An Irishman Abroad

Recorded prior to yesterday’s events at Kabul airport, in this week’s episode Marion McKeone examines the latest twists and turns in the Harvey Weinstein scandal. The former movie mogul is back in court facing 11 sex assault charges involving five women in Los Angeles County after prosecutors returned to a grand jury this week to resuscitate a rejected count. Later in the episode Jarlath and Mario...

It’s the one year anniversary of the Irishman Running Abroad! Sonia dials in from Portland after watching her 2 mile record fall to one of her own athletes at the Pre Fontaine Classic this past weekend. While she fills us in on what it’s like to see the fastest 100 metres since Flo Jo, Jarlath goes to the other end of the spectrum to give us a full report on the hill session organised for listener...

I have fallen for this podcast you can download it to your phone! This week, we hear the story of The Saw Doctors from the band's inception to where they are today in never before heard detail. It’s the perfect way to celebrate 30 years since the release of their timeless debut album, “If This Is Rock And Roll, I Want My Old Job Back”. Guitarist Leo Moran joins Jarlath to speak about falling in lo...

The unfolding catastrophe in Afghanistan is the subject of today's podcast with a deep dive from Marion into the beginnings of the war and a discussion of why 70% of Americans are backing Joe Biden's pull-out from the country. Finally, Marion looks at what she believes will happen next in this crisis. To hear every episode in full and to gain access to the entire back-catalogue of over 500 Irishma...

After months of burning the candle at both ends, Sonia is feeling the strain as she returns to the USA. She talks to Jarlath about all she has learned about fatigue over the years and how it can actually be used as a tool to increase speed long term. There are questions from the listeners around how much time an average runner should devote to recovery and a ridiculous story of Sonia's first state...

This week, Leinster, Ireland and Lions rugby legend Rob Kearney joined Jarlath for a rare long-form conversation about his life and career. Rob opens up about being bullied at school, how he is being patient with himself in retirement and how a mistake in the gym one day at the age of 19 caused him one of his biggest career regrets. Rob speaks openly about why international rugby in Ireland is suf...

It took a week of protests, media pressure and one Marion McKeone podcast to tip Andrew Cuomo over the edge and into resignation. This week Marion and Jarlath examine what exactly happened to force this supposed street fighter to wave the white flag. His half-hearted apology gets an autopsy and Jarlath asks if Cuomo is positioning himself as the Democrat Trumpish outsider candidate. Does he still...

As the dust settles on Kellie Harrington’s triumph, Jarlath Regan asks Ireland’s greatest ever track and field athlete about what lies ahead for Ireland’s golden girl. Sonia looks back on the moment her life changed in the same fashion, examines the idea of pressure in those moments where gold is on the line and offers a rare insight into why being a runner helped her get her privacy back when her...

This week, one of the most talked about Irish musical talents Róisín O joined Jarlath for a fascinating and heartbreaking conversation about her life and career to date. Róisín explains her creative response to the pandemic during her time spent in lockdown in Kerry, her approach to life and her renewed focus on cutting unsupportive people out of her life. Róisín opens up about how she misses the...

This week Marion didn’t need to go into the archives to find a scandal worth talking about. As we recorded this episode, the Andrew Cuomo scandal continued to unfold before us. The New York Governor has fallen from grace after almost a dozen women came forward to say he sexually harassed at work. Even President Biden has weighed in to urge Cuomo to step down. This seems less and less likely, as Ma...

After almost 12 months and nearly 50 episodes, Jarlath and Sonia meet face to face for the first time to discuss that awful sense we all get from time to time. Feeling like you’ve bitten off more than you can chew whether it’s at work or in running can leave us feeling frazzled, depressed and completely exasperated. Sonia has some simple yet effective advice as always for anyone feeling this way....

How do you go from picking up ball for the first time at 13 years old in a Clondalkin secondary school to becoming one of the most talked about NBA prospects in America? This week, Aidan Igiehon tells Jarlath about this journey and all the bumps along the way. With an incredible honesty Aidan speaks about his phenomenal growth both on and off the court during his teenage years. The Irish Hulk as h...

This week US gymnast Simone Biles stunned the world by withdrawing from the team gymnastics event at the Tokyo Olympic Games. Behind the storm the decision created was Larry Nassar. Biles was a victim of the US team doctor who abused hundreds of female gymnasts over the course of years while employed by the organisation and Michigan State University. Biles along with dozens of young women didn’t b...

The final episode of our independent book stores 10 part mini series takes us to Letterfrack and another outlet of Books At One. Mary Ruddy gives Jarlath a look inside the shop, the rich history of its location and how she came to run the store with her husband Vincent Murphy. Like it’s sister store in Louisburgh, the books store that started this series, the Letterfrack branch is more than just a...

With the track and field events commencing this Friday, Sonia focuses this Irishman Running Abroad on what we can expect. How will the bizarre circumstances affect performances? The former world champion walks Jarlath through who to watch and why. With both Jar and Sonia back in Ireland there is news on a meet up run on August 8th and how to navigate a running plan in a new location. Sonia gives J...

Liz Nugent has lived an extraordinary life. This week the award-winning crime fiction writer joined Jarlath for a one of a kind conversation about the highs and lows of her life and career. Liz gives a hilarious account of being a compulsive liar as a child while also explaining the influence that growing up in constant fear had on her life. Having emigrated to London on her own at the age of 17,...

How did Martha Stewart go from America’s most beloved homemaker and self-made billionaire to late night punchline and the penitentiary? Marion McKeone has followed and investigated the rise and fall and rise again of this incredible character for the guts of 20 years. Today unravels it all in spellbinding detail. Jarlath quizzes Marion on some of the more bizarre rumours and obvious sexism surroun...

This week, we are joined by Will De Búrca of De Búrca's Rare Books to discuss the fascinating world of book collecting, binding and discovery as an independent rare book store. Will talks about his time in Sotheby's in New York and what he has learned about the spending habits of wealthy collectors. We also get an insight into his extraordinary other life as a music producer. From playing Electric...

Gait analysis is rightly or wrongly something a lot of runners fear from a cost and mortification point of view. This week Jarlath reluctantly submits to having his gait analysed by the brilliant Irish chi running coach Emer O'Brien (fitnesswithemer.ie). Sonia admits why even she hates seeing the reality of her running technique played back to her. Emer explains why getting past this cognitive dis...

With many Irish people abroad and at home at a complete loss as to what the future holds in terms of travel, Dec Ryan, co-founder of Ryanair and Chairman of Viva Air and VivaLatinAmerica, rejoins Jarlath for a follow-up interview after almost 2 years since his first appearance. In this episode they discuss the 'crazy' regulations the industry is witnessing. Regulations which Dec believes are killi...

Why does America lock up more people than any other country? Why is the focus on punishment and not rehabilitation? Marion McKeone examines the sinister big business that both Democrats and Republicans seem to agree upon. Together with Jarlath she examines the facts, figures and myths surrounding the cultural shift towards locking up the poor and criminalising poverty. Does President Biden have an...

Vibes & Scribes is a Cork literary institution. Today Jarlath hears the story of how Joan Lucey took the leap into book selling with the help of her sister in Macroom. Joan’s inspirational story of following her gut feeling and taking on the iconic building in Cork City is one that needs to be heard. Joan explains how Vibes & Scribes came to host live events with the likes of Mary Robinson, the pe...

Weight loss is a global obsession and often the hidden motivation behind a lot of new and old runners. Today on the podcast Sonia looks at a subject she has taken as a basic by-product of her job and considers why so many struggle with it. Jarlath quizzes the Irish Olympic legend on the errors most people make, her cheat code for meal prep and how to design your running schedule to maximise your c...

This week, Irish comedy legends Foil, Arms & Hog joined Jarlath for a rare and hilarious conversation about their rise to success and more. In this rip-roaring chat, Sean Finegan, Conor McKenna and Sean Flanagan speak to Jarlath about bringing sketch comedy into the modern Irish comedy scene, how they often consoled each other on those long journeys home after a tough gig and their experiences of...

When Cian Byrne nabbed a steady job with a multinational as a business forecaster his future looked pretty set in stone. Then over coffee with his father he realised that the family business would soon disappear if he didn’t reject the big business opportunity in favour of moving to Maynooth. Today Cian tells Jarlath the story of their independent bookshop and examines the rise of independent stor...