Latest news with #RayGoggins
The Irish Sun
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
‘That's when panic set in' – Watch camogie ace & gold medallist's scary cliff moment on Death Road in RTE's Uncharted
ASHLING Thompson and Ellen Keane are this week's "guests" on RTE's Uncharted With Ray Goggins. The 4 Ray Goggins is an Irish special forces veteran Credit: RTE Press Office Issue 4 The Paralympic legend and Cork camogie star joined him on this adventure Credit: RTE Press Office Issue 4 Keane retired from the pool after last summer's Paralympic Games in Paris 4 Thompson is still an integral player for the defending All-Ireland champions Last week saw Irish language hip-hop duo Kneecap embark on an Arctic expedition while the series' opening episode showed This Wednesday it is the turn of a pair of sporting stars and while they no doubt would've possessed the physical capacity for their epic quest there were moment where their resolve was tested. RTE set them out on a path down Bolivia's notorious Death Road with one moment in particular leaving the Cork star literally frightened for her life. As they drove down what's well-known to be the most dangerous road on the planet, they came across an abandoned van. Read More On GAA With the only other option being to sit tight for hours until help arrived to repair it, Goggins instead convinced them to squeeze past - despite it being a massive drop if they did slide off the cliff face. Thompson can be heard reflecting on that scary instance as she acts as the show's narrator back in the here and now. The six-time All-Ireland winner underlined: "We only had the width of the jeep to get by. So that's when the panic set in." Not only did they have to traverse the arduous road portion but they also ended up having to hike through almost 100km of dense cloud forest and cross raging rivers. Most read in GAA Hurling Upon meeting them in the South American country, Ray warned: "We are going to negotiate some of the worst and most dangerous terrain on the planet. "It's going to be hardcore, you are going to be at altitude so it's not going to be for the faint-hearted. 'Like something out of the French Revolution' - RTE GAA pundit Donal Og Cusack slams Dublin star's reckless swipe "It will be hellish at times." Ellen recalled how she had to be adaptable in order to follow Goggins' lead given her disability. Using the example of how she approached a makeshift wire bridge over a powerful river, she explained: "I had to figure out how to get across a little differently to everyone else. "Ray was not offering help too soon which was really reassuring to me because it meant that he believed I could do it. "When you are a person with a disability, everyone always expects you not to be able to do something or to always need help, and I don't like that narrative. "I can do anything that Ashling does, I just have to do it a little differently. "I think that's a really important lesson for people to learn that it doesn't matter how something is done, as long as it is done at the end of the day, that's the most important thing." You can watch the episode in full on RTE One at 9:35pm on Wednesday May 28.
Irish Times
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Uncharted with Ray Goggins review: Kneecap show their soulful side as they trudge through the Arctic snow
Kneecap have undeniably been in hot water in the past several weeks. But before the firestorm, they spent several days in the Arctic Circle in the company of former Army ranger and survival expert Ray Goggins and their exploits are now documented in part two of Uncharted With Ray Goggins ( RTÉ One, Wednesday). Those tuning in expecting further fireworks will be disappointed. The trio of Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, Naoise Ó Cairealláin and JJ Ó Dochartaigh make for largely thoughtful company, though there are occasionally flashes of cheeky chap-dom. They get on well with Goggins – a literal sgt major type and stickler for military discipline, as they wend their way across Finland to the tri-border marker where Finland, Norway and Sweden intersect. But if the episode has a deeper message, it is perhaps to touch on the distance that can still exist between people from the two sides of the island. They don't seem impressed that Goggins is a decorated ranger. 'I hear he was in the Irish Army . . . they basically do f**k all,' quips one – a jarring line considering the many sacrifices made by the Irish Army cross the decades. On the other hand, they speak fluent Irish while Goggins does not, and their passion for the country's ancient oral traditions is evoked wonderfully when they meet an indigenous Finish Sámi singer and perform the sean-nós, Amhrán Na Scadán. READ MORE Kneecap's Naoise Ó Cairealláin in the Arctic. Photograph: RTÉ [ Uncharted with Ray Goggins review: Leo Varadkar has to get halfway up a mountain with Lyra before he lets his guard down Opens in new window ] The actual adventure elements of the instalment are more disposable – there's lots of trudging through the snow and digging sheltering holes as the sun goes down. There's also a great deal of swearing, and the show could have been done without Goggins, the responsible adult in the scenario, dropping an f-bomb – who is he trying to impress? Carrying on from where he left off last week during his exploits with Leo Varadkar and Lyra , he gets straight to the point when Kneecap arrive on snowmobiles. 'Welcome to the Arctic, fellas . . . If you get your s**t wrong you're going to suffer. If you get your s**t badly wrong, you're in trouble.' Off they set on a three-day trek where indignities include trying to shuffle up a hill in sub-zero temperatures and using an outdoor toilet in the middle of a snowstorm. 'You don't want your arse to stick to the toilet seat. It was an experience,' protests JJ. Kneecap's antics on stage have created the impression that they're born rabble-rousers. However, anyone who has seen their quasi-autobiographical movie or actually attended one of their gigs can tell you that they have a thoughtful and soulful side too, and this comes through as they talk in Irish and speak about how, in their estimation, British rule in the North has been bad for both communities. But then they start banging on about wanting to retain the NHS – suggesting they have bought into the exceptionalist British myth that their public healthcare system is the best in the world. Haters will be underwhelmed by Kneecap's entry into survival-based fly-on-the-wall television. They come across as largely reflective, occasionally a bit gobby and annoying. But if this frosty serving of reality TV ultimately achieves anything, is it to show that a band widely caricatured as addicted to controversy have no objection to chilling out in the right circumstances.
Sunday World
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sunday World
Kneecap were warned they could die on perilous journey to Arctic Circle for TV show
The northern Irish hip hop trio – recently at the centre of a storm over their comments on the Middle East and British Tory MPs – went on a gruelling five day trek across the Arctic in February KNEECAP were warned by former Irish Army Ranger wing leader Ray Goggins that they could possibly die on a perilous journey to the Arctic Circle for his TV show – but still went ahead with the trip. The northern Irish hip hop trio – recently at the centre of a storm over their comments on the Middle East and British Tory MPs – went on a gruelling five day trek across the Arctic in February. The group – Mo Chara (Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh), Móglaí Bap (Naoise Ó Cairealláin) and DJ Próvaí (JJ Ó Dochartaigh) – tested their resilience in a deadly landscape where temperatures can drop below minus 40, and things can go very wrong. Kneecap joined Ray for his Uncharted documentary for an experience near the North Pole that will test them and push them to their limits. Ray leads the Irish language speaking trio skiing through the Arctic tundra over five days towards the symbolic marker of Scandinavian unity and cross border cooperation, the tri-border, where the Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish borders all meet. Kneecap in the Arctic Circle News in 90 Seconds - May 18th "This is one of the most extreme environments I've been in,' Ray tells them. 'In Ireland, minus five is a red alert, it's down to minus 30, minus 35 here. It's a different gravy if something goes wrong, you could be dead. No matter how fit you are, how tough you are, you are on the edge all of the time.' He again warns the lads there's a real threat to life and they may not even come back from their trip. "The chance of picking up a serious injury, and death are pretty high here,' he confirms. Ray Goggins. Photo by Steve Humphreys 'The temp at the moment isn't too bad, it's going to drop to below minus 20 tomorrow. If you get your shit wrong, you are going to suffer. "If you get your shit badly wrong, you are going to be in trouble - you could be looking at losing I ask you to do something, when I tell you to do something, there's a reason behind whole thing isn't just about you surviving, I want you to excel in this environment." But the lads are up for the task despite the obvious risks. 'I'm very excited, very excited to do this. Our schedule has been so busy the last year you know, this is a welcome change. Snow, mountains, pure sparse trees, pure emptiness, pure nature. It's something I have never experienced before,' beams JJ. "This is something that not many people get to do so we are going to grab it with both hands and go for it." Liam Óg is quite jovial about what lies ahead of him. "We're not allowed any drink in the igloos apparently, I don't know whose idea that was. Was that Ray Goggins? I'll pull him up on it..," he giggles. Naoise adds: "Going from place to place gigging, hangovers etc can be quite the stress so either this journey will be quite a relief, or a pain in the arse, but we will soon find out." During their trek the windchill dropped at one stage to a dodgy minus 30, with Ray conceding 'we are under a bit of pressure now lads, it can get very serious..." Belfast lad Liam Óg is reflective on how to deal with their situation. 'In situations like this where it's a bit more extreme, where the landscape is against you, that you have to rely on each other... That you end up just becoming tighter very quickly," he reflects. Derryman JJ sees links between their struggle in the Arctic circle and their own background in the North. "Growing up, a lot of our families and the people we looked up to would have been associated with the struggle against the Brits,' he points out. 'I think between the communities in the North, people get on well. The young ones can see the irony of it, have the craic, still support Celtic and Rangers, you know what I mean." Liam Óg, who hails from Belfast, observes: "As far as a United Ireland is concerned, obviously we support a United are very vocal about that. The British Government has never really served the Irish people... have never done well by the Irish people. We have had an actual 100 years of it up North. ' I think it has come to the point now where the British government don't even serve the Unionists in the that live in the North. 'I think it's time for an alternative basically and obviously the biggest obstacle to that is making a United Ireland appealing to the unionists. A United Ireland should be a place where all cultures are celebrated. 'There's a lot of right-wing connotations to it ideas and stuff where it's like "Ireland's full", we are still a million people down from the famine. Ireland's not full, you're full of shit." . Naoise reiterates what motivates them. "People always kind of say about up North and our pride of being Irish is what pushes us to thrive, to learn the language or whatever. It's not always about resistance, it's just about when you have a language that's your own language and it creates a bond between people,' he stresses. Ray, who said he met the lads with an open book and blank page, is pleased with his time hanging out with them. "I love the conversation with the three guys, yeah ...they come from a certain background, but they are trying to move on. Their openness and awareness of everything else going on around them is incredible for young men. I was absolutely blown away by that,' he exclaims. * Uncharted with Ray Goggins - RTÉ One/RTÉ Player Wednesday 9.35pm
Irish Times
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Uncharted with Ray Goggins review: Leo Varadkar has to get halfway up a mountain with Lyra before he lets his guard down
One of the benefits of Ireland being such a small country is that our reality television throws up the weirdest combinations of celebrities. A case in point is the new survival challenge series, Uncharted with Ray Goggins ( RTÉ One , Wednesday), which kicks off with former taoiseach Leo Varadkar climbing a mountain in South Africa with Cork pop star Lyra . What next? Rappers Kneecap chugging around the Arctic for a week? Yes, that's in part two (those presumably very cosy balaclavas will come in handy). The only really mysterious ingredient is Goggins, of whom I'd never previously heard. He seems to be a sort of Irish Bear Grylls – minus the hippy-dippy wackiness and the obsession with staying hydrated by drinking your own wee. He is a harsh taskmaster, and initially, his unsmiley routine is annoying. 'He started off very stern, didn't seem very friendly,' says Varadkar, who might have been more comfortable with Grylls leaping out of a thicket to explain the best way to cook nettles. I know I would. Varadkar and Lyra make for a curious couple as their adventure begins with them gingerly driving a jeep across South Africa towards the Drakensberg Escarpment – which sounds like the scene of a battle in Lord of the Rings but is, in fact, a towering peak that leads to the world's highest waterfalls. It isn't just that they're from entirely different worlds – Leo, a Kylie Minogue fan, and Lyra, an artist whose music is somewhere between Kate Bush , Enya and Florence and the Machine . They also have wildly contrasting personalities. READ MORE Varadkar comes across as an introvert and is slow to open up to his companions. Lyra is the opposite – there is a sense of a larger-than-life individual who speaks their mind without a filter. She has also decided to climb a mountain in acrylic nails – the bravest thing anyone has done in the Irish music industry since U2 tried to go techno. Goggins chimes in with some on-the-hoof psychological assessments. 'Leo isn't ready for this,' he remarks. 'He says what can go wrong first rather than what can go right. That can be a chore if you're up a mountain in Africa.' Varadkar does eventually let his guard down. 'My friends say I'm slow to warm up to people,' he says. 'It's much easier on this trip.' Halfway up the mountain, the three begin to bond (not having much else to do). Varadkar recalls the verbal abuse he would receive as taoiseach. 'A woman came up to me in a bar and told me her sister had taken her life because of me, because of the housing crisis . She got quite aggressive ... The longer and longer I was doing it [being in politics] the less I was enjoying the upside.' Lyra, for her part, talks about her struggles with the music industry and its bizarre beauty standards. 'I didn't get to the size they wanted me to be,' she says, revealing she has experienced bulimia. Varadkar chimes in with encouragement. 'I can't believe the industry didn't believe you look like a pop star,' he says. 'You climbed a mountain in those nails.' [ 'I could have done a little bit more': Leo Varadkar says new adventure show made him reconsider leadership style Opens in new window ] Uncharted never satisfactorily explains who Goggins is or why he's qualified to send Leo and Lyra up an escarpment in South Africa beyond saying he's a 'former special forces soldier'. But what kind of soldier? Whose special forces? An internet search reveals he spent 17 years in the elite Army Rangers and now writes self-help books – but the series could have gone further filling in those blanks. The episode ends with Varadkar and Lyra back at sea level, the better for their experience. Next week, it's Kneecap in the Arctic. Considering the heat they've been feeling recently, a trip somewhere cold and away from social media will no doubt be appreciated.
Irish Independent
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Today's top TV and streaming picks: Uncharted With Ray Goggins, 25 Years of Location, Location, Location and A British Horror Story
Uncharted with Ray Goggins RTÉ One, 9.35pm Move over Bear Grylls, Ray Goggins is out to steal your crown as TV's top survival expert. Although now best known as a bestselling author and for his appearances on RTÉ's Ultimate Hell Week, Goggins spent 30 years as an Irish Special Forces Operator specialising in such tricky situations as hostage rescue and counter terrorism. His life is a lot less stressful these days, but he's about to call on his old skills during an exciting new series. Each edition sees him take a pair of famous folk into some of the planet's most treacherous environments, pushing them far outside their comfort zones during mentally and physically punishing adventures. During each edition, the duos form a close bond, finding the experience exhilarating and life-changing. In between experiencing adrenaline rushes, they talk about their lives, opening up emotionally. The first episode features a pair who, on paper at least, are a real odd couple – former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Laura McNamara, aka singer-songwriter Lyra. They're journeying with Goggins to the wild, untamed mountains of Drakensberg, South Africa, where they sleep in caves and make their way to the top of the mighty Tugela Falls. However, a death-defying vertical climb may prove too much for Varadkar, who is more accustomed to scaling political heights than sheer rock faces. Mark Moriarty: Cook Like a Chef RTÉ One, 8pm The culinary expert returns with a new series in which he demonstrates how to make three dishes per episode, using a small selection of simple ingredients that won't break the bank. How to Cook Well in Morocco RTÉ One, 8.30pm Marrakesh is so extraordinary, Rory O'Connell is spending two episodes there. The second of them begins with him enjoying breakfast at the Cafe de la Poste, which was founded when Morocco was still a French protectorate. Race Across the World BBC One, 9pm If the teams appear confused during the latest leg, it's probably because they have to pass through three countries, so barely have time to register where they are. They must travel from China to Nepal before reaching the next checkpoint in Varanasi in India, with almost 24 hours between the leading pair and the rest of the pack. 25 Years of Location, Location, Location Channel 4, 9pm The highlight of an evening dedicated to the property programme is this documentary in which Kirstie Allsopp and Phil Spencer look at how their industry has changed since the show began, as well as a few memorable moments. 3:10 to Yuma Film4, 4.40pm Tension-filled western starring Glenn Ford and Van Heflin. A cash-strapped farmer agrees to guard a notorious criminal, little realising the villain's cohorts are planning to spring him from custody. Two of the UK's most prolific killers are once again under the microscope due to recently unearthed police recordings. Untold: The Liver King Netflix, streaming now By ritualistically horsing into raw meat on social media, The Liver King created an enterprise around supplements. And he supposedly had the muscles to show it. How did he get so enormous...? Speaking of ripped physiques: in the week following WrestleMania, last night saw WWE superstars seeking retribution against past opponents and beginning new rivalries. Even Cena isn't safe. Bad Thoughts Netflix, streaming now If you fancy Black Mirror vibes but with bloody slapstick humour, this collection of wildly disturbing stories pushes the boundaries of decency in ways only Tom Segura could conjure. Expect tales from a country music star who mines people's misery in exchange for spoiled prawns, a tortured barista, and lots of other delightful weirdness. Speaking of which, a new volume of Love, Death and Robots lands on Thursday. A Deadly American Marriage Netflix, streaming now The story of Jason Corbett and Molly Martens was always going to be made into a Netflix documentary. Corbett, a widower, got married in 2008 to Martens, his Tennessee au pair. They left Ireland to start over in North Carolina with his kids, Jack and Sarah. Their story took a dark turn in August 2015, when Molly and her dad, former FBI agent Thomas Martens, were in an altercation resulting in Jason's death. Molly later entered a no-contest plea, claiming self-defence, while Thomas was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter in 2023. After their 2024 prison release, uncertainty remained about certain facets. Directed by Jessica Burgess and Jenny Popplewell, this documentary includes exclusive interviews providing insight into the divergent perspectives of those involved, leaving some grappling with the question of: 'Who was the real victim?' And, given Jack and Sarah's unbelievably brave contributions, the answer to that would be: the kids. Octopus! Prime Video, streaming now Narrated by Phoebe Fleabag Waller-Bridge, this marvellous mash-up chronicles being killed by a lover, losing yourself in Mexico, spotting a unicorn, befriending a competitive quilter, exploring our connection with aliens, and extra Tracy Morgan. This is how all nature documentaries ought to be produced from now on. Rose International Dance Prize Marquee TV, streaming now For those unfamiliar with Marquee TV, it's your global streaming platform for the arts. This 60-minute film, narrated by Fiona Shaw (Bad Sisters, Harry Potter, plus too many more to mention), sees internationally acclaimed choreographers compete for dance's version of the Oscars. The Match Netflix, streaming now If you're watching season two of The Devil's Plan and wondering why there's always a Go master in the line-up, this cut-throat drama could give you some context. For something at the other end of the spectrum entirely, Vince Vaughn, Susan Sarandon and a rake load of other famous people star in Nonnas.
