Podcast Archives - Page 15 of 19

Platonism and Sport, or The Impossible Pursuit of Perfection – Episode 43

In this episode Dara presents his thesis that all sports fans are embroiled in a philosophical engagement with the team or sportsperson that they love. Namely, the relationship of our desire and emotional investment to a higher aspiration - the symbiotic realisation of sporting perfection. Dara argues that this desire is in essence a Platonic impulse to contemplate not only the ideal sporting moment, the physical and psychological expression of something exquisite that elevates fan and player alike, but also to be part of the collective good character of a club. When realised, therein lies the possibility of a moral edification.

A Musician’s Life – Interview with Gavin McCaffrey – Episode 42

It's the dawn of a new era for The Clearout as Dara hosts his first interview on the podcast. Musician and actor Gavin McCaffrey first made money in the arts as a child performer as one of Ireland's legendary Billie Barry kids, gracing stage and screen in professional appearances. Many years later he and Dara shared a dressing room together when they were cast in Shay Healy's The Wiremen, a colourful musical about Ireland's rural electrification scheme in the 1950's.

Lovely Horse, Shame About the Tool on Top – Episode 41

In this topical episode, once he's dealt with a Hollywood actor's less than enthusiastic response to Jane Campion's The Power of the Dog, Dara gets straight into the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He discusses Putin and looks at his possible motivations for such aggression, and also considers the larger geopolitical implications of the conflict.

The Things We Shouldn’t Stomach, or The Violent Wellness of Expulsion – Episode 39

This week's episode is all about getting rid of the bad stuff in your life, and it starts with having a good old vomit! Having had that unpleasant experience recently, Dara decides to hang this episode's theme around the body's singularity of purpose when expelling something evil from the gut.

Defiance and the Autonomous Self – Episode 38

In this episode, Dara looks at defiance as a central attitude and strategy of wellness. Understanding defiance as an expression of personal conviction allows it to be utilised in the service of personal autonomy. It can inform and be informed by one's certitude, but that certitude is best deployed with an understanding of imperfection and flexibility.

Girls in Love, Sex on Screen, and the Female Gaze – Episode 37

In this episode, Dara starts off by looking at our need for light and also our desire for novelty. These ideas are both connected to how we are visual creatures and how the internet has capitalised immeasurably on this aspect of human behaviour.

Snowflakes, Pain Storage, and the Power of Subjectivity – Episode 36

In this episode Dara delves into the places we carry and store our pain. He looks at how unaddressed wounds can wield a disproportionate amount of power over us and how that relates to our fear of uncomfortable places.

Scared women, Damaged Men, and the Crisis of Broken Masculinity – Episode 35

I want to write this week's information in the first person because I want to unequivocally own all the ideas and opinions expressed in the episode. As a response to the murder of a young Irish woman in Ireland last week, I discuss at considerable length the topic of male violence against women as an expression of broken masculinity, and I offer a defence of my experience of masculinity.

Living in the Human Zone, or Liminality isn’t Criminality! – Episode 34

In this week's episode, Dara is very much focused on zones and spaces - not physical ones, but experiential ones. He argues that we are always entering and taking our leave of different states of mind and emotion and how we behave in different spaces depends on where we are at in ourselves at any given time.

Restructuring Time and the Pursuit of Evolution – Episode 33

In this episode of the podcast Dara has a good look at why the arrival of a new year makes us feel change is both possible and something to which we have all been conditioned. He argues that we shouldn't have to wait a whole year before we try to effect change in our lives.

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Platonism and Sport, or The Impossible Pursuit of Perfection – Episode 43

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A Musician’s Life – Interview with Gavin McCaffrey – Episode 42

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Lovely Horse, Shame About the Tool on Top – Episode 41

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The Things We Shouldn’t Stomach, or The Violent Wellness of Expulsion – Episode 39

Read More »

Defiance and the Autonomous Self – Episode 38

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Girls in Love, Sex on Screen, and the Female Gaze – Episode 37

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Snowflakes, Pain Storage, and the Power of Subjectivity – Episode 36

Read More »

Scared women, Damaged Men, and the Crisis of Broken Masculinity – Episode 35

Read More »

Living in the Human Zone, or Liminality isn’t Criminality! – Episode 34

Read More »

Restructuring Time and the Pursuit of Evolution – Episode 33

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