Tommy Tiernan Show review: Denise Chaila links modern rap with the Fianna

Denise Chaila on the Tommy Tiernan Show

Rapper Denise Chaila joined Tommy Tiernan on Saturday night to discuss mythology, music, memes and more.

Chaila, who is an Irish and Zambian artist based in Co Limerick, said she is focusing on rap at the moment, but says she enjoys all forms of writing.

“I started by wanting to be a fantasy author. I still write, I segwayed into poetry and I still do that. I love to rap,” she says.

“People call me a singer very often. People call me a poet. People call me all sorts of things that are really a deflection from the notion that I am a rapper first and foremost. Not because that's all I am but because right now that's what I'm choosing to be.” 

When Tiernan noted that most rap he has heard seems to centre on “I am amazing”, Chaila noted that is a theme in Irish mythology too.

“I see this reflected in our mythology. When I first moved here, I read a lot about the Fianna and somehow this is this too. This is ‘I'm going to live in my greatness, let me show you what it's like to fight for something’.” 

On the topic of memories and how different generations collectively remember and reminisce, Chaila says memes perfectly encapsulate her generation’s way of recalling cultural moments as they are “current living memory,” to which Tiernan, practically proving her point, responded: “I have no idea what a meme is. Is it a village in Sweden?” 

Also on the Tommy Tiernan Show was advocate Helen Rochford-Brennan who shared her experience of living with Alzheimer’s after she was diagnosed as early-onset at 57.

"So what happened yesterday is pretty grey."@Tommedian asks global dementia ambassador, Helen Rochford-Brennan about living with short term memory. #TommyTiernanShow pic.twitter.com/y0YwODexAz

— RTÉ One (@RTEOne) January 29, 2022

She says she has lived with the condition, which primarily affects her short-term memory, for eight years and has found ways to help her situation each day.

“What happened yesterday is pretty grey. It's about trying to live within that day and knowing that I’ll remember I met you, will I remember the conversation? I’ll remember parts of it,” she says.

“It is difficult to live with it but it is liveable-with. You have to have strategies, too. I think that's what has sustained me: working really hard every day, getting out in the fresh air, getting out and meeting people.” 

Rochford-Brennan says the support she has received has greatly improved her lif since her diagnosis and says she advocates so that support is available for others.

“We need every bit of support we can get to ensure that we have the only thing we can have since we have no cure: quality of life. That's what we aim for, to have a quality of life, to live with dignity and respect.” 

Finally, marine biologist Kealan Doyle shared some insights into the world of seahorses, revealing why what he describes as “ a sexy species” is at risk of dying out.

Who knew seahorses were so romantic 🥺❤️ @Tommedian enjoying his chat with marine biologist Kealan Doyle @Seahorse_Man 🌊 #TommyTiernanShow pic.twitter.com/D74EIhfS8G

— RTÉ One (@RTEOne) January 29, 2022

“Unfortunately, seahorses are on their way to becoming extinct in the next 20 years, mainly because they're used as natural aphrodisiacs in China. The demand for seahorses is just exponential at the moment,” he explains.

Doyle breeds seahorses in Ireland, thanks in part to the “nutrient-rich” Gulf Stream which flows up to Irish waters, but says the cost of doing so is considerable.

“They are more expensive than gold, weight for weight, so these guys are big money.”