{"id":264706,"date":"2026-01-03T06:25:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-03T06:25:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/264706\/"},"modified":"2026-01-03T06:25:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-03T06:25:11","slug":"this-will-be-my-first-time-dancing-sober","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/264706\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018This will be my first time dancing sober\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Paudie Moloney talks about the last year of his life, he does so with a mixture of disbelief and gratitude, as if it has all happened to someone else. He laughs easily, shrugs off the attention, and repeatedly returns to the same idea: this was never the plan.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis time last year,\u201d he says, \u201cI was getting on with retirement, even if I was just waiting. Waiting to hear if I\u2019d even gotten on The Traitors. That was it.\u201d<\/p>\n

He had no expectations beyond that. No sense that a single decision \u2013 filling out an application, turning up for an interview \u2013 would quietly reroute the course of his retirement. No thought that he would become one of the most warmly received contestants in the first season of The Traitors Ireland, or that he\u2019d soon find himself stepping into sequins and rehearsal studios for RT\u00c9\u2019s Dancing With The Stars.<\/p>\n

\n I genuinely thought I\u2019d go in, have a go, get knocked out early, and walk away,\n <\/p>\n

\u201cThat was it. I never expected any of this. I still don\u2019t know how it happened, to be honest.\u201d<\/p>\n

While his journey has been unexpected, it was hardly accidental. Paudie didn\u2019t stumble blindly into The Traitors. He was a fan long before the Irish version aired. He had watched the UK series closely, dipped into international versions, and loved the psychology of it \u2013 the secrecy, the strategy, the quiet calculations happening beneath polite conversation.<\/p>\n

\u201cI loved the whole concept,\u201d he says. \u201cThe idea of hiding secrets, trying to figure out who\u2019s lying, who\u2019s playing who. I always said to my wife, \u2018If Traitors ever comes to Ireland, I\u2019d love to go for it\u2019.\u201d When the Irish casting call opened, it was his son who sent him the link and Paudie took no convincing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe very minute I heard it was coming to Ireland, I applied. It was a no-brainer.\u201d Applying is one thing, however. Getting selected was an entirely different proposition and even then, there were no guarantees. What did surprise him was the level of secrecy required long before the cameras even started rolling. From the very first interview, producers were clear: tell nobody. Not friends. Not acquaintances. At most, a partner.<\/p>\n

\"PaudiePaudie Moloney pictured at the screening of the finale episode of The Traitors. Picture: Damien Eagers \/ Coalesce<\/p>\n

\u201cI was actually afraid of losing my place if I said anything,\u201d he admits. \u201cSo I didn\u2019t tell a soul.\u201d For someone used to a working life built on discretion \u2013 Paudie spent 20 years working in the prison service \u2013 that secrecy felt natural. But, if keeping schtum was second nature, nothing could quite prepare him for what came after.<\/p>\n

\u201cI genuinely thought I would be on the show for a very short time. I never figured it would be the case people would recognise me or become a \u2018celebrity\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was just being myself,\u201d he laughs, \u201cthe fact people related to me was humbling.\u201d Watching The Traitors unfold at home, as episodes aired and public reaction gathered momentum, Paudie still didn\u2019t anticipate the impact it would have.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven as the episodes were coming out, I never thought it would change my life,\u201d he says. \u201cI really didn\u2019t.\u201d He insists he wasn\u2019t performing for the cameras, wasn\u2019t trying to shape a version of himself for television. If anything, he barely noticed the cameras at all.<\/p>\n

\n I never sat there thinking, \u2018This is going to be on TV.\u2019 I was just trying to mind my words, mind my secrets. That was it.\n <\/p>\n

Viewers, however, connected deeply with him. Paudie quickly emerged as a fan favourite \u2013 praised for his authenticity, emotional intelligence, and calm presence amid a game built on suspicion.<\/p>\n

Why did people respond so strongly?<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d he says, honestly. \u201cThe only answer I have is that I was just myself. I wasn\u2019t trying to be anything else.\u201d Strangers began stopping him in the street. Conversations started where none had existed before. Invitations followed \u2013 The Late Late Show, public appearances, and eventually a phone call from RT\u00c9 that would introduce the next unexpected chapter.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe Traitors Ireland legend Paudie Moloney joins Dancing with the Stars this season. Picture: Barry McCall.<\/p>\n

When Dancing With The Stars came calling, Paudie\u2019s first reaction wasn\u2019t fear \u2013 it was logistics.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a massive commitment,\u201d he says. \u201cI know I\u2019m retired, but it\u2019s still a big ask.\u201d He was upfront about his medical history. Five years ago, he underwent a serious hip operation. Both his knees have been under the knife. He made no attempt to hide his limitations.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t want to be wasting anyone\u2019s time,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

What he didn\u2019t dwell on was public scrutiny. By that stage, The Traitors Ireland had already aired. The reaction \u2013 overwhelmingly positive \u2013 had softened any anxiety about being visible. \u201cI probably am more ready now,\u201d he reflects. \u201cI\u2019m much more used to talking to people about it. More familiar with the camera. That experience definitely helped.\u201d For those who might be meeting him for the first time on\u00a0 Dancing With The Stars, Paudie is refreshingly direct.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are going to say, \u2018Who the hell is he?\u2019 And that\u2019s fair enough,\u201d he laughs. \u201cAll I can say is \u2013 what you saw on The Traitors was the real me. And that\u2019s what you\u2019ll see again.\u201d So what of his dancing? Maloney is quick to dismantle any illusion about his dance background.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis will be my first time genuinely dancing sober,\u201d he says, deadpan. Like many Irish men of his generation, his relationship with dancing has been largely ceremonial: weddings, the odd funeral, the occasional late-night shuffle.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would never, ever have done anything like this before,\u201d he admits. \u201cNever.\u201d That\u2019s where professional partner Laura Nolan comes in \u2013 and Paudie speaks about her with unfiltered admiration.<\/p>\n

\" Paudie Moloney and Laura Nolan in rehearsals for Dancing With The Stars. Photograph Moya Nolan<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s fantastic,\u201d he says. \u201cA brilliant teacher. There isn\u2019t a bad bone in her body, and she has the patience of a saint. And trust me\u2026 she\u2019d need to!\u201d Training is well underway \u2013 four days a week, long sessions that test both stamina and confidence. While he could never claim to have foreseen the physical challenge he has visited upon himself, there is no sense of the Limerick man being overwhelmed. Paudie swims regularly and prides himself on keeping fit, but\u00a0 Dancing with the Stars, he understands, is likely to be his biggest test yet, both in terms of preparation and performing under pressure. If Traitors measured his ability to keep a secret, the coming weeks will test his capacity to overcome most Irish men\u2019s greatest fear \u2013 dancing in public.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s intense,\u201d he says. \u201cBut in a good way.\u201d Laura, he explains, understands exactly where his limits are \u2013 and where they aren\u2019t.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe knows what\u2019s within my capabilities,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\n I won\u2019t be doing handstands or flips. They know that from the start. But she can tailor things perfectly. That\u2019s what makes her so good.\n <\/p>\n

Paudie describes himself as competitive, though not in the conventional sense.<\/p>\n

\u201cI compete with myself,\u201d he says. \u201cI want to do well for me.\u201d He\u2019s realistic about the field. He knows there will be younger contestants, fitter bodies, more natural movers.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I\u2019ll fully enjoy it,\u201d he says. \u201cThat\u2019s the most important thing.\u201d He quickly dispels any notion that fame has changed him. Becoming a celebrity later in life comes with certain benefits, he argues, perspective amongst them. The reactions of friends and family have ranged from delight to disbelief. \u201cSome think I\u2019m mad,\u201d he laughs. \u201cActually, they all think I\u2019m mad. But, if I am, I am in my own way.\u201d His children and grandchildren, he says, are supportive \u2013 but honest.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey just want me to do what I can do,\u201d he says. \u201cThat\u2019s it.\u201d Long before television entered his life, Paudie was someone who tried things. Squash, triathlons, new routines. New challenges. \u201cI\u2019ve always believed that you should never not try something new,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\" Paudie Moloney in rehearsals for Dancing With The Stars. Picture: Moya Nolan<\/p>\n

He is wary of being framed as a role model, particularly for people in post-retirement life, but is also aware he\u2019ll be seen by many as the elder statesman of the group. It\u2019s a burden he wears lightly.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s never been my intention to be seen one way or another. I\u2019m not trying to inspire anyone, but if someone at my stage of life watches and feels motivated to try something because of me, then great. I\u2019m not preaching. I\u2019m just doing this because I enjoy it.\u201d Still, he understands what people see in his story \u2013 the idea that life doesn\u2019t narrow as you age, that opportunity doesn\u2019t come with an expiry date.<\/p>\n

Perhaps the most striking shift in Paudie\u2019s life is the move from privacy to public recognition.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn my working life, you were always anonymous,\u201d he says. \u201cYour name wasn\u2019t out there. Your address wasn\u2019t public. That was how it had to be.\u201d Now, strangers know his name. People he never knew stop him for chats, just to wish him luck. \u201cIt\u2019s completely different,\u201d he says. \u201cA total switch.\u201d And yet, he doesn\u2019t overthink it. If I started worrying about it, I\u2019d be nervous,\u201d he says. \u201cSo, that\u2019s my secret. I just don\u2019t put it into my head.\u201d That, more than anything, may explain why audiences connect with him. Paudie Moloney isn\u2019t performing ease \u2013 he inhabits it.<\/p>\n

Ask Paudie what\u2019s next, and he smiles.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m retired, I have to remind myself of that\u201d he says. \u201cAnd I like my retirement. What I can remember of it!
Whenever this journey ends, I\u2019ll be getting back to retired life.\u201d Whatever Dancing With The Stars brings him \u2013 glitter, fake tan, new fans, a signature move mastered under the glaring Sunday night lights \u2013 he\u2019s approaching it the same way he approached The Traitors: open, grounded and utterly unpretentious. \u201cI\u2019m enjoying it,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd
hopefully people watching will enjoy it as much as me.\u201d<\/p>\n