Elmarie Mawe on 25 years in radio and living with cancer 

Elmarie Mawe, the broadcaster (and teacher) has been presenting the popular Sunday morning arts programme The Arts House on 96fm for 25 years.

This vivacious woman with the mellifluous voice says she will never forget her first programme. She recorded an interview for it with the then minister for arts, Síle de Valera.

“She was so gracious towards me,” recalls Elmarie over coffee in a Cork hotel.

“She was one of my first big interviews. I hadn’t a clue how to use the equipment. After the interview, I said: ‘Go raibh míle maith agat’. Síle hung up the phone, and I immediately pressed ‘delete’. I remember the cold shock that went through me. I wondered how I was going to salvage this situation.”

Elmaire rang the minister’s private secretary, explained what had happened, and emphasised the fact that it was her first programme. Síle de Valera agreed to do the interview again while being driven to an appointment.

“Lots of ministers would have said ‘I’m sorry, I can’t.’ But she was so amazing.”

Elmarie is currently undergoing treatment for stage 3 ovarian cancer which has returned for the fourth time since 2018.

Undergoing chemotherapy, she hasn’t been able to teach for some time as she becomes exhausted from the treatment. But she is able to record interviews for her radio show from the comfort of her home in Ballincollig and present the weekly show at the 96fm studio in the city, sometimes doing live interviews as well.

How does she keep her spirits up?

“When I was first diagnosed, I probably immediately catastrophised because the surgeon was very clear about the prognosis.

“Basically, 50% of people survive stage 3. I was immediately planning my funeral, lining up who I was going to give jobs to. I was panicking about my bank statements.

“But I haven’t given my cancer too much thought on that side of things since. I try to compartmentalise it.

“That first year, I had to immediately step away from teaching (Elmarie is deputy principal at the three-teacher Gurrane National School) and radio, completely handing over the two biggest parts of my identity.

“Stepping away from that was really hard. But once I had stripped away all that, I had to get to the kernel of myself. Who am I if I’m not teaching or on the radio?”

On holidays in Kerry, while in remission some time after her diagnosis, Elmarie was sitting outdoors in a hot tub in the hotel she and her husband, Conor Tallon, were staying in. “The sun was shining down. I was saying to myself, I’ve been given this fresh start. Do I just get back to what life was like before and pretend it didn’t happen?

“I was trying to find out what was at the core of me. And that was the question I kept repeating to myself. At the core of me is happiness and joy, I realised. I appreciate my connection with friends. That’s what I wanted the second half of my life to be like, whether I’m teaching or doing stuff on the radio or strangling plants in pots on the patio. I’m very lucky to have the most phenomenal support network.”

Elmarie’s number one supporter is Conor, an actor, ad producer and voice-over artist who helps out on The Arts House on a voluntary basis, interviewing people for the show.

Married since 2002, Elmarie remembers noticing Conor as he walked into the Everyman Theatre bar one night in a leather jacket and a hat.

The pair were introduced by theatre designer and technician Joe Stockdale. Elmarie, who was acting in a Patrick Galvin play at the time, discovered that she had a lot in common with Conor. They hit it off.

They made a date that night. Their first date was in Dan Lowry’s.

Over the years, Conor has become a huge support to Elmarie.

“He gives so much of himself. I’ve had to lean on him so much in the last six years. There were times when I would have been really sick. I might be looking for water from my bed, but I couldn’t get it. I’d have to text Conor to ask him because I didn’t even have the energy to speak.”

Before she got her diagnosis, Elmarie had pain in her abdomen.

“I almost looked pregnant. I just thought, ‘here we go again, I’ve put on weight. Why do I keep doing this to myself? I’ve battled with my weight all my life’.”

However, the stomach swelling was due to a liquid called ascites. About four litres of it were drained and Elmarie experienced immediate relief. But when she got her diagnosis, she learned that it would be difficult to completely eliminate the cancer.

Her condition is managed rather than being curable.

Elmarie gets sustenance from her faith.

“I was brought up as a Catholic. Prayer is a huge part of my life. People talk about spirituality. They find it much more comfortable as opposed to saying they have faith.

“Even though we are living in Ballincollig, I have a great affinity with the church in Inishannon (where Elmarie is from). The parish priest there, Fr Finbar Crowley, is such a kind-hearted pastoral guide.

“I have faith. I know people who have a far greater faith and devotion than I would have. I’ve always been so grateful for the prayers of people for me.”

Does she ever get angry with God, given her illness?

“No. I did a lot of counselling with Cork Arc initially. One of the counsellors was trying to see if I was in denial or suppressing anger.

“Anger is a negative emotion, and I told myself that part of my recovery is being and staying positive.

“But of course, you suppress anger. It’s buried and has to come out at some point. During lockdown, I was doing counselling on Zoom. The counsellor got me to turn around to the door and push as hard as hell against it and to find a roar from the bottom of my stomach. I did that and roared. And I started crying. I didn’t realise I was suppressing so much.”

But Elmarie, who undergoes scans every three months, is looking ahead to the future.

She has also signed up to teach Spanish at primary school level.

Elmarie has “elementary Spanish” and wants to be part of the initiative of teaching modern languages, which is being rolled out in primary schools.

“The resources for teachers to learn more Spanish are fantastic. I’m doing it with the ambition of returning to school,” she says.

Onwards and upwards for this admirable woman.