The chatter truly matters

We do love a good chat and a bit of storytelling here in Cork, so it’s no wonder the podcast phenomenon has taken Leeside by storm in recent years.

Ainle Ó Cairealláin and producer Vicky Langan have been wagging chins with “activists, artists and scallywags” on their podcast 'Rebel Matters' since 2017 and are now 88 episodes deep and showing no signs of slowing.

For their latest episode, presenter Ainle spoke with musician and fellow podcaster Ian Lynch of the band Lankum, discussing chance, choices, and the role that mythologies play in helping people make sense of the world.

Since it began, 'Rebel Matters' has been downloaded over 50,000 times and has featured many musical guests including Kneecap, Radie Peat, Gemma Dunleavy, TPM and Stevie G.

“The 'Rebel Matters' podcast started in 2017 as a side project to building ACLAÍ, a personal training business in Cork city. It came from the desire to work on something creative outside of the health, fitness or sports performance world,” explains Ainle.

Where so many have fallen away, 'Rebel Matters' has stood the test of time, largely due to Ainle and Vicky’s determination to keep things fresh and interesting, often abandoning the typical interview format to try something new and entirely different.

Ainle says: “We have always loved speaking to people and hearing their stories. We are giving people who have great stories to tell the opportunity to share them with our audience, highlighting perspectives that might not get the coverage they deserve in mainstream media.”

Outside the realm of music, Ainle has conversed with Mick 'The Iron Man' Murphy on his extraordinary life, former IRA prisoner and hunger striker Laurence McKeown, and Kate McGrew on sex work in Ireland and SWAI (Sex Worker’s Alliance Ireland).

Previous 'Rebel Matters' episodes can be heard on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play, YouTube, TuneIn, and anywhere where podcasts are usually found online.