'You can only do your best': Meet the mams who inspired PJ Kirby and Kevin Twomey's I'm Grand Mam podcast

Each time they record their chart-topping podcast, there is something gnawing away at the back of PJ Kirby and Kevin Twomey’s minds — ‘what would mam think?’ Ahead of Mother’s Day, Nuala and Phil get their chance to tell us. By Kate Demolder

PJ Kirby and Kevin Twomey with their mam's Nuala and Phil

The second Sunday of March is among the busiest days of the year for phone calls and lunch plans in Ireland. A gargantuan amount of flowers are bought — flower sales are 7% higher for Mother’s Day than Valentine’s Day — and total spending on Mother’s Day gifts only seems to go up, year on year.

This year, that spending is expected to reach a record high: up from $35bn annually in 2023. These public showcases of affection are always welcomed and beautiful, but it is the quiet vignettes, and consistent tethering of one another’s lives that all mothers I know quietly revel in.