Pure Derry Talks

Ciaran speaks to entertainer Michael 'Micky' Doherty about his life, his childhood struggles, coming out as gay, his mental health, drug abuse (and much more) in this emotional rollercoaster journey through the life of a beloved local legend.

Ciaran speaks to BBC broadcaster Mark Patterson.  We discuss his career, how he found himself in Derry, his unusual path in broadcasting, our fraught history / how we met (Mark was infamously parodied on early Pure Derry as middle-class journalist called 'Pat Markerson'), life in the city, dealing with criticism, and much more.

Ciaran speaks to Sara Canning - the partner of Belfast journalist Lyra McKee, who was shot and killed by dissidents in Creggan on 18th April 2019. In a wide ranging conversation they discuss how they met, the highs and lows of online dating, Lyra's legacy, the reaction to her death, politics and the reality of coming to terms with loss.  (Oh, and cats, we talk about cats too.).

Ciaran speaks to local author Jude Morrow, whose book 'Why Does Daddy Always Look So Sad?' was an Amazon bestseller in 2020.  He talks about his life growing up with autism/Aspergers, how he hid his condition from the world, the challenges of becoming a parent and his ultimate journey of self-discovery to accepting himself.  

Ciaran speaks to Gary, Sarah and Mags from Addiction Recovery Coaching about the topic of addiction, the work their organisation is doing in the city to overcome the problem and help people on the road to recovery - and their new campaign to destimagtise substance addiction, entitled #noshame.