PODCAST · religion
The Celebration Sessions
by Conor Clear
A podcast about life and how we mark the important occasions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
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Samhain: The Irish Roots of Halloween
Think Halloween began in America? Think again! Long before pumpkins and party shops, Samhain was Ireland’s new year; a liminal night of fire, ancestry, and the thin veil. In this unmissable episode, Dublin tour guide and storyteller Helena Murphy brings the Irish roots of Halloween vividly to…
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Lesser Known Legacies: So Once Was I With Warren Farrell
A Dublin man once stole the show at the opening of one of the world’s most iconic landmarks, by cutting the ribbon himself!! That’s just one of the extraordinary tales I explore with historian and author Warren Farrell. In our conversation, Warren also shares the story of the woman who “died...
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What Happens at a Celebrant Led Funeral?
In this solo reflection, I share thoughts on what a celebrant-led funeral really looks like. For many, the only funerals they’ve known have been in a church setting, so the idea of a personalised, civil, or independent ceremony can feel unfamiliar. But in truth, these ceremonies are built around...
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The Spirit of Palestine: Stories, Strength, and Celebration
In this episode of The Celebration Sessions, I sit down with Ambassador Dr. Jilan Wahba Abdalmajid at the Embassy of Palestine in Dublin for a powerful and really lovely conversation. With so much darkness in the world right now, it can be easy to lose sight of hope. But this episode is a…
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Creating a Lasting Legacy
As we approach the year's end, it can be a time for reflection and anticipation. As a funeral celebrant, I've had the privilege of honouring lives that have left behind beautiful legacies for their families and the concept of 'legacy' has lingered with me, urging me to explore it further. In this...
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Remembering Seosamh Ó Broin: Laoch An Chultúir Inse Chór
Seosamh Ó'Broin was a historian, Irish language advocate, and member of the community in Inchicore. His impact on Inchicore is far reaching, from campaigning to save and redevelop Kilmainham Gaol, to building a local cultural centre in the heart of the village, to recording the fascinating…
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A Reaction To The Recent Announcement From The Vatican Regarding Blessing Same Sex Unions
This episode is slightly different as it is Conor on his own, sharing his thoughts about the recent headlines from the Vatican regarding the blessing of same sex unions. The language the Vatican uses when talking about LGBTQI+ people can often be so upsetting and hurtful, and this episode…
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Ireland's Largest Wedding Event
There are wedding bells in the air for this episode as the countdown is on to The Wedding and Honeymoon Show at the RDS. I'm joined by writer broadcaster and presenter Andrea Hayes, and award winning wedding expert Sara Kennedy as they share some of the highlights we can expect at Ireland's…
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The Irish of Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires
The Irish have have left their imprint on the history of Argentina and for this episode we turn our attention to Mayo born William 'Guillermo' Brown; Father Fahy; Alfie Lamb; and Camila O'Gorman. I'm joined by tour guide Victoria Catta who shares stories of military heroes, religious leaders, and…
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The Seventh Continent
I am on board Hurtigruten's MS Roald Amundsen after a wonderful expedition cruise across Antarctica. The ship is named after the fist person to reach the South Pole. So, of course it was so fitting to sit down and chat with one of the fantastic expedition team on board, Luciano Matías. Luciano...
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The Role Of The Funeral Director
I'm joined by Brian Doyle from Jennings Funeral Home to explore the role of the Funeral Director; how they arrive into your life; and how the funeral landscape is looking in Ireland at the moment. As we unpack this episode, hopefully we’ll demystify the person behind the role of the Funeral...
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Celebrating Eid
For this episode we turn our attention to Islam as we talk about celebrations in the holy Islamic calendar such as Eid al-Adha, Eid al-Fitr, and the holy month of Ramadan. I'm joined by Tasneem Filaih to talk about ritual, community, and the best knafeh in Dublin! Sincere thanks to Tasneem for...
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Celebrating Our Trans Friends: Transgender Day Of Visibility
March 31 marks International Transgender Day of Visibility. It’s a day when we can celebrate our trans and non-binary friends and acknowledge the journeys and the struggles of our trans friends. In this episode, activist and founding member of Under the Rainbow Philippa Ryder joins me as we chat...
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Holi: The Festival Of Colours
In this episode, I'm joined by Sudhansh Verma of the Vedic Hindu Cultural Centre of Ireland to explore the festival of Holi, also known as the festival of love, the Festival of Colours and indeed the festival of spring. A celebration which has different meanings, Holi is a wonderfully joyous...
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The Death Cafe
Talking about death over cake and coffee may not sound like everyone's cup of tea, but Death Cafes have been growing in popularity and they provide a wonderful space to get people talking about a subject which is still a very taboo topic. I'm joined by Chairperson of the Irish Ethical Celebrants...
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The Literature Of Grief
Words have the power to take you to a different place, and this time around we turn our attention to the literature of grief. I'm joined by Caroline McNamara of Serendipity Celebrants as we explore some poems, passages and readings which speak to grief and loss. We share some passages that might...
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Celebrating Milestones In Japan
Japan is a country rich in ceremony and ritual so in this episode I'm joined by Kyoto based writer Karen Lee Tawarayama to find out more about some of the milestone occasions in Japanese culture and how they're celebrated. We're chatting about Okuizome, a celebration of a child's first meal;...
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Celebrating Christmas Around The World
I'm joined by writer, broadcaster, and radio presenter Claire Murrihy to chat about Christmas traditions around the world. From Japan to South America, we discuss chicken from a bucket, drunken interruptions at midnight mass, and Venezuelan Egg-nog. We also share our Christmas traditions which…
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Celebrating Hanukkah With Australia's Monday Morning Cooking Club
Its a gastronomic episode this time around as I'm joined by Lisa Goldberg from The Monday Morning Cooking Club to explore Hanukkah and how food is the cornerstone of Jewish celebration. Expect some mouth watering chats as we learn more about the miracle of Hanukkah, the best potatoes to use to…
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A New Way To Celebrate Children
As the Irish Ethical Celebrants Society begins new ceremonies celebrating children of various ages, I'm joined by fellow Ethical Celebrants Clara Malone of Coastal Ceremonies, and Dermott Langan of lovecelebrant.ie to discuss Stepping Stones Ceremonies, and Coming of Age Ceremonies. These...
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Occasions Around The World: India
This episode explores some interesting ways in which occasions are marked across India. I’m joined by Katie and Luke, travel vloggers known as The Ungraceful Guide as they share their experiences of enjoying and participating in various celebrations and occasions across India. We hear about Katie...
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A Love Letter To Lisa From Simon Delaney
This gorgeous episode is a love letter from actor, TV presenter, and national treasure Simon Delaney to his wonderful wife Lisa. To celebrate their wedding anniversary, Simon shares how he first met Lisa, how she always encourages him to follow his professional path, and how they ALMOST didn't…
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Your Digital Afterlife
What happens your 'digital remains' when you die? The data and information we share through social media, google searches, emails and correspondence, will have profound ramifications for how we’ll be remembered, who will write our story, and what might 'big tech' companies be able to do with our...
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Saying 'Yes And' To Life
I'm joined by writer, script editor, story consultant and improv expert John Dawson to talk about the magic that can happen in life when we say 'Yes... and...' Life can be such a strange rollercoaster that takes us into situations that we may never have imagined we'd be in, but there are some…
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Meaningful Wedding Rituals
This episode celebrates the importance of ritual, and the part that rituals play in how we celebrate occasions. There is plenty of wedding ceremony inspiration as I'm joined by fellow celebrants Clara Malone of Coastal Ceremonies, and Michael Grace to discuss some of our favourite wedding…
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Hindu Funeral Rituals
Irelands first Hindu Priest Sudhansh Verma joins me to share his insights and knowledge on the funeral customs and rituals of the Hindu faith. We discuss the cycles of the soul, the ideas of karma and reincarnation, and the ritual of cremation. Its been so interesting to learn about Hindu...
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Recognising That This Is It
Author and Meditation Teacher Conor Creighton shares his wisdom and thoughts around accepting that this is it; this is the only moment you can have control over. We talk about how the meditation industry is marketed; men and mindfulness; and his wonderful new book 'This Is It' You can find out…
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The Art Of The Meaningful Connection
Life coach, celebrant and columnist Ariana Dunne shares her wisdom on how to make meaningful love connections. We're talking dating through the pandemic, showing yourself some self-love, and the pros and cons of ordering chicken wings on a first date; PLUS we have some listeners Q&As. You can…
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Post Pandemic Grief
I'm joined by Caroline McNamara of Serendipity Celebrants, and funeral celebrant Pat Fenlon to discuss how we can adapt to a new landscape for funerals and memorials, and how we might grieve in a post Covid Ireland. In a fascinating chat, we weigh up changing rituals, making the effort to 'be...
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Coming Of Age - The Bar Mitzvah
Episode 13 is about what happens when Jewish boys turn 13 years of age. The Bar Mitzvah is much talked about in TV and movies, and in this episode I learn more about this Jewish coming of age ceremony. I'm joined by Hilary Abrahamson who is Chair of the Dublin City Interfaith Forum, and Chair of...
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The Literature Of Love
We're talking about the literature of love this time around and I'm joined by Bob Johnston of the Gutter Bookshop in Dalkey and Temple Bar to talk through the greatest literary lovers, some wedding ceremony inspiration, and why we love a tragic love story. Bob and The Gutter Bookshop team have…
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The Companionship And Support Of An End Of Life Doula
End of Life Companion and Doula Tanya Bryan joins me in this episode to discuss the role of a Death Doula; how we deal with the idea of 'ending'; and the preciousness of life. You can find out more about Tanya Bryan at atimetogather.ie and I encourage listeners to visit her site to read her...
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Embracing Change To Find Your Happy Place
Broadcaster, hotelier, wellness and motivational speaker, Bibi Baskin shares her story of embracing change through her life; recognising synchro destiny; and finding a peaceful pace to life. Bibi's gorgeous book 'The Happy Book' is available on her website. You can also find out more information...
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Real Couples - The Elopement
In this episode, Gordon and Joel share their gorgeous love story; how absence and makes the heart grow fonder; and despite eloping to where they thought nobody knew either of them, how they found out it really is a small world. Its worth noting that this episode was recorded before level 5...
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Grief And Getting Inked
Memorial tattoos can be such a unique and personal way to remember someone special who is no longer with us. A tattoo can help keep memories alive long after someone has gone. In this episode, Dr John Troyer shares his knowledge on the history of the memorial tattoo, his advice to anyone thinking...
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Motivating A Future Olympian
In this episode, I'm joined by 12 year old Laragh Byrne who has big dreams to represent Ireland in the Olympics when she's older. We hear what motivates her to train, who her heroes are, and can she see herself on the podium accepting the gold for Ireland? Joined by her mum Sonya, Larah is an...
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A New Way To Get Married
In such a changing landscape regarding weddings, I'm joined by Yvonne Cassidy of the Irish Ethical Celebrants Society in this episode to talk about embracing choice, putting the couple at the centre of the wedding ceremony, and the best secret locations for a gorgeous wedding ceremony. You can…
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Mindfulness In Grief, And The Possibility Of The Pause
In this episode well known TV personality, radio presenter, best selling author, and Bethany bereavement counsellor Andrea Hayes, shares her thoughts on the importance of being conscious of our emotions as we go through grief, the rituals that may help us shift the lens through which we…
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What Exactly Is 'Self Care'
Self care is something that gets thrown around so much, but there is so often a fine line between self care, and self destruction. Aoibheann Cooke joins me in this episode to explore how best to take care of your self emotionally and physically. Aoibheann defines beautifully what self care is...
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Its Like Rain On Your Wedding Day
In Ireland we're susceptible to the weather. Sometimes the Child of Prague doesn't work and in this episode I chat to Sarah and Cormac who had the most magical ceremony in a beautiful location, despite the rain. Sarah and Cormac share their love story and how they feel looking back on their…
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How The Irish Do Death
The Irish wake is a much talked about phenomenon, and the Irish are often lauded for 'doing death well', but just how true is it? In this episode, I talk to fellow Funeral Celebrant Pat Fenlon as we pick through this topic to discover, how do the Irish embrace the finality of death. Hosted on...
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There's Always Something Positive Going On
Welcome to the Celebration Sessions. This is my journey, learning more about what makes us tick; how we celebrate, how we embrace joy, and how we face the bad times. In the first episode I spoke to the wonderful Barbara Scully about the positive things happing in the word right now, despite the...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
A podcast about life and how we mark the important occasions.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
HOSTED BY
Conor Clear
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Celebration Sessions have?
The Celebration Sessions currently has 42 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Celebration Sessions about?
A podcast about life and how we mark the important occasions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
How often does The Celebration Sessions release new episodes?
The Celebration Sessions has 42 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to The Celebration Sessions?
You can listen to The Celebration Sessions on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The Celebration Sessions?
The Celebration Sessions is created and hosted by Conor Clear.
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