The Ireland Podcast

Episode 179. Wayne McCullough, Ireland's first and only Irish male boxer in history to ever win a WBC world title, chats with Fender Jackson from his base in Las Vegas on Monday 30th June 2025. Conversation includes: introductions; titles; Albert Foundry Gym; Highfield Estate, Shankill, Belfast; early life; Shankill, Belfast; the normality of the Troubles of Northern Ireland; flags and national an...

How did it come to pass that Gary Lineker - former England football captain, Match of the Day presenter, and co-founder of one of the UK’s biggest podcast production companies - would give his first interview since leaving the BBC… on The Ireland Podcast ? In a twist full of irony and charm, the English sporting icon found himself chatting on a train platform with Irish host Fender Jackson, just h...

Lord Patten chats with Fender Jackson in his London home on Wednesday 18th June 2025. Lord Patten has held several prominent roles, including Governor of Hong Kong, European Commissioner for External Relations, Chairman of the BBC Trust, and Chancellor of the University of Oxford, but he tells Fender that overseeing the reform of the N. Ireland police service remains his proudest political achieve...

Episode 176 Musician Daoirí Farrell chats with Fender Jackson in Galway when he was performing as part of the Galway Folk Festival on 7th June 2025. Conversation includes: a performance of 'Foggy Dew'; introductions; Derry Tangney and the Tangney family from County Kerry; early life; Dessie Farrell; Caitriona O'Connor; favourite music acts; John Mooney; entry into music; first music lessons; being...

Ep. 175 is almost a Bloomsday 2025 Part Two episode as Fender Jackson recorded a jovial jigsaw of Joycean jabber from outside Davy Byrne's Bar, 21 Duke St, Dublin, D02 K380 on Bloomsday, Monday 16th June, 2025 just after recording a special marriage of two of Ireland’s cultural icons: James Joyce and Croke Park for Episode 174 . Sincere thanks to all contributors: you are Bloomsday! Frank Corcoran...

Episode 174 is a marriage of two of Ireland’s cultural icons: James Joyce and Croke Park. Recorded on Bloomsday 2025, Fender speaks with Croke Park’s Gerry McGarry and Joycean tour guides Jerome Corby and Sinéad Murphy - from the rooftop of Ireland’s most famous stadium. Bloomsday, celebrated on June 16th each year, marks the events of Joyce’s novel Ulysses, all of which unfold over the course of...

Episode 173 Chelsea Hoy and Mark Howard from Trinity Irish Dance Company chat with Fender Jackson from Chicago, USA on Monday 9th June 2025. Conversation includes: introductions; formation of Trinity Irish Dance Company; Trinity breaking all of the world championship records for Irish Dance beginning the World Irish Dance Championships in 1987; appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson;...

Episode 172 Galway Tour Guide, Artist, Writer and Joycean scholar Jim Ward chats with Fender Jackson in Galway on 7th June 2025. They discuss James Joyce and his particular connection with Galway. Conversation includes: (re)introductions; Joyce’s background; Joyce and Galway; ‘Dubliners’ and ‘The Dead’; ‘Ulysses’; ‘Finnegan’s Wake’; Aedín Moloney and her solo performance of ‘YES! Reflections Of Mo...

Episode 169 archeologist Dr. Kieran O’Conor chats with Fender Jackson in Galway on Thursday 22nd May 2025. This is part four - the final part. Conversation includes: who was Turlough O’Carolan; how he became blind; how he came to study the harp; the compositions of Denis O’Conor 1, Denis O’Conor 1, Charles O’Conor and Mrs. O’Conor; the harp having the “old madness in it” when O’Carolan was around...

Episode 170 archeologist Dr. Kieran O’Conor chats with Fender Jackson in Galway on Thursday 22nd May 2025. Part three of a four-part conversation. Conversation includes: working for the Archaeological Survey of Ireland in the 1990s; the difference in the East and West of Ireland; farm payments; favourite monuments; advice to people who think they have something interesting on their land; Hist...

Episode 169 is Part 2 of a conversation between archeologist Dr. Kieran O’Conor and Fender Jackson in Galway on Thursday 22nd May 2025. Conversation includes: (re)introductions; early life; being into history from a young age; working with Montgomery Castle with Jeremy Knight; hitchhiking to the Syrian border; doing his PhD in Wales; lecturing in University of Galway in Archeology; why archeology...

Archeologist Kieran O’Connor chats with Fender Jackson in Galway on Thursday 22nd May 2025. This first part of the conversation is mostly centred around the name O’Conor/O’Connor. Conversation includes: introductions; Kieran being a collateral descendant of the last high king of Ireland; 18th Century penal laws; O’Conor Don; Irish genealogy; Charles O’Conor and The Catholic Association; the variou...

Episode 167 Galway Tour Guide, Artist and Writer Jim Ward chats with Fender Jackson on Wed 14th May 2025. Conversation includes: introductions; Galway Trails; early life; an overview of Galway in Jim’s lifetime; Dick Byrne, Tom Kenny and The Old Galway Diary podcast; Ciaran & Gerry Smith; Galway Bay Hotel; studying Engineering in UCG; ATU; Jim’s play ‘Just Guff’; starting off as a tour guide a...

Episode 166 player and designer of the fretless glass-guitar Ned Evett chats with Fender Jackson on Mon 19th May 2025. This conversation takes place in advance of Ned opening forJoe Satriani and Steve Vai. Conversation includes: introductions; a performance of ‘The Electric Co’ by U2; fretless vs. fretted guitar; a performance of Ned’s track ‘Strange Kind Of Freedom’; Ned’s open E tuning (E B E G#...

Episode 165 MADRA (Mutts Anonymous Dog Rescue & Adoption) Co-Founder Marina Fiddler chats with Fender Jackson in Galway on Wed 14th May 2025. Conversation includes: introductions; how MADRA was founded; early life; dog wardens and rescue pounds; the amount of dogs in care; what has been learnt int he last 20 years; the demographics of people looking for dogs; the commitment involved in getting...

Episode 164. Fender Jackson joins James Devlin and a host of talented local artists from South Derry to showcase their music in a special live session. Recorded at An Scioból (The Barn) at The Market Inn , Draperstown, County Derry, on Saturday 10th May 2025. Special thanks to Maurice Regan and all at The Market Inn for their generous support in making this recording possible. Dedicated to all wit...

Ep.163. Dubliner Content Creator and Designer Damien Broderick shares his story with Fender Jackson from his base in Washington State, USA on Monday 12th May 2025. Conversation includes: introductions; what Damien does; why is he popular; Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR); being Irish; being anti-Only Fans i.e. Damien puts his clothes on; Damien’s company Damazö Design; Marlon Brando; no...

Episode 162. Fender Jackson joins James Devlin (Harbour Annie) and a host of talented local artists from South Derry to showcase their music in a special live session. Recorded at An Scioból (The Barn) at The Market Inn , Draperstown, County Derry, on Saturday 10th May 2025. Special thanks to Maurice Regan and all at The Market Inn for their generous support in making this recording possible. Runn...

Episode 161 Fender Jackson travels to Seamus Heaney HomePlace in Bellaghy, County Derry, to speak with Marie McGuckin, Sales and Marketing Officer. Recorded on Friday 9th May 2025, the conversation explores the cultural significance of Heaney’s legacy, the role HomePlace plays in celebrating his life and work, and how the centre connects with visitors from across the globe. Conversation includes:...

Episode 160 is the second half of the chat with legendary artist Jim Fitzpatrick at his studio in Howth, County Dublin, recorded at 12 noon on Saturday, 3rd May 2025. Conversation includes: copyright; Che Guevara poster 'Viva Che!’; Marwan Barghouti; how the Che image came into existence; Gilbert Brosnan; the Franciscans; General Efrain Ríos Montt and Guatemala; Ernesto Cardenal and the Sandinista...

Episode 159 - Fender Jackson chats with legendary artist Jim Fitzpatrick at his studio in Howth, County Dublin, recorded at 12 noon on Saturday, 3rd May 2025. Conversation includes: introductions; early life in Glasnevin and Drumcondra; pensions; Patrick Whelan; Thomas Fitzpatrick and The Lepracaun magazine; family life; Irish genetics; Ian Adamson; the genetic vs. mythological history of Ireland;...

Episode 158. Broadcaster and founder of Ten Times Braver Orla Chennaoui chats with (her first cousin!) Fender Jackson in Draperstown (aka Ballinascreen), County Derry on Tuesday 22nd April 2025. Conversation includes: (re)introductions; early life; growing up in Draperstown aka Ballinascreen, County Derry; Fender’s cup of tea with Liam Ó Maonlaí; the Troubles as a backdrop; anxiety; ‘Addicted To A...

Episode 157: pianist extraordinaire Mike Garson joins Fender Jackson from his home in Calabasas, California for a wide-ranging conversation recorded on Monday 14 April 2025. Though Mike has performed with the likes of Nine Inch Nails, St. Vincent, Duran Duran, The Smashing Pumpkins, The Pretty Reckless, and many more, this episode focuses on his deep and lasting connection with David Bowie, whose...

Episode 156 Ireland’s first and only Chess Grand Master Alexander Baburin chats with Fender Jackson in Dublin on Sunday 13th April 2025. He is editor-in-chief of the e-mail distributed chess newspaper Chess Today and is a coach and author. Conversation includes: introductions; the background of being Ireland’s only Chess Grand Master; International Masters Sam Collins, Brian Kelly, Conor Murphy; G...

Episode 155 has Eoin Kinsella, Managing Editor of Dictionary of Irish Biography in conversation with Fender Jackson on the phone on 10th April 2025. Conversation includes: introductions; origins of Dictionary of Irish Biography; Royal Irish Academy; Linde Lunney; gaining traction in the 1990’s; going free online on 17th March 2021; what the DIB is; managing biases; the time between a death and an...