Eamonn Scully on RTE Radio 1 – 8th September 2014

Participants:
Eamonn Scully, from the Irish Naturist Association,
singer-songwriter Charlie McGettigan, who is from Drumshanbo,
and local woman Bea Cullen.

[Host]Brendan: Body parts of all shapes and sizes will be on display later this week in the unlikely location of Drumshanbo in County Leitrim where the 34th International Naturist Conference Congress is due to meet. About a 100 nudists from 30 organizations worldwide will be letting it all hang out at the Lough Allen Spa for the AGM of the International Naturist Federation.
Eamonn Scully is a member of the Irish Naturist Federation.
Hiya, Eamon.

Eamonn: Hello

[Host]Brendan: Are you are you fully clothed at the moment as you speak to us?

Eamonn: You’ll never know that now unless you were here.

[Host]Brendan: We have to get you on Skype.

[Host]Éanna: I see, radio is a bit like that too. We could be Yeah. We could be. Naturists too.

[Host]Brendan: Dave Fanning did it years ago. There’s no

Eamonn: I mean, just I just imagine yourself and Brendan there. Alright. Yeah?

[Host]Brendan: Yeah. Well, listen. Don’t I hope you’ve had

[Host]Éanna: Give yourself a nightmare.

[Host]Brendan: I hope you had it before you had your dinner. How long have you been an a naturist,

Eamonn: Myself? This is not about me, of course. You know that. It’s, myself, I’ve been a naturist a long time. I was actually born a naturist.

[Host]Éanna: [Laughter] Very good.

[Host]Brendan: Well, I spoke to Pat Gallagher on the program about a year ago, and he gave us the full SP as well. Pat’s a a nice man. You want to say hello to him first? I know he’ll be there at the weekend and all the stuff happening around at the moment as well. Were you involved in true in choosing Drumshanbo as a venue?

Eamonn: No. That would have been Pat. Pat was the one who brought, who done a lot of the work in bringing the International Naturist Federation Congress to Ireland. He’s been, it’s been his ambition for many year. And, I have to say we all thought of course it was an impossible dream to achieve. But, however, he got the backing of Bord Failte who really sort of came to him and said could we bring this thing here? And, here we are. It’s all happening now in the next week.

[Host]Brendan: He spoke about it to us a year ago. He said he’d love to bring it in. That’s one of the reasons we’re speaking to you today as well. It’s like a follow-up just to say congratulations. Because he at the time he mentioned that there was a huge revenue to be earned by any town that’s gonna host this.

Eamonn: Well, that’s that it is tourism after all.

[Host]Éanna: I’m just I’m wondering, Eamonn. Right? I’m thinking of Dromshanbo as a location. Beautiful Leitrim. But when I think of naturists and a naturist conference or a nudist conference, what’s the correct term there?

Eamonn: Well, we call it, it is the Irish Naturist Association, so let’s call it naturists.

[Host]Éanna: Right. Naturists. Where are you gonna hang out at the beach?

Eamonn: We’re not going to the beach. We’re going to an AGM. It’s mostly gonna be the meeting in the meeting room and there’s a lot of business from the different countries to be dealt with. And like any AGM, it’s done occasionally. It’s only done every 2nd year with the with with the Naturist Federation. But, it has to be early this year. But there’s no we’re not looking for a beach.

[Host]Brendan: What’s on the agenda, Eamon? What kind of stuff needs to be discussed?

Eamonn: Well, each different country has sent delegates along, and they will have their own, agenda to, to deal with. I’m not normally involved in this naturist federation. It’s just Pat is unavailable at the moment and this is why I’m taking the taking the place. But it’s it’s very hard to put your finger on on the particular, horizon that we discussed. So, you guess, it could be there.

[Host]Brendan: It could be anything. It could be anything.

Eamonn: It could be anything. Yeah.

[Host]Brendan: Yeah. And when you when you get when I mean, when you travel abroad and you meet other nature, are you do you travel abroad? I assume

Eamonn: you do.

[Host]Brendan: Yeah. And when you meet other naturists, what’s their impression of Ireland?

Eamonn: Their impression of Ireland is a beautiful green country, but there’s nowhere in Ireland where you can go as a naturist, legally.

[Host]Brendan: Yes. I know there are certain spots that maybe there’s a swim, the odd time and stuff, but it’s not as you say, it’s it’s Well,

Eamonn: The swims are privately booked. I mean, the swimmers are private booked. We do use beaches, but, the law in Ireland really forbids you to be naked in public. That’s basically what it comes down to.

[Host]Brendan: Okay. Mister Charlie McGettigan, are you on the line, sir?

Charlie: Seamus, how are you?

[Host]Brendan: How are you? You’re a resident of Drumshanbo. Are you looking forward to the the naturist’s arrival?

Charlie: We are. You know, it’s something new for the town. I mean, we’ve had traditional music festivals here. We’ve had the only place in the country where the [????] is still held. But a naturist weekend sounds like a lot of fun, you know. It does kind of make me conjure up kind of thoughts of the entire town coming out in sympathy with with the naturists and maybe everybody going naked for the weekend because there are lots of people that’d be interested to see what they look like naked, to be quite honest, because you normally see them dressed up and stuff, particularly the county councillors and the politicians and that. You know? I’m in a choir here, a church choir here. I’ve got just woke up in the middle of the night after a dream that we were all singing naked in the church at mass.

[Host]Brendan: You should have a chat with Eamon. He might be he might be interested in having you along to sing here.

Charlie: We should have a special mass and and and holy communion. The one thing I’m worried about is there’s usually a traditional session down there in in the hotel. It’s in the Lough Allen Hotel and Spa, which is a beautiful place

[Host]Brendan: I know it well.

Charlie: Right on the edge of the lake there. They’re gonna have a lovely time. But, there’s always a traditional session on a Sunday night, and the the musicians have to play naked. It’s sort of it’s a bit difficult playing a concertina or an accordion with because certain bits could get caught up in the mechanics of the instrument. You know what I’m saying?

[Host]Brendan: I hadn’t thought about that.

Charlie: You’ve gotta think of all these things when you when these things are happening and figure out, you know, have a little emergency plan for all these situations. You know?

[Host]Brendan: Are you a member of the Legion of Mary or have been a member of the Legion of Mary?

Charlie: No. I was in the Legion of Mary when I was 13 or 14 years of age, and we used to the big job we had was to distribute the Universe Magazine. Of course, we used to keep the money and buy cigarettes with it.

[Host]Brendan: You got it.

Charlie: That’s the only crime I’m ever willing to confess to.

[Host]Brendan: There was a rumour that the Legion of Mary aren’t too happy about this.

Charlie: Well, you know, I think they’re actually forming it because there hasn’t been a Legion of Mary here in Dromshanbo to dive here for 40 years, but they’re forming one just to put a picket on it. That would be even better. That would be much more fun, you know, have a picket and have draw more attention to it all, you know, because we need people here. It’s great to see people coming and particularly naturist people seeing, you know,if a 100 people are willing to come this year, who knows? It could be a 1,000 next year.

[Host]Brendan: Dromshanbo, you know, I’ve spoken to you before about Dromshanbo. Sometimes it may seem that tourism has passed you by as every now and again, so it’s good to see, this conference coming there, and the people are happy locally.

Charlie: Yeah. Of course, we’re used to nudity here. You know? Seamus O’Rourke, for example, he’s one of our local our local major talents. He had a play there that ran for the bones of 6 months, and he was naked every night for an hour and a half on stage. There you go.

[Host]Brendan: We’re trying to get Seamus on the line, but, unfortunately, he isn’t around. Eamon, would you would you fancy Charlie coming down and singing a song for you?

Eamonn: Oh, anyone who wants to come to the party and sing a song, play an instrument. Totally good fun.

[Host]Brendan: Oh, and is it our closed option or would

Eamonn: Well, there’s there’s definitely one area in the hotel is gonna be closed option and that would be the meeting hall. But generally speaking, I believe and I’ve never been to one of these meetings. Okay. Generally speaking, everyone remains dressed. But the option is there for those who wish to strip off if they wish. We’re also gonna have the swimming pool made available at certain times. And of course, sauna is naturally naturist anyway. It should be. Ireland is one of the only countries that people tend to wear the bathing suit in the sauna.

[Host]Éanna: Well, actually, Eamonn, can I come in there? Because you’ve just reminded me of something that happened me when I was traveling, in around Germany, and I was in Frankfurt. And I’m wondering, and maybe you can help me out a little bit on this because, you know, the way you you think of some of the countries in the continent, they’re freer with themselves, and they’re more in tune with their with their bodies, and they don’t have maybe the same kind of hang ups. We tend to have a little a lot more hang ups here in Ireland. But, basically, I was in Frankfurt. Right, Shay? And, I went down to the hotel, and I went into the sauna, and I sat down. And first of all, I kinda looked around. I said, oh, there’s men and women in the sauna. It’s a unisex sauna. I need to take a second. So I took my breath, then I looked around. I went, ah, they’re all in the nip. There’s only me in my black swimming togs. And next minute, 2 Germans start to point at me. In German, they start speaking and start bursting out laughing. Next minute, I ran out of the sauna and the swimming togs because I couldn’t handle it. So, I mean, what is it about a lot of Irish people? And I’m sure you come across this. There seems to be I suppose it’s maybe it’s part of the schooling or how we’re brought up and that. We’re just not as comfortable with our own bodies to take it all off, particularly if we’re younger and that. Maybe we’re a bit more relaxed as we get older.

Eamonn: Okay. That’s a question.

[Host]Éanna: It is. It’s a long story, but it’s a question.

Eamonn: As it happens, like, there are more Irish people who have our []. Basically, it’s body image. If you’re comfortable as I am, as my family are, about their body, well then, it’s not a problem. But a lot of people have this this thing about, oh, I couldn’t look at me. I have it in my body image is very poor. They don’t do it. They might put it in words but this is what they mean, their uncomfortable with the body. But the body is a pure thing and not it’s quite natural to be naked. It’s really artificial to be dressed. I mean, clothes were invented. Naked wasn’t.

[Host]Brendan: Charlie, have you ever ever done the naked thing? Would you have been on holiday on the beach or anything like that?

Charlie: I did, but I usually was naked under my clothes, at the time. When I’m talking about body image, you mean, I’ve got, there’s a great song you should have a look at. It’s called by the Snake Oil Willie Band, and it’s called I Don’t Look Good Naked Anymore, and I certainly don’t look good naked. I’m wondering did I ever look good naked, you know, to be quite honest with you. And it’s nothing about the embarrassing bits. You know, I have no hang ups or hang downs about it, to be quite honest. But, and and the cold would be another factor. It’s quite chilly here today even though the sun is out, but it’s quite chilly. I think I’d prefer the clothes on, to be quite honest.

[Host]Brendan: I don’t think Eamonn is advocating going outside, are you, man?

Eamonn: Not at all. As long as we’re we’re naturists, not crazy people. Yeah. If it’s not warm enough, you don’t go naked. Simple as that. And you already we only like to be naked under certain circumstances when it’s comfortable to do so.

Charlie: It’s conditional, is it, Eamonn? It’s when it’s comfortable to do so. You can Oh,

Eamonn: when it’s comfortable.

Charlie: If I’m picking blackberries,

Eamonn: I’ll wear may wear gloves. You know?

Charlie: Three gloves?

Eamonn: If I if I’m doing some sort of serious work, I wear MC

Charlie: clothes. Yeah. Well, it’s blackberry season at the moment, and you know lots of blackberries on the bushes. So you’re gonna be wearing their own bushes.

Eamonn: You won’t lean into the bush in your nude. Certainly not. No. And and you’ll wear a clear coat of something that will protect your body. And and this is the same place to close. Look at the whole thing about naturists is what they really like to do is we head to the beach, strip naked, sunbathe, swim in the sea, and dry themselves down. And they might even sit in the shade looking at the sunshine because they don’t want to get get burnt. But the point of the matter is that people on the beach are not wearing towels to keep themselves warm. If it’s warm to go to the beach and wear a bathing suit, it’s warm to go naked.

[Host]Brendan: Charlie, some of the things that the naturists could see around Drumshanbo. I know you’re a a powerful advocate for that part of the world as well. Where would you recommend that?

Charlie: You know, if they’re willing to stay around for a little while, there’s lots and lots of stuff. I mean, it’s the center for traditional music. There’s music in virtually all over the place in this part of the world. Then there’s the Arigna Mining experience, which is just about 3 miles from where they’re going to be, which, you know, it’s really something special to see. It’s the Aurigna mines. They’ve recreated what it was like to be a miner only 25 odd years ago, since they closed and then there’s, of course, a particularly little trip down to Roscommon, Strokes Town House. It’s another beautiful place to go. There are so many things And the great thing about this part of the world, there are at least, 20 top class restaurants within a 10 mile radius. You mean, Nevan Maguire is just up the road. You’ve got lots of, restaurants in Carrick on Shannon and indeed in Drumshanbo itself. So there’s lots and lots of stuff to do. You know? They’re gonna have a great time.

Bee: Do you know what? I’ve just closed my eyes. I’m just imagining, Nevan was just an apron on him as he’s cooking. Just give me a second. Come back to me in a minute.

[Host]Brendan: Actually He looks good. Hey. You know,

Charlie: he looks good. I think I could imagine him looking really well.

[Host]Éanna: Yeah. Me too.

Charlie: Yeah. You know, without a doubt.

[Host]Brendan: Charlie, your name, we have another Drumshanbo resident on the line. Her name is, Bee Cullen. She I think she wants to welcome you all to, to Drumshanbo. Hello, Bee.

Bee: Hello there. How are you?

[Host]Brendan: I’m in great form. How are you?

Bee: I’m in great form. Thank god.

[Host]Brendan: I heard you were a blow in to Drumshanbo.

Bee: I am indeed, but I blew in a long time ago.

[Host]Brendan: How many years ago?

Bee: 45 years ago.

[Host]Brendan: You’re only the place a wet day.

Bee: Now that’s all indeed. Now it has been a great wet day, and there’s why not Drumshanbo for the naturist? They’re very welcoming people.

Bee: And it’s a lovely place, I have to say.

[Host]Brendan: So the locals are in good form and looking forward to everybody arriving?

Bee: In great form. Yes. Indeed. But the only thing was when I was a child, my mother always said cover the shame where you’re told.

[Host]Brendan: Well, there’s no no shame anymore. Why don’t you go up, Bea? I mean, I I’m sure Eamon will welcome you.

Bee: Talking about it. My sentiment, Charlie, might go down.

Charlie: You know, Shay, talking to Bea there listen to Bea, you should really acknowledge that Bea is one of the most the most wonderful people, and we appreciate her around Drumshanbo particularly because she does so much work for people with disabilities, for older people, and, she is nonstop worker in that direction. And I think we should acknowledge that apart from being a great character as well. She would she was in many of the play with me years years ago, but she’s just a wonderful person, and I just like that to be to be more.

Bee: Thank you, Charlie. I was well hit after all that. So why shouldn’t I go down and join the naturists? But now I said to my doctor a while ago, I was going to leave my body to research, and he said, oh, missus Cullen, don’t do that. He said you might give somebody a heart attack. [Laughter]

Bee: He doesn’t want it. There’s more wrinkles than anything else now.

Charlie: Our local post mistress, Tricia McKenna, said she she’d go down if she had nothing on. [Laughter]

Bee: I like that.

[Host]Éanna: But is the point not about it be that it doesn’t matter if you haven’t got the kinda youngest, fittest body, that it’s about being, you know, comfortable with yourselves. And in fact, a lot of the members go on to be slightly older. Yeah.

Bee: Of course, it is.

Eamonn: It’s about come in there. I’m sorry. Yes.

[Host]Brendan: I am.

Bee: Now far it wouldn’t be for me. Now I wouldn’t be comfortable without clothes because it wouldn’t be warm enough, first of all. And you were saying about no beach. If anybody got too hot to stay down in the hotel, they can always jump out into the lake right beside them there and cool off.

[Host]Brendan: The the beautiful lake, Eamon.

Bee: The beautiful lake is right.

[Host]Brendan: Go ahead, Eamon. You want to say something? Yeah.

Eamonn: I did. Yeah. Yeah. Bee, you see, Bee put her finger on us a little while ago. She said cover the shame. This is the problem with a lot of people. They are ashamed of their bodies. There is no reason to be ashamed of your body. There really isn’t. And what should what you could you want to be calling is covered to shame. You’ve been brought up that way. It’s been indoctrinated and the whole problem is that people have psychological problems because they are ashamed of their bodies.

[Host]Brendan: Well, Eamon, as I say, we wanted to get in touch with you today to really congratulate, yourself and Pat and the Irish Naturist Association for for managing to get the congress to come here to bring tourism to Dromshanbo. I know, as I say, Charlie is a huge supporter of of tourism, and and you should go to Dromshanbo. He himself was an ESB worker. If he could, he’d bring you on a tour of a power station. Is that right, Charlie?

Charlie: Oh, without a doubt, you know, but the mining experience is well worth going to.

Eamonn: Well, many of us would be going on the mining experience. It’s part it’s part of the tour, actually.

[Host]Brendan: Good stuff.

Bee: And will you be going in without any clothes? You might give my husband a heart attack up there.

[Host]Brendan: Does your husband work there, Bee?

Bee: He works there. Yes.

Eamonn: No. I think it’s important to to have workwear on and if we’re gonna be mining.

[Host]Brendan: PPE, personal personal protection equipment.

Bee: Fine, and it’d be just showing ye around.

Eamonn: Even so a hard hat and maybe[???]

Charlie: I’ll just to be a bit controversial here, I’d like to ask Eamonn. And, you know, generally speaking, when men, when they see a naked woman, there’s a certain amount of excitement, goes into the operation. How does one deal with that?

Eamonn: Have you never gone skinny dipping, Shay?

Charlie: No. No. No. No.

Eamonn: Never

Charlie: You obviously haven’t seen my body, you know. Well,

Eamonn: You see, do you have body issues, you see? Yeah. That’s the problem. You mustn’t have body issues. Look at this. You really got to experience this to know the feeling of it. It’s not a sexual situation.

Charlie: Yeah.

Eamonn: No. To answer your question, men do not get excited at the the sight of another woman’s body.

Charlie: Interesting. That’s news that’s news to me.

[Host]Éanna: I think it’s news to Shay as well. I think

[Host]Brendan: it’s true.

Eamonn: Yours or your name, mate.

[Host]Brendan: Oh, not at all. Charlie McGettigan is the purest former member of the leader of the mayor. But Eamonn, thanks for coming on the line, and thanks for telling us about it. As I say, congratulations on bringing it, getting the congress sent to Pat and everybody else involved in the Irish Naturist Association. If you want a t shirt from the Irish Naturist Association, it’s €14 €5 post to back. Why would you want a t shirt? I don’t know. It’s available.

Eamonn: Look at can I just before I go can I just say that, a lot of people reach naturism in later life and then you hear the words, I wish I had discovered this sooner when I was younger, when I was more presentable? This is what you get all the time. People who are ashamed when they’re young get the courage up when they’re older and then they are sorry they didn’t do it sooner.

[Host]Brendan: If, Bee or, Charlie or anybody else wants to get involved in naturism, how do they do that?

Eamonn: Well, they can get on to the Irish Naturist website, download an application form, become Irish Naturist, or so simply come along and visit the swim. They will mail it in to to test the water.

[Host]Brendan: Would you drop in and see Bee for me, Eamon? Will you when you’re up there? BEE, where are you located in Dromshanbo?

[Host]Éanna: I know b

Bee: should go to them. You just ask for Bee in Dromshanbo. Yeah. He she he’ll get directions to me.

[Host]Brendan: Brilliant. Or maybe you should drop up to the hotel and let us

Bee: I’ll make a cake for him. A few balls.

[Host]Brendan: Oh, listen.

Bee: Eamonn would be absolutely lovely. The only thing I’m worried about is the girls waiting on the tables down at the hotel in case a drip might fall off the spout of the teapot. [Laughter]

[Host]Brendan: Eamonn Scully I think

Bee: [???]

[Host]Brendan: I think so. I think so. I think and you too, Eamon. Eamon Scully from the INA and, Charlie McGettigan, singer songwriter, and, general all round good guy and Bea Cullen from Drumshanbo. Thanks for joining us.