Galway has a certain type of rain that feels wetter than anywhere else in Ireland. The streaks of thick rain flow sideways across the huge windows of Barry’s painting studio, which is nestled in the Connemara landscape. Everywhere I look, inside and out, there’s warm colours of rust, green and stone grey, both in his paintings, his outfit and outside the windows, all unmistakably Connemara.

We talk through Barry’s process as an artist. He tends to wear two hats in life, one as a successful touring trad musician, the other as an equally successful painter, both roles influencing each other. Elements of nature seeping deep into every aspect of his work.

Come back tomorrow for another podcast/story/portrait. We’re interviewing and photographing people from all over Ireland, collecting their stories and sharing them daily. You can be a part of it too, Go to SinScealEile.ie for more information.

If you love this series and you appreciate that it takes a lot of time, passion and funding to bring it to you every day, consider becoming a sponsor. You can subscribe for exclusive content on Patreon, or make a once off donation on BuyMeACoffee.

xR

Sin Scéal Eile - That's Another Story was hosted and created by Ruth Medjber, with sound by Ronan Lally. The podcast is produced by Dee Reddy at Poddle Audio with original music by Elaine Mai.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This project is an archive of 2026 and designed, not to serve me (the photographer) but you, the reader, the everyday people of Ireland. When Julie wrote to me and asked if she could use the project to remember her son, Zach, and record his name in print, I of course said yes.

Zach was just 14 when he died in a road traffic accident. Julie tells me that he was a very chilled, compassionate and quiet boy. He was on the cusp of his true teenage years and just about to grow taller than his Dad (no mean feat at 6 foot 1).

We talk about grief and there's no amount of imagination that will ever let me comprehend the pain of losing a child. What I do understand though is that Julie is an incredibly strong person, who is braving each day and making sure her family are as happy as they possibly can be, and that Zach lives on through all of them.

Sin Scéal Eile - That's Another Story was hosted and created by Ruth Medjber, with sound by Ronan Lally. The podcast is produced by Dee Reddy at Poddle Audio with original music by Elaine Mai.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I met Pat in his home in rural Galway and instantly I’m taken with his sense of style, not just in how he dresses but how he has decorated his home. It’s obvious it’s a home that appreciates art and music. He tells me what it was like being a teenager, leaving Dundalk and moving to Dublin at a time when he was too young to even get into bars.

He’s lived a full life, 69 years of travelling, volunteering, playing music (even the odd bit of smoking weed) but he feels he’s kept young by his second wife (20 years his junior) and his beautiful kids. He now fills his days dishing out hot lunches to the kids in his daughter's primary school.

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You can have a little listen to our full chat, just search for Sin Scéal Eile wherever you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify etc) or at our website, SinScealEile.

Come back tomorrow for another podcast/story/portrait. We’re interviewing and photographing people from all over Ireland, collecting their stories and sharing them daily. You can be a part of it too, Go to SinScealEile.ie for more information.

If you love this series and you appreciate that it takes a lot of time, passion and funding to bring it to you every day, consider becoming a sponsor. You can subscribe for exclusive content on Patreon, or make a once off donation on BuyMeACoffee.

xR

Sin Scéal Eile - That's Another Story was hosted and created by Ruth Medjber, with sound by Ronan Lally. The podcast is produced by Dee Reddy at Poddle Audio with original music by Elaine Mai.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.