On this episode of Tales and Trails, we walked the Rock on Thorabh Loop in County Tipperary (Find the full trail guide here) with TV writer Stefanie Preissner. The Irish are a nation of storytellers. Our stories are embedded in us, and in our landscape. Tales and Trails podcast is a brand new and immersive audio experience that invites you to walk the Irish countryside with the nation’s most interesting people. Stefanie is an award-winning author and screenwriter and created the hit comedy-drama Can’t Cope, Won’t Cope. She was catapulted to international success when the show was picked up by Netflix. Stephanie talks travelling, her hit show Can’t Cope Won’t Cope and her love for all things Irish, especially black pudding. “I’m travelling a lot at the moment, “So, I get really happy to be home and back in Ireland and to just have the craic with Irish people, who can crack jokes about each other. “I’m very grateful for the work, but it does make me appreciate things like black pudding. Okay, so I stop in one particular service station for their black pudding. I don’t know what it is or where it comes from, and I can’t tell you where it is because it’s my secret, but it’s so good and bigger than what you would normally get.” Stefanie also talked about how her hot show Can’t Cope, Won’t Cope came about. “I got the inspiration for Can’t Cope Won’t Cope from my own personal experience when I moved to Dublin from Cork. I was writing for theatre and I had written two shows, the second of which was called Solpadeine Is My Boyfriend. And that got quite a lot of attention, so we toured internationally. After that, a company came to me and asked if I had ever thought of writing for television. And I hadn’t, but I had this idea about these two girls moving from Cork to Dublin, which is quite a unique experience of Dublin. You don’t get to just head over to your parents’ house on the weekend and get a home-cooked meal. “We had a lot of templates for romantic relationships: how to break up with a boy, how to cope when a boy breaks up with you, etc. But I hadn’t seen many TV shows about female friendships, and about how toxic and difficult they can be. “So, I wanted to see a female friendship represented on screen and that’s why I wrote the show.” For the full interview with Stefanie Preissner, recorded live on the Rock on Thorabh Loop in County Tipperary, listen to the full episode below: For spectacular sights, invigorating sensations and unforgettable experiences, make your next short break a walking break in Ireland's Ancient East. Walking makes your break. For more information or to plan your walking break in Ireland’s Ancient East, visit the Tales and Trails hub here.