The Shnug

The Shnug Podcast: Ep 18 - Eoghan Higgins

Happy new year everyone, we thought we’d release a podcast recorded back in the Indian summer of last September to warm yer souls and remind you that brighter days are coming down the line    
In Episode 18 of the Shnug podcast we speak to musician, farmer, forager, brewer Eoghan Higgins. Hailing from Corrandulla just outside Galway city, we chat about growing up on a livestock farm and the state of faming in Ireland at the moment, how working on an organic farm green earth organics sparked his interest in preserving, brewing, foraging and a love of wild food.
Eoghan dipped his toe into the world of MMA first with Strange wolves in the Claddagh and then with conriocht out in Athenry. With an amateur record of 2-2  but then came Covid and this put paid to his fight career and led him down a more musical path.
Eoghan is a multi-instrumentalis able to play the guitar, bass, drums, fiddle and banjo and it was during lockdown that he met Peter Broderick an American musician and composer from Carlton, Oregon and former member of Efterklang. The two hit it off due to mutual love of brewing, preserving foraging and of course music. Once the pandemic ended Peter asked Eoghan to join him on his European tour and the rest is history, he then joined Bridget Mae power on her UK tour and he realised his debut EP ‘Special Tunes’ in February of 2023 with cover art by witchofpaintings .

The Shnug Podcast: Ep 17 - Kayte O’Malley

We hope everyone had happy Christmas and you are all now well fed and merry. We thought we’d release an aul podcast for those of you now unsure what day of the week it is. In Episode 17 of the Shnug podcast we speak to radio DJ, presenter and producer Kayte O’Malley.
Kayte joins us straight from slot on Galway Bay Radio where she presents ‘On the Move’ weekdays between 3 – 7pm. Originally from Tralee in Kerry , Kayte is a radio veteran at this stage, having worked in Flirt Fm, Spin Southwest and iRadio.
Kayte regales us with stories of graveyard shifts and working her way up , the do’s and don’ts of radio law, ruining shows for her parents, nightmare interviews and radio mentors. While double jobbing on two radio stations, Kayte also started working as a producer for red shoe productions, working on shows for TG4, SKY and RTE. Then in 2023, she moved in front of the camera to present the tv show for the ‘Night and Day’ festival on TG4. Kayte is a gas woman altogether and her seemingly endless energy is magnetic.

The Shnug Podcast: Ep 16 - Dom Majecki

In Episode 16 of the Shnug podcast we speak to head chef of the G Hotel Dominique Majecki. Dom has been plying his trade across the country for many years and we chat to him about his early life and training in Laval in the Pays de la Loire region of North West France and how the food tradition there inspired him to take up cooking as a profession. Dom then decided to move abroad to broaden his horizons and improve both his culinary skills and his English, traveling around the world experiencing new flavours and cuisines and then settling in Galway and quickly establishing himself here working in some of the best hotels on the West coast.
Dom talks about the Galway food scene and how it’s grown since he first came here 22 years ago and how local chef's are paving the way forward , his favourite food producers, foragers and how they influence his ethos in the Kitchen.

The Shnug Podcast: EP 15 - Rodney Owl

In Episode 15 of the Shnug podcast we speak to singer/songwriter Mark McConvillie aka Rodney Owl. Mark has been plying his trade across the country for many years and we chat to him about his early life in Lurgan during the 80’s and his amateur boxing days before being robbed in the under 12’s all Ireland final. After that he switched to music and we chatted about busking firstly in London and after a few years how he got stuck in the Galway quick sand that saw him take up residency here for nearly 20 years now, playing with the likes of No Banjo/Cartoon thieves and Sharon Shannon, throw in a impromptu Late Late show appearance as the cherry on top
Mark has been working on the ‘Rodney Owl’ project since 2013 and released the self-produced ‘Woe’ in 2016 and the signed up with the black gate for this year’s ‘Truth is broken’ all available on band camp and on your streaming platforms.

The Shnug Podcast: Ep 14 - Little John Nee

We’re back baby and to kick off season 2 we are joined by the Little John Nee , possibly the hardest working man in theatre in Ireland and definitely up there as the one of the most prolific, a writer, performer, actor, musician, poet and storyteller extraordinaire.
John has been preforming one way or another since the 70’s and he regales with stories of his time as a performance poet in cabaret’s across London, taking up street performance on Dublin’s Grafton street, appearing alongside Peter O’Toole in Neil Jordan’s ‘High Spirits’ and joining the illustrious Macnas on his move west in the late 80’s.
Since turning his attention directly to theatre in the early 2000’s, John has written and performed over 20 one man shows over the years. He has also performed across Ireland, the UK and the US, his shows a mixture of comedy, mystery and heartbreak that draw from his love of words, music and all the places he has called home over the years.
John returned to the screen in 2021 with ‘Drone Bone Jetty’ a film directed by long-time collaborator Laura Sheeran.
John is currently making appearances across the country with Fionn Robinson as they perform a new live score to the Buster Keaton classic ‘Sherlock Jr.’ His new show ‘Nettle Horse’ will tour nation wide from January. 
 

Season 2 -Taster

Ahead of the release of season 2 this Monday the 13th of November your favourite podcasters have a little message for you...So our first year went well, we think. 12 episodes, a 4 part mini series and lil bonus episode for the Cruinniú makes 17 in all. But that was just the start, we want MORE...So ahead of the release of Season 2 we'd like to ask you fine people for a bit of a favour, don't worry the show will remain free and will never go behind a pay wall or any of that craic.But obviously we have overheads that need to be taken care of, this coupled with the man hours that go in to each episode from research, scheduling, recording, art and social media, we're talking 10+ hours plus per episode, so it's quite the workload. But most importantly we'd like to GROW, get more equipment, travel further, interview more people and most importantly, we think, become more regular so we can help showcase all the west coast has to offer and that requires investment...So if you'd like to support us, there are two options, both can be found via the links in our bio...1. Join our Patreon and help us out with a monthly donation.2. Use the 'Buy me a coffee' option and make a once off donation of your choosing.Obviously if you can't afford either in these trying times please keep listening and if you can give us a share, like, subscribe, rate or comment, all will be greatly appreciated and will help us grow.We'd like to thank everyone that's listened in and helped us along so far. Roll on season 2...Míle Buíochas, le measRichie & Lavin

The Shnug Podcast: Ep 13 - Cruinniú na mBád

Episode 13 and The Shnug is finally coming to you from a snug. Recorded in Tully’s bar in Kinvara as the town gears up for the 43rd  Cruinniú na mBád festival. A festival that honours the traditional sailing boat of Galway, the Hooker and those that sail them.
We chat to Paul Crowley, chairperson of the festival committee, on how the festival has grown over the years since its revival in 1979 by Tony Moylan and how it was integral to the preservation of traditions such as boat building and sail making in the area.
Lavin also fills us in on his exhibition ‘The Morrígan’ that will run in the Secret Garden on Kinvara Quay throughout the Cruinniú and will open on Friday the 11th.
Cruinniú na mBád will run from the 11th-13th of August 2023 and features a full weekend of events for young and old alike.

The Shnug presents Éalú Le Grá: EP 4 -Tara Clarke & Eoin Finn

In episode 4 of our mini-series 'The Shnug presents Éalú Le Grá' we chat to festival/event producer Tara Clarke and the curator of this year’s light lab Eoin Finn.
We chat to Tara about how she got started in the production side of festivals, the difference between producing a street and a field festival, meeting the ELG gang and how their professionalism and leave no trace approach really impressed her.Eoin tells us he’s gone from a punter in the first few two years of ELG to curating the Holistic area of the festival in 2023. He tells us about how he first got interested in Holistic practices, some of the eye opening events he attended at the festival over the years and what the hell a cacao ceremony is.