138/365: Colum McNamee at Castleknock College, Dublin

144/365: Dee Ryan, Co Kildare

I stumbled upon a really interesting cafe in the woods a while back and approached the woman behind the wooden till to find out more. When I say stumbled, I really do mean it. You wouldn’t notice it was there, it blends so wonderfully into its environment in the Moore Abbey woods in Monasterevin. Woodstack cafe is the result of an amazing amount of effort by Dee Ryan, her husband Dave and their teenage kids, a true family business in its infancy.  I first thought the name Woodstack was a nod to how the place is designed, with stacks of wood all around making up the furniture and a massive archway that you pass under to enter, but the more I chat to Dee, the more I think it may also be a wee nod to the festival Woodstock, as it’s got a proper festival spirit to it.  Dee and Dave were childhood sweethearts who met in secondary school. It’s out the back of his parent’s house that they’ve created this eco-friendly, festival spirited, community focused cafe. “Dave grew up in this forest, adventuring, climbing trees and I grew up just out the road. We were very conscious about what we were going to put here. We didn’t want to just put a horsebox trailer that would kind of stick out. We needed it to blend in with the land, and to feel like it’s always been here.” The entire space is made from reclaimed wood, glass, tables and chairs. Everything is upcycled and given a second life. The Glasshouse is the little circular shack that complements the cafe. It was added on when Dee recognised the need for a community space. Somewhere people can shelter from the rain and cold in the winter after their walks, but also a place where they can program movie nights for kids and families, and every Sunday host gigs by local buskers. Dee is very community minded. Yes, she needs to make a living from this business venture but she does it without compromising the ethos of the space.  “You can’t be afraid of a bit of hard work and you have to be open to chopping and changing where you need to, to fit with your customer's needs and their wants. We get involved with so many different groups within the community and a lot of the local clubs would come here to meet. We try to tailor what we do specifically to what is needed in the area, that comes before all else.” Like anyone you talk to who runs a hospitality business these days, Dee doesn’t downplay the hard work element. It’s tough to break even, but entering into their third year now, things seem to have settled for Dee and Dave, and they’re still focused on doing things the right way.  “We started from scratch. We needed to do it cheaply, but still make it nice and inviting. We also were aware that the coffee industry isn’t exactly eco-friendly and that we wanted to offset that and make it as ethical as we could, usually by using as much locally sourced material as possible. We use Woodland coffee, and they plant a tree for every box of coffee sold. It’s not some abstract tree in a far away land, it’s on a plantation down in Limerick and that matters.” What’s glaringly obvious at Woodstack is that what Dee has created is an extremely unique family business, full of passion, good vibes, quirky ideas and true community spirit. Dee’s teenage children can usually be found working away at the cafe when they’re not at school, either behind the till, or dressed up in costume for the Halloween, Christmas and Easter events she hosts. Their presence is absent from the cafe today as they prepare for their leaving cert exams. She says that “they're both hoping to study furniture design and wood technology.” It seems that they didn’t lick it off the stones.               Rx Sin Scéal Eile - That's Another Story was hosted and created by Ruth Medjber, with sound by Ronan Lally. The podcast is produced by Dee Reddy at Poddle Audio with original music by Elaine Mai. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

143/365: John (Johno) Phelan in Co. Laois

It was Johno’s daughter who nominated him to be in this project. She describes her dad with great affection and admires his passion for life.  Johno is many things, he owns the Laois Angling Club, he’s an avid hunter and farmer (though he says his 200 sheep is nothing to the thousands he used to keep when the industry was in a better place). Faced with the decline in farming, Johno and his wife Edna decided to open an angling centre on their land.  At the bottom of the hill behind their house you’ll find 4 lakes that they stock regularly with fish. People come from all over Ireland to cast their lines and take home their catch of the day! Sin Scéal Eile - That's Another Story was hosted and created by Ruth Medjber, with sound by Ronan Lally. The podcast is produced by Dee Reddy at Poddle Audio with original music by Elaine Mai. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

142/365: Kasandra O'Connell, Whitehall, Dublin

Kasandra wants to remind us just how common bowel cancer is, but also how disruptive to your life it can be. Guided by a gut instinct, she knew the doctor was going to give her that particular diagnosis. It’s been her gut that has guided her throughout her entire life.  She’s in the middle of an amazing career as an archivist (dream job!) and was head of the Irish Film Archive in Temple Bar until her illness made her pause for a bit.  Her house is her very own archive of delights. She has surrounded herself with eclectic trinkets and beautifully unique pieces of art, and of course, her 3 gorgeous pups.  Rx Sin Scéal Eile - That's Another Story was hosted and created by Ruth Medjber, with sound by Ronan Lally. The podcast is produced by Dee Reddy at Poddle Audio with original music by Elaine Mai. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

141/365 : Debbie Chapman in Chapelizod

When Debbie answers the door of her studio she’s flustered, wearing a paint encrusted apron and brandishing a painting tool around. She says “I just need to finish one more bit” and scurries back upstairs to layer on more paint. Debbie is a very successful and well established painter. We could talk about anything, but what she wants to chat most about is her Mother, Ruby. It’s Ruby’s tools and paints that she’s using today.  Ruby introduced Debbie to painting on a whim when she was a teenager. Since then, the paintbrush has rarely left her hand. It’s a beautiful story of what can happen when you encourage talent and expression in young people.  Sin Scéal Eile - That's Another Story was hosted and created by Ruth Medjber, with sound by Ronan Lally. The podcast is produced by Dee Reddy at Poddle Audio with original music by Elaine Mai. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

140/365: Suad Aldarra in South Dublin

Suad is a dote. She’s welcoming, warm and so so friendly. She’s originally from Syria but has been living in Ireland for many years, and if you’ve read her multi-award winning book “I Don't Want To Talk About Home” you’ll know her life story.  You’ll know the arduous path she took to leave Syria, and if you follow her online, you’ll know the joy she felt when she could finally return home too. When I sit and chat with Suad, discussing our similarities in life (we’re both 40 with ADHD) I feel like she could be my sister, or maybe she’s the version of me who has gotten their life together!  Sin Scéal Eile - That's Another Story was hosted and created by Ruth Medjber, with sound by Ronan Lally. The podcast is produced by Dee Reddy at Poddle Audio with original music by Elaine Mai. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.