The ClearOut

This power-cut interrupted episode picks up where last week's episode left off - with no clothes on! Dara wraps up his thoughts on nudity by addressing some omissions from last time. He briefly looks…

In this episode, Dara realises he omitted to mention three things in relation to the theme of nudity: shame, Viggo Mortensen's willingness to bare all, and a ridiculous story from his acting school d…

In this episode, Dara is perplexed by the moral ending of Jennifer Lawrence's new comedy, No Hard Feelings. What is the purpose of such moralising? Does the audience benefit from the character's pers…

In this episode, Dara shares his thoughts on the late William Friedkin, of whose films he has long been an admirer, particularly The Exorcist and the lesser-loved Sorcerer, his 1977 remake of 1953's …

In this episode, Dara takes his time to say goodbye to Sinead O'Connor and speaks of her relevance to him from the early days of her career right up to more recent times when life presented her with …

In this episode Dara reviews some recently watched movies, including William Friedkin's To Live and Die in LA (1985), and Sidney Lumet's Prince of the City (1981), two much-lauded cop thrillers that …

In this episode, Dara's aged cat has gone to the toilet in the wrong place, and the cause is not feline terrorism but dementia and disorientation. The loss of bearings is a very difficult thing to ne…

In this episode, Dara wrestles with the conundrum that is Richard Gere. Self-satisfied narcissus or instinctive, id-driven sex animal? Is he a good actor? Is he just a fantasy figure beloved of Gener…

In this week's episode Dara is bothered by the current controversy in Ireland's national broadcaster, RTE. He is bothered, but not surprised by it, because it is simply another example of institution…

In this week's episode, Dara is trying to work out who he should trust. After watching the current Arnold Schwarzenegger documentary on Netflix, he finds himself unsatisfied with the Austrian bodybui…

In this episode, Dara considers the randomness and unpredictability of human interaction over a lifetime. He argues that we simply never know what is going on with another person when we encounter th…

In this episode, Dara talks about the affection for survival narratives and considers the respective legacies of the recently deceased singers and songwriters Tina Turner and Christy Dignam. He wonde…

In this hazy episode, Dara seeks solace in mindful summer moments and solitary swims. He discusses the idea of retreat and running away to the places we find most comforting and tries to identify whi…

In this episode, Dara shares the realisation that he is not goal-oriented. He is all about the process. It's not the destination, it's the journey, man! He argues for the stabilising properties of ha…

In this episode Dara looks at the idea of safety as a keystone of wellness. In particular he concentrates on environmental and interpersonal safety. This pertains to the places we live and the people…

This week's episode begins and ends with a hug, because we all need a hug sometimes, right? Dara thinks so, and he looks at the idea of self-soothing in a wellness context, arguing that it is a parti…

In this week's episode, Dara looks at Ireland's storied relationship with the Eurovision Song Contest, a competition in which Ireland were once utterly dominant but has long since become an arena in …

It's been 40 years since Star Wars was the most important thing in Dara's universe. He recalls his relationship with the original Star Wars trilogy and says why he thinks it was so successful - clean…

In this episode Dara moves from very light to very dark. Recorded on his 20th wedding anniversary, Dara feels duty bound to reflect on that special day in 2003, and he revisits some of the standout m…

In this, the 100th episode of the show, Dara permits himself a stocktake. He reaffirms the recurring themes he has continued to weave through the podcast and examines what wellness with attitude mean…