An Irishman Abroad

This week, Irish Times writer, essayist and musician Patrick Freyne joined Jarlath for a fascinating conversation about his life and career. His new book 'OK, Let's Do Your Stupid Idea’ is perfect for any Irish person abroad.  Patrick gives an in-depth look into his approach to writing funny, growing up in a town of 'lunatics' and the art of interviewing. Jarlath digs into his notorious relationsh...

Sonia and Jarlath talk about legal performance enhancers and discuss you suggestions for ways to improve your running times. Everything from changing shoes to coffee comes under the microscope. After last week’s injury Sonia advises Jar on the importance of a gradual return and together they mull over what the next Irishman Running Abroad event should be. Why not get in touch with your suggestion?...

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by the amount of content out there, if you’ve ever felt like you’re forever scrolling but never finding what you should be listening to, watching or reading, The Section Box is the podcast for you. In our brand new monthly recommendations podcast our experts sift through it all so you don’t have to.  The one and only Tom Dunne points you to the music you might have...

Some days you just don’t feel like it. That’s true of every activity including running but how can we overcome it. In this bumper episode Jarlath presents Sonia with a few of top reasons why people give up on running and asks how avoid falling into the same traps. Regardless of whether you run Sonia’s tips on goals, planning, identity and self-care will help you. She freely admits to losing her mo...

Critically acclaimed Irish author Colum McCann gives us a rare insight into his latest novel and the power of storytelling. When you listen to this powerful conversation, you will not be surprised to hear that Colum has won the Rooney Prize, the Novel of the Year Award, the National Book Award and International Dublin Literary Award.  His Man Booker Prize longlisted book Apeirogon has lead critics...

After a week of comfort eating watching America nearly implode, Jarlath asks Sonia for some nutrition advice this week. Having escaped her quarantine hotel at last, the Irish athletics legend is on a high and gives some priceless tips on mindset and discipline that we can all apply to our intake. There’s news on our up-coming event on November 18th and a look at Jarlath’s speed of progression with...

This week, Jarlath is honoured to be joined by Lord Mayor of Dublin Hazel Chu. This episode is part of Irishman Abroad’s continued effort to raise awareness of the mental health challenges facing young people and our chosen charity partner jigsaw.ie.  Hazel explains how she and her family were on the devastating receiving end of racism as the only Chinese family in Celbridge (11:00) when she was g...

In a week when it feels like the whole world is either locking down or smothering us with overwhelming news there has never been a better time to get out and run. Sonia remains quarantined in Australia nobody knows the feeling better than her. Today she talks to Jarlath about making the most of our limited surroundings and stringent rules. After 9 solid weeks of training she prescribes a recovery...

Jerry Buting has worked for more than 35 years as a criminal lawyer working exclusively on the defence of serious criminal cases. In 2016, his appearance in the Netflix hit series Making a Murderer, turned him into a household name as he acted in the defence of Steven Avery alongside his colleague Dean Strang. This is Jerry's third conversation with Jarlath on the Irishman Abroad Podcast Network a...

Ever wanted to know what Ireland’s greatest athlete regards as the most vital knowledge she has accumulated over the years? Well in this week’s episode Jarlath asks Sonia that very question. The answers can’t but surprise and help you.  Speaking to us from her new home for the next two weeks, Sonia tells us what living in a quarantine hotel is really like. Together Jarlath and Sonia assess a diffi...

Brian Pennie poses the question 'how would you live your life differently if life gave you a second chance?' Brian’s drug addiction was so severe that he was deemed too much of a risk for detox. In this rare conversation, he tells his incredible story of rebuilding his world from the depths of addiction, crippling anxiety through to the most unlikely recovery journey. Jarlath asks Brian about the...

It doesn’t matter what your level of running experience most people want go faster. Fresh off completing his first 10K, Jarlath gets into why and how we can all run better times. There’s news on the next Irishman Running Abroad event on October 31st and a little functional fashion advice from Sonia.  Dressing for the changing weather is essential to avoid picking up a chill when running in these m...

The award-winning journalist Mark Tighe is the co-author of the best-selling sports boom of 2020, 'Champagne Football - John Delaney and the betrayal of Irish football: the inside story.' This week, Mark joined Jarlath to offer a rare inside look into the dark and shocking world of the FAI during it's time under John Delaney's reign as CEO. Mark goes deep into the story of Delaney's infamous 50th...

A special World Mental Health Week episode where Jarlath asks Sonia about her mental wellness during her career. Sonia opens up for the first time about the deep lows that followed the huge highs of her career and the lack of understanding during the 90s on the issue.  There’s a big announcement about a running challenge that listeners can join in with to make a huge difference for our chosen char...

How do you go from Cahersiveen, Co. Kerry, to working for CNN investigating Russian interference in the 2016 American Presidential Election? Well, Donie O'Sullivan did just that and this week he joined Jarlath to tell his incredible story. Today his focus is upon the ways in which Trump and Biden are using social media in their campaigns. Donie speaks to Jarlath about this bizarre process and late...

To mark World Mental Health Day we have gathered together some of the most enlightening and heartfelt moments of honesty on the subject of mental wellness. To start off Jarlath has the tables turned on him as Jen Trzeciak of Jigsaw.ie asks the questions. For the first time Jarlath opens up about his own mental health journey and challenges he finds toughest as a parent trying to guide his son thro...

In this latest instalment of An Irishman Running Abroad, Sonia O'Sullivan announces our next event, discusses her recent secretive London Marathon experience and explains the fascinating reason why she is currently in Spain working alongside future record holders. As always, Sonia gives Jarlath her invaluable advice on how to take things to the next level, discusses the surprising advantages of ru...

This week Jarlath is joined by legendary writer Paul Howard. Having made his first appearance on the podcast over 5 years ago, Paul rejoins us to talk about his new book 'Braywatch' and to have a rare in-depth discussion about his time spent as a sports writer. Paul speaks Frankly about his relationship with Ross (5:00), the fit of optimism which resulted in him destroying 4,000 copies of his firs...

Navigating the technology options available to new and established runners can be as hard as running itself. That’s why this week Sonia and Jarlath invited Jess Kelly onto the show to break down a few basics and not so simple aspects of modern running gadgetry. Jess Kelly isn’t just one of the most respected tech journalists in Ireland, she makes the truly excellent Tech Talk radio show and podcas...

Clare Dunne joins us this week to discuss the journey of writing, creating and starring in her first feature film “Herself”. Until now Clare was best known for work on stage but here for the first time she examines how her life as an actor almost never came to be. “Herself” is an up-lifting and heartbreaking story of a young Dublin mother attempting to escape her abusive partner and with the help...

If you’re just starting out or are a seasoned half marathon enthusiast you’re going to need Sonia’s advice on how to prepare a training plan. Fresh off the high of his first 5K, Jarlath asks Sonia about the come-down after an event that we might have pinned all our hopes upon. How do we survive success, find the next mountain and park the imagination when the next mountain looks remarkably similar...

This week, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor makes his much-anticipated return to An Irishman Abroad. A lot has happened in Tom's life and career since his first appearance on the show almost 7 years ago.  Tom tells us about his incredible Marvel experiences which includes a hilarious audition tape story (34:00) and he also details his role as Colm in Rialto and what it was like working alongside Peter Mackie Bu...

To honour and preserve the memory of Pat Smullen we are re-releasing his episode today. Pat wasn’t just a champion on the track he was a true gentleman and ambassador for courage in the face of tremendous adversity. Rest in peace Pat.  Our charity partner is jigsawonline.ie. In these tricky times, Jigsaw provides a range of resources, advice and care for your people to help them strengthen their m...

In this latest instalment of An Irishman Running Abroad with Sonia O'Sullivan, Sonia and Jarlath open up the mailbag which is full to the brim of listener' questions. In response to your questions, Sonia addresses the phenomenon of the runner's high while also offering advice and her thoughts on common knee issues, shin splints, supplements, running in very high temperatures, how to change your ga...

John McGrath’s story has to be heard to be believed. A gold medal winner for Ireland in rowing, his career cut short by a horrendous back injury. For most that would be the end for John it was just the beginning. He went on a pilgrimage studying self-mastery and the power of the mind, learning how to harness the mind to push the body through the most extreme physical barriers. Under Bruce Lee’s te...