Founded by actor/philanthropist Paul Newman in 1994 to “press play” for children affected by serious illness, Barretstown serves thousands of young people and families at its magical County Kildare castle and beyond with impactful programs across Ireland and the UK.

Our guest Dee Ahearn has been the driving force behind the Barretstown success story, joining in 2010 as CEO after an international career in marketing and communications with a stint as chairperson of the Make A Wish Foundation Ireland.

In this holiday episode Dee shares heartwarming stories of transformation, saying:
“Many parents will say that when they're on the drive out the gates of Barretstown, the conversation with their children is when can we come back? Why do we have to leave? This is better than Disney World! And the teenagers want to know how quickly I can come back, what age I need to be to become a volunteer. ”

But the serious fun of swimming, canoeing, horseback riding, arts & crafts, and putting on plays rests on a foundation of solid governance, a quality that attracted our additional guest Tony Dunne, Bank of Ireland’s US CFO, COO & US Country Manager, to chair the friend-raising and fundraising-focused Barretstown Foundation USA.

The conversation underscores the importance of community and international support, including the cross-Atlantic support from American families and volunteers, and wraps with Dee’s invitation to you to get involved and help Barretstown provide even more “serious fun.”

Links
Barretstown

• Website
• Donate
• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• Facebook
• YouTube
• TwitterX
• TikTok

Barretstown Foundation USA

• Instagram
• Facebook
• Year End Appeal

Dee Ahearn

• LinkedIn

Tony Dunne, CFO, COO & US Country Manager at Bank of Ireland US

• LinkedIn

Episode Details: Season 6, Episode 22; Total Episode Count: 102

In this episode of the Irish Stew Podcast, host Martin Nutty welcomes back Maurice Casey to discuss the exciting developments in his life since his last appearance. Now a Research Fellow at Queen's University in Belfast, Maurice talks about his first book 'Hotel Luxe, An Intimate History of Communism's Forgotten Radicals'. The book has garnered garnered critical acclaim and was shortlisted for an An Post Irish Book Award in the Hodges Figgis History Book of the Year category.

Maurice shares the fascinating origins and research process behind 'Hotel Luxe,' including uncovering the life of Wexford woman May O'Callaghan whose sufragette origins led to a key position in post revolutionary Russia's Comintern. The story focuses on Moscow's delapidated Hotel Luxe in the mid 1920s and the network of revolutionary connections May O'Callaghan established at the eponymous residence. The episode explores the significance of these revolutionary lives in today's context and Maurice reveals his next project focused on a vegetarian cafe in 1930s London that was a hub of anti-Nazi activity.

Hotel Lux Links

• Linktree
• Publisher Page: Footnote Press

Maurice Casey Links

• Website
• Archive Rats SubStack
• Instagram
• BlueSky
• Academia.edu
• LinkedIn

Episode Details:

• Episode 21 of Season 6
• Episode 101 of Irish Stew Podcast

Only 11% of podcasts make it to episode 50 and only 6.4% get to 100.

So, excuse The Stew if they’re feeling a wee bit chuffed to drop episode 100 today.
For this milestone show, co-hosts John Lee and Martin Nutty are on the receiving end of questions from Wexford’s own, attorney Shelley Ann Quilty-Lake, who grills the pair on their four-year journey, their podcast concept, the show’s evolution, their changing interview approach, and how they collaborate. They reflect on the podcast’s dynamic guest lineup from astronauts to archaeologists, standout moments in the first 99 episodes, what they see as their role in the Irish diaspora, and share the buzz from their recent “Irish Stew Gets Lost in Belfast Road Trip 2024” (episodes dropping mid-Jan.), the first, they hope, of many road trips across Global Irish Nation.

And they manage to humble brag about being on the short-list for three 2024 Irish Pod Awards—Best Society & Culture Podcast, Best Hosting Duo/Trio, and Best Editor (thanks to the Stew’s secret weapon, audio guru and inaugural guest Bill Schultz).

With thanks to Shelley Ann for her deft interrogation and deep appreciation for their intriguing guests and loyal listeners, Martin and John look forward to dishing out many more servings of Irish Stew for you.

Links

• Irish Stew Full Episode Listing
  
  
• Team Irish Stew Bios
  
  
• Bill Schultz Episode

Shelley Ann Quilty-Lake

• LinkedIn
  
  
• Facebook

Episode Details Season 6 - Episode 20