Martin Hayes is a renowned Irish fiddler from Feakle who is known for his distinctive and soulful style that blends traditional Irish music with innovative interpretations. An iconic figure in Irish music, Hayes has won multiple All-Ireland Fiddle Championships and is celebrated for his contributions to the genre through his work with the acclaimed group The Gloaming among his many other projects and creations. He has also collaborated with a wide array of musicians across genres, not least the late Dennis Cahill, and he has earned a reputation for his expressive playing and deep connection to the Clare music tradition.

This podcast is also available to watch as a video on YouTube and on Facebook. Also, check out the archives for more great conversations, and Ruairí's other podcast, the Love and Courage podcast.

With thanks to Creative Ireland Clare and Clare County Council for funding and support.

Ruairí McKiernan
www.ruairimckiernan.com

Jessie Lendennie is a legendary figure in the world of poetry and publishing. Originally from Arkansas in the US now living near the Cliffs of Moher, she moved to Ireland in 1981 and co-founded Salmon Poetry, which has published over 700 volumes of poetry, well as a select list of literary criticism, drama, fiction, memoir and essays. Jessie has played a pivotal role in Irish poetry for over 40 years. As well as being a champion for female and emerging voices, she is also an accomplished poet and her own publications include a book-length prose poem Daughter (1988), reprinted as Daughter and Other Poems in 2001 and a collection of poetry, Walking Here (2011). Her poetry has also been anthologised in numerous publications. In 2012 she opened The Salmon Bookshop Literary Centre in Ennistymon, Co. Clare a vibrant hub for literary events, for writers, readers, students & academics, and the base from which Salmon Poetry runs its publishing operation.

This podcast is also available to watch as a video on YouTube and on Facebook. Also, check out the archives for more great conversations, and Ruairí's other podcast, the Love and Courage podcast.

With thanks to Creative Ireland Clare and Clare County Council for funding and support.

Ruairí McKiernan
www.ruairimckiernan.com

Steo Wall is a well-known songwriter and musician who lives near Miltown Malbay. Steo has released two critically acclaimed albums, performed on the RTE Tommy Tiernan show, the Late Late show and Ireland’s Favourite Folk song. He has also been shortlisted for a RTÉ Radio1 Folk Award and performed at major festivals around the country. Steo’s music is deeply influenced by his difficult early years in Dublin, his Traveller heritage, and his new life in Clare. You’ll hear in this episode us having a laugh at one point as fireworks graphics appeared on the screen out of the blue. We later learned this was due to Zoom rolling out a new AI feature and it appeared to be misfiring and we simply had no idea what was going on, but we got a good laugh out of it.

This podcast is also available to watch as a video on YouTube and on Facebook. Also, check out the archives for more great conversations, and Ruairí's other podcast, the Love and Courage podcast.

With thanks to Creative Ireland Clare and Clare County Council for funding and support.

Ruairí McKiernan
www.ruairimckiernan.com