Best Of Belfast: Northern Ireland's #1 Interview Podcast

Dr Mano Shanmuganathan is one of the only pediatric neurosurgeons in Northern Ireland. He also survived being stranded on a desert island for 30 days as part of ‘Treasure Island,’ a TV show hosted by Bear Grylls.    This life-changing event has given him a completely new perspective on work, life, faith health and wellbeing — including losing over three stone — which he shares with us in today’s e...

Quick wee update for you guys as we approach episode 100 and an invitation for you to be a part of it. 

Claire Dowds is the General Manager of Ormeau Baths, a coworking space right here in the heart of the city centre where she spends her time building an environment where people and businesses can thrive.  As a lot of you know Best Of Belfast has been based out of Ormeau Baths for the last two years which means that I’ve had the privilege of getting to know and see Claire in action and I can tell y...

This week’s interview is the fifth episode in ‘The Disruptors’, a mini-series presented in collaboration with Fleet Financial where we sit down with some of Northern Ireland’s most disruptive industry leaders.   Today’s guest is no exception.   Colin Anderson is the serial entrepreneur behind hugely successful businesses like ASG & Partners, TIBUS, B-Secur, Webrecruit Ireland, Activitybreaks.com a...

Reuben Skinner is a Belfast born and bred videographer currently living in Sydney Australia with his wife Estelle and three kids to Dora-Rose, Toban and Zeke.     Having initially studied Education with Art and Design, Reuben moved to Japan in 2010 to teach English, they were caught up in the devastating 2011 earthquake.   Upon his return to Belfast, Rebeun set up a small video production company,...

Carmel McKinney is the Chairperson of the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS).    After studying English and French at university, Carmel went on to become a teacher and one of Northern Ireland’s leading experts in the area of Dyslexia. This journey eventually resulted in her becoming the principal of a school and receiving an OBE for her work in education.   Later in life, Carmel piv...

Ok, so when I think of Dale Farm I think of milk, cheese, eating Joker ice lollies in the car. Tasty delicious, love it. But I always assumed it was just another Northern Irish food company like the rest of them.    But, as you will hear today, I only knew a small slice of the incredible Dale Farm story and in this episode, you’ll have the chance to hear it for yourself, from a man who is equally...

James Leckey is the founder & CEO of Leckey: a company focused on designing life-enhancing products for physically challenged children.    After starting out small in a garden shed, the Northern Ireland-based company now employs almost 200 people.   Today, Leckey is a globally recognized pioneer in the research, design and development of pediatric postural supports that are clinically focused and...

I first met today’s guest when I was 16 while doing Young Enterprise at school and since then I’ve also known him to be incredibly passionate and supportive of entrepreneurship for people at every age and stage of the journey.   Ciaran Sheehan is an entrepreneur himself, probably best known as a leading Executive Recruiter and Board advisor to many companies in NI.   But he also has business inter...

Jonny Quinn is the drummer of Snow Patrol, an alternative rock band from Northern Ireland that has released six albums so far and sold over 13 million copies worldwide.    Their latest album ‘Reworked’ features reimagined versions of their career highlights, including all-time classics like Chasing Cars, Open Your Eyes and Run.   Hailing from Bangor via San Jose, Jonny has been nominated for both...

When Sarah was six-years-old her mum had a stroke — making everyday tasks difficult. It was out of this personal experience that McAnallen was born.   Find out what it was like to start a business while at university, how she developed the confidence to speak in front of large crowds and what’s next...   // To see a 'treasure trove' of all things related to Sarah (including a photo) please visit h...

Zoe Salmon is an award-winning television presenter from Bangor, Northern Ireland.   In today’s episode, we talk about how she overcame childhood shyness, her unusual Blue Peter audition and the highs/lows she’s faced along the way.   // To see a 'treasure trove' of all things related to Zoe (including a photo) please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/zoe-salmon-blue-peter   Best Of Belfast...

Philip Bain is the co-founder of ShredBank and the author of two business books: Start to Grow and Start to Lead.   We talk about his exposure to entrepreneurship at a young age (his dad brought Pizza Hut to NI), how to make a difference while making money and advice on how to stay authentic in our work.   // To see a 'treasure trove' of all things related to Philip (including a photo) please visi...

Lady Mary Peters, LG CH DBE RNR OLY — or Mary P as her friends call her — is an Olympic Gold Medalist, member of the Order Of The Garter and author of her new book Passing The Torch .   In this episode, we chat about moving to NI at a young age, her experience competing in the Olympics and the challenges she’s faced along the way.   // To see a 'treasure trove' of all things related to Lady Mary (...

Cowfield Design is a father and son, creative design crafts business setup by Conor and Sean Kelly.    After starting as a hobby they now sell a whole host of products that celebrate Northern Ireland including beautifully crafted models of the Harland and Wolff Cranes, Belfast Sink, Titanic and Wild Atlantic Way.  Best Of Belfast is a crowdfunded show featuring incredible people from Northern Irel...

Tim Brundle is the Director of Research & Impact at Ulster University (and much, MUCH more).    In today’s episode, we cover Tim’s early career, including helping out in his mum’s art shop as a boy, interviewing the top 100 CEOs in Northern Ireland as a student and working for the Ministry of Defence. We also discover what it takes for a startup to succeed and how to keep the main thing the main t...

Eleanor McEvoy is Northern Ireland's Ambassador for Entrepreneurship, RTE Dragons Den Star and the CEO of Next-Gen Power.   In today’s episode, we talk about tackling climate change, what Eleanor’s goals are for her ‘final’ business and how entrepreneurs are the leader of the future.   // To see a 'treasure trove' of all things related to Eleanor (including a photo) please visit https://bestofbelf...

The Priests are the fastest-selling classical group of all time. They’re also full-time clergymen…    In this week’s episode, we chat about what it was like to grow up together, what it’s like to juggle the priesthood alongside being world-famous musicians and how to keep our ego in check.   // To see a 'treasure trove' of all things related to The Priests (including a photo) please visit https://...

Today’s conversation is my attempt of bottling the magic, curiosity and deep sense of calm I experience while talking to Mark and it’s unlike any episode we’ve shared before.    It’s the type of slow-paced, relaxing conversation you’d expect to have over a cup of tea, around a fire on a cold, winters night.    Enjoy.    // To see a 'treasure trove' of all things related to Matt (including a photo)...

After leaving school at 16 without any professional qualifications, Peter Dixon worked as a gas fitter, a plumber and a welder.    Against all the odds, he landed a huge opportunity with British Gas and ended up spearheading the colossal task of bringing natural gas to Northern Ireland for the first time in the 90s.  // To see a 'treasure trove' of all things related to Peter (including a photo) p...

After working in the music industry with artists like The Darkness and Lilly Allen, Claire returned to NI just in time to work on the pilot of Game Of Thrones.   Almost a decade later she decided to take a step back from the film industry and start her own business — Archive 12.    In today’s episode, we talk about working on Thrones, how much Belfast has changed over the years and probably my fav...

As probably the last person in the UK to contact Polio, Max had a very short-lived school career.    But at 18-years-old he moved to London to make his fortune. After stumbling into a career in recruitment, he painstakingly worked his way up through the company and left as the Head of UK Operations.    In this episode, we talk about Max’s early childhood, what it was like growing up with polio and...

Video game designer, wind-farmer, lifeboat captain, cancer survivor and most recently the first man in the world to circumnavigate the world in an autogyro.   Also known as a gyrocraft or gyrocopter, these nifty flying machines are a cross between a helicopter and a motorbike. In 2010, Norman set out from his hometown Larne on a journey that would take him all around the world — and in a bizarre t...

Nadine Patterson is a puppet-maker from Northern Ireland. From making models as a child to working in the puppet hospital on a Tim Burton movie set, Nadine has one of the most interesting stories we’ve ever featured on the podcast.   In this rare conversation, you’ll discover what goes on inside a puppet hospital, how difficult it is to work with such small objects and why she loves what she does...

Colin Williams is the BAFTA-winning children’s television creator, showrunner and writer behind Sixteen South — a production company that has produced 450+ episodes for networks like Disney Junior, CBeebies, Nick Jr and much, much more.    In today’s show, we talk about how Colin set up a production company in Northern Ireland, how to write about death for kids TV and a personal mantra that’s kept...