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A COMPREHENSIVE SERIES OF ARTICLES ON THIS TOPIC

<p> John Spillane: 'I think my greatest quality is that I don’t have any greatest quality, just a load of kind of grand and not too bad qualities'. Picture: Fionn Hennessy-Hayes</p>

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John Spillane: My proudest achievement is being a dad

'I was 26 when I became a father. I was quite spaced out and directionless before that'

<p>Una Crawford O'Brien for This Much I Know Picture: Johnny McMillan</p>

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Una Crawford O'Brien: I didn't think I'd be able to go on after my daughter died

<p>Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh joins other leading Irish women fiddlers from Sí Fiddlers performing on the rooftop of Central Bank Plaza to mark the launch of TradFest Temple Bar 2023, which will run from 25-29 January. Picture: Mark Stedman</p>

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Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh: What scares me most in life is not being understood

Bressie: I didn’t cope well as a teenager and that carried throughout my whole life

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Bressie: I didn’t cope well as a teenager and that carried throughout my whole life

Denis Fogarty: Losing my father when I was 23 has been the hardest challenge in my life

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Denis Fogarty: Losing my father when I was 23 has been the hardest challenge in my life

Martin Beanz Warde: Racism towards Travellers has been evident in Irish comedy for years

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Martin Beanz Warde: Racism towards Travellers has been evident in Irish comedy for years

Emily Bell: ‘As women, you walk around in fear a lot of the time’

Emily Bell: ‘As women, you walk around in fear a lot of the time’

'Making the bestseller list last year with my first book was a bit of a pinch me moment’

Sat, 29 Oct, 2022

Jake Carter: The person I turn to most in life is my mum. I still ring her every day

Jake Carter: The person I turn to most in life is my mum. I still ring her every day

You’re constantly chasing the euphoria of being on stage — it's a drug

Sat, 22 Oct, 2022

Maïa Dunphy: The greatest challenge I've faced is becoming a single parent and losing my mum

Maïa Dunphy: The greatest challenge I've faced is becoming a single parent and losing my mum

You can’t bang on about it too much, as people get bored, but no one really appreciates the difficulties around single parenting

Sat, 15 Oct, 2022

Louise Cooney: 'There is so much more to people than just what you see online'

Louise Cooney: 'There is so much more to people than just what you see online'

'I would like to be remembered as somebody who stayed true to themselves and was very hard-working'

Sat, 17 Sep, 2022

Norma Sheahan: The life lesson I would like to pass on is work backwards

Norma Sheahan: The life lesson I would like to pass on is work backwards

What surprises me most in life is how humans forget how horrible hangovers are. And how rarely people spell my name correctly.

Sat, 27 Aug, 2022

Martin Hayes: You can survive most challenges if you believe in what you’re doing

Martin Hayes: You can survive most challenges if you believe in what you’re doing

"My proudest achievement is probably that I’ve lived my life with my fiddle, and that it has managed to move me around the world"

Sat, 20 Aug, 2022

Cian O’Connor: The tide always turns — and you must be ready when it does

Cian O’Connor: The tide always turns — and you must be ready when it does

All experiences, good and bad, mould us to be the people we are

Sat, 13 Aug, 2022

Kathryn Thomas: Operation Balance after the arrival of her new challengers

Kathryn Thomas: My proudest achievement is having my girls

I wanted to become a parent. I wanted to have a family and so many times it seemed that it would never happen for us.

Sat, 06 Aug, 2022

Aimee Connolly: It wasn’t confidence that started Sculpted, I just didn’t overthink it

Aimee Connolly: It wasn’t confidence that started Sculpted, I just didn’t overthink it

'I want to be remembered as a nice person who did it'

Sat, 30 Jul, 2022

Michael Fry: There's something really weird about calling yourself a comedian

Michael Fry: There's something really weird about calling yourself a comedian

I think my greatest skill is that I can construct a good sentence. After 10 years on Twitter, I can be very succinct.

Sat, 23 Jul, 2022

Orla Gartland: You wouldn't choose to be a musician

Orla Gartland: You wouldn't choose to be a musician

My first few years in music, I did a lot of writing sessions and recording with older male producers. A lot of those people, maybe they didn’t mean to, but they made me feel very small.

Sat, 16 Jul, 2022

Paul Muldoon by Beowulf Sheehan

Paul Muldoon: My proudest achievement is that my children are still talking to me

If I had to change something from my past, I think I’d have spent more time with my father and mother. When I left home to go to university, I barely looked back

Sat, 09 Jul, 2022

SPAR Community Road Trip launch with Kellie Harrington

Kellie Harrington: There’s greatness in everybody but it's about how we bring that greatness out

'The greatest advice that I have ever been given or that I could give to someone is basically, to just be yourself and do not change for anybody – unless you’re a bad person and you have to change'

Sat, 02 Jul, 2022

Nico Reynolds: My goal is to make people fat and happy

Nico Reynolds: My goal is to make people fat and happy

My mother died when I was 10, and I don’t have any siblings. So it’s just been me and my dad for a while

Sat, 25 Jun, 2022

Keilidh Cashell: As women, we have this ticking time bomb in society that men don't have

Keilidh Cashell: As women, we have this ticking time bomb in society that men don't have

Make-up artist and influencer

Sat, 11 Jun, 2022

Marty Whelan Partners with Specsavers to Launch Healthy Hearing Month

Marty Whelan: I am renowned for a thing called bouncebackability

'If you find yourself in a situation where you lose your job, you lose a gig, you have to find another one, you have to be able to come back'

Sat, 04 Jun, 2022

Susan O’Neill: I turned to music in my teenage years to help me

Susan O’Neill: I turned to music in my teenage years to help me

School was probably the biggest challenge I ever faced in my life. I knew fundamentally from a very young age that it felt wrong, and that it didn’t fit.

Sat, 28 May, 2022

Pauline McLynn: My proudest achievement is helping my dad get paid via signed Father Ted memorabilia

Pauline McLynn: My proudest achievement is helping my dad get paid via signed Father Ted memorabilia

My mother says I was the first person in the family to get paid for showing off

Sat, 21 May, 2022

Bonnie Wright: There is no wrong way to do the right thing

Bonnie Wright: There is no wrong way to do the right thing

The greatest advice I have ever heard was from my Grandad: 'Measure twice, cut once'

Sat, 14 May, 2022

Róisín O: I had a lot of self-doubt about going solo again

Róisín O: I had a lot of self-doubt about going solo again

The person I turn to most is my brother Danny — he's a good man to have on your side

Sat, 07 May, 2022

Dáithí Ó Sé: People say I talk for a living, actually, I listen for a living

Dáithí Ó Sé: People say I talk for a living, actually, I listen for a living

The life lesson I would pass on is you can only sleep in one bed every night

Sat, 30 Apr, 2022

Mark Moriarty: The day you start telling yourself you’re great is the day you can retire

Mark Moriarty: The day you start telling yourself you’re great is the day you can retire

Everyone makes mistakes — it's the person that reacts best to the mistake who wins the competition

Sat, 16 Apr, 2022

Síle Seoige: I love the fact that I am nearly 43

Síle Seoige: I love the fact that I am nearly 43

'In my younger years, I definitely missed out on opportunities simply because I didn’t have the confidence to go for them'

Sat, 02 Apr, 2022

Nina Carberry: Dancing with the Stars has been very, very tough

Nina Carberry: Dancing with the Stars has been very, very tough

'Don't let fear take something you've always wanted to do'

Mon, 28 Mar, 2022

Lucy Caldwell: ‘I felt sick with despair at the idea of growing up'

Lucy Caldwell: ‘I felt sick with despair at the idea of growing up'

The greatest advice I have ever been given was from my dad — 'never be the last to buy your round'

Sat, 05 Mar, 2022

Liverpool captain Niamh Fahey: I look forward to never running a marathon

Liverpool captain Niamh Fahey: I look forward to never running a marathon

This Much I Know: 'With all the winning teams I've been a part of, I think the thing Dad is most proud of is me getting a good education and going to college'

Sat, 26 Feb, 2022

Pat Egan: ‘I wouldn't want to be going into the music industry today'

Pat Egan: ‘I wouldn't want to be going into the music industry today'

The legendary music promoter says the greatest advice he ever got was from Cork promoter, Oliver Barry

Sat, 12 Feb, 2022

Laura Nolan, Dancing With The Stars: ‘Some would say I’m lucky, I say I’m persistent’

Laura Nolan, Dancing With The Stars: ‘Some would say I’m lucky, I say I’m persistent’

In school, I was told I was ridiculous for wanting to be a dancer: “there’s no career in that". I think many people have experienced that going through school in Ireland in different ways... belittled and made feel stupid for having different dreams than others

Sat, 15 Jan, 2022

Dr Tara Shine: 'I believe humanity is good underneath it all'

Dr Tara Shine: 'I believe humanity is good underneath it all'

This Much I Know: Dr Tara Shine, Environmental Scientist

Sat, 08 Jan, 2022

Kieran Harnett

Jacqui Hurley: The greatest challenge I have faced in my life is overcoming grief

'Losing my brother was without a doubt the most difficult personal challenge I have had to overcome. I also lost my cousin to Sudden Cardiac Death.'

Sat, 01 Jan, 2022

Jess Murphy of Kai Restaurant: Never let your ego get in the way of a good opportunity

Jess Murphy of Kai Restaurant: Never let your ego get in the way of a good opportunity

'People go on about the weather but you don't move to Ireland for the sun'

Fri, 24 Dec, 2021

Lisa Jordan: 'A lot of the time people who hurt others are suffering themselves'

Lisa Jordan: I’m afraid of death, it’s something that seemed to follow me my whole life

'From a young age I was attending funerals and with the death of my brother and father at such young ages… that fear has really been cemented'

Sat, 18 Dec, 2021

Carole Coleman: I would like to be remembered as a chronicler of events of my time

Carole Coleman: I would like to be remembered as a chronicler of events of my time

This Much I Know: "I'm scared of right-wing ideology and where it could lead us. When you look back in history, how it was able to engulf certain parts of Europe..."

Sat, 11 Dec, 2021

Neven Maguire: I was amazed at the interest when I told people about my disco days

Neven Maguire: I was amazed at the interest when I told people about my disco days

‘I would love to get the Cookery School open again... I really miss that'

Sun, 05 Dec, 2021

Gráinne Gallanagh: I’ve always struggled with confidence

Gráinne Gallanagh: I’ve always struggled with confidence

'I’d like to be remembered as being nice. I think being nice is so underrated.'

Sat, 27 Nov, 2021

Catherine Ryan Howard: 'It can be hard to discern good advice from bitter experience'

Catherine Ryan Howard: It can be hard to discern good advice from bitter experience

'The greatest advice I have ever been given is to write the book you want to read but can’t find on the shelf'

Sat, 13 Nov, 2021

New Permanent Representative of Ireland to United Nations

Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason: Be true to yourself

'I think it’s so important in such a fickle world where fashions, personalities and trends can be all-consuming'

Sat, 13 Nov, 2021

Dentists Dr Lisa & Dr Vanessa Creaven on family, life lessons and working with your sister

Dentists Dr Lisa & Dr Vanessa Creaven on family, life lessons and working with your sister

Dentists and founders of Spotlight Oral Care

Sat, 06 Nov, 2021

Richard Chambers: Without humour the last year or so would have swallowed me whole

Richard Chambers: Without humour the last year or so would have swallowed me whole

'When younger journalists ask me for career advice, I always talk about the importance of vulnerability'

Sat, 30 Oct, 2021

Catherine Fulvio: I was born to be the person I am. Food is just in the blood

Catherine Fulvio: I was born to be the person I am. Food is just in the blood

'I'd like to be remembered as being a great mother. That's the most important thing to me'

Sat, 23 Oct, 2021

Rory's Stories: My wife became pregnant after we moved in with my parents

Rory's Stories: My wife became pregnant after we moved in with my parents

"I feel like I'm on the right track and it's a lovely feeling when you're in that headspace where you know this is what you're meant to do"

Thu, 14 Oct, 2021

This much I know: Martin Hayes, musician

This much I know: Martin Hayes, musician

I didn’t plan to make a career out of music. I thought I wanted to get an education and a regular job.

Sat, 15 Aug, 2015

This much I know: Lottie Ryan, radio presenter

This much I know: Lottie Ryan, radio presenter

Performing has been in my blood from the get-go. It has manifested in many different ways, from singing, to dancing and acting.

Sat, 25 Jul, 2015

This much I know: Liz Nolan, broadcaster

This much I know: Liz Nolan, broadcaster

My idea of misery is any job that isn’t the job I’m currently doing.

Sat, 25 Apr, 2015