Ready To Be Real by Síle Seoige31 Okt 2025

Doireann Ní Ghlacáin: The Cailleach

Topics covered: Gaeilge, music, heritage, culture, shame, colonisation, Irish Americans, Samhain, An Chailleach.

In this special Oíche Shamhna episode, I speak with musician, broadcaster, academic and podcaster Doireann Ní Ghlacáin.

Doireann is the daughter of TG4 political correspondent Sorcha Ní Riada (and granddaughter of legendary Irish composer Seán Ó Riada) and fiddle player and retired Garda Kevin Glackin of the renowned Glackin musical family.

Between podcasting (How to Gael), TV presenting, MC'ing, playing music, having a string of live shows and being awarded a PhD in oral Irish poetry recently, she is an incredibly impressive and productive woman.

She currently splits her time between New York and Ireland, and we spoke last week, the day after I saw her perform on stage in An Taibhdhearc, the National Irish Language Theatre, with her show The Cailleach.

In our chat, we talk about the rich heritage she has on both sides of her family, and about An Chailleach — and this reflective, liminal time of year.

We also discuss the moment on Virgin Media’s Six O’Clock Show in February 2024, when former TD Ivan Yates said he “couldn’t be arsed” in reference to the Irish language — and one of the presenters stood up to shake his hand in agreement.

We explore how deeply insulting that was to Irish speakers, how it reflects a colonised mindset, and how passionately Doireann feels about being a Gael.

A self-confessed girls’ girl, she describes herself as introspective — and simply put, I loved chatting to her.

Bainigí sult as!

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