Michael Heffernan has always been a creator. For decades, he designed everything from medical devices to pots and pans. Today, after a near-death experience in 2018, he paints sweeping abstract landscapes and pens corresponding poetry inspired by his Irish childhood, and now, his life in the U.S. Southeast. ------- Music: "Old Mother Flanagan:" American/Irish Traditional Tune; Performed by Chris Erswell; Courtesy of Chris Erswell, Internet Archive. Creative Commons License: Attribution - Non-Commercial - Share-alike.

The banjo may appear to be a long-time staple of Irish music, but the tenor four-string is a newcomer to the session. Enda Scahill, 2022 winner of the Steve Martin Banjo Prize and founder of We Banjo 3, follows the instrument's unlikely journey from Africa to Appalachia and then, to the Irish spotlight. ------- Music: "Old Mother Flanagan:" American/Irish Traditional Tune; Performed by Chris Erswell; Courtesy of Chris Erswell, Internet Archive. Creative Commons License: Attribution - Non-Commercial - Share-alike. "Solider's Joy:" American/Irish Traditional Tune; Performed by Guy Wolff; Courtesy of Derek Piotr, Derek Piotr Fieldwork Archive. Creative Commons License: Attribution - Non-Commercial - Share-alike.

David Shanahan, Kerry native and punter for Georgia Tech, shares how the GAA helped him make it into Georgia football with a full scholarship. Music: "Old Mother Flanagan:" Performed by Chris Erswell.  Creative Commons License: Attribution - Non-Commercial - Share-alike. "Ramblin' Wreck from Georgia Tech:" Written by Michael Greenblatt; Arranged by Frank Roman; Performed by Georgia Institute of Technology Marching Band; Courtesy of Georgia Institute of Technology.

Life sciences contribute up to 32% of Ireland's GDP, according to recent reports. And in South Carolina, this booming industry is one of the fastest growing sectors in the Southeast. In this episode, Atlanta's Consulate General Caoimhe Ní Chonchúir and SCBIO CEO James Chappell explore exciting business opportunities between the two regions through R&D and beyond.

Caitríona Ní Dhomhnaill, a Connemara native and rising star of drama Ros na Rún, talks about her bilingual childhood and what it's like to tell stories for TV and film in the Irish language. Catch Caitríona on the latest season of Ros na Rún at www.tg4.ie and be sure to give her a follow on Twitter at @CaitrionaODonn3.  ------- Music: "Old Mother Flanagan:" American/Irish Traditional Tune; Performed by Chris Erswell; Courtesy of Chris Erswell, Internet Archive. Creative Commons License: Attribution - Non-Commercial - Share-alike.

About 40,000 people speak the Irish language; 200 speak Eastern Band Cherokee. Both languages are considered endangered in their homeland.    In this episode, Dr. Ben Frey of the Eastern Band Cherokee Nation and Dr. Misha Becker, linguistics professors at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, share their experience of passing the state's native tongue on to the next generation — whether through Motorola smartphone software or hip hop compilations.   To learn more about Josh "Rowdy" Rowsey's hip hop workshops at Cherokee's New Kituwah Academy, tune into the mini-documentary "Cherokee Hip Hop" or Rowsey's TedxTalk, "The World is Yours: The Importance of Hip Hop Culture."   ------- Music: "Old Mother Flanagan:" American/Irish Traditional Tune; Performed by Chris Erswell; Courtesy of Chris Erswell, Internet Archive. Creative Commons License: Attribution - Non-Commercial - Share-alike. "Guide Me O, Thou Great Jehovah:" Traditional Cherokee Hymn; Performed by ᏦᎭᎾ ᏣᏑᏰᏓ ᎻᎩᏍ ᏦᎭᎾ ᏣᏑᏰᏓ ᎻᎩᏍ ᏫᏍ; Courtesy of Cherokee.Hymns. Creative Commons License: Attribution - Non-Commercial - Share-alike.

Few people stop to ask themselves what happens to a wind turbine blade at the end of its life. The Re-Wind Network, a team of architects, engineers and sociologists from schools across Ireland and the U.S., have teamed up to answer that question with bridges and blueprints. Angie Nagle from University College Cork and Zoe Zhang from Georgia Institute of Technology share a few words on how the Re-Wind Network is transforming Ireland's greenways and the future of wind energy. ------- Music: "Old Mother Flanagan:" American/Irish Traditional Tune; Performed by Chris Erswell; Courtesy of Chris Erswell, Internet Archive. Creative Commons License: Attribution - Non-Commercial - Share-alike.