Me, Myself and Ireland

By selling out and taking on capitalistic values of the UK and US, we’re in danger of selling our birthright

The author’s show Am I Irish Yet? explores the experiences of a second-generation London-Irish person trying to fit in in small-town Ireland

‘I was in Thailand and there were four of five days where I didn’t leave the hotel room. That’s when I decided to ring home and come out’

The Croatian, who runs The Lighthouse cafe, says being homeless in Dublin was tough, ‘but Ireland only gave me the best things’

The poet on the inspiration in his life, his dyslexia, Pat Ingoldsby, and how one poem he wrote changed his life

The musician on positive changes in Ireland, his enduring friendship with Bono and co, and how he never made money until Jim Sheridan came calling

The Fermanagh musician on her love-hate affair with trad music, the importance of living abroad for a spell, and why screaming in the car is helpful

The author on writing, living in the Sligo countryside and how digitalisation is warping our sense of reality

The musician on her love of the Irish people, her brief but formative years in The Pogues, and how her attitude to alcohol differed from Shane MacGowan’s

The TV chef has always considered himself Irish - but he honours his Jamaican heritage in the food he cooks

Irish artist says: ‘I think there’s a freedom here that comes from being postcolonial’

Living abroad helped me embrace my heritage and realise just how cultured we are

The opera singer says singing the national anthem at the Aviva Stadium was a career highlight

I miss being around my parents in their home and I miss the seasons in Ireland, but I don’t see myself moving back

Today FM broadcaster says she would not get the same joy working in radio in her native Canada

Author Anne Tiernan followed a man, her now husband, to New Zealand 20 years ago

The writer discusses her first musical, being ‘a particularly bad extra’ and how Ireland, New York, Paris and Canada have influenced her

Street artist Maser on landscape, life lessons and turning back to go forwards

Consultant paediatrician Afif El-Khuffash on his Palestinian-Irish identity and his perspective on the Irish healthcare system

The Clondalkin comedian on accents, ambitions and the inspiration provided by Brendan O’Carroll

Broadcaster and podcaster Yates loves living in Ireland, but believes that the boomer generation have a lot to answer for

Dublin-born podcaster Doireann Ní Ghlacáin has learned to embrace her identity as a Gaelgeoir and fiddle-player, whether it’s hip or not

The author on her childhood, the importance of reading from a young age, and the role libraries play in researching her new book

Irish wasn’t Caoimhe Ní Laighin’s first language growing up, but with the help of good teachers, the presenter made it part of her career

Comedian on Dublin, the Irish sense of humour and exploring her sexuality through comedy

The choreographer and former Dancing with the Stars judge on living with cystic fibrosis and his CF charity

The Scullion musician and Other Voices music series cofounder on his upbringing, the importance of music in his life, and why the arts matter

The TV presenter and biologist on the joys of her upbringing, the beauty of the Burren, and surviving the Irish weather

Founder and chief executive of Tilting the Lens, Burke believes her childhood helped instil in her the importance of tenacity and dedication

Performance artist Amanda Coogan on growing up as a child of deaf parents, embracing her love of performance, and the Irish fear of the avant-garde

I moved into charity work, first at Barretstown and then with the DSPCA, after the crash pushed me out of architecture

Designer Helen James on returning to Dublin from New York, the ‘gentler, lovelier pace’ here, and the traditions of Christmas

The novelist Maggie O’Farrell on leaving Ireland, growing up in Britain, life as a child with a stammer and her new book

The Limerick-based podcaster and author on his school trauma, adult autism diagnosis and unconventional mother

Singer-songwriter Nell Mescal from Maynooth on overcoming scoliosis surgery, dropping out of school before her Leaving Cert and her dream of headlining Croke Park

Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, academic and musician Paul Muldoon on growing up in a nationalist family in Co Armagh, life in Belfast during the Troubles and moving to the US

Noonan is a songwriter, musician and lead singer of Bell X1 and HousePlants

Iarla Ó Lionaird, a sean-nós singer, on the romanticism of rural life, growing up in a big family and traditional music

JP McMahon is a Michelin-starred chef, restaurateur and author. He lives and works in Galway

Eva Pau, commercial director of family business Asia Market, on being immersed in Irish culture from an early age