The Faroe Islands Podcast

It's the second night of the G! Festival and we've got two interviews recorded by Jóna Nicolajsen for Ras 2. First, we'll hear from a Finnish woman who is volunteering at the festival, then we'll hear three members of Daughters of Reykjavik, an all-woman hip-hop collective. Special thanks for Heri Simonsen for helping us get these interviews.

The first in a series of short podcasts from the 2017 G! Festival. Ras 2 journalist Jóna Nicolajsen talks to an American and Italian who are attending the festival for the first time. Check this space for more interviews as the festival continues. 

This week, Heri Simonsen talks to Maurice Ross about managing the new Suduroy United football (soccer) team. The team is a merger of three clubs on the southern island that haven't had much success in the past, but are now contending for the Europa League spot in the EFFO League. Then we'll hear a live recording of Marius singing "Shades," which is a song so beautiful it will just rip you to shred...

This week, we travel to Nolsoy to visit a cafe that has turned the tiny island into a live music destination. Maggie's is located in the basement of Terji Rasmussen's house, but this small venue is attracting some big names in Faroese music. We'll talk to Terji about the cafe, and listen to a little music.

We've noticed that our podcasts about whales get big download numbers, as do our shows on gay rights. So, we thought, how about doing a show about gay whales? Consider it done! We talk to Eiler Fagraklett, the head of LGBT Foroyar about a Faroese children's book that features... wait for it... a gay whale. OK, maybe it's gay. It's probably gay. So we read from the book and talk a little about how...

This week, we attend a World Cup Qualification match in Torshavn The Faroese take on Hungary in a surprisingly exciting match.   Then we go out into the parking lot and swap scarves.

This week, we hitch a ride to the World Cup qualifying match between Hungary and the Faroe Islands. And we get some surprising results from various Faroe Islands football (soccer) matches.

This week, we talk to Mary Zahorsky. She was an exchange student in the Faroe Islands back in the 1970s and stayed with our own Elin Brimheim Heinesen. More than 40 years later, Mary returned to the Faroes to see the country again and reconnect with Elin. We ask Mary about her experiences back in the '70s and what it's like to be back. Then we go out dancing. Also, we tip our Faroese cap to KOKS....

Last November, we discussed the curious case of Ove Logmansbo . He claimed to be a half-Polish, half-Faroese author who set a trio of crime novels in his "native" Faroe Islands. The books, written in Polish, contained some serious factual errors that suggested Ove wasn't who he said he was and that he may not have ever been to the Faroes. This week, it was revealed that Ove Logmansbo is actually R...

This week, we travel to Seattle to attend the Nordic Lights Film Festival. For the first time ever, the festival is playing a selection of Faroese shorts. We'll talk to festival organizers and to Heidrik, who had two selections playing.

This week, we talk to the head of Visit Faroe Islands to learn about the state of tourism in the Faroes today. Not long ago, many questioned why people would want to visit the Faroes at all. Now many are asking, "how much is too much?" Gudrid Hojgaard talks about the opportunities and challenges of this new tourism landscape. We'll also congratulate the U21 Handball team on their recent successes...

As Christmas approached the Faroe Islands, so did a massive storm that brought winds as strong as a category 3 hurricane. Thousands of buildings were damaged and cars were thrown into the sea by the violent winds. We talk to KVF reporter Svein Magnason about the storm and its aftermath, and one small bit of good news that came from it. Then we'll go for a rainy walk in Torshavn and think about the...

As our Christmas present to you, we're sharing a new song recorded by our own Elin Brimheim Heinesen. We'll talk about Christmas in the Faroe Islands, and how she came to record this new Christmas song. While recording this show, Elin talked about a severe storm that was coming to the Faroe Islands. Since then we've been getting reports of winds up to 166 miles per hour. To all our friends in the...

This week, a special studio session and conversation with Jogvan. He became known to most people when he reached the finals of Denmark's X Factor a few years ago, but he's anything but a preening pop idol. Instead, he's performing raw, emotional music. We also have an emotionally raw conversation between songs. (Bonus: If you listen closely in the background during the interview, you can hear the...

This week, we talk to Jon Tyril about HOYMA. Tyril conceived of it as an "un-festival" where acoustic concerts were staged in people's living rooms. The idea has caught on in the Faroe Islands and in other countries. Then, we'll sit on a bench at the harbor in Torshavn and wonder where all the action is on on Wednesday night. (Hint: inside)

Strictly speaking, this isn't an episode of the Faroe Islands Podcast. Instead, it's an answer to the questions a lot of Faroese people have been having lately. Mainly: "What is going on in the USA right now?" We'll take a snapshot of life in one corner of America following the presidential election, and perhaps download some immigration forms. A new episode of the podcast about the Faroe Islands...

This week, we learn more about Ove Logmansbo, who may be a half-Polish, half-Faroese man who has written a crime novel set in the Faroes, or may be something else entirely. Heri Simonsen talks to Kinga Eysturland about Logmansbo's book, "The Enclave" and why it appears to be written by someone who has never been to the Faroe Islands.

This week we talk to Tyr frontman Heri Joensen. His band is about ready to tour Europe, but several shows have been cancelled after activists called threats into venues that booked Tyr. Learn why the threats were made, and Joensen's reaction to them. Also, we visit a film noir bus shelter and learn about the Faroe Islands' surprising start to 2018 World Cup qualifying. (not at the same time) If yo...

A short interview following the Faroe Islands National Team's 0-0 draw with Hungary.

A short update as we travel the Faroe Islands looking for new stories. We hunker down inside as 50 MPH winds batter the 150 year-old home we're staying in. Then we'll talk to Olga Loburak, who is from Ukraine but has lived in the Faroe Islands for 15 years.

On this week's show, an update on our Gofundme campaign, and a look back at one of our favorite episodes. We follow a Faroese man who talks Torshavn each morning and walks his dog. While he does so, he takes bout 60 photos from the same location and posts them to Facebook. We follow Jogvan A Dul as he makes his rounds and find out why he started this unusual habit. You can see the photos he took t...

This week, our good friend Heri Simonsen talks to Scottish filmmaker Mike Day about his documentary "The Islands and the Whales." The film got it's Faroese premiere this week. Then, we'll chill out at the post office for a few minutes. Also, we're headed back to the Faroes to record more stories for the podcast, and we need your help to make it happen. Head on over to our GoFundMe page and toss a...

This week, we complete our visit to Stora Dimun. We'll hike to its highest peak, and speak to the woman who's family has inhabited this island for more than 200 years.

On this episode of the podcast, we talk about where the podcast has been for the past 2 months, and what you can expect on the show in the future. If you've found yourself asking, "what's up with the podcast lately?" then this show is for you.

On April 30, 2016, the Faroese parliament legalized same-sex marriage in the Faroe Islands. In the wake of this historic vote, we talk to Eiler Fagraklett, the head of LGBT Foroyar. We'll talk about what it was like to be in the Law Thing when the vote was cast, and we'll revisit some of the important moments in the fight for gay rights in the Faroes over the past five years.