Dermot Whelan is a broadcaster and meditation teacher who was, for more than two decades, co-host of Today FM’s breakfast show, Dermot & Dave. He retired from radio in 2023 to commit fully to his wellness brand, Mind Full, with its live shows, podcast and book of the same name. From Limerick, he lives in Dublin with his wife, artist Corinna Earlie, and their three children…
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR PARENTS? Kind and supportive. Dad was a very hard-working, older-generation dad. He ran a factory in Limerick that made medical devices and my mum was a housewife. I was the youngest of six children. My eldest sibling is 15 years older than me.
DID BEING THE YOUNGEST MEAN SOMETHING TO YOU? When I was growing up, there was just me and my brother, who is older by four years; everyone else had gone off to college or emigrated. One of my brothers moved to Australia when he was 22 and I was nine, and for years he felt like an uncle I saw occasionally. But in the last ten years, I have become a lot closer to my siblings. Being the youngest of six definitely went in my favour. My dad had chilled out by then and was willing to see me as the experiment
WHERE DID YOU GO TO SCHOOL AND DID YOU LIKE IT? I went to Crescent College Comprehensive in Limerick. My school reports always had these three words: Could do better. I wasn’t a ‘learn by sitting down and facing front’ type person. I was a doer. Happy memories are of Monty Python sketches and plays and musicals. I played the triangle in the school orchestra. I can’t believe my parents would come and watch the whole thing just to see me ding the triangle.
DID YOUR PARENTS ENCOURAGE YOUR DESIRE TO PERFORM? I wanted to do anything in TV or film, but I also loved ancient history, so I made a deal with my dad that I would do an Arts degree [in French and archaeology at TCD] and if I still wanted to do something in the media, after that, I could.
WHAT WAS YOUR BREAKTHROUGH MOMENT? My first job as a newsreader on Anna Livia FM in the late 1990s was a big deal for me. I used to rob the news off the 98FM website and eventually I sent a demo to the station and got a job as a weekend newsreader. I had no knowledge of current affairs, but I could do a really good mid-Irish Sea accent. I moved up to reporter after that and in 2002, I was given the breakfast show with Dave [Moore]. It felt normal at the time, but actually it all happened really quickly.
HOW WERE YOU AND DAVE PUT TOGETHER? We were put in a room together – it was like an awkward playdate – and told to get on. We bonded over Alan Partridge impressions. It worked out because we had such complementary skills. He’s very organised and I’m the free spirit. I dragged him out of his comfort zone and he kept me from doing anything too crazy.
“I get so much joy from seeing all the men at my live shows and reading my book. If you present wellness and self-care in a relatable, fun way, they will come …”
DO YOU STILL SEE DAVE? We used to always see each other at work, but not so much outside. Now it’s the reverse. The first time we went for dinner it was weird initially, but that passed. We see each as different people now, whereas for years we were almost like the same person.
HOW DID MEDITATION BECOME SUCH A HUGE PART OF YOUR LIFE? I have meditated for the last 15 years. I hit a stressful point in 2017 and decided to lean in to it a bit more. I did meditation teacher training in California with no great desire to be a teacher, just to loosen old behaviours, manage stress better. I found myself sharing techniques with friends and family and enjoyed that. Before I knew it, I was teaching casually. I realised, when I married the skills I learned from comedy with a sense of depth from meditation, I felt really alive and fulfilled.
THE IMPORTANT FEMALE RELATIONSHIPS IN YOUR LIFE? My sisters have looked after me so well at different times and I was always close to my mom. And my wife Corinna Earlie is just a beautiful, kind soul who supports me all the way. She also makes amazing art that flabbergasts me.
HAS THE LOSS OF YOUR MOTHER CHANGED HOW YOU LOOK AT DEATH? Not really. I still see it as going home. Like a wave returning to the sea.
YOU HAVE SAID THAT MEDITATION MADE YOU A BETTER FATHER, HOW? It makes me calmer, more patient, more attentive, more available and less grumpy. That’s all we want as parents, really!
I’D LIKE PEOPLE TO REGARD ME AS … A good listener. It’s a lost art. Everyone wants to fix or change everyone else.
MY FRIENDSHIPS ARE FOR THE MOST PART … Very special. I try very hard to make time for the close ones. I don’t always manage, but I try.
HOW CAN MENS’ MENTAL HEALTH BE BETTER SUPPORTED? It needs to be presented in a language men can relate to. That’s what I’m trying to do. I get so much joy from seeing all the men at my live shows and reading my book. If you present wellness and self-care in a relatable, fun way, they will come.
ARE YOU GOOD AT SWITCHING OFF FROM WORK? It’s definitely harder these days as I’m working for myself fulltime. I have to make sure I keep a selfish diary and ring-fence things for myself.
YOUR MOST PHYSICALLY ATTRACTIVE FEATURE, IN YOUR OPINION? I think I have kind eyes.
YOUR STYLE SIGNIFIER IS … At the moment, a lot of black T-shirts with metal bands on them.
YOU BUY YOUR CLOTHES WHEN … I find my size. I’m a 31in waist, which is hard to find.
YOUR FAVOURITE SHOES ARE … Hoka Speedgoat 5 trail runners. They’re so good.
YOUR SKINCARE PRODUCTS? Skingredients by the Skin Nerd. I love her stuff. And Kiehl’s moisturiser.
YOUR EXERCISE ROUTINE? Long trail runs, strength work in the gym, golf, hiking. I recently climbed Kilimanjaro.
YOU RECENTLY READ … The Immortality Key by Brian Muraresku, about the role of psychedelics in the roots of organised religion.
YOU RECENTLY LISTENED TO … Fightstar, a heavy metal band started by Charlie from Busted.
YOU DEAL WITH A SETBACK BY… Swearing for a while and then asking myself, what’s the next move?
A HOLIDAY YOU’D LIKE TO REPEAT … I took the family to Australia a few years ago and I’d like to go back. And skiing. I’d love to go skiing again.
WHAT DO YOU COOK AT HOME? A great seafood linguine and a savage lamb tagine.
DO YOU HAVE A HOBBY? Does skateboarding count?
THE PERFECT WEEKEND INCLUDES … Family, hikes, steam rooms, hotel beds and pillows.
Whelan’s “Busy and Wrecked” national tour starts January 2025.
