“Plastic Paddy” – slang: Person of Irish descent, usually in Britain or US.

How you doing? It’s the first thing I ask my guests. Whether they’re first, second or third generation immigrants. Whether they’re fresh off the plane or sharing a heritage with the UK, America or Africa.

Ireland’s biggest export is its people, especially across the Irish Sea. Some 6 million UK citizens claim to have at least one Irish grandparent. That’s ten per cent of the population. One in ten here are Plastic Paddies.

We all come from somewhere else.

Where we’ve ended up: well, that’s what The Plastic Podcasts are all about. We have stories from actors, writers, nurses, academics, secretaries, builders and singers. All with one thing in common – but you’ve probably guessed what that is already.

You can hear those stories on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or Amazon. Or simply by pressing the handy-dandy “Episodes” button at the top of the page.

But first, how do you take your tea?