In this powerful and heartfelt episode of We Are The People, Sinead Walsh invites us into the small moments, the turning points, and the quiet battles that shaped who they are today. From a childhood filled with laughter and seaside innocence in Donabate, to the complex terrain of coming out in a Catholic all-girls school, Sinead reflects with honesty, humour and tenderness on the years that made them.
We explore what it means to feel different before you have the language for it, to navigate the fear and confusion of adolescence, and to discover chosen family in friendships that feel like home.
Sinead also shares the intense pressure — and liberation — of realising they were non-binary, the joy and heartbreak of stepping into stand-up comedy, and the moments of pure magic that come from connection, creativity, and community.
This episode is a reminder that identity is rarely straightforward, courage is built over years, and joy is something we learn to claim for ourselves.
In this episode, we explore:
🌱 Growing up shy, sensitive and playful in Donabate — and how those early sparks of performance first showed up
💛 Coming out in a Catholic all-girls school, navigating fear, friendship, exclusion, and surprising moments of support
🏳️🌈 Understanding their sexuality, discovering queer community, and finding language for feelings that once felt unnameable
🎭 How comedy found them — from heartbreak, to a friend’s nudge, to the first five-minute set that changed everything
🌈 Embracing a non-binary identity and the freedom of finally letting themselves exist outside other people’s expectations
✨ The fierce importance of safe adults, good teachers, and small acts of care in shaping a young person’s world (16:07–17:22)
Sinead’s story is tender, funny, vulnerable and full of heart. Their journey holds space for anyone who has felt “other”, anyone who has had to unlearn shame, and anyone who has discovered themselves later than they expected. It’s a story about identity, resilience, creativity — and finding joy through the messiness of being human.
Episode Transcript: Download transcript
