The Comfortable Spot

Today my guest is writer, broadcaster and DJ Dave Haslam. Author of a number of influential books, Dave was a DJ at Manchester's Haçienda nightclub, and in 1999 he published a book about the Manchester music scene and, subsequently, books about superstar DJs called Adventures on the Wheels of Steel and Life After Dark; A History of British Nightclubs & Music Venues. His autobiography calle...

Today my guest is contemporary artist Claire Murray. Based in West Yorkshire, Claire is internationally renowned for her wide range of artworks which evoke multiple reactions. Her concepts deal with light and colour as an open window and allow the viewer to draw their own conclusions while appreciating the simplicity of beauty. What drew me to Claire's work was that it seemed to be created fro...

Today my guest is author Mark Henry. Mark has spent a lifetime analysing trends, understanding what drives them, and explaining their implications. With a wealth of experience in market research and in applying psychology data to the world of business, Mark led the research and strategy function for Irish technology companies before turning to do the same for the tourism sector. His book, In Fact:...

Today my guest is author John Erickson. John is a journalist with over thirty years' experience working at daily newspapers in Illinois and Ohio. A prominent reporter in local news, John led the coverage in three stories that earned him a nomination for a Pulitzer Prize, including a series that won a Pulitzer for National Reporting in 1998. His recently published book, When Mortals Play God :...

Today my guest is environmentalist and sustainability expert Kaj Embren. With over 25 years’ leadership and consultancy experience, Kaj has a track record of promoting sustainable solutions in fields such as industry, governance and civil society. Kaj firmly believes that we already have the tools to obtain sustainability and prosperity, but we still need to unite networks, communities and governm...

Today my guest is author and historian Dr. Margaret Weitekamp. Margaret is chair of the Space History department at the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum where she curates the Social and Cultural History of Spaceflight Collection encompassing some 5,000 pieces of space memorabilia and science fiction objects. She is also the author of Right Stuff, Wrong Sex: America’s First W...

Today my guest is award winning author and journalist Clodagh Finn. Clodagh has worked for various Irish newspapers, including the Irish Examiner and the Irish Independent and she is known for her insightful writing on social issues, culture, and current affairs. Clodagh has recently written Through Her Eyes - A New History of Ireland in 21 Women which tells the story of twenty-one remarkable wome...

Today my guest is Alivia Brown. Alivia graduated from UCLA in 2022 with a major in Anthropology and a minor in Evolutionary Medicine. During her time at UCLA, Alivia's research led her to find a passion for education and cross-cultural knowledge. In addition to her academic achievement, Alivia also has her own YouTube channel devoted to Anthropology. On this channel, Alivia hopes to make anthr...

Today my guest is producer and musical director Simon Ellis. With over thirty years in the music business, Simon has worked with an incredible amount of artists including Britney Spears, Spice Girls and S Club 7. When he is not writing and producing music, Simon is on tour not only as a musician but also as a musical director. I first got to know Simon when he was part of Ellis, Beggs and Howard w...

Today my guest is naturalist Donald Hobern. Donald is a lifelong naturalist with strong interests in Lepidoptera, DNA barcoding and metabarcoding, insect photography, and automation of species detection. I met Donald via the Mastodon platform as I was looking for someone with experience in Entomology which is the study of insects and their relationship to humans, the environment, and other organis...

Today my guest is author and historian Turtle Bunbury. Turtle has published a number of books such as the Vanishing Ireland series, Easter Dawn - The 1916 Rising , and The Glorious Madness . Described by the BBC History Magazine as "a skilled storyteller", Turtle has also produced a wonderful array of podcast series that focus on Irish history and provide the listener with wonderful inte...

Today my guest is racing driver and entrepreneur Shannon Tobin. At 18, Shannon and her sister set up Equissentials which specialises in importing Equestrian goods into the Irish market. As well as starting her own business, Shannon is one-third of Team Valkyrie Racing which is an all-female racing team creating a safe space for diversity and supporting women racing in motorsport. Shannon is also c...

Today I'm joined by the legendary guitarist Gerry Leonard. With a career spanning almost forty years, Gerry has been the go to guitarist for numerous rock artists, including being a member of David Bowie's band for almost ten years, and as a musical partner to Suzanne Vega. Gerry also has incredible solo work under the guise Spooky Ghost with two albums published. I was very excited to cha...

Today my guest is broadcaster David Goldstrom. Over the past twenty years David's commentary and voiceover work has embraced Ski Sunday, the Commonwealth Games and numerous Summer and Winter Olympics, including Tokyo 2021 and Beijing 2022, David is presently a Senior Commentator for Discovery/Eurosport focusing on the Winter World Cup Ski and Ski Jumping season along with the major Canoeing, Rowin...

Today my guest is broadcasting journalist Méabh McMahon. With almost twenty years experience, Méabh is currently one of the anchors at Euronews - a pan-European media broadcaster. I was interested in chatting with Méabh about her career which has mostly been based in Europe and about some of the highlights of her time in broadcasting journalism, so I hope you are sitting comfortably and happy to s...

Today I'm joined by Justin Middleton. Justin has had a deep love of rugby since his childhood, but unlike many he chose a different path to playing and moved into the world of commentating. With years of experience commentating on rugby games in South Africa, Justin is now based in Ireland and is a regular voiceover for many national and international games. Since he is such an excellent communica...

Today my guest is Daniel Whiteson. Daniel is a Physics professor at UC Irvine, and a fellow of the American Physical Society. He does research using the Large Hadron Collider at CERN and together with his co-host Jorge Cham, he is also behind the popular science podcast Daniel and Jorge Explain the Universe. Daniel is a wonderfully engaging guest and we had some laughs along the way, so I hope you...

Today I'm joined by academic and author Professor Jennie Batchelor. Jennie has written and edited several books on women's writing, 18th century dress and early women's magazines, so I thought Jennie would be a wonderful guest to discover more about how women were perceived in 18th century media and fashion, so I hope you are sitting comfortably and happy to stay with us. By accessing this podcast...

Today my guest is Robert (Bo) Jacobs. Robert is a historian of Science and Technology at the Hiroshima Peace Institute and Graduate School of Peace Studies at Hiroshima City University. He has published widely on the interface of nuclear technologies with human beings and communities. His book Nuclear Bodies: The Global Hibakusha was published by Yale University Press in 2022. ...

Today my guest is journalist Cristina Maza. Cristina has reported from countries such as Cambodia, India, Serbia and Turkey. Currently based in Washington DC, Cristina writes frequently about foreign policy, international affairs, national security and politics. I've always had a deep interest in the unique sphere of US politics and was delighted to have Cristina on to chat, so I hope you are sitt...

Today my guest is author and broadcaster Clare Mulley. Clare's work primarily focuses on female experience during the Second World War and in this episode, we chat about two of Clare's books, The Women Who Flew for Hitler, which tells the story of Nazi Germany’s only two female test pilots, Hanna Reitsch and Melitta von Stauffenberg, and The Spy Who Loved, which is the story of Polish-born British...

Today my guest is motoring journalist Bob Flavin. Bob has a real passion for cars and with over 13 million viewers on his YouTube channel, Bob is one of the most popular motoring journalists in  Ireland. I have a great passion for automobiles and was looking forward to chatting with Bob, so I hope you are sitting comfortably and happy to stay with us. By accessing this podcast, you acknowledg...

Today my guest is Professor Pat O'Connor. Professor O'Connor is Professor Emeritus of Sociology and Social Policy at the University of Limerick and Visiting Professor, Geary Institute, at the University College Dublin. She is an expert in gender studies and women's rights, which has made her a leading commentator on women's issues and society in general. I was delighted to have the opportunity to...

Today my guest is producer and presenter Martin Quibell. Martin presents Pods Like Us in which he chats with fellow independent podcasters about their shows. Having been a fan of podcasts for over a decade, Martin decided to produce his own series and blog that helps to promote podcasts that he not only likes, but thinks need valuable promotion. Martin was and is a great supporter of The Comfortab...

Today my guest is author Becky Holmes. Becky is an influencer who works tirelessly to expose online perpetrators of romance fraud. Romance fraud is when somebody uses the ruse of a relationship to extort money. Through social media Becky publishes her interactions with the perpetrators and exposes their false identities in an effort to raise awareness of this growing problem. I was really happy to...