The Faroe Islands Podcast

This week, we take up the dispute between the Faroe Islands and the EU regarding fishing quotas. The EU has banned the import of certan types of fish after the Faroes set their own quota for herring and mackerel. We'll talk to Kate Sanderson, the head of the Faroese Mission to the European Union, Bjorn Kunoy, a doctor of international law, and British MP Alistair Carmichael about the thorny issue...

This week, our good friend Heri Simonsen  talks to Joseph Hickersberger. He was the coach of the Austrian National Football Team on September 12, 1990 when that team was on the wrong end of what's still called the biggest upset in international football history. The Faroe Islands team, playing their first World Cup Qualifier ever, beat Austria 1-0. Despite having his name forever associated with t...

This week we talk to comedian and politician Sjurdur Skaale. He's one of the most famous comedians in the Faroe Islands, and was one of the most prominent advocates for Faroese independence. However, he's switched parties and recently got elected to represent the Faroes in the Danish parliament. We ask Sjurdur about the change in heart, and what it's like serving in another country's parliament. T...

This week, part two of our coverage of the Island Games in Bermuda. This week, Heri Simonsen talks to the head of the swimming association from Jersey, and the man who is organizing the 2015 Island Games on that island. Then we pay tribute to three people who were killed while driving home after participating in the games.

This week, part one of our recap of the Island Games in Bermuda. The games are staged every two years and allow athletes from small island nations to compete against each other. Heri Simonsen travled to Bermuda to cover the games and we talk to him about the experience. Then Heri interviews Jon Beard, the organizer of the Bermuda games.

This week, we talk to Kate Russo. She's an Australian eclipse hunter, and she's in the Faroe Islands doing some advance work for the solar eclipse that will cross the Faroes in 2015. We'll talk about chasing eclipses, and the risks of viewing a solar event in a cloudy place. Then we'll get blinded by the light in a small Faroese village.

This week, we talk to the Guri Hojgaard, she's the head of Visit Faroe Islands. The board, which promotes tourism in the Faroes, is getting ready to launch a new image campaign. We'll talk about the future of Faroese tourism and how to market a location as "unspoiled" without spoiling it in the process. Then we'll visit the isolated village of  Norðadalur.

John Carter Cash comes from country music royalty. He's the only child of Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash, and has a music career of his own. Cash was in the Faroes last week, and our good friend Heri Simonsen caught up with him to talk to him about the Faroe Islands, country music, and what it's like to grow up with Johnny Cash for a dad.

This week, we talk to Sakaris Stora. He recently directed a silm that played at the HollyShorts film festival in Los Angeles, California. We'll talk about how quickly the Faroese film scene has changed in just a few years. Then we'll head under the runway in the village of Sorvagur. And we'll also run down the news regarding EU sanctions against the Faroe Islands.

This week, we talk to Eiler Fagratlett about the changes in the LGBT community following the historic 2012 Faroe Pride rally that drew more than 5,000 people to the streets of Torshavn. Then we'll test Eiler's gaydar.

This week, we talk to ORKA founder Jens Thomsen about his project Foroyar 5.2, which blends music, geology, and video. We'll ask Thomsen how this unique collaboration came about and listen to some of the composition. We also give special thanks this week to our Kickstarter supporters David Pleasant, Sean Cearley, and Bill Schwab for helping make this week's episode possible.

It's day two of Olavsoka, and we're taking in all the sounds of the Faroe Islands' biggest celebration. There's sports, music, politics, and a surprise ending. What more could you want? Slip on the headphones, this one is special.

This week, we sample some of the sounds of the first night of Olavsoka. Olavsoka is the two-day national holiday that is just too big to cover in just one podcast. In this first edition, we wander the streets looking for a friend, change plans several times, and get a panoramic view of some midnight fireworks.

The G! Festival is just a few weeks away, so it's time to check in with Jon Tyril. He's the man who founded the three-day celebration of music and who still picks most of the event's lineup. We'll review how last year's festival went, and take a listen to some artists who could make waves this year.

This week, we talk to a former Manchester United goalkeeper as he visits the Faroe Islands for the first time, Then we'll visit the village of Velbastadur and ask that age-old question, "is this hill green enough?"

This week, we talk to Johannes Patursson. He lives in the historic village of Kirkjubour in a home his family has occupied for 17 generations. We'll find out how his family came to live in the ancient house, what it's like to live in a house that's also part museum, and the hopes he has for his children.

This week, we've got an update on our Kickstarter campaign, and we visit the small town of Ephraim, Utah to see why the city was flooded with people dressed as Vikings.

This week, we launch our Kickstarter campaign to help fund a new season of the podcast. You can help support the podcast by going to our Kickstarter page  and showing us a little love. But we're not all business here. We also get an exclusive performance from Torshavn's Olavsoka choir. It's a really great song.

This week, part two of our conversation with Joel Cole. He's an American artist who moved to the Faroe Islands four years ago. We'll talk about the artistic community in the Faroes, and how an artist who works with wood gets his raw materials in a country almost entirely devoid of trees. Then we'll head out to the village of Skala and look back at a brighter past.

This week, we talk to Joel Cole, he's an American artist who first visited the Faroe Islands more than 25 years ago, and now calls the islands his home. In part one of our discussion, we talk about the long journey that took him to the Faroe Islands. Then we visit the coolest club in the Faroes and spend time at a mustache contest. (Spoiler: We don't win.)

This week, we tour one of the biggest churches in the Faroe Islands with the man who designed it. Albert Isfeld is one of most prominent architects in the Faroe Islands, and he also offers his opinions of Faroese buildings, and how life on the islands is changing.

Once again this week, we're wandering the streets of Torshavn. But unlike last week, it's no longer aimless. We meet up with Jogvan A Dul and tag along as he takes pictures of the Faroese capital. He takes this same series of photos almost every morning, then posts them onto Facebook.

This week, we wander the streets of Torshavn in the morning looking for a mysterious man named Jogvan. Ok, he's not that mysterious, but still, his location was certainly a mystery to us. During our quest, we'll take in the sights and sounds of Torshavn before it has fully woken up.

This week we stroll the National Mall in Washington, DC with Sigvor Laksa. Sigvor is from the Faroe Islands and manages the woman who is arguably the most famous singer from the Faroes (Eivor). In this show, we wander from the Lincoln Memorial to the White House and talk mostly about the United States, but looking at it from a Faroese perspective.

On this week's show, Heri Simonsen interviews Hungarian journalist Gabor Lantos about his visit to the Faroe Islands. Then we head out to the breathtaking village of Funningur.