WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES

An ongoing series in which we ask people to share the 24 hours that changed their lives.

What a Difference a Day Makes: 'I love West Cork and we do want to give back'
S What a Difference a Day Makes: 'I love West Cork and we do want to give back'
US-born, West Cork-based Chris Mason tells Helen O’Callaghan about how a moment when his wife said ‘yes’ set the wheels in motion for a whole new life in another country – and the start of a new sustainable business.

Sun, 27 Oct, 2024

What A Difference A Day Makes: If I’d lost my singing voice I’d have lost my identity too
S What A Difference A Day Makes: If I’d lost my singing voice I’d have lost my identity too
Musician Linda Plover tells Helen O’Callaghan about what it was like to lose her voice due to surgery, about the regrets she had – and how its total recovery has made her supremely grateful for a second chance.

Tue, 15 Oct, 2024

What a Difference a Day Makes: Wife of Cork chef on the day he died on Kilimanjaro
S What a Difference a Day Makes: Wife of Cork chef on the day he died on Kilimanjaro
Cork chef James O’Connor died suddenly on his 40th birthday last December while climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. Here, his wife Grace tells Helen O’Callaghan about her heartbreak at losing the love of her life and a devoted dad to the couple’s three children.

Tue, 01 Oct, 2024

Hugh Wallace: My dyslexia diagnosis gave me the confidence to say I’m gay
S Hugh Wallace: My dyslexia diagnosis gave me the confidence to say I’m gay
What a Difference a Day Makes: Architect and TV personality Hugh Wallace tells Helen O’Callaghan about the transformative effect on him of being diagnosed with dyslexia at 18 – and about the far-reaching impact on his career and self-esteem.

Tue, 24 Sep, 2024

What a Difference a Day Makes: I’ll never beat feeling of my little girl being born
S What a Difference a Day Makes: I’ll never beat feeling of my little girl being born
Musician Alex Petcu-Colan tells Helen O’Callaghan about some of the special moments surrounding the birth of his daughter, and considers how becoming a dad has changed him.

Tue, 17 Sep, 2024

What a Difference a Day Makes: Conal Creedon on visiting his Uncle Jack in Beara
S What a Difference a Day Makes: Conal Creedon on visiting his Uncle Jack in Beara
Cork writer Cónal Creedon tells Helen O’Callaghan about a day when he was seven that began his first extended time away from home – and how being with his Uncle Jack in Beara birthed in him a deep sense of place.

Tue, 10 Sep, 2024

What a Difference a Day Makes: How losing a contract job made me fight for my comedy 
S What a Difference a Day Makes: How losing a contract job made me fight for my comedy 
Comedian Ross Browne tells Helen O’Callaghan about the morning floods in Cork city cost him his contract cleaning job – but also led to the launch of a career in comedy.

Tue, 03 Sep, 2024

LUKE THOMAS
S What a Difference a Day Makes: A phone call with my mam gave me focus when I needed it
Luke Thomas tells Helen O’Callaghan about a phone call he made to his mum in a moment of crisis and how her words steadied him – keeping him on course in a way that had a far-reaching impact, both personally and professionally.

Tue, 27 Aug, 2024

What a difference a day makes: On a trip to Berlin I met the love of my life
S What a difference a day makes: On a trip to Berlin I met the love of my life
Aran Island singer-songwriter Padraig Jack tells Helen O’Callaghan about a pivotal trip to Berlin 10 years ago, where he committed fully to music, forged closer bonds with four fellow-musicians – and met the love of his life.

Tue, 20 Aug, 2024

What a Difference a Day Makes: The moment I knew my husband wasn't going to live
S What a Difference a Day Makes: The moment I knew my husband wasn't going to live
Lorraine Crimmins talks to Helen O’Callaghan about her husband John’s terminal cancer diagnosis – and about a significant moment that happened a month before he passed away.

Tue, 13 Aug, 2024

What a Difference a Day Makes: I felt reborn when I was diagnosed with ADHD in my 30s
S What a Difference a Day Makes: I felt reborn when I was diagnosed with ADHD in my 30s
Amy Weidner talks to Helen O’Callaghan about how being diagnosed with ADHD in her 30s has been life-changing for her – both personally and professionally.

Sun, 11 Aug, 2024

What a Difference a Day Makes: Ger Harkins on the day her son suffered renal failure
S What a Difference a Day Makes: Ger Harkins on the day her son suffered renal failure
Cork mum-of-two Ger Harkins tells Helen O’Callaghan about her utter shock when her fit, sporty 15-year-old suddenly suffered renal failure – and about trying to stay positive in a radically-changed life.

Sun, 04 Aug, 2024

What a difference a day makes: Gavin James on hearing his song being sung back to him
S What a difference a day makes: Gavin James on hearing his song being sung back to him
Singer-songwriter Gavin James tells Helen O’Callaghan how hearing the words of his song sung back to him as a 20-year-old in Temple Bar proved the catalyst for a bigger commitment to his musical career.

Sat, 27 Jul, 2024

Paracyclist Richael Timothy on how an acquired brain injury changed her life path
S Paracyclist Richael Timothy on how an acquired brain injury changed her life path
Para-cyclist Richael Timothy talks to Helen O’Callaghan about how her acquired brain injury changed her life, but also brought her opportunities she could never have expected – and how motivated she feels by the birth of her daughter.

Tue, 16 Jul, 2024

What a Difference a Day Makes: The Happy Pear's Stephen Flynn on a detox that changed his life
S What a Difference a Day Makes: The Happy Pear's Stephen Flynn on a detox that changed his life
Stephen Flynn – one half of the Happy Pear – talks to Helen O’Callaghan about how a chance remark in Leaving Cert, a summer of boozing in Europe and a decision to do a marathon combined to create a change that went beyond lifestyle.

Tue, 09 Jul, 2024

What a Difference a Day Makes: Zak Moradi on how joining the GAA changed his life
S What a Difference a Day Makes: Zak Moradi on how joining the GAA changed his life
Former Leitrim hurler tells Helen O’Callaghan how, newly-arrived from a refugee camp in Iraq he joined a local Co Leitrim GAA club, and about the transformative effect this had on his life.

Tue, 02 Jul, 2024

What a Difference a Day Makes: Cliona Maher on the letter that changed her life 
S What a Difference a Day Makes: Cliona Maher on the letter that changed her life 
Cliona Maher tells Helen O’Callaghan about the letter she received as a 17-year-old that began her decades-long career working in the Arts – and about squeezing into a phone box in Dublin with her fellow actors to learn their Leaving Cert results.

Tue, 25 Jun, 2024

What a Difference a Day Makes: Michelle MacMullan shares the day of her embryo transfer
S What a Difference a Day Makes: Michelle MacMullan shares the day of her embryo transfer
Michelle MacMullan tells Helen O’Callaghan about the day of embryo transfer during her IVF procedure – and the difficulty of just not knowing whether it is all going to end in happiness or heartbreak.

Tue, 18 Jun, 2024

What a Difference a Day Makes: Actor Damian Kearney on The Wind That Shakes The Barley
S What a Difference a Day Makes: Actor Damian Kearney on The Wind That Shakes The Barley
Actor Damian Kearney tells Helen O’Callaghan about the day he learned he had been cast in The Wind That Shakes the Barley, and how getting the part changed the trajectory of his life.

Tue, 11 Jun, 2024

What a Difference a Day Makes: Beverley Bass, American Airline's first female captain, recalls 9/11
S What a Difference a Day Makes: Beverley Bass, American Airline's first female captain, recalls 9/11
American Airlines’ first female captain Beverley Bass piloted one of the planes that landed in Gander, Newfoundland, on 9/11. She tells Helen O’Callaghan how a song, chronicling her life in aviation – in a musical that pays tribute to the people of Gander – has changed her life.

Tue, 04 Jun, 2024

What a Difference a Day Makes: Coach Aoife Hughes on how a baby loss at five months changed her vision for her life
S What a Difference a Day Makes: Coach Aoife Hughes on how a baby loss at five months changed her vision for her life
'Grief gives you clarity. I started to really think about what I wanted out of life, to understand how important life-work balance was to me.'

Tue, 28 May, 2024

What a difference a day makes: Artist Cora Murphy on buying and renovating her house
S What a difference a day makes: Artist Cora Murphy on buying and renovating her house
Cork city-based artist Cora Murphy tells Helen O’Callaghan about pivotal 24-hour moments in her journey to buying her home, and how the whole process felt guided

Tue, 21 May, 2024

What a difference a day makes: Soprano Claudia Boyle on the moment her dad passed away
S What a difference a day makes: Soprano Claudia Boyle on the moment her dad passed away
'I held his hand as he passed away. In a weird way, I cherish it. He was surrounded by his four daughters and I was just holding his hand as he left. It was profoundly sad but a wonderful gift.'

Tue, 14 May, 2024

What a difference a day makes: DJ Fionnuala Moran on meeting fiancé Rebel Phoenix
S What a difference a day makes: DJ Fionnuala Moran on meeting fiancé Rebel Phoenix
"There was no playing cool, no subtlety… but if someone has already said ‘marry me’, you know you don’t have to play it too cool."

Tue, 07 May, 2024

FIANNA FAIL ARD FHEIS
S Luke O'Neill on how a childhood party sparked a lifelong love of music
Luke O'Neill talks to Helen O'Callaghan about a childhood moment that ignited a lifelong passion.

Tue, 30 Apr, 2024

Latest

Lifestyle
Newsletter

The best food, health, entertainment and lifestyle content from the Irish Examiner, direct to your inbox.

Sign up
IE Logo

Outdoor Trails

Outdoors The Best Discover Great Walking Trails Ireland's On

Start Exploring
Cookie Policy Privacy Policy Brand Safety FAQ Help Contact Us Terms and Conditions

Group © Limited Examiner Echo