Latest news with #N17
RTÉ News
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
Tolü Makay on camogie, music, mental health, and finding purpose
Episode 16 of the Insights with Seán O'Rourke podcast features Nigerian-born, Offaly-raised singer-songwriter Tolü Makay. They share a fascinating conversation about her journey through music, identity, mental health, and the courage it takes to follow your true path. Tolü Makay has emerged as one of Ireland's most compelling musical voices, known for her soulful sound and deeply personal lyrics. From singing in church as a child to her viral rendition of the Saw Doctors' N17 with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, she has captivated audiences across the country. But her story goes far beyond the music. A former Google employee, Tolü left the corporate world to pursue her creative passion—something she now describes as "100% her life." Speaking with Seán about her move from Nigeria to Offaly at the age of five, Tolü says that it's difficult to know exactly how the move shaped her. "I studied Psychology, so I feel like a lot of things that do shape you come down to your environment and also just the genetics of your make-up as well," she muses. Although she was young when she arrived in Tullamore, she does recall the feeling of being slightly different from her surroundings, describing a moment that she heard a young boy asking his mother about her skin colour. Despite this "underlying humming" feeling, Tolü threw herself into her new community, playing camogie with great enthusiasm. "I loved camogie! I was brilliant at it, I thought I was great at it, because you have to be fast. You need to know how to dodge the ball, catch the ball, and get the ball into the net as well. I really enjoyed it, I really wish I had actually continued." Although she enjoyed her time playing camogie, it was music that called to Tolü as a teenager. Growing up in a religious household, she says that music and religion were intertwined for her family. "Music was always around, in the context of the religion that I grew up in," she explains. As a young teenager, though, she expanded her relationship with music, stepping outside of the church and trying out singing competitions. When she finished school, Tolü headed to Galway to study Psychology before moving to Dublin to attend Trinity for her Higher Diploma. Unfortunately, the tuition became too expensive, leading her to a job in the corporate world. Now, she says she may return to education one day and continue her dreams of becoming a Neuroscientist: "We'll see how life pans out." During this time, music remained a passion for Tolü. Although it wasn't providing financial stability, she says it was the thing that sustained her. "Music was the thing that I needed for myself," she explains. "Music was a way for me to express and relate myself to people, so I needed that." Eventually, her years of working and studying full-time led to burnout, and she decided to take the leap and pursue music full-time, leaving the stability of the corporate world for her passion. Thankfully, this leap of faith paid off. In 2021, the singer was invited to record a rendition of the Saw Doctors' N17 with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, which led to a performance at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, appearances on The Late Late Show, The Tommy Tiernan Show, as well as a number of festivals and corporate relationships. "It made me want to dream bigger," she says. "It made me want to know that a girl from a really small county, a really small town, can become one of those stars that you see on TV."
The Independent
21-02-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Ange Postecoglou backs Tottenham's Djed Spence for England call-up
Ange Postecoglou has backed Tottenham full-back Djed Spence to earn a maiden England call-up next month. Spence has been a major positive for Spurs across a difficult winter period with 12 starts since the middle of December. It took the full-back the best part of 30 months to earn a full debut at Tottenham, but the 24-year-old has finally started to flourish in N17 after mixed loan spells at Rennes, Leeds and Genoa since his 2022 move from Middlesbrough. Postecoglou revealed he was purposely tough on the versatile defender at the start of this season and is delighted to see Spence come through that test with flying colours, which has resulted in his name being mentioned as a potential surprise inclusion in Thomas Tuchel's first England squad in March. 'I've always kept an open mind about these things. There's obviously a player there. There was never any doubt about that. Why it hadn't worked out? You always try to figure out,' Postecoglou saidd ahead of Saturday's trip to Ipswich. 'I didn't make it easy for him, it's not like I said to him, 'Djed, you're here, we love you, stay'. 'I purposefully made it difficult for him because I thought that was going to be the test. To see earlier in the season when he wasn't playing or part of squads, how he was training, how he was reacting to things and he never got disengaged. 'He was always engaged and that made an impression on everyone. Me, the coaches, his team-mates and from then on, it's just been all about him. 'All I did was say, 'you've earned a shot at it, here it is', and he's been brilliant. You know there's a player there and sometimes you just need certain things to click into gear. The penny drops at different times for different players. 'For some of them it drops at 18, for some it drops a bit later when they realise this is what I have to do to get the most out of my career and it's a credit to him. 'He's an outstanding player, I'm super pleased we've still got him in the building. It would have been super easy for him to be playing elsewhere. 'Again, I don't like talking about national team representation but fair to say in terms of full-backs in recent times, his form is as good as anybody's. 'Don't forget, he's not really a left-back, he's a right-back. The ability of him to play on the left is very useful but in terms of full-backs and form in the league over the last two or three months, I think he'd be up there.' Spurs assistant Matt Wells is understood to have been a big champion of Spence, who could start at right-back against Ipswich with Pedro Porro in line for a rare rest. The form of the former England Under-21 international means Postecoglou has genuine competition at full-back, but the Australian feels more is to come from Spence. Postecoglou added: 'For him, the challenge now is, 'don't settle for that now. Push on'. There's no reason why he can't. 'He can be a top, top player. He's already at a great level but don't settle for that. My role and for all of us here is to keep pushing him on.'
