On this episode of the Collective Whisper podcast Simon speaks to author and motivational speaker Zoe Holohan. On 23 July 2018, in the seaside town of Mati in Greece, Zoe Holohan and her husband of four days were enjoying the beginning of their honeymoon. Then disaster struck. Unprecedented wildfires swept through the area, killing 102 people. Zoe and Brian fled their villa, chased by the flames, running for their lives. Ultimately Zoe was one of the few survivors from the area, having been mira...
Jul 29, 2022•1 hr 17 min
On this episode of the Collective Whisper podcast Simon speaks to keyboard player Tom Brislin from the band Kansas. They speak about his amazing career playing piano and keyboards with Kansas ,Meatloaf, Yes and Debbie Harry and many others. Tom Brislin has performed on tour and on recordings for several of the biggest names in classic rock, including Yes, Meat Loaf, and Debbie Harry of Blondie. In 2019 Tom joined the legendary Kansas as the group’s keyboardist/backing vocalist. In 2020 Kansas re...
Jul 04, 2022•1 hr 21 min
On this episode Simon speaks to Michelle Caulfield and Susan Costello from the Galway rape crisis centre. They speak about the great work that the GRCC does in helping victims of rape and sexual abuse and how they help educate young and old in matters of consent and sexual awareness amongst their peers,friends and future sexual partners. Sexual consent is discussed as is the ever growing use of pornography on mobile devices and computers amongst kids in primary,secondary and third level educatio...
Jun 20, 2022•1 hr 47 min
On this episode Simon speaks to former Navy,US secret service and Commander of the US Marshals Lenny DePaul. Lenny speaks about his time in the Navy,in the US secret service guarding Ronald Reagan and his time as a Unites States Marshal.He also talks about working and consulting on hit shows such as "Hunting Hitler","Manhunters" and various others. A native New Yorker, Commander DePaul was born and raised in Utica, New York. Commander DePaul joined the United States Navy, where he served honorab...
Jun 05, 2022•45 min
On this episode Simon K speaks to Irish singer/songwriter George Murphy George Murphy is an Irish singer songwriter who hails from the Dublin suburb of Beaumount. He exploded onto the Irish music scene after his memorable appearances on the Irish television show “You’re a Star”. Just out of secondary school at the age of 17 he very quickly took over the Irish music scene, signing to Sony Ireland for his debut album ‘Dreamed A Dream’ which went straight to No.1 in the Irish charts. The album even...
May 28, 2022•1 hr 4 min
On this episode Simon K speaks to actor Patrick Kilpatrick One of the finest screen/television character actors of his generation, playing against a spectrum of Hollywood's leading action heroes, Patrick Kilpatrick's entertainment career has spanned more than 170 films and television shows as lead actor, producer, screen writer, director, and global entertainment teacher- from "Minority Report" with Tom Cruise to "Dark Angel" with Jessica Alba, from the largest production in Public Broadcasting ...
May 13, 2022•1 hr 20 min
On this episode Simon K speaks about kids and our relationships with them, understanding them, loving them, raising them and how different our childhoods were to children's childhoods today. He talks about the tolerance we need to have for an ever-changing world and how our kids need our support in discovering who they are and want to be. Some people want kids, some people don't and some people have different approaches to raising their children in an ever challenging world of technology, social...
May 06, 2022•1 hr 3 min
On this episode Simon K speaks to Andrew McGinley. Warning: This episode contains stories of children's deaths and may affect some listeners. (Helpline numbers below) Simon discusses the heartache of Andrew losing his 3 children and how he wants to continue their legacy and make sure they are not forgotten and he hopes other people in similar situations can learn from this and get help. 24 Jan 2022 marked two years since his three beloved children, Conor, 9; Darragh, 7, and Carla, 3, were killed...
Apr 22, 2022•1 hr 1 min
On this episode Simon K speaks about Ireland's rural drug scene and how it is changing Irish lives. Cocaine is the second most commonly used drug among students in Ireland, according to a new survey. In first place for recreational drug use with this cohort is cannabis, while cocaine is now thought to be more widely used today than ecstasy. According to Ireland’s drug crisis campaign, there has been a consistent increase in drug use in the Irish population since regular population surveying bega...
Apr 08, 2022•46 min
On this episode Simon K speaks to Bill Edgar from Australia,who is the Coffin confessor. Bill tells Simon all about his life as a a street kid, being homeless, suffering abuse at the hands of family and teachers and how a spell in prison changed him. He talks about how he became a private investigator and eventually starting crashing funerals as the coffin confessor telling deceased people's secrets and confessions to shocked families and so called loved ones.And how he wrote a book about it and...
Apr 01, 2022•1 hr 20 min
On this episode Simon K speaks to Irish astrophysicist and potential future astronaut Cillian Murphy. They speak about his career as an astrophysicist and his ambition to become an astronaut with the European Space Agency. Cillian tells Simon about his travels and growing up in different countries. Cillian also talks about his love of sports and martial arts, training in the ESA and running analog and simulated missions to further space exploration. They also talk about what science means to peo...
Mar 25, 2022•1 hr 33 min
On this episode Simon K speaks about St Patrick’s day and all its myths and legends. He looks at interesting facts about the man and the legend and gets to know the myth a little closer. He also talks to special guest Aindrias e Staic about his life, what he’s up to at the moment and looks back at some Irish tales including St Patrick himself. Together Simon & Aindrias discuss how Ireland sees St Patrick’s day and how it is perceived in other places including of course the USA. Have a listen...
Mar 17, 2022•1 hr 1 min
On this episode Simon K speaks about radio and what it means to us now and over the years. He talks about the history of radio,fun facts about radio,how it was used during the war and how radio has changed over the years. He also talks about the top radio hits and some songs written about the radio. Also he talks to two special guests,Tracey Lee & Nails Mahoney.Two radio experts who tell us all about radio and their careers and how they are helping people today with their "On air coaching co...
Mar 05, 2022•1 hr 8 min
On this weeks podcast Simon talks to singer/songwriter John Turps Burke from Tuam. Simon & Turps discuss his career so far, gowing up in Tuam, and he tells us some interesting stories about his life in music, the good and the bad. John "Turps" Burke is an Irish guitarist, singer and songwriter. from Tuam. He was one of the founding members of The Sawdoctors, alongside Leo Moran and Davy Carton. He left the band in 1993 to pursue a solo career. They had the best ever selling single in Ireland...
Feb 25, 2022•1 hr 57 min
On this weeks episode Simon K speaks about expats. What makes one person an expat, and another a foreign worker or migrant? Simon discusses this and talks about his own experience being an expat or immigrants in another country. Language barriers, cultural differences, comparisons to home and the "grass is always greener on the other side" are all discussed in this interesting episode. Also on the show he talks to guest Conor Ralph from Tuam,Co.Galway who has been living in Thailand,Korea and Th...
Feb 18, 2022•1 hr 13 min
On this episode Simon K speaks to Sinead Dalton Sinead Dalton is a TV and media producer. Sinead was the assistant producer of The Elaine Show on Virgin Media One. her work covered organising, producing, and editing vts. Research and booking guests and new panelists, as well as coming up with creative new ideas for the show. Over the last few years she produced and edited such pieces as ‘Elementary Elaine,’ ‘Talking Heads’ ‘Train with Elaine’ and an annual Halloween project- which had been filme...
Feb 11, 2022•1 hr 10 min
On this weeks episode Simon K speaks about dogs. Dogs are and have been a big part of Simon's life over the years and here he talks about their fun facts, their amazing abilities, why we love them so much and how they changed his life and healed him in troubled times.Simon talks about his dog Ben and how they had a special bond and how he grieved for him when he died,and still does. He also talks about dogs in movies, tweets and some of their funny sides. Also on the show he talks to guest Julie...
Feb 04, 2022•1 hr 14 min
On this episode Simon K speaks to former RAF Typhoon pilot Mike Sutton OBE. Deputy Director of Flight Ops at Draken Europe, Mike “Sooty” Sutton, is A former Wing Commander in the Royal Air Force (RAF). Sooty led the first squadron of #Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4s into combat in the war against ISIS in 2015. An RAF fighter pilot for 18 years, he flew the Jaguar strike jet before becoming an instructor on the first RAF Typhoon multi-role attack squadron.The Wiltshire born pilot led 1 Squadron, a lege...
Jan 28, 2022•55 min
On this episode of the Collective Whisper podcast, Simon K speaks to Chesney Claire. Pop Singer/Songwriter Chesney Claire was born July 10, 2001. Right after graduation in 2019, Chesney moved to Branson, Missouri to work and ultimately begin her music career. While in Branson, Chesney's talents caught the eye (and ears) of several Las Vegas producers and songwriters. In March of 2020, Chesney and her "Momager" Kim Hebert found themselves moving across the country to "Sin City", (Las Vegas) in or...
Jan 21, 2022•1 hr 20 min
On this weeks episode Simon K speaks about domestic violence. This week has been a really difficult week for the people of Ireland and especially the Murphy family after the murder of their daughter Aisling Murphy from Tullamore. Ashling Murphy was a 23-year-old primary teacher from Tullamore in County Offaly, Ireland who was murdered on the 12th of January 2022. It is believed that she was murdered after she went jogging in the area at around 4pm, with Gardai confirming they believe the attack ...
Jan 14, 2022•1 hr 19 min
On this episode Simon K speaks to Sonya Macari Born in Ireland of Italian descent, Sonya Macari began appearing in television commercials in Dublin at the age of 18, and her acting debut was in the Irish hit show “The Clinic” followed by a recurring role on Showtime’s “ The Tudors.” She now resides in Los Angeles and has built on the success she has achieved as a stage and screen actress in Ireland, playing a variety of roles including a feature in the ten time Oscar nominated silent movie “ The...
Jan 07, 2022•1 hr 29 min
On this episode Simon K speaks to Caitriona O'Sullivan Caitríona O’Sullivan (43) is a singer, songwriter and one of the judges on TG4’s talent show Glór Tíre. Caitríona is 16 years a judge on the hit country music show. Also a singer-songwriter, she is currently working on her second album of original material in a pop country style. In May 2021,she was delighted to score a no. 1 hit on the Irish country music charts with a pop-country original duet cowritten and performed with amazing singer so...
Dec 15, 2021•1 hr 39 min
On this episode Simon K speaks to Vanessa Ruck,The girl on a bike. Having endured a horrific accident six years ago, Vanessa Ruck has been on a long and bumpy road to recovery. Six complex surgeries including shoulder and hip reconstruction, and years of physiotherapy and rehabilitation. Vanessa trained to enter two of the largest European rally and hard enduro races, while undergoing more surgeries and dealing with the effects of her injuries. In 2014, Vanessa was traveling on her bicycle from ...
Dec 08, 2021•1 hr 9 min
On this episode Simon K speaks to suicide survivor and mental health & wellness champion Kevin Hines. Warning: This episode contains stories of suicide and may affect some listeners. (Suicide helpline numbers below) Kevin Hines is a storyteller at heart. He is a best selling author, global public speaker, and award winning documentary filmmaker. In the Year 2000, Kevin attempted to take his life by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge. Many factors contributed to his miraculous survival includ...
Dec 01, 2021•53 min
On this episode Simon K speaks to former Irish boxing coach Billy Walsh. Billy Walsh is an Irish former boxer who is currently the Head Coach of USA Boxing. Raised in Wexford he competed in the men's welterweight event at the 1988 Summer Olympics. Appointed Head coach of the Irish High Performance Boxing programme in 2003 Walsh was at the helm of Irish boxing at the 2008 Summer Olympics and 2012 Summer Olympics, guiding them to seven medals, bookmarked by Katie Taylor's gold in London.He was hea...
Nov 24, 2021•1 hr 32 min
In this episode Simon K speaks to Ufologist investigator Earl Grey Anderson from California. Earl Grey Anderson is MUFON’s Chief Investigator and Assistant State Director in Southern California, a member of Kathleen Marden’s Experiencer Research Team in MUFON . Earl has personally closed over 650 UFO cases and Experiencer/Contactee cases. An Experiencer himself, Earl has an innate sense of empathy and compassion, while understanding those who have personally encountered the high strangeness elem...
Nov 17, 2021•1 hr 38 min
On this episode Simon K speaks to Victoria Smurfit. Victoria Smurfit is an actress and producer, known for Bulletproof Monk (2003), The Beach (2000) and About a Boy (2002).She is known for playing Orla O'Connell in the BBC television series Ballykissangel , Detective Chief Inspector Roisin Connor in the ITV police procedural Trial & Retribution and playing Cruella de Vil in Once Upon A Time which she was nominated as Best Supporting Actress in 13th IFTA Film & Drama Awards in 2016. Recen...
Nov 10, 2021•49 min
On this episode Simon K speaks to Darragh O'Dea. Irish songwriter Darragh O’Dea from Tuam is known for his wistful storytelling, creating nostalgic nuggets of joy and despair. His music conveys the moods and elements of his surroundings and is delivered in an honest and alluring manner. Released on 29.10.2021 the debut album, “Tilly & The Postmaster", has been described as a love letter to Ireland – all its madness and beauty. Opening with a spoken word prelude from his grandfather and named...
Nov 03, 2021•1 hr 17 min
On this episode Simon K speaks to Flo McSweeney. Flo McSweeney is a musician, actress and presenter, known for TV shows such as megamix,No frontiers and Separation Anxiety (2002), and Garth & Bev (2009).She has sang with moving hearts and has released her own solo material in the last few years. She has two children,Mia and Luke, with husband actor/comedian/writer Barry Murphy. Blog & episode transcript: Link below for all info. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6tBZwZmGnxD6pLHAdw...
Oct 27, 2021•1 hr 29 min
On this episode Simon K speaks to Teresa Lavina. Teresa Lavina from Bilbao,Spain is an multi-award winning and talented actor, director, producer and writer. Teresa trained as an Stanislavski actor in Bilbao Spain from 1992. She moved to Ireland to continue her acting training in 1997 and trained in the Focus Theatre in Dublin with Deirdre O'Connell and for 3 years full time in Bull Alley. For the past 20 years she has worked as an actor, director, producer and writer. She started her career in ...
Oct 20, 2021•1 hr 26 min
