Humans of Dundalk

26/08/2026

No. 108

Part 2 of 2

"My other love is interiors, again inspired by my mother who after deciding to hang up her dancing shoes turned to interior design. I was dragged around as a teenager to every antique auction and interiors and fabric shops all over the country and London especially. I even had a small job in the summers in a local auction house.

I met my husband Mark in Dublin on a site mum was working on while I was helping her carry paint to the site. (The night after doing my first big concert in the RDS!)

Fast-forward a few years, and we made the decision to move back home to Dundalk, around 20 years ago now. We love it here, so much so we decided to open a second showroom in Dundalk. My husband has a joinery company in Dublin and when we saw the old Laundry on Castle Road we fell in love with the character of the building and knew we had to do something special to restore it. And so we opened The Victorian Interiors Company in 2019.

Over the years, the building on Castle Road has lived many lives: it started out as a laundry, became a factory crafting Irish dancing shoes (where my own grandfather worked as manager) and later served as a stationery shop for Corcoran & Donnelly. After sitting dormant for a long time, we put a tremendous amount of love and hard work into restoring the building and bringing it back to life.

It was a huge job, but worth it, we gutted it and put our original salvaged flooring throughout a kitchen, old fashioned radiators and of course all the joinery and kitchen is made by Mark’s company in Dublin The Victorian Kitchen Company. I got the job of curating the nice things to sell there to compliment the building with antique and contemporary furniture along with accessories, fabrics, sofas, lighting and I love finding local artists to show their work in an interiors setting. It’s another creative outlet and we have a real passion for helping customers find nice pieces for their home.

We are very happy to be living in Dundalk. The arts scene is vibrant, the music, the restaurants and the general atmosphere is great and there is a real sense of community. The people on Castle Road in particular have been very welcoming and supportive. My eldest daughter Sophie Bea has her own business in the town now too, on Chapel Street around the corner from my grandparents old house, which she started on her own 5 years

There is just something very special about Dundalk and I love the history, the stories and the people.

I'm very proud to be from here and always let everyone know it!

Louth and Proud.

I’m delighted to be part of Dundalk’s musical and artistic tradition and myself and my family are very much rooted in that."

Brona Cahill

25/08/2026

No. 108

Part 1 of 2

"My early years began in Castletown Road before my parents made the move out to Faughart where they had built their first house. School started out there for me, but between family life and my mum teaching Irish dancing in the Carol Mead hall, moving back to a school in Dundalk was more practical. We eventually moved to Ravensdale and later Ardee.

My late father, Tony Cahill who recently passed away, worked for Qeleq on the Ecco road in the 60s and 70s. He was passionate about Gaelic football and played for the Gaels for years. His parents had a hairdressers on Roden Place many moons ago.

Music always played a huge role in our family. My mum Olivia’s side is the Heeneys, who were well known for their music, including, of course, the great Geraldine Heeney, who played piano all around town. Every chance there was, music and song filled our house during Mum's rehearsals for dancing competitions. My bedroom was right above the kitchen, so even after going to bed as a young child, the music would play on into the night.

When I was young my mum toured America with her Irish dancing group and I was on stage with her from a very young age. Her cabarets told the story of Ireland through music and dance and choreography. I started out playing a leprechaun in my first show, before eventually earning a promotion to fairy! Liam Reilly and Gerry O'Connor would have been on those trips to America back in the day and Francie Duffy was there too and of course my grandmother Geraldine Heeney and mum's sisters Martina and Helen and brothers and cousins and most of her dance school!

Growing up in Dundalk, the tennis club was like a second home and I would cycle there nearly every day and play for hours with my friends. Jim Pringle was my coach and he inspired us all so much. We had great fun. On the way home, I would call in to my grandparents on Roden Place. They would give me a few bob if I won a match, so there was incentive there. I’d pop into the Home Bakery and treat myself to a bun. Getting chips at the Roma on a Saturday was another treat, a group of us would head down together after tennis.

On Christmas Eve, we would always head down to my grandmother’s house on the Castletown Road, where we’d have a proper hooley. It was a small house and the whole large family would be everywhere, but it was great fun. My grandfather Johnny Heeney was a great singer, and my granny Geraldine Heeney would always duet together. I loved playing with her on the sessions in the house and most of my cousins play or sing too. We recently put in a concert in the Spirit Store to celebrate the legacy Geraldine left with all of us.

I got my first violin when I was 7. I didn't take to it immediately and didn't really like the lessons, but when I got home I would go to my room and play on my own (where I learned some really bad habits!!!) Mum saw how much I was really into it and looked into getting Father McNally to teach me. He was an amazing man who went on to set up the Redeemer Youth Orchestra that inspired a whole generation of classical violinists in the town, many of whom are now teaching too, carrying on the tradition.

We even did a tour to the east coast of America in the 1980s with the orchestra. We played a variety of music including a couple of Irish pieces. Lessons were always interesting as we would also talk a lot about music. He would never demonstrate but would always find the best solution and make all of his students play for the music and find the best way to express that technically.

My secondary school headmistress was incredibly supportive and gave me a space so I could practice the violin and reduced my subjects so I had more time to practice, which paid off as I started winning competitions and scholarships. The adjudicator for one of the competitions actually secured a scholarship for me to go to Luxembourg, for master classes so from the age of 16 things just took off. I met some amazing people along the way and spent a summer in Italy to study with a renowned violin teacher. I got to lead both the Junior and Senior Youth Orchestra of Ireland which was a great start for what would be an orchestral career.

At 18 I got into the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London where I spent four years before moving on to complete a two-year master's degree in Illinois, America. I was 24 when I graduated with my Master of Music. In December before I graduated, when I was home for Christmas, I managed to get an audition and win a place in the Irish Chamber Orchestra which I joined after I graduated that summer.

It was an incredible opportunity, and I ended up touring the world with them. Over the years as a freelance musician, I was lucky enough to co-lead ensembles like Camerata Ireland and the Irish Baroque Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra and guest lead the RTE Concert Orchestra and I had a chamber group with the Hibernian String Trio and played in the Crash Ensemble for ten years.

I was touring a lot in those days but having my daughter changed things and I decided to stop all the traveling and get a new position closer to home. We moved home to Dundalk twenty years ago and I'm proud to say I've now been the co-leader of the RTÉ Concert Orchestra for the last 18 years. It’s a great orchestra that can play any style of music and fantastic people and players in it!

I can live in Dundalk and as they only tour Ireland I can always be home in time for the school run."

Brona Cahill

18/08/2026

We're all behind Chloe tonight at the Rose of Tralee! She’s doing a fantastic job putting Dundalk on the map, and the entire town is bursting with pride. Best of luck!

No. 104

Part 3 of 3

"One of our neighbours in Belfry Avenue, Steven Woods, passed away at the start of the year and we all would have been very close. The night he was brought back home we did a guard of honour for him coming back into the street. We got to go into the house and say our goodbyes to him and it was all very sad. When we came out, one of our other neighbours invited a few of us back to her house for a few drinks in Steven's memory. We were telling stories and there were plenty of laughs and reminiscing. As the drinks kept flowing, somehow the subject of the Rose of Tralee came up and someone said, "Chloe, would you not go for the Louth Rose?" and with the few drinks in me, I said, "Do you know what, I will give it a go." The next morning, on the couch and hungover, I applied on my phone. I filled out the application form.

A week later I heard back from them and it went from there. I believe that being told to enter the Louth Rose the night Steven was brought home happened for a reason. Since I put my name forward, so much has changed. It has brought so much joy to all my neighbours, including Steven's family. It's been an incredibly tough time for the whole street since Steven passed away, but this has shown that something good can still come out of it.

On the day of the selection in the Carrickdale, I had his memory card in my car and I put it beside my car radio and played the Elbow song, "One Day Like This", that was his song. When I came back in after being picked to be the Louth Rose, the memory card had moved to the other side of the radio. I really think he helped me that day. I thought it was lovely.

Going up to the selection, I didn't really mind if I was selected or not. My nana kept saying to me, "You have as good a chance as anyone." It had already helped bring so many people together in my street so it was a bonus when my name was called out. I had made some good friends with the other Roses, so I had already decided that I was going to Tralee regardless of who won to support them. I don't speak fluent Irish, I can't Irish dance, and I don't play the fiddle or anything like that, so I really didn't think I would get picked.

I work with St. John of Gods at the minute as a carer and help take care of four gentlemen and they are the best craic ever, I love them. One of them, Barry, is non-verbal so he speaks through Lámh, which is an Irish sign language.

On the night of the Louth Rose selection, my party piece was myself and Barry going up on stage and showing them a video we had prepared. It was of me and him doing the Lámh signs, but I picked funny ones like "beer" and stuff like that. It seemed to go down well and Barry was the star of the show. I would love to do something like that in Tralee, but I'm not sure yet, I'm just waiting to hear back if they will allow us to show it.

Either way Barry and the other three men we look after, and all the staff, are coming down to Tralee. In fact everyone I know is coming down, at the last count there are 150 heading to Tralee! As soon as I was selected, we rang up every hotel and Airbnb and got booked in, so it's going to be some craic.

I'll be the Louth Rose now for the next two years, as Louth only takes part in the Rose of Tralee every second year. I think it's been such a positive thing so far. Even for Dundalk itself, it's a big deal, there hasn't been a Louth Rose from the town in over ten years.

Things have changed since I was chosen, but I'm trying to just act as normal. I still go to my work and I still come into town with my Nannies. I worked in Conlon's Deli part-time for seven years, so a lot of people would know me from there. Now, even when I'm walking through the town, people are shouting out the car windows at me, wishing me good luck.

When I was selected, it brought back a memory of my great-nanny, Molly. She raised twelve kids and raised them all herself. My last memory of her was when I went up to visit her on my Communion day, and she said to me, "It's all my own work." When I was selected as the Louth Rose, the very first thing my grandad, Billy, said to me was, "If Nanny Molly was here, she'd be saying, 'It's all your own work.'

I don't think I'll be nervous on the night. I'll just be myself, that's all I can do, really. It’s on the 17th and 18th of August, and Louth has never actually won the Rose of Tralee before.

So make sure to tune in and shout us all on, and hopefully, we can bring the Rose of Tralee title back to Dundalk for the very first time!

Cmon the town!"

Chloe Moran

31/07/2026

No. 107

Part 2 of 2

"I was always a Clan na Gael man. After primary school, we’d all be out kicking a ball in the Clans field. The Clans was a real community-driven club, they always looked after the kids and they saw that as far more important than winning trophies. If it was raining, they’d let us all into the hall to play games. I remember there was a black-and-white TV in the front room for the seniors and if a cowboy film came on, the kids would all squeeze in trying to catch a glimpse of it.

The GAA quickly became my life. In 1960, I was in goals for the Clans in a minor final against O'Raghallaighs in Ardee, though we were beaten by two points. By 17, I managed to get into goals for the senior team. In '61, I was lucky enough to play minor for Louth, though Kildare pipped us by a point in Croke Park. I was fortunate that same year to get a spot on the junior team. We made it all the way to the All-Ireland final against Yorkshire over in Leeds and came away with the win so by the time I was 18, I could say I was an All Ireland winner.

In 1962, I was called up to the Louth senior team. That same year, we faced Dublin in Navan and 35,000 people packed in to see Dublin get the better of us. By 1964, I was playing full-back for the Clans and we made it to the county final. It was a tough battle against the Newtown Blues and after a replay, they just edged us out. I kept training and playing away with Louth through it all and in 1965, I was fortunate enough to get the call-up to represent Leinster.

I proudly played for the Louth seniors from 1962 right up until 1978.

I retired from playing football altogether in 1982 and right away I was asked to take over as manager of the Clans senior team. I had a bit of management experience under my belt from managing the Sean O’Mahonys, where we’d won the Junior Championship.

Things didn’t start easy, we lost the first five matches in a row. The following week we were playing the Young Irelanders and I decided to bring a young Steven Staunton into the team. That changed everything. We went on to win every single game for the rest of the season, all the way to the Leinster Club Championship final. The only reason we were beaten in that final was because Steven wasn’t playing! I remember one match against the Geraldines where we had 13 points on the board by halftime and Steven had scored every single one of them! He was a great player.

We went on to win two County Championships with the Clans in 1985 and 1987. It was fantastic for the area and looking back, those were some of the happiest times of my life.

In 2000, the Leinster Council decided to form a combined Dundalk schools team to compete at Senior Colleges football level. I was asked to take over as manager, it was a great honour.

I was named to start at right-full back for the Louth hurlers in the 1961 All-Ireland Junior Championship final against Fermanagh over in Carrickmacross. But just before the match, I got a fierce crack of a hurl right across the knee. It opened up a previous wound so badly that instead of running out onto the pitch, I spent the entire match down in the doctor’s surgery getting stitched up.

Because I didn't get to play in the match, there was confusion around my invitation to the original reception and my medal never came.

Decades later, I was at the Clan na Gael centenary celebrations when I bumped into GAA Director General Páraic Duffy. I mentioned what had happened all those years ago. He listened, took it in, and said to me, ‘You’ll have your medal by post on Wednesday.’ Sure enough, forty years after that match, the medal arrived in the post from Croke Park.

I’m still involved with the Clans to this day. I go down to the club, give out a bit and listen to everyone else giving out, it’s great craic and it gets me out of the house.

I can’t imagine what my life would have been like if I hadn’t found the GAA. It would have gone down a completely different road and maybe I’d have been just as happy, but I’m so glad I gave so much of my life to it. I’ve made hundreds of friends and a lifetime of memories along the way"

Leslie Toal

30/07/2026

No. 107

Part 1 of 2

"I was born in 1943 in St. Oliver Plunkett Park and I started playing football on the street when I was just three or four years old. Back then, the street would be packed with lads playing. It didn’t matter where we were, on the road, in a field. If there was a ball, there was a game.

I went to the De La Salle primary school on Philip Street, and then went on to the De La Salle secondary school. But I had to leave after three years when my father retired from P.J. Carroll’s. Money was tight, so I had to go out and get a job to help support the family.

There were five children, myself, my two brothers and my two sisters. Mairéad was the eldest and she went straight out to work, while Maria was the youngest. My brother Brian was the brains of the family, so he went off and joined the Gardaí, and my other brother Seán headed over to England to find work. That took a bit of the financial pressure off the house, but we all had to do our bit.

The first job I got was in 1958 at Mourneview Garage, filling petrol for a man called Jimmy Devlin. Jimmy was real soccer mad and it didn’t take him long to notice me, he kept at me to come and play in goal for Dundalk

But it was always the GAA for me.

When I turned 18, I knew I had to get a proper job. With my dad having worked in P.J. Carroll’s for years, I got word that I had an interview lined up.

I went in and two girls interviewed me. I was honest with them, I told them I had no experience and didn't think I had any hope of getting the job. One of them turned around to me and said, ‘You have nothing to worry about. You had this job secured before you ever walked through the door, thanks to your father’s name.

So I started there and ended up working for PJ Carroll’s for 34 years. We were on Church Street first before moving out to the new place on the Dublin Road. There were about 700 of us working in Church Street and then well over 1,000 out at what’s now DkIT. It was a great employer for the town, PJCarroll’s really looked after Dundalk.

Part of my job was driving a van, which came in very handy. I could drive out to all the local dances and I was one of the few fellas who actually had four wheels, everyone else was only on two!

I met my wife, Helen, one night after driving out to the Pavilion Dance Hall in Blackrock. I walked up and asked her for a dance. One thing led to another and we ended up getting married in St. Patrick’s in 1969. We bought our first house in Fr. Murray Park for £1,050, and sold it a few years later for £4,500.

Then in 1976, we bought a house in Glenwood for £8,500. We stayed there for 28 and a half years and it was a fantastic place to live, great neighbours and a brilliant community. They even had a local running club and Marie Hearty used to put on variety shows for all the children in the estate.

In 2004, we moved back to Helen’s home house in St. Malachy’s Villas and we’ve been here ever since"

Leslie Toal

23/07/2026

No. 106

Part 2 of 2

​"As the Leaving Cert approached, I had my heart set on becoming a primary school teacher, even though I knew deep down I might not get the points. I put immense pressure on myself, studying for hours on end to make it happen.

​Then one day in 6th year, I came home to find my parents waiting at the kitchen table. They sat me down to tell me my dad was being made redundant. With a new mortgage to pay, money worries suddenly hung over the house—another heavy weight on top of the exam stress.

​That summer, the results came in and I was 40 points short of my goal. Devastated as I was, I accepted a place in the Arts degree at St. Patrick’s College, studying Irish and French. It turned out many of my classmates shared that exact same dream of becoming a teacher.

​A month after graduating, I interviewed for the Higher Diploma in Primary Teaching, but I was rejected. The following year, the course was restructured into a two-year Master of Education (PME), meaning I’d only have to wait six months to try again. I kept pushing.

​I applied for the PGCE at St. Mary’s in Belfast, but was turned down there too. A month later, I went back to St. Pat's to interview for the new PME program. This time, I got in, joining the very first cohort.

​Those two years transformed me. Standing up in front of a classroom demanded a confidence I simply didn't have yet, but I knew I had to build it.

​In 2016, I finally graduated with my Master's. After a year of subbing across different schools, I signed my first contract, covering a maternity leave at the local Gaelscoil.

​That school is just a stone’s throw from where I grew up in Muirhevnamor. Back then, my parents would never have dreamed of sending me there. But standing there as a qualified teacher, walking streets I hadn't stepped on since I was a child, it felt like fate had pulled me back. I had finally come full circle.

​Following that first role, I secured another maternity cover, this time at Holy Family in Bay Estate, right back where my primary school journey had first started. It was an incredible privilege to return and work alongside the very teachers who had created such a wonderful learning environment for me as a child.

​I ended up learning just as much from them as a colleague as I ever did as a pupil, and I only hope I can have that same positive influence on the children in my own care. That autumn, I returned to the Gaelscoil, this time signing a permanent contract.

​Looking back now, I’ve completed ten years as a primary school teacher and I still have to pinch myself sometimes when I stand at the front of the classroom. It was a long, hard road, but I got there. Every day is different, every class is different and every student is different, but I love the challenge and I love the craic.

​Every year, I take my class on a historical tour of Muirhevnamor, proudly pointing out the house I called home for twelve years.

​When I was completing my first teaching practice, my Dad was receiving a stem cell transplant in Beaumont Hospital. Growing up, Dad was the kind of man who never got so much as a cold. But in 2014, our lives were turned completely upside down when he was diagnosed with two rare blood cancers: Polycythemia Vera (PV) and Multiple Myeloma.

​It was pure chance that it was caught at all. He went through high-dose chemotherapy followed by a transplant using his own healthy stem cells to rebuild his bone marrow. It was a success, but just three years later, we received more devastating news: he had developed myelofibrosis, a rare bone marrow cancer linked to the PV.

​Facing it a second time was even harder. We knew the gruelling toll it takes on the body and we didn't know if he could endure it again or if his body would even accept donor cells. A donor transplant was his only curative option and thankfully, one of his brothers proved to be a match.

​The procedure carries a terrifyingly high mortality rate of 35 to 45 percent, but the care he received on the Denis Burkitt Ward in St. James's Hospital was nothing short of exceptional. After six weeks on the ward and another six weeks recovering nearby in Kilmainham, the news came through: he was clear. Today, he remains completely cancer-free.

​2027 will mark ten years since my dad received that lifesaving transplant. To give back and help ensure more families get their own second chances, I’ve decided to run the 2026 Dublin Marathon in aid of St. James's Hospital.

​If you’re in a position to support, there is a donation link in the comments below. Thank you."

​James Dullaghan

22/07/2026

No.106

Part 1 of 2

"I grew up in Slieve Foy Park in Muirhevnamor. I was born in 1992, just a few months before the new Holy Family Church opened. I could have been one of the first babies baptised there, but my parents chose to have me christened in Knockbridge instead. They had both grown up there and every Sunday we'd make the trip to visit my grandparents after Mass. Those weekly visits became a big part of my childhood.

Growing up, I used to feel funny whenever I had to tell people I lived in Muirhevnamor. There was this unspoken stigma around it, like people already had a pre-packaged idea of who you were just because of your address. But the reality couldn't have been further from the truth. It was an amazing place to grow up.

We had the best neighbours. On one side were the Forans. Whenever I saw local singer Gerry Foran pull up outside, I’d run over to open the gates for him. He’d always slip me a pound to say thanks and then one day, out of nowhere, he handed me a metal detector! On the other side were the McNallys, who had a daughter the exact same age as my sister. They were and still are like family to us.

My dad worked 8 to 5 every day, and as soon as he came home, my mam would head out to work from 7 to 10 in the evening. Dad worked until 1 o'clock on Saturdays, too. It’s only when you grow older that you truly appreciate the sheer graft your parents put in for you.

I actually lasted a grand total of one day at preschool in Doolargy! But the following year, I started primary school in Bay Estate. Mam walked us over every single day, hail, rain, or snow. I still hate the wind to this day because of those walks. Starting school opened up a whole new world to me. It felt like the one place in society where it didn’t matter where you came from or what your social status was. We all wore the same uniform and the teachers treated every single one of us the same.

It was there that I developed a real love for learning and I look back on those eight years with so many wonderful memories. Just as I was finishing sixth class, everything changed, I was told we were moving house. My parents had bought my mam’s childhood home in Knockbridge after it was put up for sale. As much as it was a big shift, I was just relieved I’d gotten to finish out my primary school years in Bay Estate with my friends.

Our moving date got pushed back by two weeks, landing on Friday, the 8th of July, 2005. Walking through our now completely empty home in Slieve Foy one last time, it genuinely felt like I was leaving my childhood behind. It was also my mam’s 40th birthday that day. Her parents had passed away before I was born, so moving back into her old family home on such a milestone date felt like more than just a coincidence, it felt like fate.

With a new home in the countryside came a brand new sense of freedom. I got a new bike and spent that summer cycling down every country road I could find.That August, I started secondary school at Coláiste Rís, having been placed in the Irish stream, which was a complete shock to the system. I really didn’t know what I was letting myself in for! Right away, I realised almost every subject was going to be taught entirely through Irish.

After a month of struggling, my mam went to the principal to ask if I could switch to an English-speaking class. But he told her I’d scored one of the highest results in the entrance exams and urged me to give it more time. So, I stuck it out. I ended up getting an A in my Junior Cert Irish exam, and looking back, I honestly don’t know if I’d be where I am today if I’d taken the easy option and moved.

Another advantage of moving to Knockbridge was that my granddad lived just around the corner, meaning I got to see him almost every day. Every Sunday morning, I’d head to the shop for him to get his Sunday paper, a pack of Rothmans, and two All Cash Gold scratchcards. He’d always hand over his loose change wrapped up in a piece of kitchen roll or tucked into a small envelope. I kept a money jar in my room just for those coins, tipping them out to count them week by week. It’s those little routines that stick with you the most."

James Dullaghan

17/07/2026

A look back at an old Humans of Dundalk story, this one is from the 17th of August 2024 and features the one and only Paddy Mac 🎙️🕺

No.21

"I'm 70 years old today and I'm not ashamed of it. I was born in 1954 and have been working since 1956!

I was born and bred in Dundalk, on St. Nicholas Avenue, otherwise known as D'avenya. Growing up there were great times. I'm sure everyone remembers bonfire night, that was the big thing back then.

I went to De La Salle primary and on the first day they put me in the girls' school when I was only four or five. I think the boys' school was full. I remember seeing the nuns and everything. But when there was enough room, we were moved to the boys' school.

My favourite subject was "mitching"!

I wasn’t a fan of school at all. I always wanted to be a musician, music was always in my head. I thought musicians didn’t have to learn anything. But then I soon found out years later that they did!

Back then, once you turned 14, you finished school. I started working at a place called Oliver Nultys, where Eddie Maguire's is now, with my brother Georgie. We were messenger boys. There were no vans at the time, so we had to haul suites of furniture on massive hand carts, sometimes from Church Street to Fatima, return to the shop and then go again. We were strong boys back then.

Because I was so tall, I started playing in bands when I was just 15. Music runs in the family and it was always in the house. My father played guitar, and my uncle Barney played the piano. My father and his brothers became the Merry Macs. My brother Michael and I decided to carry on the name and thankfully it was very successful. I also played with other bands like Company, The Long Riders, Guys and Dolls, Tanya, The Kay Twins and New Revival with the famous Joe Duffy from Dundalk FM.

My dear friend, Gene Berrill, who passed away about seven years ago, was a well-known drummer in Dundalk. The Toronto Showband was having a reunion and Gene asked me if I would play in the band. My cousin, Noel Donnelly, who lived across the street from me, was the lead singer. I used to sit on the wall on St. Nicholas Avenue as a kid and watch the band's van pull up and I was in awe of it. When I was asked to join them and play bass, I thought all my Christmas' had come at once.

On the night of the reunion we played the Lisdoo and a good crowd showed up. Earlier that day I had joked with one of the girls that it would be funny if they threw knickers up on stage. She must have told everyone because when Noel started singing the first song half the knickers in Dunnes Stores were thrown at us! There was even a pair of trunks and to this day I’ve no idea where they came from. It was very funny and it still sticks in my mind, especially the image of the brass section with knickers hanging from the trombones.

I got into radio about 25 years ago. I was working on a scheme at the time and the supervisor told me to go up to Dundalk Media Centre for an interview. I went, did the interview, and didn’t think much of it. I was walking back into town when my Nokia rang and they asked if I could start on Monday. I said, “Oh, really?” And that was it, I spent 20 years in radio and met all sorts of great people along the way. I retired four years ago but I'm still a volunteer with the station and do my morning show.

After the pandemic I went out on my own playing music, it worked out well and im enjoying it. I still feel strong and thankfully healthwise I've been okay. "

Paddy McEneaney (Paddy Mac)