Leon Diop is the founder of the Black and Irish advocacy group, he’s a podcaster, and he’s the author of two books – the latest of which is a memoir called Mixed Up: An Irish boy’s journey to belonging.

Leon is mixed-raced and grew up in the 1990s in an Ireland that was far less diverse than it is today. He describes being the only brown boy in his school and naturally that attracted a lot of attention, not all of it welcome, and he experienced a lot of both overt and casual racism (and he describes the difference in our chat). Also, his father had addiction issues and they had a difficult relationship, so things were tough on the home-front too.

But as you’re about to hear, Leon has grown up to be a resilient, successful, and very good-humoured guy who has managed to turn a lot of tough times into something positive. He has a fascinating life story and I hope you enjoy our conversation.

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Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand