In this episode, Dara has an in-depth conversation with Eilish Fisher, the author of the brilliant ‘Fia and the Last Snow Deer’, a novel for older children. Written in blank verse, Fisher says it’s the story she wrote for her ten-year-old self.
Probing the Ancient Dark – Interview with Children’s Author Eilish Fisher – Episode 190 Read More »
In this episode, Dara recounts a series of unexpected events, incidents and coincidences that all occurred in a relatively compressed period of time. Something was obviously in the ether.
In this episode, Dara is reflecting on the year that was and acknowledging the tendency many have to do New Year’s accounting. For him it is not only the start of a new year, but also his birthday – another prompt to do a stocktake. 2024 wasn’t kind, and as he looks down the road of 2025 he wonders what tools are going to serve him best.
New Year’s Inventory – Clearing Out the Stockroom! – Episode 188 Read More »
To kick off the new year, Dara starts with a ‘listy’ episode, recalling his top 10 movies of 2024. He follows this with a list of his top old or previously seen movies, including 1954’s Rear Window and 1982’s Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
The 2024 Review – Top Movies, Documentaries, TV and Podcasts! – Episode 187 Read More »
This year’s Christmas story is about a father who finds himself incapable of giving up on his missing child, even though it feels like a lost cause. You can hear my reading of the story on the Christmas Special episode of the podcast. Arrivals There wouldn’t be words. Everything that could be said had been.
It’s the 2024 Christmas Special!
Pulling it out of the bag at the eleventh hour, Dara presents a very short, but somehow shaggy interview with his daughter Maeve, who gives a shout-out to Harry Styles, of all people.
This is followed by this year’s new Christmas story, ‘Arrivals’. It follows a father who tries to honour his faith in his missing son by being at a certain place on a certain day every year. Will his faith be rewarded? A quiet and quietly rewarding story for the season that’s in it.
The 2024 Christmas Special! – Episode 186 Read More »
In this episode, Dara is speaking from a position of powerlessness thanks to the after-effects of Storm Darragh, which ripped through many parts of Ireland last week with an unforgiving ferocity.
Dara, Meet Dara – The Story of How I Met My Sister! – Episode 185 Read More »
In this episode, Dara is warming up for the festive season by acknowledging how stress-inducing it can all get and how it really isn’t for everybody. In his own household a new permutation is longed for by some, which doesn’t entirely suit him.
The Most Wonderful Time of the Year? Ask Me Sponge Balls! – Episode 184 Read More »
In this episode, Dara looks at the idea of psychological defeat and the metaphorical hills we are determined to die on. Fundamentally an issue of faith in one’s own psyche and worldview, what happens when our confidence in that vision begins to crumble? Can faith be restored?
Men Need Not Apply – Women Who Leave Men Behind – Episode 183 Read More »
In this episode, Dara is spurred to reflect on Francis Ford Coppola’s latest film, ‘Megalopolis’. In the great master’s wild and not-so-wonderful saga, one brilliant man carries the burden of saving society from itself, but must contend with a rival who epitomises more mundane aspirations. Is the film about Coppola himself, or is it his thesis statement of whose visions are worth following? Whatever about its intention, the execution is an unwieldy mess.
The Anticlimax of Megalopolis, or What Would You Do With Coppola’s Money? – Episode 182 Read More »
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