In the fourth and final episode of our Female Entrepreneur series, in partnership with Tarasis Enterprises – Supporting Female Entrepreneurs – we speak to the Portadown businesswoman who explains how property was not her first dabble in sales.

Growing up with a farming background, cattle was always Libby's first passion and she recalls selling her first property at fifteen.

Following Libby's father's retirement, the keen saleswoman took on a role with the then branded Joyce Estate Agents in 2002.

Fast forward to 2010, Joyce Clarke was born following a buy out of the business.

Libby explains the process as a "seamless transaction" and tells us how some of the team are key to the success of the business.

Cash flow, IT systems, long hours and mortgage changes are all part of normal working life - not to mention a farm at home which Libby manages herself.

This is the third episode of our four part series, in partnership with Tarasis Enterprises, Supporting Female Entrepreneurs.

In 2019, Benburb-based beautician Sinead O’Donnell was hard at work laying the foundations for her own brand of self-tanning products. Then, in 2020 with the onset of the Covid Pandemic her world was suddenly upended with the untimely and tragic passing of her beloved father, Patrick Hughes.

Despite her incredible heartache, Sinead was acutely aware that her dad would not have wanted her to put paid to her new venture. So, with his devotion to her in mind, she decided to dedicate her line to his memory and thus PH20 Tanning was born.

Two years on, Sinead has continued to develop her line. PH20 is currently being stocked by over 5o retailers, secured by none-other than Sinead herself, and is set to launch a new and exciting product in the very near future.

With her sunny disposition, radiantly positive outlook on life and her quiet grit and determination it is patently clear that this female entrepreneur has a glowing future in business ahead of her.

Petra's is the second episode of our four part series, in partnership with Tarasis Enterprises, Supporting Female Entrepreneurs.

'Conventional' would not be the word to describe Petra. Her route to business, whilst not perhaps a stereotypical journey, is a reassuring one. She demonstrates that the key to success is intrinsic. It’s something she believes we all hold.

Petra champions those around her and places huge emphasis on the importance of the help and support she has received across her years in business. This support is something she is now keen to provide to those coming next, her team and her customer base.

Through shamanic healing and ‘energy medicine’ Petra has a zest and love for life that is nothing short of infectious. She has found a balance between business and pleasure that has allowed her to see life through a new lens.

Her advice to fledgling entrepreneurs, also a tad unconventional, is perhaps some of the best and most actionable advice for anyone thinking of starting out on their own.

This is the first of our four part series, in partnership with Tarasis Enterprises, Supporting Female Entrepreneurs.

So much so, he says his parents' home is like a sporting monument; his own home, you would struggle to tell he played football at all.

But strangely enough, Sean says his affinity – certainly off the sporting fields – lies on the Armagh side of the River Blackwater...

Listen to Sean's story in business and how he keeps growing, despite the many challenges he faces – including a fire in his Moy premises within months of going out on his own – and how he balances his life between home and work - it certainly hasn't been easy! 

Three years later, almost to the day, since Martin underwent surgery, he won the singles championship title in the Banbridge and District Darts League.

During the previous decade the world-class dart thrower was at the top of his game - a regular on the World Darts circuit and competing well in events like the Dutch, Belgium and Czech Opens, along with winning countless tournaments and trophies around Ireland as well as in Newry, with whichever team was lucky enough to have him.

One of the only people who believed he would ever play darts again – especially at the level he had done – was Martin himself.

Martin has been practising Mindfulness for 20-odd years and in the last 10 of those he developed a keen interest in Buddhism.

It’s an on-going long and painful road back from the cancer that ravaged his body, but there’s no better man to overcome that obstacle than Martin, as the two words that fuel his life are ‘belief’ and ‘fear’ – the former a force that he says has helped him succeed in the darts world and in his recovery, and the latter the thing that he feels holds people back from reaching their goals.

For this week’s podcast, Martin talks about his journey, since his cancer diagnosis and after the miraculous surgeries that couldn’t have been done a few years earlier.

He battled through the doubts both from within and from fellow darts players when he decided to give up drink in 2016… But the biggest battle was still to come.

Martin explains how Mindfulness and Buddhism has helped him through the  challenges he has overcome.

He tells us all about his darts career and how he and other top dart players really need sponsors to come on board for the little it costs them in relative terms.

Kevin was killed in a hit and run car accident in New York in 2013 and it took a network of family, friends and the community home and abroad to gather the funds needed to repatriate his body home to his loved ones in just three days.

The extraordinary generosity of those who donated to the Bell family at such a horrific time of grief inadvertently led to Collie and Eithne establishing KBRT.

The charity has brought home the bodies of over 1300 people from around the world since then.

For this week’s podcast, Collie explains how it all began and how the charity evolved over the years.

He talks about his son Kevin and how KBRT is not only his legacy but also cathartic in some ways for his family.

On a happier note, Collie and Eithne did have a little bit of luck a few years ago and Collie tells us all about that too…

That work included a compassionate practical solution to people suffering from hair loss - often due to the side effects of chemotherapy. Sometimes it’s the little things that help when a person is seriousl ill, and sometimes, in cases like the non-life-threatening condition alopecia, the service provided by Tresses Wig and Hairpiece Boutique can also be life-changing.

Therese comes from a large family of 14 children and began her hairdressing career as a young teenager when she learned her trade in Scissors hairdressers in Newry.

She opened her very own salon at the tender age of nineteen and 17 years later, when a client was in need of a wig, Therese went on a mission to find one in London. With the help of an Orthodox Jew she did, and with that the seed was sown to fulfil a want deep in her soul.

In 1998 Therese opened Tresses, the first wig and hairpiece boutique in the country, and the business went from strength to strength. She opened another boutique in Belfast and Therese established a relationship with the NHS, cementing that collaboration when she and a psychologist Professor Davidson in Belvoir Park Hospital set up the first dedicated  room that provided wigs and counselling services to patients suffering from hair loss, which was rolled out to hospitals all around the UK and Ireland.

For this week’s podcast Therese tells Armagh I how she got where she is today and why she feels compelled to do what she does.

She tells us all about that memorable weekend when she was handed her MBE by HRH Prince Charles. A story that includes a fake Chanel handbag, a secret handshake and a very famous celebrity she met on the day…

Ellen, who studied fashion design at University, dusted off her sewing machine and began creating her own brand of quirky hair scrunchies.

Demand grew rapidly and before long Ellen had progressed from scrunchies to sweaters and was growing her own streetwear brand ELN.

Functional, sustainable and extremely fashionable, Ellen tells us about the factors that are most important to her brand.

We talk fast fashion and influencer culture as Ellen explains the societal trends that shaped her vision, for not only the clothing line, but her own approach to branding and marketing.

The show, set in the small seaside town of Morecambe in Lancaster, is on its third season, with a fourth in the works. And the man behind the critically acclaimed and hugely popular whodunnit was born and bred right here in Armagh.

Daragh Carville brought the complex characters and stories to life as writer and co-creator of The Bay and while it’s probably his best-known work, the screenwriter, playwright and university lecturer has produced plenty of fine work over the years.

The recipient of numerous awards from stage to screen, Daragh has more than proven that he is a true talent. His first feature film, Middletown, was nominated in nine categories at the Irish Film and Television Awards in 2007, including Best Film and Best Screenplay, with Irish actress Eva Birthistle winning Best Actress. And his second film, Cherrybomb’ starring Harry Potter’s  Rupert Grint, Love /Hate alumnus Robert Sheehan and our very own James Nesbitt, also picked up awards at the Berlin and Belfast Film Festival.

The theatre is where it all started for Daragh, but whatever the platform, his works have translated successfully on radio, and stage as well as on the big and small screen.

Daragh is a proud Armagh man, a place that he still calls home despite settling in Lancaster with his novelist wife Jo Baker and their two children. The family come back to Armagh regularly to visit and  it’s in Armagh where his career began.

He says writing was a vocation for him, with an innate love of film, music, books, comics and art pulling him in that direction. But it was a special and inspirational English teacher in St Pat’s Armagh, who encouraged Daragh to pursue his interests. That teacher nurtured his talents, and sent him on the path that led to the career that he loves.

And for this week’s podcast, Daragh tells us how it all happened and allows us a glimpse into the mind of a successful writer.

This is Part Three in a four-part series of podcasts featuring young entrepreneurs, sponsored by the Armagh Credit Union.

Astute and ambitious, the twins recognised their own set of skills early on and kick-started their journey into self-employment by leaning into what they were most passionate about, sports and nutrition, and established a multi-sports coaching company, Burns Skills School, in 2013.

Fast forward nine years… the brothers now head up three thriving businesses, all housed under the one Old Barn roof.

Yes, they are hugely successful, but as Andrew confesses… It wasn't always fair weather. From long drives to recruit clients, creating an office from a spare bedroom to the hardships of decision making with a sibling - they have been through it all.

Not a pair to be easily defeated, they continued to ‘drive it on’ and, taking inspiration from their entrepreneurial father, Frank, they have now set sights on a new goal.

And it’s not just the name that Dani has adopted from the past. The Armagh singer/songwriter and musician’s songs also transcend time, steeped in Irelands ancient landscape, mythologies and folklore.

Dani began writing at the age of 11 with a poem and since then years of working hard and performing , eventually saw her become the quintessential overnight success.

Her debut album, ‘Notes For A Maiden Warrior’ was released in to 2021 to rave reviews.

‘striking debut,’ ‘stunning,’ ‘otherworldly,’ ‘powerful,’ ‘you can feel the music in your bones,’ are just a few accolades from the critics.

A whirlwind year of touring home and abroad followed, amidst nominations  for ‘Best Album’ at this year’s Northern Ireland Music Prize and ‘Best Emerging Artist’ at the RTE Folk Awards.

She opened for Snow Patrol at sold-out London Palladium Theatre and Belfast’s Waterfront, and after performing at SXSW festival in Austin Texas, it was off to Vancouver before coming home to tour with Declan O’Rourke.

Armagh I caught up with Dani, after she took a short breather in Galway, and she spoke about her life, her music and her philosophies on both.

While she’s inspired by where she comes from and the legacies of the land, Dani, who has a degree in history and sociology and a masters in international conflict and cooperation, has also used her music to unite, working in places as far afield as Palestine, Indonesia and Columbia.

It’s back on the road again closer to home in the coming months however, with Dani’s next tour kicking off on April 29 at the Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival in Belfast, followed by a UK tour with Ye Vagabonds and some shows of her own.

Tickets available at www.danilarkin.com

Glyn’s racing career spans the 90’s to the present day, and he’s crammed in plenty over the decades. He raced the UCI Downhill World Cup circuit from 1997 to 2006, and in 2009 came second I the World Masters Downhill Championships.

But in 2003 Glyn lost the plot altogether – taking himself off to Utah where he competed in the Red Bull Rampage – and finished an incredible third.

Legendary status confirmed, Glyn still went back for more the following year. Just in case you’re not clear exactly what this event consists of, Glyn describes it as ‘basically jumping of a cliff on a bike.’ And he’s not joking - check out the footage on YouTube.

When he’s not hurling himself off mountains Glyn is immersed in the business end of the sport, working with Vitus Bikes a s a Brand Ambassador and founder of the Vitus First Tracks team, coaching and, oh yeah – he’s also been a fireman for the past 14 years. In fact Glyn took gold at the World Police and Fire Games in Canada in 2011 and again at home in Northern Ireland in 2013.

Whenever he can though Glyn can be found riding the local trails in Bigwood or at the Mountain Bike Trail Centre in Kilbroney Park - which he was involved in setting up in 2013. Armagh I caught up with Glyn when he came down from a day’s work in Rostrevor, filming with the new range of Vitus bikes at the top of the mountain. The fit-as-a-fiddle athlete wasn’t even out of breath as he talked about his love of downhill biking and adventure. Glyn tells us all about that memorable day in Utah, touches on the tricky topic of the dangers posed by walkers on the bike trails in Kilbroney Park, and how he would love to see the area expanded.

There’s no sign of Glyn slowing down, as he gears up to compete in the first round of this year’s Irish Downhill Mountainbike Series , which takes place in Rostrevor next weekend, April 2 -3. The event is completely sold out, with mountain biking more popular than ever – and long may it last.

Atmosphere Immersive Media was established by Gerda Visinskaite and her boyfriend Jake Bailey-Sloan.

Jake set up The Mill, the indoor combat centre on Bleary Road, when he was just a teenager, but sadly passed away in October, at the age of just 23.

This is Part Two in a four-part series of podcasts featuring young entrepreneurs, sponsored by the Armagh Credit Union.

Armagh I caught up with Gerda Visinskaite and videographer Jakub Cervenak to hear about the origins of the business and how they are working to keep Jake's legacy alive.

Gerda explained that Jake had hired Jakub, whilst he was still working as a pizza chef, to carry out some videography work at the Mill.

Impressed by the work, a few years later Jake approached Jakub with the idea for Atmosphere Immersive.

From the start they tried to set themselves apart from the rest, using 360° multi-lens camera technology to capture 8K photo and video content.

It was not an instant success, with Gerda and Jakub explaining there was a lot of free work to begin with building up a portfolio but after this businesses began contacting them impressed by the output.

Matthew Sherry, a Co Monaghan native, set up shop (quite literally) in the city centre when he opened up his artisan pizza shop, Basil Lane, less than two months ago.

This is Part One in a serial of Armagh I podcasts featuring young entrepreneurs, sponsored by the Armagh Credit Union.

Matthew realised his dream of serving the woodfired delights whilst studying science at university in Dublin.

It took just one bite of an artisan pizza and he knew this is what he wanted to be doing.

The 26-year-old did finish his initial degree but then changed tact with a post grad in entrepreneurship, which helped with the basics.

Not only does Matthew own the business but he also will be your chef and server at Basil Lan, which he believes ensures quality.

So focused was he in making sure his pies where up to scratch, Matthew had his pizza oven shipped in from Italy, however, piecing it together proved a bit of a tougher task.

He admits that there were reservations to begin with but he has been blown away by the support of other businesses and customers.

Looking forward, Matthew does have dreams of growing the business with more premises but he wants to make sure that this would not be to the detriment of the quality of his pizzas.

Like life itself, it's been a rollercoaster; there has been the good the bad and, indeed, the very ugly. Fires, hijackings, bombings – The Troubles in general – have been juxtaposed against happier times. An avid Armagh GAA fan, Vincy was there for the All-Ireland triumph in 2002 and before that, the All-Ireland defeat to Dublin in the '77 final. The contrast he says was "unreal". 

Times have changed but memories last a lifetime. Here, Vincy details some of those memories as he exhibits some of the most striking images he has captured over the years at the Aonach Mhacha Culture centre on Lower English Street. That event runs for another few weeks...and just like those photos, our chat is well-worth listening to. 

Nowadays, you can find Ric Dyer distilling his beautifully crafted gin in a lab in Benburb.

It's been an unconventional route for Ric, but his Symphonia Gin is fast becoming a household name in a saturated gin market; his story, like his liqueur, is a unique one.

The country, tied up with Putin’s Russia, is ruled by dictator Alexander Lukashenko and its poorest and most vulnerable citizens are locked away in abysmal conditions in institutions and orphanages out of sight hidden in forests throughout the country.

Belarus was the country most affected by the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster and the fallout continues, as the  children –  who never grew old, watched their children suffer on with illness, disability and poverty.

Chernobyl Aid Newry was founded in 1997 to support the  neglected children and families of Belarus.

Jacinta Curran was a pharmacist when she happened upon the charity when one of its founders came in for supplies to take to Belarus. Her medical knowledge was requested and she joined Chernobyl Aid Newry in 2001. They work tirelessly helping the Institutions, orphanages and asylums, providing them with whatever they require.

Before Covid the charity travelled bi-annually to Belarus with medical and food  supplies, clothing, money and they even built a half-way house – in poignant circumstances -  for a group of men who had been institutionalised since birth.

While all of our focus is naturally on the Ukrainian people right now, things have gotten even worse for the poor in Belarus. Any meagre amount of funding these state-run institutions receive will now go to the military for Lukashenko’s support for Putin.

For this week’s podcast Jacinta tells Armagh I just what it’s like in the forests of Belarus and all of the work that Chernobyl Aid Newry does to alleviate the suffering.

The stories are harrowing but the urgency and genuine distress and love Jacinta feels for these people is palpable when you listen to her speak.

His Dojang training Centre is the epicentre of clubs the fourth Dan Black belt runs – from Dundalk to Silverbridge - with around 200 students of all ages.

Cathal has been involved in martial arts since he was five years old and it didn’t take him long to discover that TaeKwon-Do was the discipline for him.

The walls of the Newry club are covered in pictures of founders, masters and inspirational leaders, alongside words of wisdom in Korean – the country where Tae Kwon Do was born.

The Silverbridge man is passionate about spreading his knowledge throughout the community. He found his own way of giving back during the first lockdown by teaching classes to NHS workers and teachers to help with their mental health.

Cathal is the current  world and 10-time All-Ireland Champion, and although it took him 10 years, he finally convinced the council to set up free introductory self-defence classes for girls on the back of  Ashling Murphy’s tragic murder.

Spirituality and building a more peaceful world is at the heart of martial arts. It’s about technique and skill rather than physical size.

For this week’s podcast, Cathal tells Armagh I all about the origins of Tae Kwon-Do, it’s place in our society, the success of his club and his students and how he hopes to expand the sport and spread the word.

Kieran, alongside his business partner and friend Steven Burns, from Lurgan, started the brand having worked together for a number of years prior to the launch. It was a punt; a leap of faith that, despite Covid, has produced some serious results since. 

A pandemic and an exiling of spectator sport did not stop the in their tracks; in fact, they grew bigger and stronger, against the odds.

By chance, the pair brought in Monaghan GAA goalkeeper Rory Beggan, when they weren't planning on hiring...that was the catalyst for further growth. Three years later and a 15-strong team later, there are big plans in the pipeline..

Title music by NEW HORIZONS by Lesion X | https://soundcloud.com/lesionxbeats Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US

Take two videographers, their adorable two-year-old son, a mic and the video-sharing platform TikTok though, and it’s a different story.

Dan and Hannah Gillespie wondered what ‘chatterbox’ Zeke was saying when out of earshot as he explored the park on family days out, so, while out and about on a holiday, they stuck a mic on him and listened.

Zeke’s musings were so sweet, his parents decided to share some of those moments with the world, so they posted a video of Zeke at play on TikTok around four months ago and the clip went viral.

Since then, the Gillespie family videos have amassed over 7000 followers and over a million hits. As videographers the quality of Dan and Hannah’s content reflects that, with beautifully produced videos that their followers can’t get enough of. Add five-month-old baby sister Eden and their dog Buddy, who has yet to feature, and you have the Gillespies...

The outdoors beckons and there have never been more opportunities to get moving and start leading a more active life.

And it’s not exclusive to the young and healthy either.

For this week’s podcast Armagh I was back in South Lake Leisure centre speaking to Alex Clifford and Aaron McNeill about the ABC council’s MUGAS (Multi Use Games  Areas) FREE programmes available across the Borough.

The community based grassroots project takes an informal approach to getting people active but it’s a whole lot more than that.

Alex is the council’s Community Sport Development Officer and he explains how MUGAS work and how kids can make use of them in any way they choose, be it for basketball, football, tennis or any activity they feel in the mood for.

There are also free coaching programmes in open spaces, community centres, community halls and leisure facilities that include activities such as street soccer, and even a gaming bus to keep those less interested in sport engaged.

Aaron is the council’s Multi Sports Coach who tells us about the programmes he’s involved in such as girls football, coach to 5k, disability programmes and walking football where you can simply come along and join in.

While walking football might sound counterintuitive, it’s anything but, as Aaron explains.

And the community-based project not only serves to get people active, young people who come through the programmes can then get involved in coaching which can be added to a CV or university application and even lead to a career.

More information can be found at Community Engagement (MUGAS) www.getactiveabc.com

The Men's Shed movement began in Australia and it arrived in Ireland in 2009 with the first shed set up in Tipperary. When Stiofan got wind of the concept he excitedly set the wheels in motion to bring one to Armagh.

He got the funding in place, found a premises on English Street and began knocking on doors to recruit members.

It worked, as Stiofan and fellow Shedder Dessie can attest to, with around 34 members at present enjoying everything the shed has to offer - from woodwork to projects, workshops, and even a choir that performed for Irish President Michael D Higgins, who became patron to the Irish Men's Shed Association in 2013.

The grassroots community-based, non-commercial organisation is a lifeline for men who just need a place to call their own, where they can learn new skills and make friends in an environment that isn't the pub or the bookies.

There are over 400 sheds registered with the Irish Men's Shed Association and at least 12,000 men visiting a shed every week.

Some of those sheds have been inspired by the work that goes on in the Armagh City Men's Shed, as Stiofan and Dessie explain... 

Football For All is one of those things that really should be far more widespread than it is. The concept that 'every child wants to be part of a team' has become the motto for Warrenpoint GAA's newest Football For All team, which celebrates children with special needs and allows them to participate in games and training with their very own team.

Decky and Helen Carville's 12-year-old son Michael has special needs. The family are all members of St Peter's GAA Club in Warrenpoint, but over the years it became increasingly difficult for Michael to participate, on an equal footing, with his teammates. That was when Decky and Helen put their heads together and came across Football For All, which a scattering of clubs nationwide had introduced.

There was, and still is, nothing like this for children with special needs in Armagh or Down, but since the couple brought the idea to their chairman and the club welcomed it warmly, Football For All has taken off in Warrenpoint.

The children train and even play matches, alongside their peers, every Sunday morning and the joy it brings to them, their families and the volunteers who help out is palpable when Decky and Helen talk about their experiences since they started the programme last July.

Helen and Decky spoke to Armagh I for this week's podcast about how Football For All came about in Warrenpoint and their hopes to expand across Northern Ireland and with that maybe set up a small league.

MLA Justin McNulty is a big fan and Ulster GAA have taken an interest too. Everyone from anywhere is welcome to join in. The more the merrier.

However, this week’s podcast might change your mind.

Nestled near the foot of the Mournes, not far outside Newry, sits a small unassuming factory with a sign at the entrance welcoming you to NearyNógs Stoneground Chocolate Makers.

If you look around you the scenery is a feast for the eyes, but once you enter building your other senses will awaken as the rich aroma of chocolate fills the air.

Here, the fruit of the Neary family’s labour of love is brought to life, where their small artisan business produces the most delicious and purest chocolate products you’ll find on this island, with their ethically sourced sustainable cacao beans imported from cacao farms around the world

NearyNógs is Northern Ireland's first bean to bar craft chocolate makers and also one of the oldest in Ireland.

Shane tells us all about how the chocolate is made and the origins of the business which began as a fundraiser in 2011, for one of his and his wife Dorothy's 12 children.

Back then Dorothy's fudge was a big hit with their friends and family, and so the dream began... 

For the past 30 years religiously, John Dalzell has spent the weeks preceding Christmas camped out on Hill Street collecting funds for the Souther Area Hospice.

There was no exception this year on his eightieth birthday as John stood in his trailer and chatted to the passers by who threw money into his bucket, or those who came down specifically to show their support and wish him a happy birthday. 

Over £1.85 million has been raised through the sit-out over the years and John, who has weathered every storm to become a local Christmas legend in the town, tells his story to Armagh I. 

Meanwhile, in Rostrevor on Christmas Day the crowds were out as usual for the annual Christmas Swim that has been on the go for 50 years.

One of the founders Gerry Sloan tells how it all began in 1972 during a 24-hour anti-internment hunger strike, when Down GAA legend, the late Leo Murphy, popped his head into the protestors' tent and asked if anyone fancied a swim.

The organisers raised £100 when they made it an official event a couple of years later and since then the swim has raised over £100,000 for local charities. 

Kevin Cole who runs local Rostrevor watering hole Henry's ran into the tide for his thirtieth consecutive Christmas dip this year and he, along with some others, chatted with Armagh I for this week's podcast.

Armagh I spoke to a number of local restaurant owners in recent days and all are experiencing increasing cancellations for various Covid-related reasons. Caorlan McAllister and Gavin Bates took over the Halfway House restaurant in Banbridge in August 2020 after it was forced to shut its doors due to the pressures of the pandemic.

It’s been a difficult year for the hospitality industry since then, with further lockdowns taking their toll. The Halfway House followed strict protocol when Armagh I met Caorlan on Friday for this week’s podcast.

He played football for St Paul's and has been part of the management team in Down club Ballyholland for a number of years, but Tommy still finds the time to compete in ironman triathlons and is constantly looking for new challenges.

So much so that he signed up for RTE’s Special Forces Ultimate Hell Week in 2019. Tommy was on the reserve list and was called up as competitor number 24 – his name throughout the gruelling physical and mental endurance test.

As well as all of that, Tommy found the time to take up part-time ambulance driving at the start of the pandemic and volunteer in the community, organising and delivering food parcels.

Tommy learned from the school of hard knocks and today he speaks to Armagh I about his upbringing by his late father who inspired him to be the best at what he does, his love of football, Hell Week, as one of the hardest yet rewarding challenges he has ever taken on, and why fitness is for everyone at every age.

That was over 25 years ago when he played football and hurling in his native Dublin and stepped in to referee sometimes underage games but often standing up to men, a lot older than him.

When he married a Bessbrook woman, Michael settled in Mullaghbawn and by then he was an established referee, featuring in games at every level.

He may have shared his name with another famous Mayo man, but it was this Mick Loftus whose name even became known in the US, where, after a chance meeting he ended up as the man with the whistle in the biggest GAA tournament in the States.

Many of you will know his face, either viewed from a stand in some Armagh club, Ulster or Inter-county game in either code, or from the pitch itself as a player or manager.

These days though it’s the referees, not the players who Michael is keeping is eye on.

It’s the story of the Tuam mother-and-baby home and much of the tragedy is that the horrific discovery of a hidden burial site in a septic tank on the grounds of the home over seven years ago has still not been properly investigated.

The bodies are yet to be exhumed.

Sean Donegan’s work features heavily in the documentary. The Newry man's photographs and videos often depict derelict buildings dotted around the Irish landscape and some of his most powerful images are of mother-and-baby homes in Castlepollard, Tuam and Marianvale on the Armagh Road (main image).

As a teenager, I remember thumbing my way across the country with my friends, hoping to catch some stages of the Circuit of Ireland and maybe get a glimpse of our hero Austin McHale.

That was some time ago, but Richard Swanston Director of the 2021 Modern Tyres Ulster International Rally, took me right back there.

It wasn’t that we were die-hard rally fanatics, but anyone who’s ever been to any one of the rallies around Ireland or beyond, knows just what a thrill it is to be knee-deep in a watery ditch, near the best bend, with the smell of burning petrol in the air, listening for the roar of the approaching cars and then watching them skid and thunder past in their mud-splattered glory.

It was with great pleasure then that I got to speak to Richard ahead of this year’s Ulster Rally at HQ in Newry.

This year the event was delayed due to government restrictions but Richard says the Northern Ireland Motor Club plan to move the rally back to its late summer slot in 2022.

And despite November expected to bring up difficulties in terms of conditions, the weather has been kind, and Richard says there are even some advantages.

Since the Ulster Rally is now a one-day event, the traditional Friday night stages couldn’t happen in the summer, but with the nights closing in early, the thrill of rallying in the dark happened on Saturday evening.

Both the British Rally Championship and the Junior British Rally Championship will be decided at this year’s Ulster Rally so that adds some extra spice, with Irish contenders to watch out for out of the 100 plus drivers.

And in case you couldn't make the event, for the first time ever the Ulster Rally was streamed live, so it can be viewed globally and at your leisure.

Richard tells us all about the lengthy preparations it took to pull off the popular event; the intricacies of rally driving and navigating the stages; the importance of tactics and co-drivers; his winning predictions, favourite courses and his own future as event organiser.

Around this time last year, the 13-year-old Lislea teenager was wowing the judges at TeenStar UK Singing competition, as the only harpist ever to compete in the online show and the only Irish contestant out of the 1000 plus hopefuls.

Niamh finished fourth, performing a show-stopping rendition of John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ in the final, and as the Showcase winner, the talented St Paul’s Bessbrook pupil won the opportunity to record with professionals at AudioHaus Recording Studio in Wembley.

Niamh got writing and playing and with the help of her harp teacher Dearbhla Bennett, came up with two originals songs, ‘Missing You,’ and ‘Friendships.”

She managed to get in a bit of shopping in London but the hard-working singer and musician was focussed on creating something special – and that she did.

With the help of Re-Gen Waste Limited, who sponsored the resulting CD, Niamh and her family decided to do something charitable with the fruits of her labour, and given her age Niamh wanted to donate the proceeds raised from the sale of her CD to a children’s charity.

With increasing waiting lists for children with cancer in the news, The Cancer Fund for Children, became the chosen charity.

The CD is being launched on Saturday November 20 at a Classical Cabaret event in Lislea Community Centre.

That camaraderie and banter epitomised the next hour-and-a -half or so spent with around 20 members of the Hiking Hens.

The group, led and established by Fidelma and Maria, meets every Wednesday and Sunday, where they hike various routes and mountains in the Mournes - and a lot of fun is had.

It may seem like everything the talented soprano touches turns to gold, but behind the scenes at her music school, Flynn Performing Arts, it takes time as well as talent to bring out the best in her students.

The waiting list is long to get into the school that Fiona established six years ago – but that’s no real surprise.

Scrolling through its Facebook page brings up post after post on the terrific achievements by her students, from Feis to TV shows, to stage performances for the school and even some children performing across the water in the West End.

For this week’s podcast, Fiona tells us all about her journey from the Ulster orchestra to the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, as she built the career that she loves.

She speaks about the hard work that goes into any performance, the pride she feels for her students achievements – big or small, and tells us whether she believes anyone can carry a tune -or not!

That’s exactly what happened to ultra-runners Hugh Morgan and Paddy Hamilton in the scorching Sahara Desert earlier this month.

It’s billed as the ‘toughest foot race on earth’ but the Marathon des Sables (Marathon of the Sands) became even more so this year.

A crippling stomach illness spread like wildfire through the camp at the start of the race and the organisers weren’t equipped with enough medical supplies to care for the victims.

The seven-day 156- mile event across the dunes, rocky jebels and white-hot salt plains in temperatures that normally reach around 50 degrees is the ultimate test for any athlete, but this year the temperature soared to almost 60 degrees and with illness and heat-related dehydration rampant, the situation became very serious, very fast.

I can promise you one thing, should you decide to take a run up to Belfast and pick up a ticket for ‘The Border Game’ in the Lyric Theatre, you won’t be disappointed. 

Certainly if you watching anything that’s simultaneously hilarious and deeply tragic and also brilliantly acted. 

But you don’t have to take my word for it. The reviews are in and the critics agree. 

Warrenpoint playwright, director and filmmaker, Oisín Kearney, co-wrote ‘The Border Game’ with his writing partner Michael Patrick, after travelling the length of the Irish border and listening to around 100 people tell their stories about how it has impacted on their lives. 

The play is based on a compilation of some of those stories. It deals with the issues the two protagonists, Sinead and Henry – played wonderfully by Liz Fitzgibbon and Patrick McBrearty - faced as a young couple, of differing political and religious backgrounds, growing up on the border. 

Two years before that the Portadown Armagh Railway Society (PARS) was established with the same purpose in mind.

They also aim to educate the public on the history of the railway line between Armagh and Portadown and the huge impact its disbandment in 1957 has had on the area - not least from a connectivity point of view but also an environmental one, as cars increasingly clog our roadways.

For this week’s podcast we spoke to Chairman William Hutchinson and Committee member Willie Parr who told us all about the organisation and the progress their campaign has been making.

And that pretty much sums up this week's Armagh I podcast guest, Keith Mathews - albeit with a different species of animal.

Keith, or, ‘The Dog Guru’, as he is most famously known, has worked his magic with our favourite pets for over 25 years.

He is one of the most sought after dog trainers and behaviourists in the world – and the Armagh man wouldn’t wish for any other career.

It all began for Keith in a field at his house where, as a child, he discovered his innate gift for understanding dog behaviour and his ability to train the family dogs.

The Lurgan native is one of the professional dancers on Ireland’s Dancing With The Stars since the show began in 2017, where he has taken his celebrity partners through their paces before facing the scrutiny of both judges and viewers alike.

For this week’s podcast, Ryan spills the beans on how the audition process at Britains Got Talent really works and what it’s like behind the scenes on Dancing with the Stars.

The talented dancer has had plenty of highs and lows on DWTS. He survived three dance-offs with Erin McGregor – the sister of UFC fighter Conor – more than any other professional in the history of the show.

He received three perfect 10s in the final of the first series with actress Denise McCormack. They didn’t win but Ryan won the heart of his model girlfriend Thalia Heffernan who was also a contestant.

Ryan was also partnered with B*Witched singer Sinead O’Carroll and Mrs Brown’s Boys star Eilish O’Carroll, who he says was one of the nicest human beings he has ever met.

Ryan fills us in on the secret to getting the best from his students – be they celebrities or kids or adults who teaches ballroom and Latin to. He tells us what his favourite dance is and which is the hardest to learn.

Ryan tells us about life in lockdown with Thalia and their two dogs. And what the future holds for them since Thalia signed for IMG – one of the biggest modelling agencies in the world.

Emma earned her place in the top echelon of the multi-disciplined sports movement, CrossFit, by finishing twelfth in the CrossFit Games held in Wisconsin last month.

The 31-year-old Lisburn fitness instructor has dedicated most of her adult life to the sport that she loves and has worked her way up to the highest level possible.

To put this achievement in perspective, Emma, who ranks number one CrossFit National Champion of Ireland for the past two years, was just one of over 263,000 athletes from across the globe who took part in the Open qualification for the CrossFit Games this year.

That number was whittled down through a series of workouts in the quarter and semi-finals, until just 40 men and 40 women were left in contention for the finals in the USA.

One would imagine that Emma would have been training hard and looking forward to the challenge ahead after she qualified, but there were even more hurdles – of a very different kind – to overcome.

That’s what it felt like at a screening in Belfast of Cathy Brady’s debut feature film ‘Wildfire’ ahead of its release on September 3.

The Newry writer and director won Best Director for ‘Wildfire’ at this year’s Irish Film and Television Awards and both of her leading actresses Nora-Jane Noone and the late Nika McGuigan were nominated for Best Actress.

Nika, who tragically died of cancer in 2019, after the film was made, won the award, accepted on her behalf by her father, boxing legend, Barry McGuigan.

The critical success of the film has been a roller-coaster of emotions for Cathy and the rest of the cast and crew. They are excited and delighted that audiences are connecting with the film, yet Nika’s absence is sorely felt. At the same time, having had some space to grieve during lockdown – with all red carpet events virtual - they are ready to celebrate the film and to keep Nika’s memory alive by allowing her talent and hard work to be recognised.

For this week’s podcast Cathy took time out of her hectic schedule to chat with Armagh I over zoom and tell us all about the making of the film, the respect and admiration she has for Nora-Jane and Nika and how her own career evolved from fine art to making movies.

But two things brought the newly-appointed general manager of Armagh Omniplex to our shores - one sad, the other happy. 

Gemma’s younger brother has Down’s Syndrome. He lived with their mother in Bournemouth and because of his condition they discovered he wasn’t allowed to move to Australia to join the rest of the family. 

Rightly outraged, Gemma decided to leave Oz and move somewhere in the UK so the family could be together. She stuck a pin in a map and it landed on Armagh. 

For this week’s podcast, Gemma tells us all about her jam-packed life...

Triona McNabb sadly passed away suddenly and unexpectedly in hospital on February 27, 2017. 

She left behind a legacy of love, but also a family bereaved and desperate for support as they tried to navigate unchartered waters 

Triona’s three older sisters, Maeveen, Edel and Cathy quickly discovered that there was little or no support specifically for grieving adult siblings, who are often termed as the ‘forgotten mourners’. 

For this week’s podcast, Maeveen talks lovingly about her sister Triona and her kind and caring nature. She recalls the debilitating quagmire of feelings she has gone through since Triona’s death, and Maeveen tells us all about Sibling Grief Club and how she hopes it helps other people like her and her sisters throughout their grief. 

Jordan says he wanted nothing more than to give up in the first two hours, which he says were the hardest. He persevered however and once his body was numb to the cold and he tricked his mind into thinking about other things, all of his hard work, including building a swimming pool in his back garden to train in, got him to Scotland in record-breaking time.

Jordan’s support team, including his dad and some members of The Lough Neagh Monster Dunkers and the Infinity Channel Swimming group were immensely supportive. And with the achievement just starting to sink in and the adrenaline still running high they have convinced him to take his time before planning his next challenge – Jordan has plans however…

The group was set up around six months ago by seven local women, and since then it’s gathered an enormous amount of support from the public, health care staff and political parties alike. 

The purpose of the group is to, 'provide free access to health care without fear or intimidation'.

And yes – they support men too – but given their remit it’s most often women who require their help.

They came into being on the back of an awareness of a growing number of anti-abortion protesters harassing people who were trying to access services at John Mitchell Place clinic in Newry. 

These protestors displayed graphic posters along with disturbing and often frankly untrue banners and signs, protesting and blocking entrances, during the hours when abortion clinics operated - alongside all of the other family services in the clinic. 

The Southern Trust moved its services as a result but the protesters – diminished in size but not in voice – followed. 

Cara Malone is one of the committee members and founders of Supporting Women Newry and for this week’s podcast she explains how and why they operate. 

You might also read his name on one of the eight books he’s written about subjects ranging from local football histories and sporting heroes, the story of the showband era - 'Do You Come Here Often'-  the history of Derrybeg, plus the only book written on triathlons in Ireland, 'The Irish Triathlete'. 

His latest book –‘The History of Newry Celtic,’ was just launched to a full house in Nan Rice’s in Newry.

Tony Bagnall, - Journalist, musician and Ironman - knows his stuff about all of the above subjects. He was the first person to compete in an ironman from the Newry area, when he was 38. And he’s also the oldest man do complete that mighty feat at the age of 71. 

Tony is now 76 but he certainly doesn’t look it. He doesn’t do much running these days but he cycles or swims on a daily basis – not for the love of it mind you. "People confuse enjoyment with satisfaction," he says.

When he’s not keeping fit, Tony can usually be found putting pen to paper, or keeping his many Facebook followers entertained with his amusing and informative stories – mostly about the many characters from the area that he’s come across over the years.

Tony wears many hats. But the former welder, who took to writing in middle age and became Sports Editor of the Newry Democrat, is modest about his many achievements. He says he wasn’t a great musician or the best footballer, but he admits that he can write well.

Of all of the things the popular man local legend is, Tony is first and foremost a story-teller and for this week’s Armagh I podcast, he tells us all about his upbringing in Linen Hall Square as a ‘Barackovian’.

He talks about his bands, including the brilliantly named ‘Sons of Rest’ and their misadventures, including an ill-fated chance to appear on Hughie Green’s ‘Opportunity Knocks’, and how drummer Willie Reilly short-changed Newry menswear owner Kevin Russell who kitted the band out with the obligatory showband uniform.

He tells us some of the stories in his book on Junior Football, including how referee Mousie Fitzpatrick was sent off by the other referee in the same game, Jim McCardle – it’s complicated!

And how an insult in Newry is really an underhanded compliment!

If you stick your head in their bedroom door on any given evening, you’ll probably see them either watching or emulating some TikTok clip from one of the names on their list. And there’s a good chance one of the accounts they follow will belong to the Simpson family.

If you want to see what the attraction is, go on the App and check out The Simpson family – so called lest they be confused with their famous namesakes.

By day Zoe and Eva Simpson are just ordinary schoolgirls attending Sacred Heart Grammar School in Newry, but once they exit the school gates and go home, they take on a whole new persona. It’s at home where they set up the camera to entertain their almost 1.2 million followers on the most popular social media platform on the planet.

It’s not that the girls are any different from all of the other teenagers who hang out in their bedrooms and make TikTok videos. Or that the Simpsons are any different from your average family. But on a platform that has countless creators screaming for attention, they seem to have found the secret to success.

Mark, Ali and their children Zoe (14), Eva (13) and Ella (8) opened a family account on TikTok just seven months ago and despite being taken down by the social media platform’s ‘Bots’ twice, their popularity continued to skyrocket and the number of followers they have continues to grow.

‘Relatable content,’ is the trick says Mark, who freely admits that he saw a gap in the TikTok market with very few family creators, and decided to tap in at the right time from a business perspective. If anyone knows how to build a successful business , Mark and Ali do.

The Mayobridge couple are Directors of the hugely successful SMS Platinum Group who own Air-tastic, Funky Monkeys and Captain Greens. Both are accountants and Mark says that it takes a lot of hard work and planning to make money from what from the outside looks like just a bit of fun.

The Simpsons’ content is refreshingly charming - funny, silly videos and situations any parent or teenager can relate to. Each of the family members has a role to play.

Eva is the actress, Zoe the editor, Mark and Ali do the analytical research and some content and Ella is in some of the videos with mum and dad -but mostly just looks adorable.

Mark says it’s the girls who make it work and that himself and Ali stand behind them, making the occasional appearances in some of the videos. But there’s a practical reason for that too. The girls can’t have their own account and go live until they’re 16 and going live helps to boost your following.

For this week’s podcast, Armagh I sat down with the Simpson family and they revealed the secrets behind their success.

They spoke about how their TikTok journey began, how they discover the best content, how they learned what works and what doesn’t, what being a household name means for the girls at school and where it all goes from here.

In his final year at the University of Ulster in 2014 studying Interactive Media Arts, Seb focussed on War Photography.

Frank Capa, Roger Fenton and Matthew Brady became major influences on his work – particularly how their photographs were used as propaganda tools.

Imparting that knowledge and encouraging children to pursue a career in science and space exploration is part of their job, and it’s one that the pair are very good at.

The AOP has been in existence since 1790 as an observatory before it expanded to become a planetarium in 1968.

Heather explains the history behind its origins and the work that goes on at the AOP, which has had a complete upheaval during lockdown, with a brand new sensory room, a brand new theatre experience and an interactive exhibition – which is both Heather and Courtney’s favourite place to play.

Heather is the history buff, keenly aware of the historical achievements in the AOP – not least the third director Thomas Romney Robinson who invented the Cup Anemometer in 1846 – a device that measures wind speeds which was used all over the world.

Courtney is tasked with telling the weird and wonderful stories of our universe – including that of Black Holes, Strange Matter, Strangelets and Quarks – which ultimately – without any warning - could destroy the earth forever in a matter of hours.

There’s no point in worrying about that though – they both agree.

Saturn is Courtney’s favourite planet, Heather’s is Mars - while we all feel sorry for Pluto which was demoted to a dwarf star in 2006.

Interstellar and Star Trek give a fairly accurate depiction of space – while Armageddon does not – ‘you never blow up things in space.’

We talk about all of the above and a whole lot more, as Heather and Courtney delight in welcoming the public back to the planetarium, which has relaunched and opened its doors for a summer of fun.

His stellar career began with a manuscript at a John Connolly book reading in Dublin, handed to the established author by the aspiring crime writer, who had a publishing deal, but no readership as yet.

That would soon change.

“One of the finest thriller debuts of the last ten years,” Connolly wrote on the flyleaf of Neville’s finished product after it was published in 2009.

‘The Ghosts of Belfast’ was the original title. Perfect for an American audience.

It became ‘The Twelve’ for the home crowd – something that doesn’t sit well with Stuart – but more on that anon.

The plaudits continued, with the book winning the Los Angeles Times, Mystery/Thriller category Book Prize, and a host of other awards. It was named top crime novel of the year in the New York Times and the LA Times and received glowing reviews in numerous other publications, from the Boston Globe and The Irish Times, The Guardian – to name but a few.

“The best first novel I’ve read in years. It grabs you by the throat,” wrote James Ellroy on the back cover.

Nine successful novels followed, with Stuart’s unique post-troubles take on Northern Ireland as the backdrop for most of his stories.

Gerry Fegan, Jack Lennon, DCI Serena Flanagan became household names. The landscape he paints is unapologetically true to the character and personality of the land.

The inhabitants – from the seedy, the downtrodden, the opportunists, the evil and the innocents - get on with life as best they can.

Ghosts roam the pages. Stuart’s novels are often bleak.

Desperation, domestic violence and gruesome murders are the subject matter of his gritty crime noir tales.

The ghosts both metaphorical, real or imagined are always there, but at the core of his stories are people trying to survive in whatever world they inhabit.

‘The Traveller and other stories’, containing 12, often harrowing, short stories and a novella revisiting characters from the past, is a perfect example of this.

His latest novel ‘The House of Ashes’ is already receiving five-star ratings, with one reviewer saying it may well be his masterpiece.

Stuart isn’t just a writer. He has dabbled in film and he’s also a guitarist in a band that originally began as a laugh at a crime writer’s festival in New Orleans called, ‘Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers’. Their tagline -‘Murdering songs for fun.’

For this week’s podcast, Stuart tells Armagh I about his writing style and roots. He talks about his books, his influences, why he feels the arts are neglected in Northern Ireland and how his band ended up playing at Glastonbury in 2019.

And I’d count myself amongst that number.

Last weekend however - after declaring on our recent podcast with Sharon Moen, that I’d join Paravent for their next excursion - I put my money where my mouth was and headed down the motorway towards the Irish Military War Museum in Collon.

There I met up with the Paravent crew – Sharon, Elaine, Eddie, Anthony, Fra and Harry, who were getting their ghost hunting equipment ready ahead of our night in the museum.

The metropolis of London is far from Niall McCart's upbringing in Armagh but that is where he has called home for over 30 years.

For this episode of Armagh I’s podcast, we caught up with Niall ,who could have been seen ‘raking about’ on scooters in his home city during the 80s and has  now developed a kits which convert vintage Vespas and Lambrettas to electric.

A self-confessed home-bird who flew the nest back in 1989 to work in construction, initially believing he would be out for a year or two and then return, however, 30 years on and Niall is still in the English capital.

His love of scooters dates back to the mod culture of the 80s, although he commented that he would later consider himself a scooterist.

Niall recalls his first ever scooter, which he part owned, this was mainly used to get too and from the Blackwatertown underage disco.

"One weekend he would drive out and I would be the passenger, I would have a bottle of Old English Cider...then it was 50p into the disco and it was 50p in petrol there and back".

Niall admitted that he never thought he would leave Armagh, but he found a new home in London.

Shortly after getting tired of the construction trade, he picked up a job as a dispatch courier on a scooter.

Through this, Niall learned to look after his scooter which led him to work in working in a garage before going out on his own and setting up Retrospective scooters around the turn of the millennium.

The Armagh man also took on many scooter tours throughout the UK and abroad, but nothing prepared him for "rough" rule-less roads of India.

In September 2017, Niall teamed up with John Chubb, retired Royal Navy commander with degrees in electrical engineering and rocket science, to work on the electric conversion of vintage scooters.

They would then go on to unveil their creation at the Vespa World Days the following year, which was to be held in Belfast.

However, Niall did take the opportunity to ride his electrified machine around the Mall and the town whilst he was back.

There has been some negative views from what Niall describes as "motor heads" but he believes he has saved many of these older models from the scrap heap.

According to Niall, the kits could be fitted by anyone which a "basic" grasp of mechanics and sales in particular in America have rose through the last year.

Not so for some however, as the past year has had a devastating effect on people with learning disabilities, whose services have been decimated.

Kathryn Taylor never intended to be a spokesperson for such families, but the situation has become so difficult for her family, that she’s been left with little choice.

While the rest of us are out and about, not much has changed for Kathryn, who is still walking the roads with her sons.

Kathryn and her husband Tommy have four children - Sophie, Nathan, Levi and Sam.

Nathan (25) and Levi (20) have autism with severe learning disabilities.

It’s been a constant battle to obtain the help that they need over the years, and Kathryn says it’s getting worse rather than better – as Southern Trust services continue to shut down, with little thought for children moving to adult services.

She believes the pandemic only served to speed up the erosion of services that was already happening.

Day opportunities stopped with the pandemic, and because of the two-metre rule, the Trust has not reopened them and Kathryn can’t envision a time that they will.

As Kathryn spoke to Armagh I for this week’s podcast, she emotionally recalled the wonderful day opportunity Nathan enjoyed at St Luke’s Rec Room, pre-pandemic.

Since lockdown began Levi, whose schooling ended abruptly last year, has been at home, joined at the hip with his mother.

Print It on the Mall has been the only support Kathyrn has had. They are not run by the Trust. She’s enormously grateful to Print It, who checked in with the family regularly during lockdown, and both boys get to spend some time there now.

Levi also has behavioural problems, so finding day opportunities for him was tough enough as it was, but now he has settled into a routine at home and has regressed over the past year - He hides his mothers shoes to keep her in the house with him.

Kathryn isn’t looking for respite - although she worries for those that do. She just wants an outlet for her children to socialise, grow and develop to the best of their abilities, in a like-minded community where they are understood and their needs can be met.

Kathryn also desperately needs some space of her own – just like anyone does – for her own mental health and that of the other family members.

The McKeever family has run their farm for over 50 years - spanning three generations. But innovation is key in any business and Pat, Catherine and their son Peter have been hugely successful at that, since diversifying to produce naturally crafted cider in 2014.

Pat’s father, Peter, used traditional methods growing the Bramley apples that Long Meadow Cider still use for their products in the main, but over the years the family has introduced different apple varieties and methods of growing, as farming has evolved.

While nobody could predict the pandemic, the McKeever family has adapted superbly.

Restaurants and pubs are a huge part of their sales and when they shut down the business took a big hit.

That forced Long Meadow Cider to move a lot of their sales online and they recently secured a massive shot in the arm with Amazon advertising their products. This opens the Portadown business up to a much wider market.

The McKeevers run every aspect of the business from pruning, right through to harvesting, pressing, fermenting storing and bottling their all-natural, ciders, juices and apple cider vinegar.

Names like Berry Blast, Blossom Burst and Rhubarb and Honey make the mouth water – not to mention the limited edition Oak Aged cider - and the beautiful packaging is the finishing touch.

The proof is mostly in the taste though. Long Meadow Cider has receives a resounding vote of confidence from both critics and customers alike.

They have won numerous awards and their products are flying off the shelves, reflecting the appetite out there for quality craft cider.

Covid -19 had other setbacks, with both Pat and Catherine hospitalised with the virus.

Thankfully they are fully recovered now and the three family members spoke to Armagh I for this week’s podcast.

We took a stroll through the orchard and had an interesting chat about the growing process and the popularity of craft and locally produced products. Nature plays a big part in the yearly crop and Peter explains how some frosty nights may prove costly.

They told me how it all began and the hard work it takes to run the farm.

But they all agree that it’s a labour of love and it certainly seems like they wouldn’t have it any other way.

The statistics for gambling addiction are frightening, with a 60% increase since the pandemic began, and Oisín McConville says the lockdown has exasperated the issue and kept it hidden behind closed doors more than ever before.

If anyone can give advice on problem gambling it’s the former Armagh County star.

He doesn’t flinch when he talks about his own well-documented gambling addiction, which began at the tender age of 14, until he sought help 16 years ago when he was 30. And while he urges anyone with a problem to speak to someone, be it a friend, family member, or a professional, he stresses that he chose to speak out, but gamblers anonymous also works for a lot of people.

Oisín says it’s not just an issue associated with men anymore – with the prevalence of mobile phones and every source of social media, making it easier than ever to gamble anywhere and everywhere. And it’s often children, seemingly younger and younger, finding themselves sucked into a spiralling addiction that ruins lives.

That’s what Pete Byrne says his life felt like until he finally told just four people that he was gay – at the age of 24.

Since then the well-known and highly-respected SDLP Crossmaglen Councillor has become a strong advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, including championing the annual Pride festival. He also married his husband Trevor in 2012, after struggling for years with worries and fears about acceptance in his small rural village.

The pain of inequalities, injustices, and having to mask his sexuality, runs deep however, and Pete, who is quiet by nature, feels compelled to help others and try to prevent them from suffering as he has.

His wounds have been opened many times throughout his life – most recently when having to debate the merits of banning conversion therapy in Northern Ireland. And when Pete spoke to Armagh I for this podcast he implored politicians and the church to look at the damage that abhorrent practice, along with archaic attitudes and hurtful language, causes to the LGBTQ+ community.

Not that Sharon was anything but lovely company, but it was our conversation that made be glad I wasn’t driving home through the countryside in the dark Sharon is a Paranormal Investigator – or as some might say – Ghosthunter.

She set up a group called Paravent who believe that the dead are very much in tune with the living, and the group actively seeks these spirits out - or indeed find it to be the other way around at times.

Sharon says she has seen, heard and been visited by spirits since her adolescence, and she is out to prove to the world that they are all around us if we choose to believe in the signs.

With other like-minded individuals, Sharon has been to some of the most haunted places in Ireland and they have certainly lived up to their reputations. Evidence of paranormal activity is crucial to her investigations however, whether that be through photography or EVP (electronic voice phenomena).

For this week’s podcast, Sharon talks about one such ghostly photograph taken at Leap Castle which was scrutinised intensely by experts before being considered genuine enough to publish in the National Media.

In the previous podcast we spoke to two of the five winners and for this episode, proudly sponsored by Blackhill Energy, Armagh I caught up with the other three winners – Gary McCoo, Leeanne Gillespie and Philip Johnston

The inaugural Armagh I People of the Year Awards epitomises just what community spirit is all about and the nominees and winners that you voted for are prime examples of that.

In this and the next week's podcast, we speak to the winners in each of the five categories.

For this episode, proudly sponsored by Blackhill Energy, Armagh I caught up with Bernie O’Connor, mother of Jodie O’Connor who won the Inspirational Young Talent Award.

It’s been a challenging year for Jodie who has autism, with the closure of the community facility her mother set up three years ago, due to Covid-19, and also familiar places such as the library and leisure centre where Jodie frequented.

Rather than sit it out however, Jodie took the first step that led her on a path that will no doubt continue long after the lockdown ends.

She took up walking and gradually challenged herself more and more, resulting in walking over 400 miles while raising money for a number of charities.

Jodie completed a marathon in 13 days, following her slogan ‘Doing it My Way’ and raised over £1,700 for the Southern Area Hospice. She walked 100,000 steps in aid of the Special Olympics and raised further funds for PIPs and numerous other charities.

Bernie tells us all about Jodie’s life, her joy on receiving the award and the challenges she and others with autism face through lack of funding.

We also speak to Stephen Fields, winner of the Community Impact Award.

Stephen is Community Development Manager for the West Armagh Consortium and also Chair of the Covid-19 Response Team.

While he has long been involved in community groups, Stephen really showed his mettle in this trying year.

From sourcing and organising PPE deployment to those in need at the start of the pandemic to setting up a cottage industry of over 35 seamstresses to make much-needed scrubs, Stephen pulled it all together.

He says the consortium was the core hub of activity, for the initiatives taken on, but it takes a special kind of person to come up with ways to make a difference, including liaising with vegetable producers to take unusable perishable produce and redistribute it to those in need.

Stephen modestly acknowledges that it’s a community effort that keeps things running, with classes and events continuing over zoom and outdoors where possible, but he is at the heart of it all and his and Jodie’s contributions to society have been acknowledges by you, the voters.

While we’ve all struggled - to varying degrees - there is support out there in terms of looking after our health.

For the next two episodes of Armagh I’s podcast, proudly sponsored by Blackhill Energy, we speak to some of those who are here to help from the Southern Health and Social Care Trust.

The Southern Health and Social Care Trust provides health and social care services across the five council areas of Armagh, Banbridge, Craigavon, Dungannon and Newry and Mourne.

This week Armagh I chatted with Valerie Gough and Colette O’Brien, who shared a number of tips, strategies and advice in the areas of smoking cessation and diet and nutrition.

But while James Nesbitt and Charlene McKenna kept us all on the edge of our seats, the magic on the screen was seen from a completely different angle by those on set.

For this week’s podcast, proudly sponsored by Blackhill Energy, we spoke to Armagh’s own Stephen Darragh who is one of those who knows just how much effort and money goes into a production like this – being one of the people heavily involved.

Stephen was the Second Assistant Director on Bloodlands, and that’s just a drop in the ocean when it comes to the tv shows and films that he has worked on since joining the industry in 2006.

So it may surprise you that one of Armagh's very own has had a hand in NASA's designs for human spaceflight missions to Mars.

Sinead O’Sullivan might have spent her very really early years in Johannesburg, South Africa, but it is in Armagh that she developed her love for science.

Whilst at the Southern Regional College – or tech as she knew it – in the city, a 16-year-old Sinead got the opportunity to travel to NASA’s Johnson Space Center as part of a space camp.

Ever since then, it was her goal to make it back to mission control - and she did but it was not easy!

Sinead did complete a Bachelors of Aerospace Engineering at Queen’s University Belfast but soon found that jobs in the space exploration industry were hard to come by.

She even recalls at one point being rejected for a job designing rockets and another making sandwiches on the same day!

After some soul-searching, Sinead eventually got her dream job at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Working at the Aerospace Systems Design Laboratory, she worked on projects ranging from air and submarine autonomous robotics for the US Air Force and Navy, to creating algorithms to detect mine-laying patterns by enemy naval forces at the bottom of the ocean using rovers.

Sinead was also able to return to NASA, but this time as an engineer helping to design human spaceflight missions to Mars.

Topping off her CV, she then went on to complete a Masters in Business Administration at Havard in order to stay ahead as commercial spaceflight has begun to emerge.

Now a Research Fellow at MIT, Sinead is taking the methodologies she created at NASA and applying them to the social sciences to better understand global challenges, such as the interaction between democracy and technology.

That perspective is from the sky, where Raphael and his fellow aviator Liam Lynch, have spent quite a bit of time throughout theirs.

Raphael is the owner and chief flying instructor at his flight school, Kernan Aviation in Tandragee. The pair have been breaking records in the skies with a series of challenges for a very worthy cause.

In 2013 Raphael’s daughter Christine was diagnosed with a brain tumour. Tragically, she passed away three and a half years later, but over Easter in 2015, her father got to spend five days he will never forget – flying around Ireland with Christine.

They set out to land in as many of the 198 airfields dotted around the country as they could. All the wile raising awareness and donations, the Christine O’Carroll Research Fund, as well as Marie Cure and the Irish Cancer society.

After Christine passed away, Raphael and his wife Betty continued to raise money for the fund that they set up when they realised how little research has been done on brain cancer, which is the leading cause cancer death in under 40’s, and it is the least researched area.

Raphael, who milked cows on his farm in Tandragee for a living, always had a fascination with flying. He began with a dream, and over the years transformed that dream into reality by learning to fly, becoming an instructor, buying a small light aircraft, and bit by bit building his aviation school.

Twenty-five years ago this month, Paddy McShane borrowed £3,500 from Armagh Credit Union, bought a second hand van, rented a small unit in Dungannon Business Centre and started to build what today is the hugely successful McShane Packaging company.

Paddy had a background in sales. His wife Philippa says, ‘he could sell snow to the Eskimos.’

She was working in Belfast in the early years but joined Paddy after the birth of their second child and with her business acumen, a perfect partnership was born.

It started as a hobby around eight years ago, when Sean, who is also an historian, set up a Facebook page and began a journey that would soon grow legs.

His interest in local history led Sean to seeking out the secret stories behind old buildings and ruins dotted around his hometown and far beyond.

As an urban explorer, Sean has had adventures in Sweden, where he photographed an abandoned car graveyard – leading to a close call in a nearby booby trapped house. Belgium, at a chocolate-box castle – slipping past a supposed gun-toting sentry. And a horrific visit to Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria, that haunts him to this day.

Closer to home Sean has had some hairy moments – hilarious in hindsight - involving mad cows and mutilated birds in Cork.

Dodging traffic on the Mary McAleese Bridge for the sake of the perfect shot. Staying the night in Wicklow Jail, and he tells the gory truth behind Gallows Hill in Newry where Heather Park playground is now strangely located.

For this episode of Armagh I’s podcast, proudly sponsored by Blackhill Energy, we spoke to Sean about his incredible photographs and the stories behind them.

But could opportunities be found amidst the onerous restrictions?

For this episode of Armagh I’s Podcast, proudly sponsored by Blackhill Energy, we talk to a number of local business owners affected by the change in trading conditions between NI and GB.

With success came festivals and tours, initially with his band Ignition, and now as a solo artist along with his current band members, Conor Cunningham, Dave Mulgrave and Jordie Kelly.

Playing to 10,000 people ahead of Feeder, at the Lee Stock Festival was a highlight, as was drinking beer with Bono and the Edge.

But there isn’t much that could top a day where Marty and his crew ran into Jimmy Paige in a Burger King while on the way to meeting his hero Noel Gallagher at his London home.

Marty even picked up the guitar and threw in a few bars during our chat, with a very familiar signature tune.

The over-80’s were the first recipients of the Oxford Astrazeneca vaccine, and they made their feelings on any controversy surrounding the vaccine known, by voting with their feet.

There was an unprecedented 100 percent turnout at Dr Francis O’Hagan’s Friary surgery in Armagh, and she says there was a joyous and celebratory atmosphere amongst her patients and a sense of freedom returned.

For this episode of Armagh I’s podcast, proudly sponsored by Blackhill Energy, we spoke to Dr O’Hagan about the pressures of the past year, which have never been worse than they are right now for frontline staff.

Situations like this are of course devastating for the team, but Lough Neagh Rescue chairman Sean Rocks sees some positivity and a sense of achievement through bringing the body back to the family and giving them some semblance of closure.

His catch phrases  are as unique and individual as his broadcasting style. 

We're all familiar with, 'Mary from Killeavy,' the magnetic pull of the hill,' and - of course - 'The Holy Mary Mother of God score.'

When you hear, 'We're coming to you from the ecclesiastical capital,' over the radio or on Armagh TV, you know Damian McCullough is on the mic.

He has taken advice from Rowan Hand, who told him to refrain from overuse of the word 'ball' while commentating on Gaelic games - which contributed greatly to his style.

He's given the great Micheal O Muircheartaigh a hand with information at a game - and the legendary broadcaster never forgot.

He blagged a half-time sausage bap from a woman in the stands with a frying pan at an Armagh game, and was battered over the back of the head by a Crossmaglen woman in the Buttercrane, for over-exaggerating the closeness of a game - Cross were in no danger of losing.

He never forgets the people who make the tea and sandwiches, including Mrs McConville in Crossmaglen and Mona McEntee who fed hm a steak dinner during one match.

For this episode of The I on the Ball, proudly sponsored by Blackhill Energy, Damian expands on all of these tales and a whole lot more.

Jemar Hall is one of the Orchard County’s finest players. He is a breath of fresh air on and off the field, and also one of three county players who helped their club Forkhill to the Junior Championship title.

Jemar is a proud Forkhill native, but his athleticism comes in part from his American father Sherman, who was a basketball and NFL player, before taking up basketball and GAA coaching after moving here with his Armagh wife, who he met in the States.

Jemar is known for his speed, skill and bravery whether playing for club or county and while that in itself is more than enough, he is also a popular team member and is polite and charming company.

It’s hard to imagine that he would have to endure racism, but Jemar has experienced it at times throughout his playing career, and he is frank and honest in his assessment of why it exists and how it needs to stop.

He has an incredible 119 caps for Northern Ireland, including featuring in two World Cups.

He has played over 1000 games in his footballing career - which ended on his 41 st birthday, in what couldn’t have been a more fitting manner – against the country that popularised the phrase ‘the Beautiful Game’ – Brazil - in the 1986 World Cup Finals in Mexico.

He won the FA Cup with his club Tottenham Hotspur, along with league titles and a UEFA Cup, before having similar success when he moved to rival London club Arsenal, after 13 years with Spurs.

Yet both sets of fans adored him.

Did you know we have a blind multiple World Champion water-skier named Janet Gray, who has overcome the most challenging difficulties imaginable to excel at her sport?

We all know ‘Yer Maun,’ multiple World Champion Motorcyclist – King of the Roads - Joey Dunlop, who is, “more popular in Northern Ireland than an Ulster Fry.”

But did you know that he almost died, along with his brother Robert, when the fishing boat carrying some riders and their bikes sank on the way to an Isle of Man TT race?

These are just a few of the tales of our sporting heroes, in Steven Beacom’s book, ‘100 Ulster Sporting Legends.’

For this week’s The I on the Ball, proudly sponsored by Blackhill Energy, we spoke to Steven about his new book and some of the wonderful and uplifting people, stories and anecdotes in its pages.

When it comes to keeping elite athletes in tip-top shape, Paul Carragher is the man you want in your corner. So feels the Olympic Federation of Ireland as he was selected as one of the physiotherapists for Team Ireland when they go for gold at the Tokyo Olympics.

The Newtownhamilton physiotherapist has worked with some of the best athletes on the island of Ireland from football, athletics, cycling, boxing, rugby, volleyball, gymnastics, and everything in-between.

Plus, it was also a joyful weekend for Armagh Camogie with a 0-19 to 3-7 victory over Cavan in the Liberty Insurance All-Ireland Junior Championship Final in Kingspan Breffni Park on Saturday.

We caught up with sisters Ciara and Leanne Donnelly for their reaction after the game.

Oval racing has a rich history in Armagh, where the Portadown Oval had a big following before it was built over by Shamrock Park. The love of oval racing in the Armagh region was sown however, and it was reignited in the area when Tullyroan Oval was built in 2011.

For this episode of The I on the Ball, proudly sponsored by Blackhill Energy, we spoke to Adam about his hugely successful racing career.

The Infinity Crew member and owner of the swimming pool in Bessbrook of the same name, has travelled the world in search of the coldest waters, highest heights and the most difficult endurance challenges known to man.

Last week the IFA decided that – given the fixture delays due to Covid-19 - the 2020/21 Irish Cup will only feature 32 teams – those being the 24 Premiership and Championship clubs, along with the 2019/20 Intermediate Cup semi-finalists and the next four teams in the league pyramid.

That decision sees current Premier Intermediate Champions Annagh United FC in – while they still await their first league match since promotion to the Championship – and Armagh City FC left out in the cold, along with almost 100 other unlucky clubs.

We also have the reaction from Kieran McGeeney to Armagh's loss while Sinead Reel speaks of her delight as Armagh book as semi-final spot against reigning All-Ireland champions Dublin.

Paul Heaney had dabbled in the idea of live streaming games and vaguely agreed to try it out for Armagh County Board in passing in 2010...

We also spoke to Armagh Senior player Aidan Forker and coach Jim McCorry after the Orchard men beat Derry 0-17 to 0-15 at Celtic Park in the Ulster SFC quarter-final on Sunday afternoon.

His work has not gone unnoticed by his club, nor by the IFA, who recently named him the regional McDonalds IFA Grassroots Volunteer of the Year, at their awards ceremony in Windsor Park. 

We also hear from Armagh manager Kieran McGeeney, after the Orchard County beat Clare in the final Allianz League fixture of the 2020 season, to win promotion to Division 1 for the first time since 2012.

Every sound echoed around the empty stadium with only essential staff and media present and socially distanced. The air was chilly, but the seats were warmed by over 3,000 Armagh school children’s smiling faces.

Those faces took the form of self-portraits by primary school children throughout Armagh, in support of their team, their county and most of all as a message of hope for everyone watching on the national airwaves.

The initiative was instigated by Armagh Performance Coach Hugh Campbell and for this episode of The I on the Ball, proudly sponsored by Blackhill Energy, we spoke to Hugh about the idea behind the campaign, how it came about and the message it sends.

It’s also been tough times for Armagh City Football Club’s supporters and players.

We caught up with Armagh City FC Chairman Aidan Murray, who spoke about their new signings, their perfect record in their cup fixtures thus far, and the focus of the club, as they comply with the latest instructions from the powers that be.

They are the only father-daughter referees in any code in the country and hopefully they will be trendsetters too.

We also caught up with the managers of two teams we spoke to before the Mid-Ulster Football League began.

Division 3 table-toppers Bessbrook United hosted Mindwell FC, at Orior Park a few weeks ago and they drew 2-2.

Cloverhill Golf Club is a spectacularly beautiful 18-hole course in Mullaghbawn, accessed by a number of routes via either Camlough or Forkhill.

Either way, navigating the twists and turns of the narrow roads, requires a map - but it’s well worth finding.

It was also the last week of GAA Club Championship action, with wins for Forkhilll in the Junior Football Championship final replay, Craobh Rua in the Junior Hurling Championship final, with Middletown’s Senior Hurling Championship final victory, ending the competitions on Sunday.

The Belleek fighter got his chance a few weeks ago however, and he took it with both fists, beating a tough opponent Robbie ‘the Camden Caretaker’ Chapman in six rounds.

The I on the Ball also spoke to a very relieved Belleeks manager, Gareth Thornton, after the final whistle in their JFC final win over Forkhill – where Quinn played a part too. 

On Sunday Clan na Gael had a big win in the Intermediate Championship final over fellow Lurgan side St Paul’s.

We spoke to Clans captain Ronan Austin after the game.

Keith Gillespie, and most recently Roy Carroll are just two of the big names who play for Mindwell but the club is about far more than football as former Irish League and Stoke player Matty Hazley tells us in this week’s episode of The I on the Ball proudly sponsored by Blackhill Energy.

We also have reaction from the Men and Women's Senior Championship Finals over the weekend. 

Justin also has high hopes for Kieran McGeeney’s current squad when inter-county football resumes.

The current MLA also speaks about his family, his career, and how he doesn’t think the season will be disrupted again by Covid-19.

We also catch up with Clan na Gael's Stefan Campbell as the Lurgan side booked their place in the Intermediate Championship Final, plus Belleek manager Gareth Thornton after they cruised into the Junior Championship final.

We also spoke to an utterly exhausted Crossmaglen Rangers senior football captain James Morgan, after his side made it past Killeavy by two points at the Athletic Grounds. 

The current champions will be going for an epic 46th title when they take on Maghery who saw off Pearse Og in the other semi.

Also, we also spoke to Windmill Stars FC’s new manager Raymie Fitzpatrick ahead of the Mid-Ulster Football League opener last Saturday.

We also caught up with Kelly a few days later and spoke with Crossmaglen manager Stephen Kernan who, despite a comprehensive championship victory over Mullaghbawn, lamented the treatment of O'Neill brothers – Oisin and Rian. 

David O’Brien is a busy man, as Chairman of what is the oldest club in Newry and the only Armagh Club in the city. He is also involved in Craobh Rua Hurling Club and the Armagh County hurlers.

But, David still finds the time to oversee the grass cutting at Corrinshego’s new pitch which was Phase 1 of a huge development project.

Our second guest is Armagh Cricket Club’s stats man – Brian Weir, who knows everything there is to know about Armagh cricket. He literally wrote the book on it to celebrate their 150-year anniversary back in 2009 - “Armagh Cricket Club 150 Years Not Out.”