The hugely talented John Whelan joins us on the latest version of the LoveLaois Podcast where he tells us of his journey into writing poetry. John has essentially been writing for a living for almost half a century though poetry is certainly a different style. Mixing nostalgia with emotion and observation, he reads three of his poems - Conkers, Stoked and Miscellany. He chats about childhood memories, setting up a surf club in Laois and Christmas trips to the much-loved Miscellany shop in Laois. The poems recited are taken from a new collection entitled 'Stoked', which is due to be published later in 2025.And in keeping with the festive season, we close out with Fairytale of New York, from the hugely popular local band Pogueology.