From Cork With Love - by Paul O'Mahony

You hear Paul O’Mahony making tea. Settling into a conversation with St Patrick about how he drove the snakes out of Ireland.
Moving on to three requests for Patrick to wield his crozier. 

You hear Paul O’Mahony in a very worried state making a cup of tea on Monday morning.  
He can’t find his passport. 

You hear Paul O’Mahony telling the story of how the outside of the shed took on a new lease of life.  Where the fresh paint came from.  Louis, Marina Market, and coffee.
All on the day, Ireland and Scotland played a magnificent rugby match - the same day that England & France racked up a score which was more like a basketball score. 

You hear Paul O’Mahony running 300 yards for the first time in over 30 years - and vowing to run 301 yards tomorrow.  

You hear Paul O’Mahony giving his speech at the Area International Speech Final” in Garryvoe Hotel in East Cork.
#Toastmasters

You hear Paul O’Mahony read two poems by Gerard Manley Hopkins and one by Coleridge.

You hear a train moving towards Cobh. PaulO’Mahony’s first short  journey from Glounthaune.  Ambient sound all the way - plus Paul’s chat about it. 

You hear about the first time Paul O’Mahony “prayed” in decades  #rugby 

You here Paul O’Mahony talking with the public relations manager for Toastmasters in Scotland (plus half of England, a bit of Wales & the whole of Ireland).

You hear Paul O’Mahony reciting his latest poem - and introducing it

Walking 

May you walk into your future
with a flower by your side.

May you step on stones of life
with joy within your shoes.

As a heron stands in the rushing river
may you weave your web with care. 

Between branches of your tale, 
there is mystery round your corner 

in the maze that is to come.
As you taste the fragrance from the breeze,

may the wi...

As he drives to his Monday morning “mental health walk” (where he’ll be walking with a group in Cobh, Co Cork) Paul O’Mahony talks about his feelings, thoughts & experiences of fragility. 

The shortest episode Paul O’Mahony has Ever recorded. 

You hear Paul O’Mahony admitting that he’s not as tough as he used to be.
That once upon a time he lost a golf ball in the middle of a green that was covered in snow.
That he’s going out for dinner tonight

You hear the sound of Paul O’Mahony’s Mother-in-law washing up in the kitchen.  Paul talks about how he feels awkward about publicising something he’s never done before.
He has a splendid track record of losing speech contests, and also being disqualified. Tuesday and Wednesday of this week has been different.

You hear Paul O’Mahony reflecting on the experience he had yesterday, and learning from it.  “Toastmasters as Metaphor.”

You hear a perfect example of a sneeze, an Irish sneeze, brought on by Irish cold and damp.  If you listen carefully, you’ll hear the tinkle of a teaspoon on the side of a cup of second tea. 

You hear Paul O’Mahony  talking about the power of music.  How Maria Callas has moved into the house alongside his mother-in-law.  Together over a famous victory by Ireland in a rugby match with England.

This was recorded on the first morning Paul O’Mahony got back from Spain. You hear how surprised and pleased Paul is that the battery is still alive.
Your hear Paul talking about how he wishes he could wear bright colours like women do. 
In the end, he reveals he has a blocked ear. 

You hear Paul O’Mahony moving at the speed of lichen - recovering from the intensity of a week in Bilbao.  
You hear Paul talking about the fact that no one finished the Barclay marathons this year.
You hear the sound of coffee being made. 

You hear Paul O'Mahony getting ready to fly to Bilbao - via Gatwick.  Paul speaks  about what he's hoping for:  food, drink, views, music & education. 

You hear Paul O’Mahony talking about how he learned about the variety of ways in which people from different cultures communicate. 

You hear Paul O’Mahony having breakfast - remembering Jonathan Swift - and the war between Lilliput and Blefuscu. 

You hear Paul O’Mahony reading a poem he selected - may be first in a series “Poems for Bedtime” 
This is an extract from “Gravity and Light”.

You hear Paul O’Mahony in awe of how Proust wrote about what happened to him after he tasted a madeleine that had been dunked in lime-flavoured tea.
Paul referred to an incident in Joseph Conrad’s “The Secret Agent”

You hear Paul O’Mahony using quotations from the Irish government announcement of a public holiday:
In January 2022, then-Tánaiste (Deputy Prime Minister) Leo Varadkar announced the new holiday, stating: "This new public holiday will be a national day to recognise the efforts of the general public, volunteers and all workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, and in remembrance of people who lost their lives due to the COVID-19 pandemic."

Paul argues that (unfortunately) the purpose of the public holiday is gradually being forgotten- being wiped from public consciousness. 

You hear Paul O’Mahony walking by rushing water with Louis - shortly after listening to the start of “Swann’s Way” on Audible.  Paul remembers his great friend Dai Griffiths, who read the whole of “Remembrance of Things Past” - at work. 
Exquisite is the first word that Paul uses to describe his first 18 minutes. 
There will probably be many more Proustian episodes to come 

You hear Paul O’Mahony speaking under duress,  under water. 

Your Paul O’Mahony on a bright sunny Sunday morning - talking about how he used Facebook.  How he make a mistake which led to a Buddhist experience. 

You hear the mirth in Paul O’Mahony’s Voice as he tells the story of what happened before the picture that goes with this episode. Recorded on Saturday evening when Paul was not drunk on red wine. 

Imagine Paul O’Mahony spending his whole day striving to do something as simple as connecting a Mac to a new Epson printer - having to resort to DeepSeek. 

You hear Paul O’Mahony talking about his visit to a recycling centre on Saturday morning. 
You also hear a bit of family history - the time his daughter asked “ how do you know God is a man?"  The champion boxer Katie Taylor comes into the picture.

You hear Paul O’Mahony after he’s been blown away by Jessie Buckley - and the whole Hamnet experience.  Paul expects Shakespeare’s wife to win an Oscar. 
(This was recorded on the 24th of January 2026)