FOR MANY of the Irish diaspora in Britain, questions about identity and belonging are never far from the surface.
Few people understand that better than Doug Devaney, creator and host of The Plastic Podcasts, a series that explores the lives of the Irish and their descendants in Britain.
Since launching in 2020, the podcast has had 50 guests from different backgrounds, each sharing their own story of what it means to be Irish and away from home.
For Devaney, the project is rooted in his own family history.
"My dad comes from County Clare, and he came over to England in 1960," he said.
Like many Irish emigrants of the era, his father moved for better wages, following an uncle to Maidenhead.
"My dad was the eldest of 11 children, and when his father died, he was essentially the main breadwinner," Devaney said.
The idea for The Plastic Podcasts came in the aftermath of Brexit.
"There was this huge rush for Irish passports," Devaney said.
In the beginning he wanted to make a one-man show exploring the phenomenon and the questions it raised about identity.
"Because while members of the diaspora swarm towards each other, there is also the sense that you are living in England; there is a sense that you're not quite authentic."
The central question became one that resonates with many Irish people living abroad.
"I wanted to explore that: What is authentic Irishness? What is it you take with you? What is it you leave behind?"
But the arrival of Covid brought those plans to a stop.
Instead, Devaney continued his interviews he was doing as research for the project.
With support and funds from the Arts Council, those conversations evolved into a podcast.
"I started in 2020 right in the middle of Covid," he said. "People were available, and I think you also have the time to reflect away from the hurly-burly of your own life about what family means and what home means."
Over time, the conversations began to evolve beyond discussions of identity alone.
"At first, I think we were focusing on the uniqueness of the Irish diaspora experience and that sense that you had a foot in two countries, a sense of alienation," he said.
Surprisingly, he found the 1990 World Cup and the Republic of Ireland's run represented a turning point in attitudes towards Irish in Britain.
'More blacks, More dogs, More Irish'. Doug at one of his talks (Photo by Doug Devaney)"There was that sense of change, even prior to the Good Friday Agreement, that Irishness wasn't something that you hid," Devaney said.
"That sense of being an outsider was still quite prevalent," he said. "Britain at the time in the 70s and 80s was a country still set in the 1940s."
Among the guests who left a lasting impression was Anthony Ekundayo Lennon, whose interview Devaney describes as "probably the most touching".
Other conversations that stick out are Mick Ord's story of adoption and rediscovering his Irish roots and John Wardle's funny observations on the links between the Irish diaspora and people from the Caribbean.
Liverpool actress Eithne Browne spoke about the pubs along Scotland Road and the city's uniquely strong Irish community.
"Liverpool is very much an exception where the Irish diaspora is concerned because there's so much of a majority there," Devaney said.
Other notable people he had on include Father Bernard Lynch, the County Clare-born priest who ministered to people with AIDS in New York and clashed with Catholic Church hierarchy, and Irish Traveller Chelsea McDonagh, who spoke about her campaign for Traveller education and the discrimination faced by Travellers in both Britain and Ireland.
Devaney believes a common thread links the diverse experiences featured on the podcast.
"We all have a shared experience, as Irish and specifically the Irish diaspora, that we all come from somewhere else," he said. "We all have that shared heritage of being 'othered' in one way or another."
While The Plastic Podcasts has been on hiatus recently as Devaney focused on his book Black Vinyl, he hopes to return to it in the future.
For Devaney, the enduring appeal of Irishness is ever present.
"It's always there in your head, a certain sense that you belong to this great sweeping history," he said.
But when asked what he loves most about being Irish, his answer is simple.
"My favourite thing about Ireland is my family. It shapes so much of who I am and what I am."
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