Our Man In Stockholm

This week I spoke to Mark Ennis about mental health, depression and being diagnosed with ADHD as an adult, and there's some news about what's going to be happening in the coming weeks as I disappear behind China's Great Wall, but the podcasts keep on coming! Some useful links for mental health:  www.attention.se www.expatfocus.com/sweden/health/what-mental-healthcare-options-are-available-in-...

This week Sofie Murphy joins me to talk about the Swedish-Irish Society, probably the country's oldest organisation promoting Irish culture here, and I talk to Helen Kavanagh Berglund about her work running the show in Sigtuna. There's also some good news for Guinness Drinkers in "dry January" too...

A study by Denmark's sports federation published last week attempts to address the situation for trans, non-binary and intersex athletes in sport, and it surprised many - six of its seven recommendations had nothing to do with elite competitions like the Olympics, instead focusing on inclusion. I spoke to Rikke Rikke Rønholt Albertsen, a Danish academic and former elite track and field athlete, ab...

This week I visited the Karolinska Institute to talk to scientist Gerry McInerney about his work on COVID-19 antibodies together with an alpaca named Tyson, and I paid a visit to Martin Hession, owner of Wirströms Pub in Gamla Stan (Stockholm's Old Town) to find out how the pandemic affected his business - and if we're seeing some light at the end of the tunnel. 

In the first OMIS podcast of 2022, Christian Christensen joins me to talk about Sweden's upcoming election in September - will it be another weak centre-left coalition or can Magdalena Andersson sweep to power with a strong majority? Or will the conservatives be bolstered by the far-right Sweden Democrats being brought in from the cold at long last?

January brings a focus on sport and fitness, and there are plenty of opportunities in Sweden to get involved. I go through some of the current gym prices from around the country and I'm joined by Henrik Tejlfors of Korpen ( www.korpen.se ), who organise leagues and competitions in different sports all over Sweden for those who want to compete, but maybe not at the highest level! There's also a cha...

Something to listen to while you're out on a brisk, bracing walk on the days between Christmas and New Year!  Emma Löfgren of The Local takes us through what's needed to get back into Sweden* once your time in Ireland is over, and Dave Rooney of the Black Donnellys band tells us about a brilliant Emmy award-winning documentary he made with my good friend Dave Browne. The two Daves toured Swed...

A trip through Stockholm to visit one of the few restaurants serving a turkey dinner (but only until the 23rd!), a chat with "Kitchen Hero" Donal Skehan, about trying to balance the Swedish and Irish traditions in the kitchen, and of course your greetings from all over Sweden and Ireland. God jul!

A review of the best season yet in Swedish Gaelic football, when Gävle and Luleå burst onto the scene to challenge Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö, and a conversation with Belfast man Aaron Kennedy on what to keep in mind when trying to stay on the right side of the "ordningsvakter" - bouncers - at Swedish pub and nightclubs.

Ariel Helwani is the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) of MMA journalism and a man at the very top of the game - but along the way, he too has suffered from anxiety and the idea that at some point the dream could be ripped from his grasp. Talking to a therapist and becoming independent in his work has not just led to even greater success, it has given him even greater peace of mind.

Jennifer O'Sullivan has taken the plunge and started a new business, and Zack Elbouzedi has been taking football's Allsvenskan by storm - in episode 2 we're out and about on the streets of Stockholm finding Irish stories to tell.

It's here! The first episode of a new podcast for the Irish community in Sweden! Whether you're here building a data centre in Luleå or at university in Lund, we've got you covered. In the first episode I speak to Ambassador Austin Gormley about his work, Ireland's presence here in Sweden and what citizens can expect from their embassy. Like, share and most of all - get involved!

Jack Murray is one of Ireland's foremost communications professionals, and like everyone from Hans Christian Andersen to Björn from ABBA, he quickly realised the value of storytelling, no matter what it is you are trying to communicate. HIs brilliant new book on the subject, "The Magic Slice", gives you a glimpse behind the curtain and tells you exactly how to create compelling narratives that aud...

Sweden's Covid mitigation strategy has stuck out to the world, but what is seldom mentioned is those that it left behind - the elderly and people with disabilities. Eric Hammarstrand has been housebound pretty much since the start of the pandemic and he feels angry and let down by Swedish society - including a Left Party that has been just as negligent of the needs of disabled people as those on t...

Two huge games for Ireland's footballing women ended with one loss, one draw and the World Cup dream very much alive - Stephanie Roche joined me to go through the tactics that Vera Pauw's side used in this momentous week.

Brendan Walsh has gone from sending letters to zoos begging for information to being a zookeeper himself, educating people about animals through everything from daily talks to podcasts and TV shows. I had him as a regular guest on a radio show 25 years ago back when he was a teenager, and his passion for the animal kingdom and the natural world burns as brightly now as it did then. We talked about...

Conspiracy theories have always been with us, but as the Covid-19 pandemic swept around the world in March 2020 they exploded in popularity as misinformation flooded to fill the vacuum of uncertainty. They quickly expanded to include everything from Covid conspiracies and paedophile rings to anti-vaxx sentiments, presenting governments and scientists with a tough nut to crack as they sought to con...

Before transitioning, Kirsti Miller was a world champion and a multi-sport sensation in her Australian hometown of Wagga Wagga, as well as being the toughest prison governor in the correctional system. After transitioning, hormone treatments saw her go from over 100 kilos to under 60 as the supposed advantages of having once inhabited a male body quickly ebbed away. She joined me to talk about the...

Finland captain Tim Sparv is one of the most outspoken footballers when it comes to the Qatar World Cup and the conversation around human rights, and there are not too many more like him. His article for the Players Tribune prompted a re-awakening of the discussion around what is being done, but that debate is all too often centred on pussyfooting around the subject. He joined me to talk about his...

No matter what we are talking about, whether it is sport, politics or anything else, we need to think before we speak - and we also need to ask ourselves where our opinions on these things come from.

Zack Elbouzedi's path in football has taken many twists and turns, the latest of which has led him to Stockholm and AIK. In front of 12,300 fans on Sunday, Zack's two corners laid the foundations for a 2-1 win that keeps his new team in the title race, and behind his success is a story of hard work, perseverance, and that little bit of luck that brings us to the right place at the right time. Esse...

The Paralympics is taking place in Tokyo, and even though the coverage is way, way better than it used to be, there's always room for improvement. Actor, activist, athlete, podcaster and heartthrob Graham Merrigan joined me to talk about representation on TV, relationships and being a wheelchair user in modern Ireland. His podcast with Danny Murray is called "What's the Story" and is well worth yo...

Over 30 years ago Dublin was a vibrant city struggling to shake off generations of poverty and the shackles of the cult of Catholicism. As a teenage songwriter with his band Power Of Dreams, Craig Walker captured that time before upping sticks and heading to London to seek fame and fortune, and now as an adult he finds himself in Berlin, still writing songs that resonate. The band's new album Ausl...

From the moment my Da told me about Muhammad Ali as a six-year-old (me, not him), I was smitten. On Sunday I got a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see Irish sporting history made at the Olympics, and I wish he could have been there with me.

Reflections from the first ten days in Japan at the Tokyo Olympics featuring dubious surfers, imaginary busses, and what happens when everything gets lost in translation...