Eva is set to host a brand-new six-part documentary series on RTÉ Radio 1 called Coming Home: Stories of Being Chinese Irish.
Over six weeks, Eva sits down with remarkable members of Ireland’s Chinese community to explore their deeply personal journeys of family, identity, and belonging. Each episode introduces listeners to someone extraordinary.
The series features Qian, who moved from Northern China to Dublin and now works with young people with autism. There’s Jeremy, who grew up in Cookstown during the Troubles, and Yentl, who navigates life between Mayo and Hong Kong. Chef Tom shares his story from Cabra and the lessons food has taught him, while Chang Qi reflects on arriving in Cork at age 12 with nothing but an electronic dictionary. The series concludes with Eva’s father, Howard, and his journey building Asia Market and creating a life in Ireland.
These stories are intimate, powerful, and unforgettable.
Coming Home premieres on 12 October 2025 and will air every Sunday from 19:30–20:00 for six weeks on RTÉ Radio 1.
Producer Sus Dennehy brings her incredible vision and guidance to the project, helping bring these important stories to life.
Episode 1: Mooncake
The first episode of Coming Home: Stories of Being Chinese Irish introduces listeners to Qian Li, who lives in Dublin. Speaking with Eva in the beautiful Phoenix Park, Qian paints a vivid picture of her childhood in Northern China and her journey to Ireland at 24.
In this heartfelt conversation, Qian opens up about her shaky beginnings in a new country, what it truly means to call two places home, and the people who have shaped her life here. She shares the story of Jaja, a young man with autism she met through Love Actually, the charity she founded in 2018.
Tune in to Coming Home: Stories of Being Chinese Irish on Sunday, 12 October 2025 from 19:30–20:00 on RTÉ Radio 1.
Episode 2: Cooking Chinese in Space
The second episode of Coming Home: Stories of Being Chinese Irish introduces listeners to Jeremy Chan from Cookstown, County Tyrone. One of nine children, Jeremy was born in Ireland in 1970, shortly after his parents made the journey from a small fishing village in Hong Kong’s New Territories.
In this episode, Jeremy reflects on his family’s story, the joy and challenges of growing up in Cookstown during the Troubles, and what it meant to find belonging in a place so far from where his parents began.
Tune in to Coming Home: Stories of Being Chinese Irish on Sunday, 19 October 2025 at 19:30 on RTÉ Radio 1.
Episode 3: The Singing Bowl
The third episode of Coming Home: Stories of Being Chinese Irish introduces listeners to Yentl Ho from Ballina, County Mayo — a mother of three, sound healing practitioner, and a true Ballina woman at heart. Born in Dublin to Chinese parents, Yentl spent the first five years of her life in Hong Kong with her beloved grandmother.
In this episode, she shares her journey of standing out, fitting in, and making sense of a childhood split between two worlds. It’s a moving story about family, identity, and finding your own rhythm.
Tune in to Coming Home: Stories of Being Chinese Irish on Sunday, 26 October 2025 at 19:30 on RTÉ Radio 1.
Episode 4: How to Wash Rice
The fourth episode of Coming Home: Stories of Being Chinese Irish takes listeners into the world of chef Tom Man Yin Chu, who grew up on Dublin’s Northside after moving from Hong Kong at the age of six. From his childhood in Cabra to the kitchen where he now cooks, Tom shares stories of friendship, resilience, and the art of Chinese cooking, including the secret to washing rice just right.
It’s a story about food, memory, and finding home.
Tune in to Coming Home: Stories of Being Chinese Irish on Sunday, 2 November 2025 at 19:30 on RTÉ Radio 1.
Episode 5: The Girl In The Yellow Coat
The fifth episode of Coming Home: Stories of Being Chinese Irish follows Chang Qi, who moved from Northeast China to the small town of Dunmanway in County Cork at the age of 12. Dunmanway in 2003 couldn’t have been more different from her home in China, and Chang recalls using a little electronic dictionary to translate from Mandarin to English.
Now in her thirties, Chang and her fiancé Tom Maher from Dublin reflect on how they integrate both cultures in their relationship as the two make a trip to China together. It’s a story about bridging worlds and building a life that honors both.
Tune in to Coming Home: Stories of Being Chinese Irish on Sunday, 9 November 2025 at 19:30 on RTÉ Radio 1.
Episode 6: Asia Market
In the final episode of Coming Home: Stories of Being Chinese Irish, presenter Eva Pau introduces her father Howard Pau. Howard arrived in Ireland in the early 1980s where he established the Dublin institution Asia Market with his brothers.
Forty years after Howard made Ireland home, he reflects on his journey from Hong Kong, how he grew a successful family business, and his passion for the street food of his childhood. It’s a fitting conclusion to the series — a story about legacy, perseverance, and the ties that bind generations together.
Tune in to Coming Home: Stories of Being Chinese Irish on Sunday, 16 November 2025 at 19:30 on RTÉ Radio 1.
Coming Home: Stories of Being Chinese Irish offers an intimate look at what it means to belong in Ireland while honoring where you came from. Through six powerful episodes, Eva Pau brings listeners into conversations that reveal the complexity of identity, the strength of community, and the universal search for home. Don’t miss this groundbreaking series on RTÉ Radio 1, airing Sundays at 19:30 from 12 October through 16 November 2025.
