The Witness, Joseph O’Callaghan, tells his story in a gripping new podcast series

Following the publication of Nicola Tallant’s best-selling book The Witness (aff), The Witness: In His Own Words is a powerful documentary podcast series produced by the team behind The Stand with Eamon Dunphy.

In 2005, Joseph O’Callaghan’s testimony helped convict two drug-dealing gangsters for murder, and he became the youngest person ever to enter the Witness Protection Programme in Ireland.

Now, as the men he put away agitate for release, he tells his extraordinary life story in his own words for the first time.

Aged 12, Joey talked his way into an after-school job with the local milkman. It was the beginning of a decade spent in the heart of Dublin’s gangland, living under the violent and abusive control of Brian Kenny — milkman, gangster, drug dealer. When he witnessed the aftermath of a rival gang member’s murder, Joey knew it was time to escape.

From his teenage years spent trapped in the criminal underworld, through to living as a grown man under a false identity, Joey’s life exposes the deep scars caused by social deprivation, drug-fuelled gang warfare, and the callous arms of the state.

Pictured above, Nicola talks with Joey.

Joseph O’Callaghan says, “I once lived a normal life but something happened that changed my future forever. It was something simple. I got a job on a milk round. I was 12 and nothing was ever the same again. The journey I’ve been on since has brought me into a darkness I didn’t even know existed. I’ve seen things I don’t want to remember but can never forget. I’ve been scared, silenced and brought to the brink of death. But I’m here. I survived.”

Nicola Tallant says, “I have been enthralled listening to Joey O’Callaghan’s story since I first met him on a canal bank in Dublin almost 10 years ago. Groomed into gangland and forever a prisoner to his past, Joey tells his story with conviction, honesty and a rawness that I have never heard before or since. A judge and jury believed his truth. I have believed his truth and now the listener can hear Joey’s story for themselves and make up their own minds.”

Jennifer Dollard, Senior Content Development Manager for Acast Ireland, said: “Acast is dedicated to bringing incredible stories to listeners, and Joey’s is an extraordinary experience that simply needs to be heard. Working with the team behind The Stand, we know the passion that’s gone into this podcast, and care to do it justice. We’re delighted to have The Witness on the Acast Creator Network, and for listeners everywhere to hear this gripping story.”

The Witness is a story about loyalty and betrayal in Dublin’s darkest corners, a story about families living in the shadow of extreme violence, a story about one brave and remarkable man finally telling it all in his own words.

The Witness: In His Own Words is distributed by Acast Creator Network and was released weekly on all major podcast platforms on 24th May, 2021.

About The Witness: In His Own Words

Ian Maleney, Producer

Ian has worked as a journalist, editor, and radio producer, and his writing has featured in The Guardian, The Irish Times, and The Sunday Times. His first book, Minor Monuments, was published by Tramp Press in 2019. Ian is currently working as a producer and sound engineer on The Stand with Eamon Dunphy and on Nicola Tallant’s podcast Crime World

Jane Gogan, Executive Producer

Jane is managing director of The Stand With Eamon Dunphy and runs Yellow Path Productions Ltd., producer of The Witness: In His Own Words. She was Head of Television Drama in RTÉ from 2006-2018 and executive producer on many drama series during that time including Love/Hate, Charlie, Rebellion, Acceptable Risk and Taken Down.

Nicola Tallant, Executive Producer

Nicola Tallant is a three time winner of Crime Journalist of the Year in Ireland. She is Investigations Editor of the Sunday World newspaper and specialises in organised crime. Nicola hosts her own podcast, Crime World, and has written a number of books including The Witness.

Niamh Corcoran, Composer

Niamh Corcoran is a composer from Dublin, Ireland. Niamh graduated with honours from Trinity College Dublin’s MPhil programme in Music and Media Technologies in 2015. She is classically trained in violin and piano, but developed a fixation on electronic music instead, eventually producing original music under the Angkorwat moniker. Her first productions were released as ‘Early EP’ in 2010. Her music has been featured on two compilations by The Wire Magazine, as well as The Outer Church, a compilation curated by Joseph Stannard, editor at The Wire Magazine.

Brendan Jenkinson, Sound Mixer

Brendan Jenkinson is a music producer, composer and sound engineer. He lives in Dublin and makes music as 1/3 of Cloud Castle Lake who released their debut album Malingerer in 2018. He runs a cooperative music studio on North Circular Road and tours as a musician with Villagers.