This conversation was first released in 2018 and re-edited in 2026.

I first met artist Leah Hewson in her colourful studio on the South Quays in Dublin city centre on a sunny summer’s day. During this conversation we talked about how taking your work seriously forces others to sit up and shift how they perceive you. She also shared how a bereavement stopped her temporarily from making new work. Slowly but surely though, Leah found her way back to creating and to herself once again. Leah is a delight to talk to, she is open and laughs easily with an energy for life that is contagious. I hope you love this chat. 

MORE ON LEAH:

Leah has a First-Class BA (Hons) degree in Fine Art from IADT, Dublin Ireland. Solo exhibitions include 'Kin Connection', The Royal Hibernian Academy (2024), ‘Blowout’ Stoney Road Press, INK Miami(2022), 'Ammo Veil' ,Hillsboro Fine Art gallery (2018) and ‘Scintilla’, The Royal Hibernian Academy, Dublin (2017) which was the culmination of work produced during a six-month residency at The RHA School. Other residencies include Nars Foundation, Brooklyn, New York (2018), SIM Residency, Berlin (2019) and Wilton Park Studios Residency, Dublin in (2019 -20), Facebook AIR program (2020).

Hewson's work is collected internationally and public collections include The Trinity College Dublin History of Art collection, The Office of Public Works, Dublin, The Law Society of Ireland, the Microsoft Collection, Fidelity Investments and The Cleveland Clinic. ​

For everything on Leah Hewson, here is her website. And while we’re at it, my Instagram page is here and my newsletter In Bits, is here.

Thanks so much for listening.

Peace and love,

Esther

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-80-with-esther-omoore-donohoe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to The 80% re-edits!

This week my guest is Nathan Foad. Nathan is a writer, comedian, performer, expert present wrapper and definitely not a hockey player. Before the first lockdown in 2020, Nathan executive produced a Channel 4 taster pilot for his original sitcom ‘Newark, Newark’ named after his home town Newark on Trent. But the success and achievement does not stop there which leaves me fuming. He has written for the BBC3/RTE production The Young Offenders, The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice for Channel 4 as well as being under commission from BBC Comedy and Comedy Central. If you haven’t see his brilliant online series Comedians in Quarantine, just click here baybuh. And if you’re looking for even more hilarity from Nathan, read his essays on his website and make sure you you follow him on Twitter and Instagram. Reader, je love him - he is a joy. 

Fast forward to 2026 and he is now part of the writing team for SNL UK which debuts on 21st March 2026.

I can't wait!

Peace and love and happy listening!

Esther 

Follow me on Instagram here and my newsletter In Bits, here.

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-80-with-esther-omoore-donohoe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rosemary MacCabe is an Irish writer, journalist, and podcaster known for her honest, funny and often self-deprecating commentary on modern life, relationships, and mental health. Originally from Kildare, Rosemary now lives in Fort Wayne, Indiana. 

She began her career as a journalist, writing for major Irish publications including The Irish Times, The Irish Independent, IMAGE, and Stellar. In the mid-2010s, Rosemary became one of Ireland’s original "honest influencers," using platforms like Snapchat and Instagram to discuss topics that were then considered taboo, from body image to clinical depression.

Her debut book, This Is Not About You was released in 2023, chronicles her life through the lens of the men she dated. It explores the search for self-worth and the societal pressures placed on women to find "The One." Rosemary remains a prolific essayist through her Substack, "Anchor Baby," where she writes candidly about motherhood, the reality of living as an emigrée in the American Midwest, and her personal journey with ADHD and debt. She also has a long-running podcast, "Not Without My Sister," which she co-hosts with her sister, Beatrice MacCabe.

In this episode, Rosemary talked to me about what it’s like finding people talking about you in Reddit forums, the time a stranger left a threatening package at her front door and the importance of knowing your worth.

Follow Rosemary’s newsletter here and her Instagram here. And while we’re at it, my Instagram page is here and my newsletter In Bits, is here.

Thanks so much for listening!

Peace and love,

Esther

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-80-with-esther-omoore-donohoe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode was first released in 2017 and re-edited in 2026.

It was around this time eight years ago when I first met Sophie White. We’d only just become Instagram friends then but I wasted no time sliding into her DMs asking if she’d come on the pod. And because it was the very beginning of my podcasting journey, I was still learning how to use the equipment hence the crackly audio during our conversation. 

If you're not familiar with Sophie and her incredible work, she is a novelist, essayist and podcaster from Dublin. She has written several best-selling popular fiction books and in 2022 won the Shirley Jackson Award for best novel for sixth book, Where I End (Tramp Press, 2022). Sophie is currently writing the screenplay for an adaption of one her first book Recipes for a Nervous Breakdown which will start filming in summer 2026.

In this conversation Sophie and I talked about everything from the pill at a festival that changed her life, Rice Krispie penis cakes and the mind-bending headf*ck that is motherhood. 

Follow Sophie here and listen to her podcast here. . My Instagram page is here and my newsletter In Bits, is here.

I hope you love it. 

Peace and love,

Esther

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-80-with-esther-omoore-donohoe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 2025, Anna Haugh was announced as one of the latest hosts of BBC's Masterchef but she has been a TV regular for years. From Ready, Steady, Cook to Saturday Kitchen and even Pointless Celebrities on Channel 4, Anna has done it all. Starting out with Derry Clarke in L'Ecrivain in Dublin, Anna has also worked for the acclaimed Gualtiero Marchesi’s in Paris, Pied à Terre in London, Gordon Ramsey at London House and Bob Bob Ricard.

I chatted to Anna in 2019, the same year she opened her first restaurant Myrtle in Chelsea, London. Since then she has gone on to open wine bar Little Sister, right next door which stocks Anna's very own wine label. We love to see it.

If you like this episode, please leave a review and if you like it, why not share the link with some friends you think might enjoy it too.

Listen to her brilliant talk on mental health in her Food on the Edge talk here https://foodontheedge.ie/video/anna-haugh/

For all the latest updates on my fascinating life follow me on Instagram and subscribe to my newsletter here.

Peace and love,

Esther

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-80-with-esther-omoore-donohoe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Years later, I went on to produce a podcast for Brendan and Sonya Lennon for many seasons and we eventually became real friends.

When we met 8 years ago, Brendan had a lot going on. His dad died less than 3 months before, his sisters were both sick but true to his character, Brendan didn't stop engaging with life and making the most of things even when there were challenges all around.

If you like this episode, please leave a review and if you like it, why not share the link with some friends you think might enjoy it too.

For all the latest updates on my fascinating life follow me on Instagram and subscribe to my newsletter here.

Thank you so much for listening. You've made me 80% happier by lending me your ears.

Peace and love,

Esther

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-80-with-esther-omoore-donohoe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Geraldine Carton is now a contemporary artist known for her expressive figurative and portrait work in oils. She explores themes of human connection, vulnerability and social identity but when I spoke to her in 2019 she was in a very different space. At the time Geraldine was working with Taz Kellehar on The Useless Project having pivoted previously from social work and writing.

This conversation will be inspiring to anyone who feels stuck or feels like they’re searching for new horizons. What I love and admire about Geraldine is her fearlessness in changing her mind.

Reinvent yourself. 

Follow Geraldine here and Mother Art house here. My Instagram page is here and my newsletter In Bits, is here.

Peace and love,

Esther

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-80-with-esther-omoore-donohoe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I met Emer in the old Library Bar in Central Hotel on Exchequer Street in Dublin (click here for the hotel update). Back then we were strangers who had no idea we’d go on to, not only become friends, but also become carvery's and roast dinners investigators and create our very own podcast called Emer and Esther’s Sunday Roast with Emer and Esther.

At the time, Emer was promoting the first book in the Aisling series she wrote with friend and collaborator Sarah Breen. Oh My God What A Complete Aisling was a huge success and in 2020 was ranked in the top five selling Irish fiction books of the decade. Their latest novel Our Deadly Summer will be out in May 2026. Here is a pre-order link to it if you want to get your hands on it. 

During our wide ranging conversation we talked about everything from drying tights, archeology, working with Ryan Tubridy and how she and Sarah got their big publishing break.

Peace and love and happy listening!

Esther 

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-80-with-esther-omoore-donohoe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.