Peter Sheridan is a playwright, Screenwriter and Director. His awards include the Rooney Prize for Literature. In 1980 he was writer in residence in the Abbey Theatre in Dublin. He has written several novels including "Forty Seven Roses" and "Forty Four; Dublin Made Me" and plays including "The Liberty Suit" and "Mother Of All The Behans". He wrote the pilot episode of the long running soap "Fair City" and he wrote and directed the film of Brendan Behan's "The Borstal Boy" which was released in 2002. He is the brother of film director Jim Sheridan.

I made his acquaintance when the American violinist Deni Bonet was staying at his house while she was touring Ireland and I dropped in to say goodbye before she headed home. Peter and his wife Sheila invited me in for tea. As we sat around the table Peter regaled us with stories about Behan and Beckett. I knew he'd be a brilliant guest on the podcast and so here we are. Enjoy it. 

Kenyan comedian Njambi McGrath’s first stand up comedy gig was a disaster. In a half empty club in London, her audience was as ill at ease with her jokes about Africa as she was delivering them. McGrath persevered, in part, because of her upbringing in Kenya. "When you grow up in Africa you see people in much, much more difficult situations than you could ever be in and they just keep going,"Three years later, the thirtysomething is making a name for herself in an industry few black African women have successfully cracked. One of a rising number of African-born comedians making waves in the UK, McGrath says the shock of seeing how the continent was portrayed when she moved to England three years ago encouraged her to use a comic touch to raise serious issues. I met up with her at the Belfast Out To Lunch festival after she performed her show “One Last Dance With My Father”. The show is more than just a stand up show touching on subjects like abortion, domestic violence and the social consequences of a colonial past. It was a pleasure to chat with her. She is such a strong survivor and a courageous woman.

Ralph Rolle is the drummer with Nile Rodger's Chic. I met him in the Central Hotel in Dublin for a chat last September when he was over to perform and do a cooking demonstration at the Electric Picnic music festival because not only is Ralph a drummer, he is also a cook. He is a cooker of cookies to be precise; Soul Cookies to be even more precise. Ralph has drummed with Prince, Al Green, Chaka Khan, Sting and Lady Gaga to name but a few but he still takes time out to teach and give advice to young up and coming musicians. I saw him do a drum clinic at BIMM last week and he gave some sound advice about how to make it in this business called "Show". I took a lot from listening to and hanging out with this wonderful warm hearted man. Thank you to Anne McCoy for putting us in touch. Check out Ralph at www.ralphrolle.com

Dublin born Gerard Walsh has directed one of the most exciting independent Irish films coming out this year with his second feature second feature South. South tells the story of a young man, named Tom, who is struggling with his father’s recent passing. After finding a photograph of his estranged mother, he decides to seek out the only family he has left. This is his second feature after "A Day Like Today" and many shorts including "Is This It?". He isn't one to sit around waiting for funding if he has an idea. He just goes out and shoots it. His advice to young film makers, "Don’t wait around for money, build an idea that you can produce with the means that are available to you. If your uncle owns an ice cream van, make a film about an ice cream man. That being said, if he owns an ice cream van then your actors and crew would be sorted for a bit of food, that’s two problems solved in one go" .

B. Dolan is an American rapper, spoken word artist, activist, screenwriter and composer based in Providence, Rhode Island. His latest album is Kill The Wolf. His other albums are The Failure, Fallen House, Sunken City and the live album We Show Up. His three mix-tapes are House Of Bees Vol 1,2 and 3. I discovered him and his music through the Scroobius Pip podcast Distraction Pieces. When I was performing at the Edinburgh Fringe I realised B was performing a spoken word show with fellow Rhode Island rapper Sage Francis who is also the man behind Strange Famous Records. Their show was so good I went twice the second time bringing my two kids. Paul Currie is a Belfast comedian with a very physical and visual style. I first saw him at the Forbidden Fruit festival in Dublin and have been a fan ever since. I saw him this year at Glastonbury on an outdoor stage and like B Dolan I went to see him twice at the Edinburgh Fringe bringing my kids the second time. He really is a highly original genius of a comedian who is carving out a career that is off the beaten path. I love this man.

Ronan MacManus grew up in Twickenham, West London, His father Ross MacManus was a musician and trumpet player, with Joe Loss and his orchestra, (and also responsible for the music and vocals from the R. White’s Lemonade television commercial, “Secret Lemonade Drinker”). Needless to say, his father passed on the musical tradition, to all 5 of his sons.The eldest son, Declan (from his father’s first marriage), went on to become a well-known musician called Elvis Costello. Ronan is a singer/song writer with the bands Bible Code Sundays (who have recorded three albums) and The Brand New Zeros and has recorded a solo album called Strawberry Hill.