How a Dublin artist turned his childhood obsession…

How a Dublin artist turned his childhood obsession into a popular RTE kids' series

The Dublin artist behind one of Ireland's most popular kids' podcasts this year has revealed his inspiration for the series.

The creator of Nero's Class, Bobby Aherne, said his childhood obsession with maps and the years he spent working at the National Leprechaun Museum formed the foundations of the hit kids' radio series. RTE's Nero's Class has been described as a "surreal audio odyssey" that follows the adventures of Professor Nero and his pupils that live on a magical remote island.

Comedian Hugh Cooney stars as Professor Nero, a luckless, fuddy-duddy mainlander who finds himself responsible for the education of three unique children Rowan (Rian Sheridan), Jacaranda (Elsie Akinduko), and Scoochie Kaboochie (Penny O’Dwyer). For the six weeks that it was on-air, Nero’s Class was the number one kids' podcast in Ireland on the iTunes charts.

Bobby, 35, told Dublin Live: "When I was about nine or 10, I used to draw maps of fictional islands and write stories set on those islands. Then, I was working in the National Leprechaun Museum for a few years about 10 years ago and that’s where I became obsessed with Irish folklore and mythology.

"So it’s a combination of things I was doing when I was 10 and things I’ve gotten into in the. The Leprechaun Museum is where I met Hugh who plays the lead in Nero’s Class. So we have to give credit to the Leprechaun Museum."

The inspiration for the mystical island of Mrunglody came from Bobby's favourite childhood holiday destination, Inisheer, the smallest of the Aran Islands off the west coast. He said: "I think there’s something really nice about a tiny place like that, that has one shop, one pub, one church, and everyone knows each other."

Bobby, who wrote, produced, and composed the music for the series said he would love to turn Nero's Class into an animated series.

"If anyone has the power and reading this, give me a call!" He laughed. As a man of many talents, the Dubliner has been releasing music for the last 15 years as part of his band, No Monster Club, published a book in 2014, and even created a hit musical comedy with comedian Giles Bordy for the Fringe Festival in 2019.

Bobby said he has "about a million" ideas for the second series of Nero's Class. He said: "I think I’d like to do a second series. While making it I’ve been jotting down so much stuff in my book that’s overflowing.

(L-R) Hugh Cooney, Penny O'Dwyer, Elsie Akinduko, Rian Sheridan (Bobby Aherne)

"It was great working with so many people working in the cast who I’m a fan of. We went on the search for three very specific voices and it a while to find these kids. It’d be a shame not to make the most of them."

You can listen to Nero's Class on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and more.

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