah, Alaska and California, Colin's bodybuilding competition in 2012 and what it actually takes to get on that stage, Lulu their Thai rescue dog, the return of the hot air balloons to Lough Key, and what both of them would put in a time capsule for Boyle. A warm, funny and wide-ranging conversation between two people who clearly love the town they call home.
Check out the blog post to accompany this episode for photos:
https://www.voicesofboyle.com/colinaethelbeirne/Join us on:
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If you’d like to be on the show or if you know someone who would like to chat with us, then drop us an email at ( [email protected] )
Thanks to Brendan O' Dowd for creating and recording the musical piece for the podcast.Martha Higgins - The Mysterious Irishman Erased From History
Send us Fan MailEp 82--- Carlo sits down with Martha Higgins, a writer from Keash, Co. Sligo, who has just published her debut novel Hiding from the Heart. Martha grew up on a small farm in the 1960s, went to …
Show notes
Ep 82---
Carlo sits down with Martha Higgins, a writer from Keash, Co. Sligo, who has just published her debut novel Hiding from the Heart. Martha grew up on a small farm in the 1960s, went to secondary school in Boyle, and has lived a wide and varied life since, including two years in South Africa during the transition from apartheid.
In this conversation she talks about farm life in Sligo, her vivid memories of Boyle as a market town, her writing journey and the discipline it demands, the story of her debut novel, and her next project: a historical fiction based on the life of Jimmy Gralton, the only Irish man ever deported by his own government. She also talks about walking the length of Ireland, five days in the Sierra Nevada, and her deep belief in the importance of spending time in nature. A thoughtful, wide-ranging and deeply personal conversation.
Check out the full blog post to go along with this episode: Click HereJoin us on:
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If you’d like to be on the show or if you know someone who would like to chat with us, then drop us an email at ( [email protected] )
Thanks to Brendan O' Dowd for creating and recording the musical piece for the podcast.Dorothy Shannon - Brewing Community Spirit at King House Tea Rooms
Send us Fan MailEp 81---Florence sits down with Dorothy Shannon, the woman behind King House Tea Rooms in Boyle, just as the cafe approaches its tenth anniversary. Dorothy grew up on a farm in Ardcarne near …
Show notes
Ep 81---
Florence sits down with Dorothy Shannon, the woman behind King House Tea Rooms in Boyle, just as the cafe approaches its tenth anniversary.Dorothy grew up on a farm in Ardcarne near Cootehall, went to secondary school in Carrick-on-Shannon, and spent years working in catering and hospitality across England, Ireland and beyond before a friend mentioned there was a restaurant going for lease in Boyle. She talks about taking on King House in 2016, the purple and green chairs she walked into, the challenge of going out on her own for the first time, the decision to do a degree in environmental science just in case, and how nine years later she cannot imagine doing anything else. A warm conversation about community, homemade food, loyal customers, and what a cafe can mean to a town.
Check out the full blog post for this episode here - https://www.voicesofboyle.com/dorothyshannonJoin us on:
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If you’d like to be on the show or if you know someone who would like to chat with us, then drop us an email at ( [email protected] )
Thanks to Brendan O' Dowd for creating and recording the musical piece for the podcast.Anna Marie Jehorek - Boyle Is The Heart of Ireland
Send us Fan MailEp 80---Carlo and Florence sit down with Anna Marie Jehorek, a travel blogger, author and Irish dancer from North Carolina, whose connection to Boyle stretches back to 1983 when she first …
Show notes
Ep 80---
Carlo and Florence sit down with Anna Marie Jehorek, a travel blogger, author and Irish dancer from North Carolina, whose connection to Boyle stretches back to 1983 when she first visited with her mother to meet a great uncle she had never known. That first trip became a lifelong love. Anna Marie has written two novels set in and around Boyle and Lough Key, runs the travel blog Pull Over and Let Me Out, and recently launched her own podcast.
She talks about pen pal letters tied with ribbon in a shoebox, the turf fire in a cottage in Croghan that had not gone out in decades, winning a North American Irish dance championship, and why she keeps coming back to Boyle when the rest of the world is available to her. A warm, funny and genuinely touching conversation.
See the full blog post to accompany this episode: https://www.voicesofboyle.com/annamariejehorek
Join us on:
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If you’d like to be on the show or if you know someone who would like to chat with us, then drop us an email at ( [email protected] )
Thanks to Brendan O' Dowd for creating and recording the musical piece for the podcast.Paul Little - Swimming The River Shannon
Send us Fan MailEp 79---Paul recently completed an epic endurance swim....the full length of the River Shannon, clocking in at a staggering 230km over just eight days! In this conversation, Paul chats with me …
Show notes
Ep 79---
Paul recently completed an epic endurance swim....the full length of the River Shannon, clocking in at a staggering 230km over just eight days! In this conversation, Paul chats with me and about how he prepared for the challenge, the training and sacrifices along the way, and what it really took (both physically and mentally) to push himself mile after mile in the open water.
From prepping with early morning swims in freezing winter conditions, to assembling a support crew (and even squeezing in family time with his new baby!), Paul opens up about the highs, lows, and unforgettable moments. Plus, it’s all for a great cause.....raising vital funds and awareness for the Northwest STOP Suicide Prevention charity.
If you need a dose of motivation, a reminder of the power of community, or just want to hear an incredible local story, you’ll love this episode!
Link to donate to the NorthWest Stop Charity - Click Here
Blog Post - https://www.voicesofboyle.com/paullittleJoin us on:
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If you’d like to be on the show or if you know someone who would like to chat with us, then drop us an email at ( [email protected] )
Thanks to Brendan O' Dowd for creating and recording the musical piece for the podcast.Angela Chilton - Life In Boyle
Send us Fan MailEp 78---We’re excited to welcome Angela Chilton to Voices of Boyle! In this episode, Angela shares her inspiring journey from growing up in the north of England to finding home in the Boyle …
Show notes
Ep 78---
We’re excited to welcome Angela Chilton to Voices of Boyle! In this episode, Angela shares her inspiring journey from growing up in the north of England to finding home in the Boyle countryside.
We chat about her family adventures, what drew her to Ireland, and how a chance meeting led to the creation of Knockvicar Alpaca Farm….now home to a thriving herd of fifty alpacas!
Angela opens up about adjusting to rural life, her deep-rooted passion for natural health, and the joys (and challenges!) of raising a family surrounded by nature.
Check out the full episode to this podcast - https://www.voicesofboyle.com/angelachilton/Join us on:
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If you’d like to be on the show or if you know someone who would like to chat with us, then drop us an email at ( [email protected] )
Thanks to Brendan O' Dowd for creating and recording the musical piece for the podcast.Sean Nicholson - From Boyle to London and Back
Send us Fan MailEp 77---For episode 77 we have Sean Nicholson for a chat that’s heartfelt and full of laughs. Sean takes us back to his childhood at the foot of the Curlew Mountains, growing up in a house …
Show notes
Ep 77---
For episode 77 we have Sean Nicholson for a chat that’s heartfelt and full of laughs. Sean takes us back to his childhood at the foot of the Curlew Mountains, growing up in a house steeped in music, stories, and a fair bit of mischief.
From there, the conversation meanders through rambling houses, lively sessions, and unforgettable characters, before following Sean to London in the 1980s and 90s, where the Irish community and music scene brought both challenges and adventure.
Along the way, Sean talks about learning his first instruments, playing in bands, life abroad, and the characters you’d meet gigging in Irish pubs. We also hear about brushes with fame, lessons learned, and his later involvement in creative projects back home, including the ‘Oh No Somalia’ charity album.
It’s a lively trip through memory, music, and community....told with all the wit and warmth of one of Boyle’s own.
Enjoy!Check out the full blog post that accompanies this episode:
https://www.voicesofboyle.com/seannicholsonJoin us on:
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If you’d like to be on the show or if you know someone who would like to chat with us, then drop us an email at ( [email protected] )
Thanks to Brendan O' Dowd for creating and recording the musical piece for the podcast.Seamus Carr - Growing Up in Boyle
Send us Fan MailEp 76---Welcome to episode 76 of the Voices of Boyle. I'm delighted to be joined by Seamie Carr for this one...a true Boyle native whose stories will transport you straight back to the …
Show notes
Ep 76---
Welcome to episode 76 of the Voices of Boyle. I'm delighted to be joined by Seamie Carr for this one...a true Boyle native whose stories will transport you straight back to the town’s lively days of the 1980s and 90s.
From flying down hills on car bonnets and staging epic war games in the Pleasure Grounds, to marbles, conkers, and Halloween penny bangers...Seamie paints a vivid picture of a childhood full of adventure and community spirit.
Seamie chats about his family's history including tales of his father’s time in America and running the legendary Carr’s pub...to Seamus’s own journey across the Atlantic, where he studied motorcycle mechanics before finding his way back to Boyle.
This one’s packed with nostalgia, local legends, and a real love for the town.
Check out the full blog post for this episode - https://www.voicesofboyle.com/seamuscarr/Join us on:
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If you’d like to be on the show or if you know someone who would like to chat with us, then drop us an email at ( [email protected] )
Thanks to Brendan O' Dowd for creating and recording the musical piece for the podcast.Joe Ryan - Launching a Wedding Business After Last Orders
Send us Fan MailEp 75---From East End London to Ballyfarnon and Boyle, this one is packed with memories, a bit of mischief and making things happen.📌 Joe chats about:• Born in England → moved to Ballyfarnon in …
Show notes
Ep 75---
From East End London to Ballyfarnon and Boyle, this one is packed with memories, a bit of mischief and making things happen.
📌 Joe chats about:
• Born in England → moved to Ballyfarnon in 1994
• National school days
• Starting in St. Mary’s in 1998, later Abbey Community College
• Teenage discos, selling cans on the bus, and early entrepreneurship
• MBNA in Carrick from July 2005, later Avant Money
• DJing from 2006, karaoke nights, and Rag Week stories
• Super Sunday sessions around town
• Taking over Mattimoe’s after a coin flip, opening in December 2016, closing New Year 2022–23
• Rock the Clock nights, fireworks on the bridge, and community craic
• Boyle Celtic Reserves memories and coaching the under-6s
• Covid’s stop–start on pubs and family time
• Setting up LuxuryWeddingSupplies.ie
Check out the full blog post for this episode over at: https://www.voicesofboyle.com/joeryanJoin us on:
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If you’d like to be on the show or if you know someone who would like to chat with us, then drop us an email at ( [email protected] )
Thanks to Brendan O' Dowd for creating and recording the musical piece for the podcast.Kathleen Redmond - Boyle Is Home Now
Send us Fan MailEp 74---From London life to Boyle local, Kathleen and her partner, Andy, built one of Ireland’s most unique children’s clothing brands, “Slugs & Snails” from their kitchen table.In this episode …
Show notes
Ep 74---
From London life to Boyle local, Kathleen and her partner, Andy, built one of Ireland’s most unique children’s clothing brands, “Slugs & Snails” from their kitchen table.
In this episode, we chat about:
✨ The rise of Slugs & Snails and the unisex tights revolution
🇮🇪 Surviving Brexit, COVID, and building a brand from rural Ireland
🏡 What “home” really means after 20 years in Boyle
💬 Why local stories, culture, and ‘the cure’ still matterExpect laughs, honesty, a few rants, and a lot of heart!
Full Blog Post to accompany this episode: https://www.voicesofboyle.com/kathleenredmond/Join us on:
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If you’d like to be on the show or if you know someone who would like to chat with us, then drop us an email at ( [email protected] )
Thanks to Brendan O' Dowd for creating and recording the musical piece for the podcast.Ciaran Casey - From The Streets of Boyle To American Highways
Send us Fan MailEp 73---This week, Carlo sits down with filmmaker and creative storyteller, Ciaran Casey. From a childhood in Sligo and Manchester, to making music videos in Boyle, and then filming a wild month …
Show notes
Ep 73---
This week, Carlo sits down with filmmaker and creative storyteller, Ciaran Casey. From a childhood in Sligo and Manchester, to making music videos in Boyle, and then filming a wild month long documentary road trip across the USA, Ciaran’s life is anything but typical!
In this conversation, you’ll hear:
👉 How a Nokia phone and a passion for storytelling sparked his love for video
👉 Building a media business in rural Ireland and why community support matters
👉 The behind-the-scenes chaos of directing music videos, documentaries, and even weddings
👉 Stories from a cross-country American documentary filming tour and the challenges he faced along the way
👉 Reflections on balancing creativity, fatherhood, and running a business through Covid…and much more
Whether you’re a fan of local stories, filmmaking, or just love a good origin story, you’ll find plenty to inspire and entertain in this episode.
Click the link and get to know the creative force behind Wilsain Media! 🎬
For the full blog post associated with this episode, visit:
https://www.voicesofboyle.com/ciarancaseyJoin us on:
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If you’d like to be on the show or if you know someone who would like to chat with us, then drop us an email at ( [email protected] )
Thanks to Brendan O' Dowd for creating and recording the musical piece for the podcast.Camilla McQuaid & Brendan Mullen - Eire Competitions
Send us Fan MailEp 72---In this episode of The Voices of Boyle, Florence is joined by two locals, Camilla McQuaid and Brendan Mullen, to chat about their growing business, Éire Competitions.We talk about how …
Show notes
Ep 72---
In this episode of The Voices of Boyle, Florence is joined by two locals, Camilla McQuaid and Brendan Mullen, to chat about their growing business, Éire Competitions.
We talk about how the idea came about, the early challenges of getting it off the ground, and the support they’ve received along the way. They share stories behind some of their most popular prizes, what it’s like doing the live draws, and the buzz of seeing it all come together.
It’s great to see such entrepreneurial spirit alive and well in Boyle — and even better when it’s coming from two people who are passionate about what they do. We wrap up the conversation with a few laughs and some great memories of growing up here.
Have a listen — this episode is a brilliant insight into two locals taking an idea from concept to reality.
Full Blog Post for this episode: https://www.voicesofboyle.com/eirecompetitions/
Join us on:
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If you’d like to be on the show or if you know someone who would like to chat with us, then drop us an email at ( [email protected] )
Thanks to Brendan O' Dowd for creating and recording the musical piece for the podcast.Reece Shanley - Boyle Will Always Be Home
Send us Fan MailEp 71---On this episode of the Voices of Boyle, I sat down with Reece Shanley, a driven young business orientated man who’s creating his own path in life. We dive into his journey from been an …
Show notes
Ep 71---
On this episode of the Voices of Boyle, I sat down with Reece Shanley, a driven young business orientated man who’s creating his own path in life.
We dive into his journey from been an energetic kid growing up to his experiences traveling solo in Thailand as well as the lessons learned through challenges like the COVID lockdowns. Reece talks openly about the value of hard work, mental clarity, and staying adaptable in a rapidly changing world.
If you're looking for some inspiration from someone blending business savvy with real-world grit and self-awareness, this episode is a must-listen.
And finally, if you enjoyed this episode, please do us a favour—share it on your socials! Whether it’s a story, a post, or a quick message to a friend, it helps more people from or interested in Boyle discover the podcast. Thanks very much!
View the full blogpost for this episode: https://www.voicesofboyle.com/reeceshanleyJoin us on:
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If you’d like to be on the show or if you know someone who would like to chat with us, then drop us an email at ( [email protected] )
Thanks to Brendan O' Dowd for creating and recording the musical piece for the podcast.Nathan Haynes - Exploring Community, Connection, and Wisdom in Boyle
Send us Fan MailEp 69---Our guest this week is Nathan Haynes, a thoughtful and insightful young man who made Boyle his home just over a year ago. With a Master’s in Psychology, Nathan brings a fresh and …
Show notes
Ep 69---
Our guest this week is Nathan Haynes, a thoughtful and insightful young man who made Boyle his home just over a year ago. With a Master’s in Psychology, Nathan brings a fresh and compassionate perspective to some of the most pressing issues facing younger generations today.
In this episode, we explore the power of human connection, the importance of collective sense-making, and the emotional landscape young people must navigate in today’s world. Nathan works in residential care, supporting teenagers aged 16–18 who, for various reasons, don’t fit into the traditional foster care system.
This is a deep and thought-provoking conversation, and Nathan has a remarkable gift for breaking down complex ideas in a way that’s accessible, relatable, and full of heart. So, I hope you all enjoy the episode and enjoy the rest of your day.
Check out the full blog post to this episode: https://www.voicesofboyle.com/nathanhaynesJoin us on:
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If you’d like to be on the show or if you know someone who would like to chat with us, then drop us an email at ( [email protected] )
Thanks to Brendan O' Dowd for creating and recording the musical piece for the podcast.Ronan Flanagan - The Art of Conversation: Why Local Voices Still Matter
Send us Fan MailEp 69---On this week’s Voices of Boyle episode, I sit down with Ronan Flanagan; a news broadcast journalist, passionate Sligo Rovers supporter, and all-around Boyle native. Ronan shares stories …
Show notes
Ep 69---
On this week’s Voices of Boyle episode, I sit down with Ronan Flanagan; a news broadcast journalist, passionate Sligo Rovers supporter, and all-around Boyle native.
Ronan shares stories of growing up on the French Park Road, how a love of the Irish language shaped his journey, and what life’s really like as a local journalist with Ocean FM Ireland. From reporting the news to commentating on thrilling matches and running the Sligo Rovers F.C. Bit o’ Red Supporters Trust podcast, Ronan brings a fresh perspective on community, connection, and adapting to the changing landscape of media.If you’re curious about what goes on behind the scenes at a radio station, enjoy a bit of GAA or League of Ireland banter, or just want to hear a local Boyle story then this one’s for you!
Give it a listen and tag someone from Boyle who’d love to hear his chat!
Check out the full blog: https://www.voicesofboyle.com/ronanflanagan/Join us on:
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If you’d like to be on the show or if you know someone who would like to chat with us, then drop us an email at ( [email protected] )
Thanks to Brendan O' Dowd for creating and recording the musical piece for the podcast.Jane Suffin & Lucy Egan - Friends of Assylinn
Send us Fan MailEp 68---In this episode, I sit down with Lucy Egan and Jane Suffin, two members of the newly formed committee - The Friends of Assylinn.Their mission is simple yet so important: to restore …
Show notes
Ep 68---
In this episode, I sit down with Lucy Egan and Jane Suffin, two members of the newly formed committee - The Friends of Assylinn.
Their mission is simple yet so important: to restore Assylinn Cemetery into the peaceful, clean, and well-maintained resting place that the deceased—and their families—deserve. Jane and Lucy talk on behalf of the committee members and share the inspiration behind forming the group, the challenges they’ve faced getting it off the ground, and their vision for what Assylinn can become with the community's help.
You can support their efforts by donating to their GoFundMe:
They’ll also be holding a church gate collection at St. Joseph’s Church next weekend, and have community clean-ups planned in the coming months. Every donation, share, or helping hand makes a difference.
https://www.voicesofboyle.com/lucyjane/
Join us on:
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If you’d like to be on the show or if you know someone who would like to chat with us, then drop us an email at ( [email protected] )
Thanks to Brendan O' Dowd for creating and recording the musical piece for the podcast.
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