Kilkenny councillor by day, DJ and podcaster by night!

The world of politics is ever-evolving, from the attitudes and affiliations of those elected to office to the perspectives and passions of the citizens they are elected to represent.

At the cutting edge of this ever-shifting paradigm is the newly-elected councillor for Castlecomer LEA, Maurice Shortall.

Despite coming from a definitive line of political pedigree (his uncle and namesake was a local Labour councillor in the area for many years), Maurice is a trailblazer in his own right.

The 35-year-old hosts a hugely popular podcast called Cheap Heat Productions and is also an alternative DJ who does weddings and nightclubs around Ireland, the UK and USA.

He comes from a generation where many young adults witnessed their imagined futures crumble before their eyes due to the economic destruction of the recession.

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For many working class young people from areas like Castlecomer, that period inevitably instilled great disdain for the wider political establishment.

Maurice is hoping that by being elected he can now show others that people from his generation can step up and make a difference to the lived experience of their communities.

“There’s an appetite for change there,” he told Kilkenny Live.

“Many younger people have become disillusioned with politics and I can relate to these people.”

On a personal level, Maurice (a husband and father to two young children) is also doing his best to continue in his other job working at Londis in Castlecomer.

“It’s been a bit of a balancing act,” he said. “But the management have been very accommodating with my new schedule.”

A key part of Maurice’s canvassing campaign, he noted, was engaging with people on the ground in a genuine and human capacity.

“It was a very positive campaign,” he said. “The reaction on the doorsteps was great and I can honestly say we did not have one bad experience.”

Maurice brought something a little different to the campaign, moments of lightheartedness too, including a competition to win a spicebag, certainly a first for any campaign in the area.

Amongst the big issues raised, Maurice notes, was the poor water quality in the area and the supply of social housing, and he says they will be amongst those at the top of his personal agenda.

“Even delivering on improved wheelchair accessibility in certain residential areas can make huge differences to people’s lives,” he added.

For any new councillor, settling into the role for the first time can be an overbearing whirlwind of information and new responsibilities, even more so when taking a seat as an independent.

It’s a challenge that Maurice is relishing though, and he seeks to hit the ground running.

“I’ve received good support so far from the other councillors and have also got some great mentoring from Maurice (senior),” he acknowledged.

Being a podcast host, Maurice is no stranger to dealing with a diverse range of people, and hearing as well as debating their views.

He has interviewed a huge variety of people since he established Cheap Heat Productions.

From contemporary pop culture icons such as Carole Baskin (Tiger King) and Chumlee (Pawn Stars) to politicians like Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan, controversial figures like Ian Bailey, to adult film stars, famous wrestlers and a host of other notable names.

“It all started during Covid,” he said. “People had more time at home so it was easier to get big names and it just kept going from there.”

The technical side of setting up the podcast was second nature to the new councillor, a former student of Video and Film in Dundalk IT.

Shortall told Kilkenny Live that his personal favourite interview was with Chris Hansen, famous the host of ‘To Catch a Predator’ on Dateline NBC in the USA.

Hansen has become a hugely famous figure and popular meme in internet culture in recent years, with segments from his predator catching show garnering millions of views on YouTube.

His dream guest for the show would’ve been Jerry Springer, and he was actively working on securing him for the podcast, but Springer subsequently passed away.

With his new role as a councillor, Shortall conceded that he may have to streamline his efforts on Cheap Heat Productions, but that he intends to keep the show on the road.

The same is true for his DJing efforts, as he tries to make everything fit into his busy schedule, whilst making sure the needs of his constituents are being addressed.

Maurice once again thanked his friends, family, campaign team and everyone else who has helped him along the way.

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