Show Notes
For our final show of 2021 we've a warm hearted conversation with the acclaimed Galway singer-songwriter Niamh Regan, who shares stories of love and loss, grief and re-found happiness with the Queen confessor, Panti Bliss. Niamh comes from Kilrickle, a small village near Loughrea, and her debut album Hemet was nominated as best album in both the Irish Choice and the Irish Folk Awards. Hemet is named after the Californian homeplace of Niamh's husband Wesley Houdyshell, who is himself a musician and whose family are the fun force behind the band Hippie Cream. (We hear a clip from their song All the Things from the slbum Trying to Turn a Unicorn Into a Horse)
Niamh performs three of her songs for Panti Bliss live in Camden Recording Studios - Love You Senseless and Happy Again from her forthcoming EP 'In The Meantime' and the poignant 'Freeze Frame' from the Hemet album. To find out more about Niamh Regan and her music : www.niamhregan.com/ The Panti Personals is an independent podcast by Athena Media. The series producer is Helen Shaw, the digital editor is John Howard. Additional research by Dara Shaw. Our theme music is Lisa Hannigan 'Knots' courtesy of Lisa Hannigan.
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To close Season 2 of The Panti Personals we've a man that Panti Bliss can look up to, even while wearing high heels! It's 6 foot 7 Afro Irish soul singer and songwriter Xona - aka Jordan Onubogu. Xona was born in Lagos but calls Mullingar home, and has now made London his address. He tells the story of how he changed his name to his middle name Jordan, when he came as a ten year old, to Ireland, and started school. Then, he wanted to fit in and to be the same as all the other children but today, as a confident Black Irish performing artist, he has returned to using his birth name. Xona shares with love the story of how his mother, a single mum, made sacrifices, and worked hard, to create a better life for her children in Ireland. He talks of the challenges too of being the gay kid in a church based Nigerian Irish community and both Panti Bliss and Xona swap their 'coming out' stories. Xona, accompanied by the gorgeous farmer/musician Colm Conlan, performs two of his songs live for the Queen - 'This Could Be Us' and 'Slow Dancing' both from his recent EP 'In My Head' and you hear the EP version of the title song during the show, when he shares his story of writing the album during the pandemic.