The Ireland Podcast

Episode 104 is the first part of a conversation between Fender Jackson and Terri Hooley of Good Vibrations shop, label and film fame. Conversation includes: (re)introductions; Terri’s health; moving from East Belfast to Bangor; The Legendary Rocking Humdingers; Carlene Carter; Screaming Lord Sutch; Hallowe’en; early family life; losing his eye; first LSD trip; nearly getting killed by paramilitari...

Episode 103 is very much a continuation on from Episode 100 and 101 with Fender chatting with his childhood friend, fellow musician and award winning writer Stuart Neville. Conversation includes: (re)introductions; early years; first friends from across the political divide; the commonality of music; Iggy Pop; Van Halen vs. Velvet Underground; musical blindspots; rock songs with recorders; playing...

Episode 102 is the strengthening of bridges that unites these groups of islands through a cross-community conversation between Linda Ervine agus An Feannadóir (and Fender Jackson). NB The first couple of minutes of this episode are in Gaelic and then it switches to English. Conversation includes: introductions in Gaelic and then in English; early years; the backdrop of the Troubles; living in Belv...

Episode 101 is the second part of an interview with Fender Jackson by his old friend and former fellow bandmate, the esteemed Dr. James Morrow reflecting back on 100 episodes of The Ireland Podcast. Conversation includes: Adam Clayton; Bono; Mick Jagger; Irish diaspora artists; Kate Bush; John Lydon; Kevin Rowland; Boy George; Wuthering Heights; In Dreams by Roy Orbison; David Bowie; Sense Of Doub...

Episode 100 is the first part of an interview with Fender Jackson by his old friend and former fellow bandmate, the esteemed Dr. James Morrow reflecting back on 99 episodes of The Ireland Podcast. Conversation includes: (re)introductions; the history of The Ireland Podcast; the journey of most podcast episodes; the first interviewee; the origin story of The Ireland Podcast; the dying embers of Gae...

Episode 99 is a conversation between Fender Jackson and IMRA member David Kelleher who is a family man, an ultra marathon runner and a poet amongst other things. Conversation includes: introductions; Rosslare Strand, County Wexford; David’s family; being a twin; Rosslare being the coccyx of the dog that is Ireland and having a blue flag beach that often rates as one of the top 10 beaches of Irelan...

Episode 98 brings Fender Jackson face to face with Martin Sharkey who is the Finance Director of Belleek Pottery and the Belleek Pottery Group. Conversation includes: Belleek village; the origin story of Belleek; bringing the skills over from England; the link to the famine; David McBirney; first products; transition from earthen ware to parian ware; the checkered history; George G. Moore; Roger T...

Episode 97 is the final episode of a three part series consisting of a conversation between Terry Woods and Fender Jackson.  Conversation includes: why The Pogues split up the first time, why they reformed and why they split the final time; Anthony Addis graduating from accountant to manager; watching the mosh pit; along of Shane; Andrew Rankin; Mulligans Pub of Poolbeg Street; Paul Scul...

Episode 96 has the Ombudsman for Children in Ireland Dr Niall Muldoon conversing with Fender Jackson. Niall has held this position since February 2015, and his work focuses on promoting and protecting the rights and welfare of children in Ireland. This interview is the latest link in ‘Muldoon’s Chain’. This interview is the latest link in ‘Muldoon’s Chain’, a series initiated through a conversatio...

Episode 95 is a continuation of the conversation between Terry Woods and Fender Jackson as Terry talks about his career in The Pogues.  Conversation includes: Frank Murray; James Fearnley’s excellent book  ‘Here Comes Everybody’; Paul McGuinness and U2; Terry seeing The Pogues for the first time in Cibeal Festival; Shane MacGowan’s songwriting genius; Frank Murray getting the push; songwriti...

Episode 94 brings us to the southern coastal part of County Dublin where Fender Jackson chats with the visual artist Guggi. Conversation includes: introductions; names; Guggi, Bono, The Edge, Gavin Friday and Strongman all getting their moniker; Guggi’s initial resistance to this name; early life on Cedarwood Road; having six brother and three sisters; early memories of Bono and Gavin Friday; Winn...

Episode 93 is the first part of a conversation with Terry Woods as he takes us from his childhood into his first bands including Sweeney’s Men, Steeleye Span, The Woods Band and more. Conversation includes introductions; schools days; first jobs; Terry’s sister’s influence; first gigs as a punter; AFM Radio; Ronnie Drew’s first gigs in The Gate Theatre; The Coffee Kitchen in Molesworth St; first i...

Episode 92 continues with the detailed conversation with Armagh’s most illustrious cinematographer Mr. Seamus McGarvey. Reintroductions: Spacey vs Bacon; Matthew McConaughey & Penelope Cruz; Charlotte’s Web; Oliver Stone’s mum & Nicolas Cage; accents; ikigai; the Draperstown cinema; Michael Curran; ‘Fading Lights Silver Screen’; working with UB40 in Mumbai at the Bollywood Oscars; Atonemen...

Episode 91 is a walk through the rollercoaster timeline of George Lowden’s life of making of guitars for the likes of Eric Clapton, Paul Brady and Ed Sheeran to name but a few.  Introductions: early years; first guitars; Tony Zemaitis; Eric Clapton; ‘Making A Folk Guitar' by John Bailey published by Cecil Sharpe House; making the best guitar from early on; early successes; LEDU (INI); hitting...

Episode 90 tracks Sam Maguire as he arrives in Maghery Sean McDermott complete with reaction from players and the supporters. The craic was 90 indeed! Joe Fox: Chairman of Maghery Sean McDermott Maura Robinson: Club Secretary of Maghery Brendan Crealey: father of Ben Crealey and owner of ITS Keelan McConville: Maghery Club player and a steward Gerard Smith: cyclist and football fan from neighbouri...

Episode 89: Fender and The GAA Correspondent for The Ireland Podcast travel the length of Armagh the day after the All Ireland final to get a sense of the celebrations going on in the Orchard County. Special thanks to Martin, Pauline, Rose, Cara, Maeve, Olivia, Fintan, Ngarita, Shauna, Matthew, Shea, Pierce, Daragh, Maura, Maeve, Keelagh, Naoise, Seamus and everyone else involved in this special e...

Episode 88 is the second of a two-part conversation with six-time Grammy winner Kevin Conneff of The Chieftains and The Dublin Trio. Conversation picks up with the same performance of ‘Sé Fáth Mo Bhuartha’ from Part 1 but continues with the conversation which follows immediately after.  Topics include: Gael Linn recordings including those of Seosamh Ó hÉanaí; Seán 'ac Dhonncha; Nioclás Tóibín...

Episode 87 is a heartwarming story of Prof. John Portmann as he became one of the first people to gain an Irish passport through DNA evidence. Conversation includes: introductions; John’s journey; ancestry.com ; early years; Kathryn Pidgeon; adoption attorneys; Jennifer Harris, Ontario Canada, University of Waterloo; Ormond Quay Paternity Services; David Martin; Conor O’Brien, Dublin; advice to ot...

Episode 86 is a conversation between Fender Jackson and a voice of reason which kept him company for years when he was in China, the writer Malachi O’Doherty. Conversation includes: introductions; early career; (re)visiting India; Libya; each generation settles for its own normality; Fender listening habits in China; Fender and Malachi’s comparative experiences in Asia; experiencing The Emergency...

Episode 85 is the first of a two-part conversation with six-time Grammy winner Kevin Conneff of The Chieftains and The Dublin Trio. Conversation includes: ‘Pride Of Pimlico’; introductions; The Liberties of Dublin; early musical influences; school early career; Packie Manus Byrne; Ciarán Mac Mathúna; ‘Salt’; John Denver; Slattery’s on Capel Street; the Tradition Club; Louis Stewart; meeting the Ch...

Episode 84 brings you a conversation between Fender Jackson and Fun Lovin’ Criminals as the guys play Monroe’s as part of the Galway International Arts Festival. Conversation includes: (re)introductions; Limelight nightclub in New York; Entourage Pro; Dermot Doran; Frankie and Naim joining the band; drum teaching; difference in audiences in Ireland and New York; Dominic De Luca from Brooklyn Proje...

Episode 83 is a forensic insight into the mysterious world of shooting movies from one of the world’s most accomplished and desired cinematographers, Armagh’s Seamus McGarvey. Conversation includes: introductions; early years in Armagh; meeting and working with Oliver Stone; Enda Hughes and his brother Michael Colgan and their bijou cinema in Keady; their movies ‘The Eliminator’ and ‘Flying Saucer...

Episode 82 is a conversation with An Feannadóir (Fender Jackson), his father Seán Ó hEaráin and Lillis Ó Laoire around a book written by the late Aodh Ó Canainn about Priest Heron which tracks the language shift from Gaelic to English in the south of County Derry just after the famine in the 19th Century. Conversation includes: introductions; a background to the book; Páidí Láidir Mac Cullach; Jan...

Episode 81 is another failed conversation between Dr. Patrick Collins and Fender Jackson as they get sidetracked on AI and UrbanLab instead of talking about Pat’s book from Orpen Press.  Conversation includes: (re)introductions; recap on Episode 28; augmented reality glasses by Magic Leap; AR vs. VR; Ironman; Minority Report; Google Glass; Captain America: Civil War; AI safety nets; Sam...

Episode 80 is a conversation between Fender Jackson and his childhood hero Jake Burns of Stiff Little Fingers. Conversation includes: introductions; life in Belfast in the 1970s; moving to London in 1978; being stopped by the police in London; Jake’s early musical influences; the huge influence Rory Gallagher had on Jake; Motown; Led Zeppelin; Black Sabbath; Deep Purple; The Damned; Sex Pistols; J...