Ready To Be Real by Síle Seoige

Trigger warning : Knife attack, Murder, PTSD.Sinéad O’Leary was only 19 when her life changed forever.She and her friend Nichola Sweeney, were getting ready to go out, when a neighbour (Peter Whelan) broke into Nichola’s home and attacked them both.Sinéad was stabbed 20 times and managed to survive the onslaught, while her friend Nichola unfortunately died, due to her wounds. In this conversation, Sinéad speaks about her friendship with Nichola, the night itself, the court case and how 19 years on, she doesn't feel safe or respected by the state. It is without a doubt, the most affecting podcast I’ve ever recorded. * Further viewing - TG4 documentary Finné, Series 3 Episode 4 which is still available on the TG4 playerSome extra points from Sinéad….‘My overall experience is that there has been a lack of duty and care for victims throughout the process. A process which I have found to be inhumane and negligent. I was a State Witness in a murder trial but once I had testified against Peter Whelan, I felt completely disposable. When his numerous appeals were launched I would learn of same only through media outlets. I learned about his day releases, parole hearings and sentence remission from a journalist in 2019. Parole hearings which were unconstitutional, which he was not legally entitled to. These revelations shocked me to the core. Only now that I have made a concerted effort to seek the truth, have I been given the right to receive updates of parole hearings and upcoming day releases. It shouldn’t be this hard for victims. After Prime Time aired in 2019 no accountability was taken by the department of justice with regard to the gross mishandling of Peter Whelan's sentence management. I was assured by the then Minister for Justice, Charlie Flanagan, that the new Parole Act would give much needed and increased rights to victims. That the minimum term for parole eligibility for lifers would be increased from 7 to 12 years. I was made to believe, time and time again, that the act would apply retrospectively to Peter Whelan. This would mean that he would only be entitled to a parole hearing when he had served the minimum of 12 years for Nichola's murder and therefore wouldn’t eligible for a parole hearing until 2025. Yet here we are today, the Parole Act is still not in place and another parole hearing is imminent for Whelan. Despite reassurances, I am yet again in limbo. Nicholas family and I have have been tremendously let down and neglected by the state again. As have many other families who have been thrust into the harrowing and frightening parole process a mere 7 years into the life sentences of their loved ones killers.I was invited to submit a Victim Impact Statement for the latest parole hearing; my first invitation after 19 years. This is welcome in written form only. I am not allowed to address the Parole Board in person nor is there someone to advocate on my behalf. My attacker will have full access to my statement; my fears and vulnerabilities will be fully exposed. When the new act is finally established there willbe a prisoners rights advocate from a non government body appointed to the board to advocate for him. I have been fighting for the introduction of a Victims Advocate to the Parole Board in order to address this imbalance. My attacker will have psychologists, prison staff, lawyers and others to speak on his behalf. My voice and the voices of Nicholas family members willbe constrained to a written statement There will be no one there to advocate for us.Victims should be involved in this process. Their ongoing pain and suffering needs to be acknowledged and addressed. It is those who are bereaved by homicide who serve the real life sentences. Their human rights need to be accounted for. I cannot emphasise this enough. The scales of justice need to be rebalanced.’ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

19 Mar 20211h 12min

This Tuesday I recorded a conversation with a woman I’ve admired for many years.Singer, musician and poet, Imelda May is my guest this week.She lives in London with her 8 year old daughter, Violet, and is now dating fellow musician Niall McNamee. Proudly from the Liberties in Dublin, she has lived in England for over 20 years and in this conversation we talk feminism and paganism, she talks about her wonderful parents and her upbringing. We also reminisce about the late Gerry Ryan, she talks about her involvement in this year’s Irish language festival, ‘Seachtain na Gaeilge’, the time she spent in Doolin where she learnt to play the bodhrán and we find out what her dream day is!I’m so grateful to her for making time to chat to me this week and her latest album ‘11 Past the Hour’ will be available to buy from the 16th of April.Book mention : 'Dear Ijeawele, or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions'by Chimamanda Ngozi AdichieYou'll find me on Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/sileseoige/?hl=enThis episode of Ready to Be Real Conversations was brought to you in partnership with HCC.ie and supported by Irish Life Health. Whether you’re a family, an individual or employer, HCC.ie’s dedicated experts can provide you with the support you need to find health insurance that’s right for you, at a price that fits your budget. If you already have health insurance, the team at HCC.ie will help you compare your options to ensure you find a plan that balances the cover you need with what you can afford. Visit www.hcc.ie today or call them on 014980515 to speak with one of their experts for free. Eppione Limited trading as HealthCare Compare is Regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

13 Mar 20211h 7min

Trigger warning : death by suicide, injury, sudden death, grief.Last December I travelled to Cork and spoke to the incredible Dessie Fitzgerald.His world was turned upside down on the 8th of August 2011, and he continued to face unimaginable difficulty over the 14 months that followed.But since then, he’s turned his pain into a positive and is now helping people every day in his role as a Life Coach.Dessie is married to Sarah and they have two sons, MJ and Jack and they live in Charleville, in North Co. Cork.This conversation is a masterclass in vulnerability, acceptance and in letting go as he talks about the importance of speaking from your pain to deal with trauma.I was in awe of him and I have a feeling you will be too.If this episode strikes a chord with you, please share it with friends or family or anyone you think will benefit from hearing it, thank you.And for more on Dessie, go to his website…https://www.dessiefitzgerald.com/about/And a big thanks to Maeve Dennehy (Love Cherish) for recommending that I connect with Dessie.This episode of Ready to Be Real Conversations was brought to you in partnership with HCC.ie and supported by Irish Life Health. Whether you’re a family, an individual or employer, HCC.ie’s dedicated experts can provide you with the support you need to find health insurance that’s right for you, at a price that fits your budget. If you already have health insurance, the team at HCC.ie will help you compare your options to ensure you find a plan that balances the cover you need with what you can afford. Visit www.hcc.ie today or call them on 014980515 to speak with one of their experts for free. Eppione Limited trading as HealthCare Compare is Regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

5 Mar 20211h 17min

A former journalist and TV Producer, Yasmin Boland is now a best-selling author and is considered one of the most respected voices on the spiritual importance of the moon.In this conversation she talks through the phases of the moon (20 mins in approx), it’s historical significance, New Moon and Full Moon rituals (24 mins), manifesting (33 mins) and of course the divine feminine. And for more on Yasmin, simply go to her website…https://www.yasminboland.com/Moonology Manifesting Challenge...https://magic.moonology.com/7-day-moonology-challenge-yasminAnd you can find her on Instagram here…https://www.instagram.com/moonologydotcom/Book mentions – Yasmin’s Moonology Diary Moon Signs by Donna CunninghamNew Moon Astrology by Jan SpillerThis episode of Ready to Be Real Conversations was brought to you in partnership with HCC.ie and supported by Irish Life Health. Whether you’re a family, an individual or employer, HCC.ie’s dedicated experts can provide you with the support you need to find health insurance that’s right for you, at a price that fits your budget. If you already have health insurance, the team at HCC.ie will help you compare your options to ensure you find a plan that balances the cover you need with what you can afford. Visit www.hcc.ie today or call them on 014980515 to speak with one of their experts for free. Eppione Limited trading as HealthCare Compare is Regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

26 Feb 202146min

Trigger warning : Seizures, cancer, terminal diagnosis. This week I chat to the incredible Alannah Sheehan who goes by the Instagram handle https://www.instagram.com/worth_fighting4/Alannah is married to Martin, they live in Tipperary and they have 3 kids; Finn who’s 5, Luca who’s 3 and Phoebe who’s 1 and has just started to walk.But last year her world changed forever when she was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive type of brain cancer.In this conversation you’ll hear how tough it’s been for her, having brain surgery and undergoing 30 days of radiation and 6 months of chemotherapy but you’ll also hear how grateful she is for her life and how she really is living every single day with her family.I’ve wanted to talk to her for months now and I’m so thankful that we made it happen this week.She has the most beautiful voice and such a calm nature and it's a truly powerful conversation.Please show your support for Alannah if you can, by donating to her Go fund Me page...https://www.gofundme.com/f/z4xxfd-worthfighting4Thank you!This episode of Ready to Be Real Conversations was brought to you in partnership with HCC.ie and supported by Irish Life Health. Whether you’re a family, an individual or employer, HCC.ie’s dedicated experts can provide you with the support you need to find health insurance that’s right for you, at a price that fits your budget. If you already have health insurance, the team at HCC.ie will help you compare your options to ensure you find a plan that balances the cover you need with what you can afford.Visit www.hcc.ie today or call them on 014980515 to speak with one of their experts for free. Eppione Limited trading as HealthCare Compare is Regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

19 Feb 20211h 28min

Trigger warning : Religion, depressionActor and comedian Mario Rosenstock is my guest this week.Best known for his Gift Grub impersonations on Today FM for the past 22 years, he's married to Bláthnaid and they have two kids, Dash who’s 13 and Bellamie who’s 8.He’s wonderfully eccentric and as you can imagine has plenty of hilarious stories but he’s also incredibly honest and reflective and I absolutely loved our chat.In this conversation, he talks about the night he met his wife for the first time, how he’s always seeing the best in people, he shares his views on religion, he talks about luck and lying, how he’s changed down through the years and that time our President Michael D bought pints for him and his pals!If you enjoy this episode please support it by doing any or all of the following; share it with friends or family, post it on social, click follow, give a rating or leave a little comment…whatever you do, I’d be so thankful!Thanks so much for listening to Ready to be Real Conversations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

11 Feb 20211h 23min

Trigger warning : Childhood disability, breakdown. This week I chat to Sharon Myers, a warm and genuine woman who I absolutely loved chatting to.She’s married to Denis and they have two children, Sophie who’s a teenager and Noah who’ll be ten in March and they live in Mitchelstown in North Cork.Noah was born with a rare condition called Escobar syndrome and in this conversation she talks through the ups and downs of coming to terms with it but she also talks about that time they climbed the Galtee mountains together and that other time they went parasailing!It’s an inspiring and heart-warming episode that I hope you love as much as I do.To follow Sharon, Noah and the Myers family on Instagram, you’ll find them here….https://www.instagram.com/ourwheelybigjourney/And if you enjoyed this episode please support it by doing any or all of the following…share it with friends or family, post it on social, click follow, give a rating or leave a little comment…whatever you do, I’d be so thankful! X Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

4 Feb 20211h 11min

Trigger warning : Depression, grief, addiction.This week I chat to writer, communicator, strategist and mental health campaigner Alastair Campbell.He’s probably best known for his role as the official spokesman, press secretary and director of communications and strategy for the former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.Now splits his time between writing, speaking, charity work and consultancy.He lives with his partner Fiona and they have three children, Grace, Calum and Rory. A self-confessed atheist who’s obsessed with Burnley Football, Alastair had a well-documented mental breakdown in 1986 but instead of going into that time during this conversation, I wanted to talk to him about how he is doing today.His latest book ‘Living Better’ shares how he learned to survive depression and in this conversation he talks about the importance of family and friends; we discuss vulnerability, finding balance and he also shares practical tips on managing depression which I think many of you will find beneficial.If you like this podcast please click follow, give a rating or leave a little comment, thanks a million!And a word of thanks to my friend Barbara for helping to make this conversation happen X Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

28 Jan 202155min