Never Have I Ever with Claire Byrne

Claire's guest is Former Professional Wrestler and Founder of Over The Top Wrestling, Joe Cabray.For most of us, professional wrestling probably brings to mind the larger-than-life characters we watched on television.   The likes of Hulk Hogan, The Rock or Stone Cold Steve Austin, The WWE. There's the music, the costumes, the PAGEANTRY and, of course, the extraordinary things that happen inside the ring.  And because we know the results are decided in advance, it's easy to dismiss wrestling as something that isn't entirely real. But behind the spectacle is an art form that combines athleticism, theatre, storytelling and an extraordinary amount of trust between the people involved. It's an industry where performers create characters, put their bodies on the line and try to make an audience believe the story they're telling is REAL And while Claire has watched it from a distance, she's never experienced what it takes to step inside that ring. But Joe Cabray has.

Claire's guest is Choice Prize nominated rapper “Curtisy”. Growing up in the 80’s in Laois Claire wasn’t exactly surrounded by rap or hiphop.   Sure, there was plenty of it in the charts. Acts like Run DMC, The Beastie Boys or Public Enemy were known but it all seemed a bit like a scene that was happening in a different galaxy to that in which she lived.  The Ireland of today is so different in so many ways and it’s certainly more outward looking and more open to different influences.  And Rap music is now thriving here. Names like Kneecap, Kojaque and Denise Chalia will be familiar to many.  But it’s never been a fixture in Claire's life.  Today “Curtisy” tries to awake Claire's inner MC. 

Claire's guest is former Garda forensic examiner and the host of the Lines of Enquiry Podcast - John Sweetman. If there was a body, a gun, fingerprints, blood... what could you do to find out what happened? There are people whose job it is to walk into those scenes and figure it out. And John Sweetman spent 25 years doing exactly that... Today Claire tries to find out what it’s actually like to walk into a crime scene when everyone else is looking at the chaos... and you’re looking for the tiny detail that might explain it all. 

Aoife Dunne is a comedian, poet and storyteller who shot to fame with her hit show “Good Grief”, which blendied humour, heartbreak and insight with its exploration of the strange and hilarious ways we survive trauma.  Aoife Dunne grew up in Galway, the second oldest of two girls and two boys. Her parents separated when she was 14 years old. By the age of 23 she was an aspiring actress having attended the same Galway drama school as Nicola Coughlan. Then the unthinkable happened while she was back packing through South America. Her mother died suddenly. Aoife’s life was thrown into turmoil and she returned to Kinvarra to mourn her mother’s passing and assume her role as head of the family.  It was not until more than a decade later that she would find a new calling as a comedian through the telling of that very story. It’s been quite the journey but today Claire wants to explore a different sort of journey.  Because according to Aoife, a major turning point in her life came in Brazil when she was 35 and she had a profound psychedelic experience with ayahuasca.  So Claire’s never been on a psychedelic journey, but Aoife Dunne has…Email the podcast on [email protected]

Claire's guest is Mentalist, magician and hypnotist– Keith Barry.For most of us our experience of hypnotism doesn’t go far beyond watching the likes of Paul McKenna on the TV back in the day or seeing your mate doing something mad on stage during Freshers Week.  Those are examples of stage hypnosis but hypnosis is also used for therapeutic purposes in what is known as hypnotherapy.  For the lay person the whole area is one that is shrouded in intrigue, suspicion and sometimes controversy. But it’s something Claire has always been fascinated by, at a distance. In this episode Claire speak with Keith Barry. He is a multi award winning entertainer and magician with a Merlin Award and a James Joyce Award to his name.  And hypnotism has always played a central role in his outstanding career. Indeed he is probably the world’s foremost TV hypnotist. Can he hypnotise Claire?Email the podcast on [email protected]

Claire's guest is actor and comedian Pat Shortt. If you’ve ever seen Easy Rider or The Motocycle Diaries you will be familiar with the rebellious allure of getting your motor running and heading out on the highway.At least in the movie world, taking a motorbike out on the open road is an expression of freedom, a journey of self discovery. People long to travel the likes of Route 66 in the US, or cross the Mongolian steppe or even just wind their way down our own Wild Atlantic Way.But in order to feel the wind in your hair and freedom in your soul, you need to be able to ride a motorbike in the first place… and Claire can’t.In this first episode of Season 2 of Never Have I Ever Claire speaks to Pat Shortt.Pat is one of Ireland’s most popular comedians, an award winning actor and a musician.He is currently starring in ‘Animals’ which runs at the Abbey Theatre until November 7.  And of course he has a longstanding passion for motorbikes which stretches back to when his father bought himself and his brother Peter an old BSA motorcycle to fix up when they were teenagers. Can he persuade Claire to put on a leather jacket and hit the road?Email the podcast on [email protected]

Ulysses occupies a curious place on the bookshelf. It's a novel we're told we should read. A masterpiece we're expected to admire. And a book that many of us have never actually made it through. Claire Byrne is one of them. This week’s guest is Richard Boyd Barrett, the Dún Laoghaire TD whose love of James Joyce stretches far beyond politics. Together he and Claire explore why Ulysses has earned its fearsome reputation, whether it's really as inaccessible as people believe, and why a story about one ordinary day in Dublin captivates readers more than a century after it was published. As Christopher Nolan's film The Odyssey sparks fresh interest in the ancient epic that inspired Joyce, Richard makes the case for rediscovering Ireland's greatest novel—not as an academic exercise, but as a funny, human, and surprisingly rewarding read. Can he persuade Claire to finally turn the page? Or will Ulysses remain firmly on her "Never Have I Ever" list?  This is the last episode of the current series. Never Have I Ever will return in Autumn 2026. 

For most of us, war is something we witness from a distance. For Sally Hayden, it's become her life's work. This week, Claire Byrne meets the award-winning Irish journalist whose reporting has taken her from refugee camps to conflict zones across almost 40 countries.  Together they explore what it means to live in or return to places most people are desperate to escape, how ordinary people endure extraordinary circumstances, and why telling those stories still matters. Sally reflects on fear, resilience, the emotional toll of bearing witness, and the moments of humanity, humour and hope that survive even in the darkest places. And Claire wonders: can anyone truly prepare themselves for a career spent documenting war?   This Is Also A Love Story by Sally Hayden is published by 4th Estate. 

Consultant paediatric surgeon Jennifer Billington takes Claire Byrne behind the operating theatre doors, sharing what it's really like to operate on babies and children, where every millimetre matters and every decision carries enormous responsibility.  From fighting for her place in medical school after missing the points twice, to operating on some of the smallest and sickest children, Jenny reveals the pressure, privilege, and humanity behind the surgical mask. Can Claire overcome her squeamishness? Jenny offers a gentler first step – watching real surgical procedures on video. Could this be one "Never Have I Ever" that's about to become a "Maybe..."? Email the podcast on [email protected]. 

What does it take to walk onto a stage with nothing but a microphone... and make strangers laugh? Claire Byrne has never done stand-up comedy. Al Porter has spent much of his life doing exactly that. From becoming one of Ireland's biggest comedy stars while still in his twenties to experiencing a spectacular public fall from grace, Al joins Claire for a candid conversation about confidence, shame, addiction, failure, forgiveness, and the strange power of humour. Why are comedians often at their funniest when talking about the worst things that have ever happened to them? Can laughter change the way we remember painful experiences? And is making fun of yourself an act of courage... or self-preservation? This is a conversation about far more than jokes. It's about what happens when your greatest material comes from the parts of your life you'd rather forget. Does Claire have the courage to give it a go? Al’s show Algorithm will continue across Ireland throughout the autumn. His debut play, written with Karl Spain, The Kavanagh’s Married With Parents, will be staged at the Civic Theatre in Tallaght this September. He’ll also star in the 3Olympia Panto next Christmas.