The Ireland Podcast

How do you teach John Lydon to sing? And what happens when you impersonate Ozzy Osbourne so convincingly that people believe it's really him? In Part 2 of his conversation with Fender Jackson on The Ireland Podcast, Bernard Fowler takes us behind the scenes of some remarkable recording sessions. Public Image Ltd - Album (1986) Producer Bill Laswell asked Bernard to become John Lydon's voca...

What happens when a young singer walks into a recording studio to work with Philip Glass, having never met the composer, heard the music or even seen the lyrics? In 1986, Bernard Fowler was invited to record Changing Opinion for Philip Glass's landmark album Songs from Liquid Days , with lyrics written by Paul Simon. Fowler recalls arriving at the studio terrified, repeating a rather colourful...

After 292 days on the road, Jonathan Kemp reaches Galway, bringing his extraordinary Finding Peace of Mind Walk to an end. On Sunday 18 October 2026, Fender Jackson joins his old friend for the final stretch along Galway's Long Walk towards the Spanish Arch, recording their conversation as Jonathan completes a journey that began in Shetland on New Year's Day. It's an unscripted, someti...

In Part 2 of this extended conversation, former Irish Minister for Justice Alan Shatter continues his discussion with Fender Jackson about Israel, Gaza, antisemitism and Ireland's relationship with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The conversation explores Shatter's perspective on the war in Gaza, the distinction between criticism of Israel and antisemitism, and the increasingly polarised...

On Sunday, 11 October 2026, Fender Jackson visited Garvaghy Road following the end of the latest Drumcree standoff. The road was completely quiet. Then, by chance, he met Breandán Mac Cionnaith of the Garvaghy Road Residents’ Coalition. In this spontaneous walking interview, Mac Cionnaith explains why residents opposed the proposed Orange Order parade, discusses the human cost of the Drumcree disp...

What is the difference between feeling low and clinical depression? When does an inner critic become destructive? How do psychologists arrive at a diagnosis? And what does good mental health treatment actually look like? In this conversation with Fender Jackson, Dr Brannick discusses depression, rumination and self-criticism, behavioural activation, diagnosis, bipolar disorder, the role - and limi...

Alan Shatter is a former Irish Minister for Justice and Defence, former Fine Gael TD, solicitor and author. In Part 1 of this extended conversation with Fender Jackson, Shatter reflects on growing up Jewish in Dublin and how his experience of being Jewish in Ireland has changed over the course of his life. He gives his personal account of waking to news of the Hamas attacks on October 7, discusses...

Quinn is the creator behind Mend & Move On, an online community of almost 600,000 people built around hope, healing and starting again. In this walking conversation at the ancient Beaghmore Stone Circles in County Tyrone, Quinn speaks about the breakdown of his marriage, the difficult months that followed and how sharing a few simple words of encouragement online developed into a worldwide com...

Why has the Drumcree dispute returned after almost three decades? John Manley, political correspondent with The Irish News, explains the history of the Orange Order parade, opposition from Garvaghy Road residents, the major stand-offs of the 1990s and the recent legal challenge involving the Parades Commission. Fender and John also discuss the competing rights at the centre of the dispute, the inv...

Stephen Averill has spent nearly five decades shaping how some of Ireland’s most important music looks. From his beginnings with The Radiators From Space to a remarkable creative relationship with U2 spanning Boy , War , The Joshua Tree , Achtung Baby and beyond, Stephen has helped create images that became inseparable from the music itself. In this episode of The Ireland Podcast, Fender Jackson t...

Writer and commentator Malachi O’Doherty joins Fender Jackson in Belfast for a wide-ranging conversation about Donald Trump’s intervention on Irish unity, Northern Ireland’s changing relationship with the border and whether either part of the island is prepared for constitutional change. Malachi recounts his reporting on IRA punishment attacks, including the extraordinary story of a young car thie...

Since setting out from the Shetland Islands on 1 January 2026, Jonathan has been walking around 4,200km through Britain and Ireland to raise awareness and funds for four mental health charities. In this second chapter of The Ireland Podcast's ongoing record of his journey, Fender Jackson catches up with Jonathan in Dublin. We join him as he meets the Lord Mayor of Dublin, walk with him through the...

Keire Murphy is a policy researcher, migration expert and public commentator. After spending four years conducting migration research at the Economic and Social Research Institute, she recently began working independently as a researcher, writer and podcaster. In this long-form conversation, we examine Ireland’s changing population, the relationship between immigration and housing, labour shortage...

Fender Jackson travelled to Doonbeg on Saturday, 12 September 2026, as President Trump arrived in Ireland for the Irish Open. Rather than trying to answer the question from a studio, The Ireland Podcast took to the streets to speak to the people who were there: locals, protesters, visitors, businesspeople and others drawn to the village by an extraordinary weekend. The responses range from fierce...

Why is Ireland an outlier when it comes to public attitudes towards Israel and Palestine? Fender Jackson speaks with political scientists Dr Liam Kneafsey of Trinity College Dublin and Dr Miceal Canavan of Queen’s University Belfast about their new research examining why Irish public opinion differs so markedly from that of many other Western countries. Based on a nationally representative survey...

How do we raise children in a world increasingly dominated by smartphones and social media? And what happens to family relationships when parents separate, siblings fall out, or boys struggle to understand what masculinity means? Dr Richard Hogan is a family psychotherapist, author, Irish Examiner columnist and media contributor. In this conversation with Fender Jackson, Richard discusses parentin...

Gavin Friday invites Fender Jackson to his home in Dublin for a wide-ranging conversation about music, art, performance and becoming yourself. From growing up as an outsider in 1960s and 70s Dublin and discovering David Bowie, to the formation of the Virgin Prunes, his friendship and creative work with U2, and a solo career that has continually crossed the boundaries between music, theatre, cabare...

Henry Cluney, founding member and guitarist of Stiff Little Fingers and currently with XSLF, joins Fender Jackson for a deep dive into “Alternative Ulster”. Together they listen through the recording and explore Henry's recollections of how the song was written, arranged and recorded - from its instantly recognisable guitar intro and droning open D string to the bass, drums, vocals and production....

Falling Slowly sounds simple. But underneath Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová’s Oscar-winning song are some beautiful musical choices. In this episode of The Ireland Podcast, musician and host Fender Jackson goes inside the song - listening to the original recording and using guitar and piano to explore why it works. We look at the opening chords, the suspended harmony, the melody and its relation...

Mary McAleese served as President of Ireland from 1997 to 2011. Born in Belfast, she became the first President of Ireland from Northern Ireland and held office through some of the most significant years of the peace process. In this conversation, recorded at Oideas Gael in Gleann Cholm Cille, Co. Donegal, Mary reflects on her life, her presidency and the people and events she witnessed at close q...

Who was Glen Hansard away from the stage? Following Glen Hansard's funeral at St Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin, this episode captures the thoughts and memories of friends, collaborators and fellow musicians on the day they gathered to say goodbye. Created as both a tribute and a historical record, these conversations preserve first-hand reflections while they were still fresh. Together, they form...

On Monday 3 August 2026, hundreds of people gathered at the Baroque Chapel, Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA), Royal Hospital Kilmainham, to pay their final respects to Glen Hansard. Rather than recounting Glen's remarkable career, this episode documents something more immediate: the memories of the people who came to say goodbye. Friends, fellow musicians and admirers reflect on the man they knew...

Why has Ireland become one of the world's strongest supporters of Palestine? In this episode, Zoe Lawlor, Chairperson of the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC), discusses why so many Irish people identify with the Palestinian cause, Ireland's policy of military neutrality, accusations of antisemitism, Zionism, the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, and whether peace betwee...

Ten years after the Brexit referendum, what has actually changed? In this final episode of our three-part series, Professor Katy Hayward looks beyond the politics of 2016 to examine Brexit's long-term consequences for Northern Ireland, the United Kingdom and Ireland. We discuss: • Has Brexit been an economic success or failure for Northern Ireland? • Has Brexit made a united Ireland more likely? •...

Jeffrey Donaldson was once regarded as one of the most influential and respected figures in unionism. A former leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, Privy Counsellor, and key negotiator during some of the most significant moments in post-Brexit politics, his conviction has sent shockwaves through Northern Ireland. In this episode, Irish News Political Correspondent John Manley traces Donaldson'...