Podcast Corner: Compelling tale of a chronic gambler
Pat Sheedy is the subject of The Gambler podcast.
Back in 2021, The Witness: In his Own Words told the story of Joseph O’Callaghan, the youngest person ever to enter witness protection in Ireland. It was simple but very effective storytelling as O’Callaghan went beat by beat through his life and its twists and turns, and how he came to be involved with Brian ‘The Milkman’ Kenny. It’s one of the best podcasts to come out of Ireland.
Now Ian Malaney and Nicola Tallant have returned with The Gambler (GoLoud) and another person telling their life story. Said gambler is Pat Sheedy, who might be familiar to some. He released a book, A Hundred to One, in February and did the interview rounds around then, including on Episode with Richie Sadlier.
Sadlier explains the fascination with Sheedy’s story in his introduction to that chat: “Now he’s over 100 convictions against his name, the majority of which involved defrauding people of money in some way. It is in parts a really tough read; at various points along the way, he’s burned bridges with family members, with friends, with employers - almost everyone in his life was a potential target at some point or other. It’s a story with many, many victims.”
It’s easy to see why the story is so compelling - add in that Sheedy only released from prison after a two and a half year sentence for crimes trying to fund his gambling addiction. He’s a criminal - but is he a victim too?
In the first of the eight episodes that comprise The Gambler, Malaney and Tallant chat about their 18 months putting it together. They thought it was going to be a relatively simple process but it turned out to be a lot more complicated. Malaney addresses Sheedy’s media appearances and sets up the idea behind what the show is going to be: “Pat isn't your typical criminal. I mean, he's not some violent drug dealer, he's not a murderer, he's a pretty ordinary guy with a gambling addiction, and that addiction has brought him to some crazy places in his life, including prison. At the same time, though, dealing with this guy trying to tell his story, it's more complicated than I thought it would be, and I think that's because we don't know for sure if we can trust him.”
A key note seems to be that he completed a creative writing degree while in prison and won the short-story prize at Listowel Writers’ Week two years in a row.
The Gambler is reminiscent of a show like S-Town, which featured a riveting protagonist but one who we grew ever more sceptical of over the course of the series. Four episodes of The Gambler have been released so far and make for an intriguing listen. It seems like neither the creators nor the listeners are quite sure were Sheedy’s story is going to take them.
