Julie Helen: The simple joy of a good podcast 

I got to experience my first ever live podcast recording recently, and it was everything I wished it would be.

Podcasts are probably one of my favourite ways to consume media. I always loved listening to the radio, and when I was lucky enough to study journalism, I loved everything about producing audio content. I was better at producing audio than I ever thought I would be, and there was great satisfaction and technical skill in it.

There is a simplicity to podcasting that I really enjoy. Every podcast I choose feels personal to me; as if they are speaking only to me. At the same time, there are often regular themes or segments, or even just ways of articulating things that make me feel like I’m part of a gang or a community too.

My favourite type of podcast is a chatty one, usually with two speakers or a presenter and an interviewee. I really enjoy hearing people’s stories and perspectives, either because they are like me or because they might be entirely different, and I’m learning about a whole new perspective.

With one of my favourite podcasts, Red Raw, I get the best of everything. Laura O’Mahony and Rob Heffernan bounce off each other beautifully. Laura is a mam and the same age as me, and we share a lot of similar views. She is a comedian and so quick-witted and full of craic that I can’t help but laugh along. Rob, being an Olympian and a race walker, is very different to me, but his fierce passion and loyalty are such a joy. Both are always doing something interesting and drawing parallels between the worlds of sport and the arts. They are both pure Cork. I love that.

It was special to experience the live recording of the Red Raw podcast in DeBarra’s of Clonakilty because West Cork is home now, and it was great to be only 20 minutes away. Clara joined me. We’ve been friends since our first week in secondary school. She knows all my stories and is a fan of Red Raw too. It was so lovely to have a night out together in the midst of a busy kid-filled time of life.

The guests on the night were great, powerful, and successful women, Derval O’Rourke and Trisha Lewis, each with inspiring stories of their own to tell. The podcast felt like a chat among friends. It was funny and joyful, and we were treated to music by The Oars too. They have a lovely traditional feel to them that felt comfortable and familiar. We were laughing, we were singing, we were clapping and having the craic.

Afterwards, I felt a bit self-conscious. I always worry that because I sit in a wheelchair, people might think I feel I deserve special treatment. If anything, I want to melt into the background.

I wanted to say hello to Laura and Rob and Derval and Trisha without being intrusive. I follow them all on social media; I’ve had chats and messages with Laura and Derval, and both were so kind to me online always. I am just acutely aware that I don’t actually really know them, and they are entitled to their space. One of my own lovely readers greeted me, and I relaxed a bit, remembering just how much I love meeting people and that, in social situations, people are just being friendly and kind, so I said a quick hello, and we went home delighted with our night out.