Ray D'Arcy was joined on air by Margaret Leahy, a returning guest who is known for her solo travel adventures. She returned to the RTÉ Radio 1 airwaves to discuss her late husband and her new business.
Margaret Leahy is a joy to listen to. As an entrepreneur with a taste for adventure, she has a fiery enthusiasm for life. The reason behind her solo status, though, is a tragic one.
In 2010, the Irish woman was widowed at the age of 49 when he husband, John, passed away suddenly from an aneurysm.
Speaking with Ray on RTÉ Radio 1, Margaret explained that the two had met in Galway through Margaret's brother, Gerry, who was studying alongside John at Mountbellew Agricultural College. Despite being just 15 years of age, Margaret says she "fancied him from the minute I saw him."
"I thought he was a fine thing," she laughed. "He was wearing a Wrangler jacket, Wrangler jeans, and he had dark, what we used to call loafer, shoes. He had a bit of a mullet, red hair, and a spotty shirt with the big collar open."
With a can-do attitude and some tactful eavesdropping, the teenager realised that the object of her affections had plans to attend a Horslips gig in Tuam - and she knew she had to go come hell or high water.
Making it to the gig just in time for the last song, she felt a tap on her shoulder and heard a simple request from her future husband: "Mags, will you dance?"
Thank you @RadioRayRTE @neilgdoherty and John in the Galway studio for putting me at my ease today. I need to work on the selfies! pic.twitter.com/3fjHq4Cj2X
— Margaret Leahy (@gardenngather) October 8, 2021
Seven years later the two wed and went on to have four children - James, Ian, Niamh and Aisling. According to Margaret, they were "extremely happy" for 27 years together.
In 2010, while flying home from a weekend in Paris celebrating John's 54th birthday, the couple discussed travelling the world together once the kids were grown enough to be left to their own devices. Sadly, John passed away just two weeks later.
In his place, his family have done a great job of exploring the world with each of his children travelling and living abroad and Margaret exploring the world on solo adventures.
Indeed, Margaret first visited Ray in the RTÉ studio when a photo of her many clocks - each one keeping track of her children's various time zones - went viral.
I put these clocks up when my four children started travelling and living abroad and I keep them set to the time zone where each of them are. This morning for the first time in almost three years they are all on the same time #family pic.twitter.com/8hFlBGLt81
— Margaret Leahy (@gardenngather) August 13, 2021
After five years of grieving and coping with the loss of her husband - on the morning of John's fifth anniversary in fact - Margaret says she woke up and knew it was time to make a change. With all her children grown and out of the house, she decided it was time to make new plans.
"I couldn't keep going," she told Ray. "It wasn't just the place that John was born and lived, it was the place that John died. It was bringing me down."
With the family farm sold, the impressive woman made a fresh start for herself in Connemara. Now settled into her new home, and with pandemic restrictions easing, she says she's ready to hit the road once more and has plans to jet off to Amsterdam this April.
Blue skies, bare trees, spring flowers and the dog.
— Margaret Leahy (@gardenngather) February 13, 2022
I love the shape of the bare Hawthorn and the welcome splash of yellow from the Celandines growing on the verge. #Connemara pic.twitter.com/F4R9XVclTb
As well as making her own travel plans, she is setting up her own Irish-based travel company (www.irishartisanfoodtours.net) which aims to deliver a gorgeous, artisan food-led trip around Connemara for small groups of solo travelers.
"One of the things most solo travelers don't like is eating alone and the second thing is, most holidays, you're either completely on your own - and you have to try and manage everything on your own - or you're part of a group of 40 or 45 on a big coach tour. "I was looking for something in between."
"This is for 10 or 12 solo travelers, and we're going to eat very good food, and stay in very nice hotels and have great craic."
To listen back to Margaret's full chat with Ray on RTÉ Radio 1, listen back above.
