Life and Depth with Ryan McDaid

About Life and Depth with Ryan McDaid

Life & Depth with Ryan McDaid is a weekly self‑improvement and mental health podcast on YouTube where entrepreneur Ryan dives into long‑form conversations about life, business, spirituality, psychedelics and the natural world. If you’re burned out, stuck or searching for deeper meaning, these honest stories from founders, athletes, healers, scientists and everyday people will help you understand your mind, heal past wounds and build a grounded, resilient life you actually want to wake up to.

Publisher

Ryan McDaid

Category

education

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

24 May 2023

Latest episode

16 May 2026

Latest episodes

57 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   16 May 2026

   #57 1.6 Million Tons of ILLEGAL Waste: Mobuoy, the Faughan and What Environmental Justice Really Means - Dean Blackwood

   Dean Blackwood grew up “reared on the River Faughan” – now he’s one of the most persistent voices fighting to stop it being poisoned. From childhood mornings fishing with his great‑uncle Albert to uncovering one of Europe’s biggest illegal landfills at Mobuoy, his life tracks the story of how Northern Ireland treats its rivers and lakes. In this episode we walk through the Mobuoy illegal dump scandal, wider pollution and planning failures, and what Lough Neagh and the Faughan are telling us about power, accountability and environmental justice in the North. What we explore Dean’s early memories on the river: being taken fishing as a young child, homemade “sally rod” from willow, lemon curd sandwiches and how that created a lifelong attachment to the Foyle and Faughan catchments. His career inside the planning system as a civil servant in the former Department of the Environment, and the moment he realised public authorities were turning a blind eye to developments causing serious harm. The Mobuoy illegal dump: how quarrying without permission and a so‑called recycling plant combined to bury an estimated 1.6 million tons of mixed and dangerous waste in pits beside the River Faughan – an area the size of roughly 64 football pitches. How concerns from River Faughan Anglers were first raised formally in 2008 and 2009, and then “disappeared” from government records, and what that says about regulatory culture. What environmental justice means in practice in Northern Ireland: The Gathering, the Environmental Justice Network Ireland, and why ordinary people end up standing up for nature when institutions stay quiet. The bigger picture: how Mobuoy connects to pollution crises like Lough Neagh, and why legal frameworks, planning decisions and waste contracts are as important as personal behaviour. Who this episode is for People in Northern Ireland (and beyond) trying to understand what is actually happening at Mobuoy, on the Faughan and around Lough Neagh. Anyone curious how a town planner becomes a full‑time environmental campaigner, and what that costs and gives back. Listeners drawn to stories where local rivers, bureaucracy and community action collide. Why it matters This isn’t a distant climate story. It’s about drinking water, salmon rivers, public money, quiet decisions on planning files and how long‑running pollution crises are allowed to build in plain sight. Dean brings both insider knowledge of the system and the stubbornness of someone who still feels responsible to the river he grew up on. Micro‑FAQ What is the Mobuoy illegal dump? A huge illegal landfill outside Derry, where quarry pits were filled with shredded municipal, builders’ and other potentially dangerous waste without proper permissions or environmental assessment, close to the River Faughan. How big is it? Dean cites around 1.6 million tons of waste, spread over an area equivalent to about 64 football pitches. Was nobody regulating it? There was historic permission for a quarry and a recycling centre, but later operations breached regulations, lacked proper planning and were effectively treated as legitimate until campaigners forced the issue. How does this connect to Lough Neagh and other pollution? Mobuoy is one extreme example of wider problems: weak enforcement, fragmented responsibility and political reluctance to confront powerful interests – all of which show up in the health of rivers and lakes.

2. 

   8 May 2026

   #56 How Ireland Is Learning to Live with Nature Again | Emmett Johnston

   Ireland has a national park called *Glenveagh* – “Glen of the Birches” – where most visitors never notice there are almost no birch trees. Emmett Johnston thinks that gap between language and landscape says a lot about how *Ireland* lost, and is slowly rebuilding, its relationship with nature. In this episode we talk about basking sharks, rewilding in Glenveagh, native woodland, colonisation, Irish place‑names and why *environmentalism* built on guilt often fails to move people. What we explore – How Ireland’s history of colonisation and deforestation shows up in both the land and the language, and why place‑names like Glenveagh quietly record what used to be there. – Emmett’s journey from growing up in Dublin to managing Glenveagh National Park in Donegal and co‑founding the Irish Basking Shark Group. – What basking sharks can teach us about patience, migration and seeing Ireland as part of a much bigger living system. – Practical rewilding and restoration inside a national park: native woodland, peatlands, grazing, tourism and working with local communities rather than against them. – Why he believes environmentalists must move beyond finger‑wagging and guilt, towards offering experiences and futures people actually want to say yes to. – The hopeful signs he sees: more trees on the land, more action than ever before, and a generation who can still shape the next 50–100 years of how Ireland lives with nature. Who this is for – People in Ireland (or anywhere) wondering what “rewilding” and native woodland recovery really look like on the ground. – Anyone drawn to basking sharks, big coastal landscapes and the human stories behind conservation work. – Listeners who feel climate and biodiversity news is all doom and guilt, and want a more human, hopeful way in. Why this conversation matters Emmett carries both science and story: decades of ecological work, papers, and a day‑job managing a national park, alongside a deep respect for language, history and ordinary people’s lives. Instead of just listing problems, he tries to show what it looks like when nature recovery and human thriving pull in the same direction. Micro‑FAQ What is special about Glenveagh? It’s one of Ireland’s six national parks, set in a glen whose Irish name means “Glen of the Birches,” quietly pointing to a forested past that’s now mostly gone. Where do basking sharks come in? Emmett co‑founded the Irish Basking Shark Group and has spent years tracking and protecting these huge, gentle filter‑feeders off the Irish coast. Is this episode mainly about rewilding? It’s broader: rewilding and native woodland are part of a bigger conversation about history, language, people and how we choose to live with nature now. Is it all doom and gloom? No. Emmett is clear that habitats and species are under pressure, but he’s also convinced there’s “loads of hope” and more restoration activity now than ever before.

3. 

   3 May 2026

   #55 From Chemicals to Microbes: An Irish Farmer’s Road to Biodynamic, Regenerative Land - Paul Moorhead

   Most farmers are taught to fight weeds, feed the soil with chemicals and maximise yield. Paul Moorhead went the opposite direction – and the land responded. This conversation explores how regenerative farming, soil biology and biodynamic principles are quietly reshaping how some Irish farmers think about their land, their food and their role in the wider ecosystem. If you grow food, eat food or just wonder why modern farming feels so broken, this one is worth your time. --- What we get into • What regenerative farming actually means in practice on an Irish farm – beyond the buzzword. • How soil microbes, fungi and bacteria form the real foundation of healthy food, and why chemical fertilisers can disrupt that system silently over years. • Why “weeds” are indicators, not enemies – what they’re actually telling you about the health of your soil. • Biodynamic principles: how Paul uses rhythms, preparations and observation to work with nature rather than against it. • The emotional and cultural weight of changing how you farm in a system that rewards yield and punishes deviation. • What’s possible when Irish land is treated as a living ecosystem rather than a production unit. --- Who this episode is for • Farmers, smallholders and growers curious about regenerative and biodynamic methods. • Anyone who eats food and wants to understand where the current model is heading. • People feeling the pull toward a different relationship with land, nature and growing. --- Why this conversation might help This isn’t about perfect farming or utopian ideas. Paul speaks from real experience on real Irish land – what shifted, what was hard, and what he now sees differently when he walks his fields. --- Micro‑FAQ What is regenerative farming? A set of practices focused on rebuilding soil health, biodiversity and ecosystem function rather than just extracting yield – covering crop diversity, minimal tillage, composting and working with natural cycles. What is biodynamic farming? A holistic approach to agriculture developed by Rudolf Steiner that treats the farm as a living organism, using natural preparations, lunar rhythms and deep observation of natural cycles. Are weeds really useful? Yes. Different “weed” species indicate specific soil conditions – compaction, mineral deficiencies, pH imbalances. Learning to read them is one of the fastest ways to understand what your soil needs. Is this practical for Irish farms? Paul answers this directly from Irish conditions – climate, culture, subsidies and all.

Who has been a guest on Life and Depth with Ryan McDaid

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Jen Healy
• Diarmuid Lyng
• Troy Armour
• Eoin Sheehan
• Ross Culliton

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Spotify

5.0 / 5

51 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 51 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

82

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

51

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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