Hugh O'Brien - Legendary Cootehill historian, author, activist & actor

Live public interview with the legendary Hugh O’Brien, or ‘Hugh Barney’ as he’s often known. It was recorded in the Darly School Hall as part of a full house at the Cootehill Arts Festival in my hometown of Cootehill Co. Cavan.

Hugh Barney is a 79-year-old historian, educator, actor and community activist. He taught me history and English at secondary school and left a lasting impression on me, as he did so many others.

Topics Hugh discusses in this conversation include his childhood and upbringing, his 39 years as a teacher, his views on education, history, politics, religion, spirituality, alcohol, community involvement, and his love for cinema and drama.

This is a man who has clearly lived a full life and as you’re about to hear, he continues to do so. Hugh has inspired countless people to think differently and to believe in themselves and so it’s great to be able to share this voice with more people through this podcast, especially international listeners and Cootehill people living and listening all over the world, including my brother Sean Og in China.

As well as being the author of 3 books and 3 booklets, Hugh is an accomplished actor, appearing in countless theatre productions, in the acclaimed TV show Fr Ted, and in several movies and documentaries including The Escapist, Ordinary Decent Criminal, Korea, and the Run of the Country.

It’s amazing that the one thing we never really got around to talking about was Hugh’s visual impairment. In recent years he has lost his eyesight but that hasn’t held him back. He now uses a stick to get around and he has also mastered phone and computer technology that allows him to stay connected and to keep up with his various projects. Hugh’s wife Noeleen was also an amazing person and she passed away in 2012.

I’m a big advocate of listening to and learning from our elders and it was a real privilege to have been chosen by Hugh Barney as his interviewer for this event, which attracted rave reviews. I want to say I feel particularly fortunate that Hugh is in good health and was able to do this interview given that back in 2017 he spent several months in hospital, including a few weeks in intensive care. Hugh was on flying form on the night of the interview and as you’ll hear shortly, it was a real rollercoaster ride that was peppered with some questions from the audience.

There was also an interval on the night and I have edited that out. There’s no shortage of laughs throughout the interview and there’s also a good few swear words, particularly in the first part, so keep that in mind if there are sensitive ears listening.

It was particularly inspiring to learn more about Hugh’s role in the setting up of Drumlin House. Established by a group of volunteers in 1982, Drumlin House is a pioneering training centre that provides opportunities for young people with special needs to enhance their rights and aspirations.

As well as being a training centre for dozens of young people, Drumlin House also includes a theatre and social enterprises including a garden centre and a print shop. We didn’t discuss it in too much detail in the interview but I thought it deserved a special mention here as it’s such a great example of community strength in action. Hugh had told me in a previous conversation that the founding of the centre was a real community effort, and made possible because of the generous donations and support from Cootehill Coop, who through its Manager Sean McDonnell helped secure the original premises, and also through a fundraising gig by country music legend Big Tom.

In total Hugh served as voluntary Chair of Drumlin House for 32 years and remains an active and involved supporter to this day, as well as being a champion for social inclusion in so many other ways.

Someone described the interview to me as a Love Letter From Hugh To Cootehill, although it is also the story of a remarkable life journey and themes that are relevant to people everywhere. You may find that some of the content is a bit more specific to Cootehill in particular, especially the short segment discussing buildings and shops in the town, but overall there’s something in this interview for everyone.

Just for those of you who don’t know Cootehill. It’s a small town in County Cavan of fewer than 2000 people. It is situated at the border of County Monaghan, and about 20 kilometres south of the northern border. In many ways, it’s not dissimilar to life in other small towns throughout Ireland and indeed throughout the world.

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