Our Man In Stockholm

Nothing binds Irish communities abroad together like Gaelic games, and Dubliner Tony Bass has been one of the most important and influential figures in their rapid growth in Europe. On this week's podcast he talks about leaving Ireland and setting up a club in Maastricht, years of battling for recognition and resources, and the lessons learned along the way. Absolutely essential listening for any...

First out of the blocks this year is Tom Chamney, a former professional athlete in one of the most punishing track and field distances there is, who found love and a new career as a restaurant owner on Sweden's west coast! 

With many listeners staying off the booze in January, I'm joined by Irish actor and comic Joe O'Neill, who quit alcohol almost a year ago for at least 12 months, to talk about the difference it has made to his life and health. Joe is one of the driving forces behind the Irish Creative Collective in London, which runs events and networking opportunities for writers, artists and musicians.

This week I paid a visit to Irish Michelin-starred chef and hotel manager Liam Ginnane at the splendid surroundings of Vår Gård in Saltsjöbaden to talk hospitality, kitchen work and the joys of Christmas cooking for family and customers alike. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from the Irish in Sweden podcast!

A very special Christmas edition focusing on "Back Home - A Christmas Concert", which will take place in Dublin and be streamed live to the Irish community around the world on Dec 21.  I spoke to Aimee van Wylick, the woman behind much of the "To Be Irish" project about this creative endeavour, and I am also joined by cellist Patrick Dexter about how he shot to fame during the pandemic and wh...

With the Irish Chamber Of Commerce in Sweden holding its annual gala, it was time for a wrap-up of the year in the community. I'm joined by the wonderful Suzanne Hunt, chair of the Stockholm Gaels, and the equally wonderful Sofie Murphy of the Swedish Irish Society to talk about what felt like a breakthrough year in terms of co-operation in the community.

This week we visit one of the longest-established, yet smallest, Irish communities abroad as I talk to Irish academic Luke Field about life as a politics lecturer and researcher in Reykjavik, Iceland. 

Against all odds, we have a jam-packed episode this week with award-winning Stockholm Gaels footballer Emmet Brogan and Robbie Graham, the Cork-born plumber-turned-school principal who is probably one of the nicest people you will ever meet!

This week we talk to brilliant Irish musician Martin Farragher - known as Faraway Martin - about having hits in the Middle East, what life is really like here and what needs to change, and how. 

This week I'm joined by Irish author and thinker Owen Gaffney to talk about his new book "Earth For All - A Survival Guide For Humanity", that looks at the climate crisis and what we can do about it in a conversation all about challenges, change and hope.

This week's episode features Irish sporting legend Cora Staunton, who blazed a trail in Gaelic football (and soccer, and rugby ...) before going Down Under to become one of the most feared scorers in Australian Rules football. She talks about turning pro, her burning desire to win and bouncing back from a horrific injury to become better than ever before.

This week we're brewing up a soft-drink storm with Karl Stein, whose Törst beverage company is flying. Karl talks about moving to Sweden, the highs and lows of different businesses he was involved in, and why the future of the drinks industry lies in all-natural ingredients.  https://www.torstbeverages.com/

This week we visit Stockholm to hear how an attack in London left Elaina O'Shea with a traumatic brain injury that changed her life and how she is managing it, and then we stop somewhere on the road to Nashville, where Clare Cunningham is blazing a brave trail in a remarkable solo career as a songwriter and musician in America.

This week the clocks are gone back and Christmas is just around the corner, so it's time to get booking everything from flights to turkeys! Gareth Jones joins us from Taylor & Jones in Stockholm to tell us how to ensure you get your goodies on time if you're anywhere near the capital, but before that we pay another visit to Jen O'Sullivan, who has built up a brilliant fresh pasta business over...

When Rodney Walshe and his mother took the plunge and moved to New Zealand many decades ago, there were no airport lounges - instead it was a month-long boat trip and a new life in a new country with little chance of going back. Since then he has become what the Department Of Foreign Affairs have described as "the most recognised and respected Irish citizen in New Zealand", and this week he joins...

This week we go behind the scenes as Shamrock Rovers came to town to  play Djurgårdens IF. Rovers fanatic Graham Merrigan told me what it was  like to visit Stockholm as a wheelchair user and then we headed west to  Gothenburg to talk to Cormac O'Brien about life as a rugby referee in Sweden's second city.

This week on the Global Gael, Corkman Con Hurley talks about growing up in England, returning home and writing "Gone To America", a deeply-researched and fascinating account of his family's history of emigration from the west coast of our island to the west coast of North America.  Support the show: patreon.com/ourmaninstockholm

This week we pay a visit to the monthly breakfast with the Irish Chamber Of Commerce in Sweden in Stockholm where we talked about everything from business and mentoring to films and rugby, and Claudia Crowley Sörensen joins us from Alvesta to talk about how she got into politics and looks like becoming the leader of the opposition on her local city council.  Support the show: patreon.com/ourm...

This week we head Down Under, where friends Joe McManus and Jamie Cleere have built a currach and sailed it under Sydney's iconic Harbour Bridge, and Leon Hartnett joins me from Invercargill on New Zealand's South Island to talk about finding a sense of community in a place about as far from Dublin as you can get on this planet. Support the show: patreon.com/ourmaninstockholm - and please like and...

A very special bonus episode ahead of the UEFA Europa Conference League clash between Djurgårdens IF and Shamrock Rovers - I'm joined by ex-DIF midfielder Kevin Walker and AIK winger Zack Elbouzedi from Dublin to talk about Swedish football, Rovers' chances and what it will take to beat the club that calls itself "The Pride Of Stockholm".

After a mad week in the world of podcasting, Noah O'Rourke Drevfjäll joins us on his return from Ireland to tell us about his first visit to Dublin as an adult together with his partner Erika. The young journalist from Sörmland shares the story of growing up in a small town, working for newspapers in the big city of Malmö, and ultimately aiming to get back to the peace and quite of the countryside...

The second episode of the Global Gael takes us to London, where actor, writer and comedian Joe O'Neill tells us about a new group for Irish creatives there, and then on to Las Vegas where we meet Mayo woman Sinéad Madden, who is responsible for keeping the monsters of rock that are Def Leppard on the road.  Support the show:  patreon.com/ourmaninstockholm

This week we head south to hear the tale of Diarmuid Reidy and how an unusual date with a Swedish woman eventually led to him owning his own brewery in Eslöv. There's also a bit of a celebration of the Irish women's soccer team and some news about jobs that are currently being recruited at the Irish Embassy in Stockholm. You can find more information about the Uncharted Brewing Company here: https...

Michael O'Toole is an Irish crime correspondent who has reported on some of the most heinous acts you can imagine - and some you can't. Like many journalists, he turned to fiction to try to put some of what he has seen and experienced into perspective, and his first novel "Black Light" is a searing portrayal of the world he reports on that has been widely praised for its realism and attention to d...

On the very first episode of the Global Gael we meet Marianne Bolger, the Clondalkin woman who was recently appointed Ireland's ambassador to Jordan, and journalist Dan Shaughnessy, whose ancestors left Galway and Ireland in the wake of the Famine. That decision eventually led to him being born in Massachusetts and going on to become one of the most respected sportswriters in America.  Suppor...