WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES

An ongoing series in which we ask people to share the 24 hours that changed their lives.

What a Difference a Day Makes: 'MS isn’t the life sentence it was, I’m living proof of that'
S What a Difference a Day Makes: 'MS isn’t the life sentence it was, I’m living proof of that'
Receiving an MS diagnosis in March 2020 just as Covid-19 locked down Ireland, Co Mayo dad-of-one Andy Walsh wondered if he was facing his own personal shutdown. He tells Helen O’Callaghan about that iconic day, and how by pushing his limits and re-defining what’s possible, he’s in a better place than he ever expected.

Thu, 24 Jul, 2025

What a Difference a Day Makes: A honeymoon resort, and I was there on my own!
S What a Difference a Day Makes: A honeymoon resort, and I was there on my own!
In January 2022, Cork director and writer Lochlainn McKenna, then in his late 20s, had a moment of intense loneliness on a Costa Rican beach. He tells Helen O’Callaghan how it solidified his sense that life is about connection and sharing experiences with others

Sat, 19 Jul, 2025

What a Difference a Day Makes: Selling my business to prioritise my young son after an ADHD diagnosis
S What a Difference a Day Makes: Selling my business to prioritise my young son after an ADHD diagnosis
Scientist, entrepreneur and mother-of-one Dr Barbara Paldus tells Helen O’Callaghan about the life-changing decision to sell her business and prioritise her son, after he’d been diagnosed with ADHD and doctors warned he was at risk of very serious self-harm.

Thu, 03 Jul, 2025

What a Difference a Day Makes: Rapper Raphael Olympio on the man who changed everything
S What a Difference a Day Makes: Rapper Raphael Olympio on the man who changed everything
Raised in Cork, rapper and poet Raphael Olympio fled Togo, West Africa, along with his family, when he was five. He tells Helen O’Callaghan about a neighbour in Togher who taught him the game of hurling, helping Olympio and his family to integrate. And how, inspired by this childhood mentor, he himself now works in integration.

Fri, 27 Jun, 2025

What a Difference a Day Makes: How Carol Drinkwater found her 'house by the sea'
What a Difference a Day Makes: How Carol Drinkwater found her 'house by the sea'
For 10 years, multi-award-winning actor and writer Carol Drinkwater searched for her ‘house by the sea’. She tells Helen O’Callaghan how there was no going back once she finally found it — and how despite many obstacles encountered over decades she has held fast to the sure knowledge that this is home

Fri, 13 Jun, 2025

What A Difference A Day Makes: ‘My Austrian piano teacher connected me directly to Liszt’
S What A Difference A Day Makes: ‘My Austrian piano teacher connected me directly to Liszt’
As soon as we got the piano, I was able to play it the same day. Something I’d heard on TV, radio, I was able to repeat

Thu, 05 Jun, 2025

What A Difference A Day Makes: Ernest Cantillon on opening Electric at 27 — and why closing it broke his heart
S What A Difference A Day Makes: Ernest Cantillon on opening Electric at 27 — and why closing it broke his heart
After 13 years running Electric on the South Mall, its owner shares the personal journey behind its rise, closure, and what came next.

Fri, 30 May, 2025

What A Difference A Day Makes: Lorraine Desmond on raising children with CFC
S What A Difference A Day Makes: Lorraine Desmond on raising children with CFC
Teacher at Our Lady of Good Counsel Special School and mum-of-three Lorraine Desmond tells Helen O’Callaghan about the day her two sons were diagnosed with a rare syndrome – and describes how it was a moment of disappointment but also resolution

Thu, 22 May, 2025

Fiona Gratzer: A chance encounter on an island off Malaysia changed the trajectory of my life
S Fiona Gratzer: A chance encounter on an island off Malaysia changed the trajectory of my life
Unislim CEO and author Fiona Gratzer tells Helen O’Callaghan about the many beautiful gifts her late husband, Uwe, brought to her life

Thu, 15 May, 2025

What A Difference A Day Makes: 'I felt a really strong presence of my dad before I went on stage'
S What A Difference A Day Makes: 'I felt a really strong presence of my dad before I went on stage'
A shocking phone call, an urgent flight home — actor and writer Irene Kelleher tells Helen O’Callaghan about losing her beloved dad, and a moment of powerful connection she felt with him as she was about to go onstage at the Edinburgh Fringe

Fri, 09 May, 2025

What A Difference A Day Makes: I was pregnant when I found out I was BRCA positive
S What A Difference A Day Makes: I was pregnant when I found out I was BRCA positive
Owner of LNH Edit, Laura Nolan Horgan changed the day she found out she was BRCA positive. She describes the immediate fallout of discovering she had a gene that put her at higher risk of cancer – but how it ultimately made her a more resilient, grateful person.

Thu, 01 May, 2025

What A Difference A Day Makes: Georgie Durcan on falling pregnant after fertility treatment
S What A Difference A Day Makes: Georgie Durcan on falling pregnant after fertility treatment
Motivational speaker Georgie Durcan underwent years of fertility treatment. She tells Helen O’Callaghan how her nine-year-old twins remind her everyday of what’s possible if you keep believing

Thu, 24 Apr, 2025

What A Difference A Day Makes: Author Amy Jordan on the book changed her perspective
S What A Difference A Day Makes: Author Amy Jordan on the book changed her perspective
After dropping out of First Arts, a decision that hugely disappointed and shocked her parents, two impactful events happened in author Amy Jordan’s life. A chance encounter on a bus sparked a determination to forge a new path – and reading a book she calls transformative helped her re-frame past mistakes.

Thu, 17 Apr, 2025

Diarmuid Gavin: 'It all culminated when the repo man came to take my stereo system'
S Diarmuid Gavin: 'It all culminated when the repo man came to take my stereo system'
In the early ‘90s, Diarmuid Gavin was 26 and on a “downward spiral” that saw him reach rock-bottom. The renowned garden designer and Chelsea Flower Show winner tells Helen O’Callaghan about the weekend when everything came to a head – and about a resolve he made in those 24 hours that was the first step to his subsequent success.

Fri, 11 Apr, 2025

What A Difference A Day Makes: Eavanna Breen on discovering pre-cancerous cells in her breast
S What A Difference A Day Makes: Eavanna Breen on discovering pre-cancerous cells in her breast
Eavanna Breen tells Helen O’Callaghan about discovering she had pre-cancerous cells in her breast, about the impact of this, particularly as her mum had died from breast cancer – and how the whole experience has been a “tap on the shoulder”, reminding her of what’s important in life

Fri, 28 Mar, 2025

What A Difference A Day Makes: Aaron McCormack on a call from home while abroad
S What A Difference A Day Makes: Aaron McCormack on a call from home while abroad
Aaron McCormack recalls his cousin, Edward, as like an older brother. The chair of Cycle Against Suicide tells Helen O’Callaghan about the impact on him of Edward’s suicide – and about an organisation that helps people bring something positive out of a very tragic event in their life.

Fri, 21 Mar, 2025

What a Difference a Day Makes: I was seven when I realised people were judging my body
S What a Difference a Day Makes: I was seven when I realised people were judging my body
Pia Zain describes being told, as a seven-year-old, that she was “too overweight” for ballet lessons. She talks about her lifelong struggle with weight issues — and about the many positive and pivotal moments that led to her today being comfortable with who she is

Thu, 13 Mar, 2025

What A Difference A Day Makes: Going instantly blind at age 17 was very traumatic
S What A Difference A Day Makes: Going instantly blind at age 17 was very traumatic
Broadcaster and disability activist Lucy Edwards tells Helen O’Callaghan about the “massive moment” when she was 10 years old, carefree, riding her new bike – and realised for the first time that life had limits.

Fri, 07 Mar, 2025

Aoife McNamara on landfill in Africa: So many toxins — when we blew our noses you could see the black
S Aoife McNamara on landfill in Africa: So many toxins — when we blew our noses you could see the black
What a Difference a Day Makes: Fashion designer Aoife McNamara tells Helen O’Callaghan about visiting Dandora Landfill in Kenya, one of the largest in the world, about the shock she felt – and how the experience has reinforced her drive to design with nature in mind.

Fri, 28 Feb, 2025

What a Difference a Day Makes with RĂłisĂ­n Maher: I nearly died... but it drove me to find my voice
S What a Difference a Day Makes with RĂłisĂ­n Maher: I nearly died... but it drove me to find my voice
From a shocking car accident eight years ago came the realisation of her one precious life — and a four-day music festival that celebrates women performers. Co-founder of Finding a Voice Róisín Maher talks to Helen O’Callaghan

Fri, 21 Feb, 2025

What a Difference a Day Makes: Unwanted class on a rainy day brought sunshine into my life
S What a Difference a Day Makes: Unwanted class on a rainy day brought sunshine into my life
Cellist and OrtĂșs Chamber Music Festival curator SinĂ©ad O'Halloran talks about a rainy day in the North that changed her musical perspective

Fri, 07 Feb, 2025

What a Difference a Day Makes: How a teacher's question to Theo Dorgan set him up to be a writer
S What a Difference a Day Makes: How a teacher's question to Theo Dorgan set him up to be a writer
As a boy in fourth class in Cork’s North Monastery school in the 1960s, a teacher posed a question to Theo Dorgan. The poet tells Helen O’Callaghan how that question helped set him on course to be a writer.

Fri, 31 Jan, 2025

What A Difference A Day Makes: Sandy Kelly on daughter's early health issues
S What A Difference A Day Makes: Sandy Kelly on daughter's early health issues
"I was 16 when my mum had her haemorrhage, and I learned then if you show composure and are ‘sensible’, doctors tend to talk to you more. That was the way back then."

Tue, 07 Jan, 2025

What a Difference a Day Makes: Wife of Cork chef on the day he died on Kilimanjaro
S What a Difference a Day Makes: Wife of Cork chef on the day he died on Kilimanjaro
Cork chef James O’Connor died suddenly on his 40th birthday last December while climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. Here, his wife Grace tells Helen O’Callaghan about her heartbreak at losing the love of her life and a devoted dad to the couple’s three children.

Sun, 29 Dec, 2024

What a Difference a Day Makes: Grenfell Tower tragedy crystallised that we are all born the same way
S What a Difference a Day Makes: Grenfell Tower tragedy crystallised that we are all born the same way
David Tighe was a volunteer with the British Red Cross fire and emergency support service when the Grenfell Tower fire broke out in June 2017. He received the Dunant Award for attending the disaster. He tells Helen O’Callaghan about that day – and how it reinforced for him that all we have in the end is each other.

Tue, 24 Dec, 2024

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