The Rest of the World Report | Sunday, May 24, 2026

The Rest of the World Podcast · May 24, 2026 · 8m

Five stories from the week that are worth carrying into the weekend.

The men who lost their voices — and sang anyway

Two years ago, Noel Holmes was told he might never speak again after surgeons removed his voice box to treat throat cancer. This month, he stood on the stage of the Cork Opera House and sang.

Holmes is one of five members of Good Vibrations, Ireland’s first laryngectomy choir — founded by voice rehabilitation specialist Trish Rooney for people who have undergone the surgical removal of the larynx. Members relearn to communicate using voice prosthetics fitted over a stoma in the…