What happens when a financial consultant specialising in corporate finance and funding meets with a young man with Autism and ADHD and an abiding interest in politics?

Dan Kelleher interviews Max O’Mahony, who is well known locally and lives in Castletownshend, in a wide-ranging 10-minute podcast that has been shared with The Southern Star.

It is the first in what is likely to be a series of podcasts by Toe Head Productions.

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WITH the recent arrival of a Hallmark production into the region, West Cork Film Studios landed one of its first major coups. 

It was the first major production to be based at the WCFS, which is located at Baltimore Road in Skibbereen, and has given the studios the perfect opportunity to roll out, and develop, film infrastructure in West Cork.

For The Big Story, Mary McCarthy spoke with directors Édáin O'Donnell and Steve Park about the growing industry and why West Cork's unique community is buying into film in the region.

The Big Story is a digital, subscriber-only series by the Southern Star. Each part will bring subscribers closer to the stories that matter in West Cork. Browse previous Big Stories here.

Produced by Mary McCarthy and Tony O'Shaughnessy. Written and presented by Mary McCarthy. Editing by Dylan Mangan.

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CHRISTMAS, like many other parts of life, has constantly changed with the times. From stockings at the foot of your bed to above the mantlepiece, or from sending turkeys to England in the post to Amazon Prime delivery, Christmas has become a different beast in recent years.

Gerald O'Brien of Skibbereen Historical Society shares his memories of what Christmas was like for him, growing up in West Cork in the 40s and 50s, and how some traditions have changed while others remain the same.

The Big Story is a digital, subscriber-only series by The Southern Star. Each part will bring subscribers closer to the stories that matter in West Cork. Browse previous Big Stories here.

Produced by Mary McCarthy and Tony O'Shaughnessy. Written and presented by Mary McCarthy. Editing by Dylan Mangan.

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As the general election results fade into the distance, and there has been a widespread sigh of relief that no far right candidates were successful, there are some political observers who believe it’s only a matter of time before the hate-filled messages of some agitators start to resonate with elements of the electorate, as they have in other countries across Europe.

In November, a Jewish student was attacked by three men in a nightclub in Dublin, in a suspected anti-Semitic assault. Gardaí are investigating it as a potential hate crime.  

In this special podcast documentary, the Southern Star’s editor Siobhán Cronin investigates a secretive community which has established a base in the centre of West Cork and has some very unsavoury connections around the world.

Thanks to Father Tom Hayes, Harry Shuckman and Fiona O'Leary for their time and input.

Thank you for listening to this special big story podcast by The Southern Star. If you’ve been affected by any of the topics discussed in this episode, or have further information relating to the SSPX resistance in West Cork or beyond, please contact us on editor@southernstar.ie.

This episode was written and presented by Southern Star editor Siobhan Cronin, with additional reporting by Star journalist Jackie Keogh and editing by Dylan Mangan.

Additional audio clips from:

Virgin Media News

AP Press

New Zealand Herald

53sig, pprzes01, We Love Tradition on YouTube

Thanks for listening, and don’t forget that you can find more trusted, local journalism like this inside The Southern Star, which is in shops and online every single Thursday.

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Bere Island Community Radio invited Southern Star reporter Jackie Keogh on the air recently to speak about the General Election which is taking place on Friday, November 29th.

We will be running a live blog with updates on the count, from early Friday morning, on southernstar.ie so don’t forget to have it bookmarked on your laptop, phone or whatever device you have that day – and see who will be representing you in the 34th Dáil.

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Welcome to this special Election edition of the In the News podcast where we are taking a look at the election in West Cork – with just over two weeks to election day on Nov 29th. 

Southern Star editor, Siobhán Cronin was joined by reporters Jackie Keogh and Kieran O’Mahony and deputy editor Martin Claffey on today's episode.

Jackie Keogh gives us a quick rundown of who is running and how it’s looking so far.

Kieran O’Mahony delves into Cork North West – a constituency that a lot of other media don’t realise encompasses a fair bit of West Cork.

Martin Claffey, who lives on the edge of the city but has come to be familiar with West Cork politics in recent years, tells us how he thinks the constituencies will pan out.

There are just two weeks left in this race and anything could happen throughout the campaign, and most certainly, at the count centre which looks like it will be in Mallow, on November 30th.

On that day we will be running a live blog with updates on the count, from early Saturday morning, on southernstar.ie so don’t forget to have it bookmarked on your laptop, phone or whatever device you have that day – and see who will be representing you in the 34th Dáil

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A SPECIAL summer open door event showcasing the works and talents of three West Cork artists will take place at The Yellow Door in Baltimore village from July 27th to the end of August.

Sherkin Island based painter Majella O’Neill Collins, and artists Paula Marten and Aisling Roche have teamed up for a unique showcase, offering art enthusiasts a special opportunity to experience the creativity and passion of their work with scheduled and unscheduled talks throughout the summer.

The three women joined Star digital manager Dylan Mangan for a conversation about their art, where they find inspiration, teaching and the unique draw West Cork has for artists.

Listen below, or search 'Southern Star In The News' wherever you get your podcasts.

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FRANCIS Humphrys has been involved with the West Cork Music Chamber Festival for 29 years since it’s first edition in 1996. He is now festival director and West Cork Music chief executive.

This year’s festival kicks off on Friday, June 28th and runs for 10 days. While the buildup to opening night is always hectic, this year is more so than usual with so many musicians set to fly into Ireland, and the Aer Lingus pilots’ strike threatening to damage months of careful planning.

You can read more about the strike and the festival in this week’s Southern Star, but for now Star deputy editor Martin Claffey caught up with Humphrys ahead of the opening to chat about the festival, the strike, how the festival organisers need to be able to pivot at a moment’s notice and even Taylor Swift.

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ON this week's podcast, Southern Star editor Siobhán Cronin is joined by journalist & author Kathy Donaghy to talk about depression, miscarriage and how swimming has helped heal her.

Donaghy's book, Finding My Wild: How a Move to the Edge Brought Me Home, tells her story of moving home from Dublin to the Inishowen peninsula with her young family.

It is ode to the extraordinary healing powers of immersing yourself in the natural world, especially the sea, and she joins the podcast to talk about why she made the move.

This is the second episode in our latest series focusing on sea swimming. Listen back to the first episode with total immersion swim coach Melissa Duncan here.

Swimming became a lifeline for many during the pandemic, and so many have kept it going, which has left Ireland with a really strong and wonderful community.

Over the next few months, we will feature interviews with prominent figures in the swimming scene, from both West Cork and beyond.

This episode was produced and presented by Siobhán Cronin, with editing by Dylan Mangan.

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Thanks for listening to The Southern Star's In The News Podcast. Please be sure to like, share and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.

Listen to our previous episodes by clicking here.

For stories like this and more, pick up a copy of this week's Southern Star or subscribe online via www.southernstar.ie/epaper.

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ON this week's podcast, Southern Star editor Siobhán Cronin speaks to Melissa Duncan – a 'total immersion' expert and fellow sea swimming fanatic – about a shared love of the sea, building her own swimming pool, and some well-known West Cork names she has coached along the way.

Swimming became a lifeline for many during the pandemic, and so many have kept it going, which has left Ireland with a really strong and wonderful community.

Over the next few months, we will feature interviews with prominent figures in the swimming scene, from both West Cork and beyond.

Total immersion is a technique that involves running through swim strokes in a similar fashion to yoga, with the aim being to move through the water more efficiently. Melissa Duncan has been one of the biggest proponents of the technique in Ireland and joins the podcast to chat about the benefits of adapting to it.

Duncan runs The Swim Studio – Ireland's first total immersion swim coaching studio to be located in Ireland.

Follow along with Siobhán's latest blog post, where she writes about getting ready for those organised summer swims, by clicking here.

This episode was produced and presented by Siobhán Cronin, with editing by Dylan Mangan.

***

Thanks for listening to The Southern Star's In The News Podcast. Please be sure to like, share and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.

Listen to our previous episodes by clicking here.

For more on this story pick up a copy of this week's Southern Star or subscribe online via www.southernstar.ie/epaper.

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WEST Cork's film industry is on the rise.

On the latest episode of The Southern Star's In The News podcast, Dylan Mangan focuses on how the film industry is developing in West Cork

The region has some of the best locations in the country and more and more production companies are deciding to shoot their next projects here.

We hear from Star reporter Kieran O'Mahony, who has been reporting on the film scene for the newspaper, along with two of West Cork Film Studio's directors, Édaín O'Donnell and Steve Park. We also chat to producer Gráinne Dwyer, who has been shooting a short film on the Beara peninsula in recent weeks.

Produced and presented by Dylan Mangan.

***

Listen to the previous episode: Does West Cork's fishing industry have a future?

Thanks for listening to The Southern Star's In The News Podcast. Please be sure to like, share and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.

For more on this story pick up a copy of this week's Southern Star or subscribe online via www.southernstar.ie/epaper.

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FOR A country with 29% of EU fishing waters, Ireland still doesn't have a viable fishing industry.

EU membership, Brexit, and now the decommissioning scheme have all taken their toll, and the demise of the industry has been likened to death by a thousand cuts.

With the deadline for the Government's decommissioning scheme looming ever-closer, Southern Star reporter Jackie Keogh travelled to Castletownbere, where an estimated fifteen boats are due to be decommissioned, to find out if West Cork's fishing industry has a future.

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IT has been a difficult few years for the hospitality industry, first with Covid-19 shutting restaurants and bars down for months, followed by some astronomical energy bills which have seen numerous closures across West Cork and beyond.

The news of the closure of Pilgrim's in Rosscarbery and Cru Wine Bar & Bistro in Kinsale was met with shock, and on the latest edition of the In The News Podcast we chat to Michelin star chef Ahmet Dede about how he has managed during this difficult period and about the restaurant industry as a whole.

We also hear from Star reporter Kieran O'Mahony, who joins us to talk about the trend of recent closures and how some establishments are coming up with novel ways to improve business.

Presented by Dylan Mangan with reporting by Kieran O'Mahony.

Listen to our previous episode: The Holocaust deniers on our doorstep.

Thanks for listening to The Southern Star's In The News Podcast. Please be sure to like, share and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.

For more on this story pick up a copy of this week's Southern Star or subscribe online via www.southernstar.ie/epaper.

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IN RECENT weeks we have seen some anti-aslyum seeker protests take place across the country, with far-right groups and beliefs seeming to take a more mainstream place in Irish culture in recent times.

On today’s podcast we’ll focus on how some beliefs associated with far-right thinking may be closer to home in West Cork than you would imagine, and have been for some time now.

The Southern Star's editor, Siobhán Cronin, joins us to speak about her visit to Auschwitz and a recent court case involving a human rights activist and the SSPX Resistance - a fringe religious group which broke away from mainstream Catholicism over its belief that the modern Church has become too liberal.

Thanks for watching and listening to The Southern Star's In The News podcast. Please be sure to like, share and subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Catch up with our previous episode, focusing on the rise and decline of fishing on Cape Clear, here.

This podcast was produced and presented by Dylan Mangan and Siobhán Cronin.

For more on this story pick up a copy of this week's Southern Star or subscribe online via www.southernstar.ie/epaper.

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FISHING was, for a long time, an important part of island life across Ireland, and remains so, but fortunes have changed for those fishing out of Cape Clear, a West Cork island which finds itself relying more on tourists than marine life for its livelihood.

On the latest edition of our In The News podcast, reporter Jackie Keogh went to Cape Clear to speak with islanders about the iconic location's history and the rise and decline of fishing on the island.

In today’s podcast we’ll hear from Mary O’Driscoll, an islander who has been cataloguing Cape Clear’s fishing history, and Kieran Cotter, a former RNLI coxswain and fisherman.

You can watch the report above, or listen on the go via our audio version.

Thanks for watching and listening to The Southern Star's In The News podcast. Please be sure to like, share and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.

Catch up with our previous episode, focusing on the future of farming in West Cork by clicking here.

Video produced and presented by Jackie Keogh.

For more on this story pick up a copy of this week's Southern Star or subscribe online via www.southernstar.ie/epaper.

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IT HAS been yet another eventful year in a long line of eventful years, not only for the world in general but for West Cork people and communities too.

Today on the In The News podcast, we're joined by the Southern Star's editor Siobhán Cronin, and sports editor Kieran McCarthy to take a look back at the year gone by and to delve into some of the stories that made the headlines this year.

This year saw West Cork fishermen standing up to Russia, Michael Collins' centenary commemorations, rows about bank closures and a windfarm in Gougane Barra, along with much more. We talk about why local media is important and why West Cork is so full of stories each and every week.

2022 was a huge year for West Cork sportspeople as well, who continued to break glass ceilings both locally and nationally, so tune in for The Southern Star's review of the year gone by.

This podcast was produced and presented by Dylan Mangan.

Thank you to Siobhán Cronin and Kieran McCarthy for their input.

Thanks for listening to The Southern Star's In The News Podcast. Please be sure to like, share and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.

For more stories like these, pick up a copy of this week's Southern Star or subscribe online via www.southernstar.ie/epaper.

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THE agricultural sector has to make emissions cuts of 25% by 2030.

Radical policy changes are coming down the tracks from as early as January which will massively change how farmers, especially those involved in dairy, can operate.

In simple terms, for many in West Cork it will mean stocking less cows or acquiring more land.

The Southern Star's deputy editor Emma Connolly has been speaking to farmers and farming interest groups about the year ahead in 2023, as the new emissions targets spell uncertainty for many.

By Emma Connolly & Dylan Mangan.

Thanks for watching and listening to The Southern Star's In The News podcast.

Please be sure to like, share and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.

For more on this story pick up a copy of this week's Southern Star or subscribe online via www.southernstar.ie/epaper.

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A RECENT report from UCC said that West Cork's seven islands face being abandoned like the Blaskets were in the 50s.

Residents on the islands face numerous issues, with one of the main problems highlighted in the report being a lack of housing. People say that they are concerned for the future of younger generations and that many people will have to move to the mainland if changes aren't made.

Emma Connolly, deputy editor of The Southern Star has been reporting on this issue since the publishing of the report, and joins us on the podcast today to go into more detail on its findings.

In our previous episode we focused on how the housing crisis is affecting older people in West Cork, and this episode shows again that the issues affect all parts of society, with residents on the islands facing huge challenges going forward.

Presented and produced by Dylan Mangan with reporting by Emma Connolly.

Thanks for listening to The Southern Star's In The News Podcast. Please be sure to like, share and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.

For more on this story pick up a copy of this week's Southern Star or subscribe online via www.southernstar.ie/epaper.

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100 years ago this month, General Michael Collins was killed in an ambush at Beál na Bláth, not far from his hometown of Clonakilty. 

As we approach the centenary of the passing of this charismatic and sometimes ruthless revolutionary leader, we’re delving into the final journey of the man affectionately known as ‘The Big Fella’.

On this edition of the In The News podcast The Southern Star's Dylan Mangan speaks to Jamie Murphy, the General Manager of the Michael Collins House Museum in Clonakilty about the death of General Collins.

The death of Michael Collins is written and produced by Dylan Mangan and Jack McCarron.

There's a FREE 24-page Michael Collins supplement is inside this week's Southern Star which is in shops and online via our digital edition now!

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