Travel Tales with Fergal

The first guest for Season 8 is feature and travel writer and author Erin McCafferty who talks to Fergal about her recent trip to Bath, on the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen's birth. We hear about the up and coming Jane Austen Festival and follow in the footsteps of the renowned author, who lived there for five years and whose writing was greatly influenced by Bath.  Erin fle...

Welcome to part 3 of my Loire podcast special series and I am delighted to have Serge Desazars who is the owner of the first and largest organic truffle farm in France. Truffles have a near mythical place in the lore of European food lovers and we discuss all things truffles from their history dating back to the ancient Egyptians and the Romans all the way to Napoleon. We discuss how to grow them,...

The Touraine region in the Loire Valley in France is a magical place of fairy tale chateaux, French renaissance gardens, gastronomic restaurants, historic royal towns and world renowned vineyards. Welcome to part 2 of my Loire special series and I’m delighted to say I have the wonderful Geoffrey Vivard of https://www.tastingwithnivard.co.uk/ The Loire is all about locally sourced food and it...

I’m just back from an amazing trip to the stunning Touraine region in the Loire Valley in France. A magical place of fairy tale chateaux, French renaissance gardens, gastronomic restaurants, historic royal towns and vineyards of Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc. Touraine is said to be blessed by the gods, cherished by the Kings and pampered by Mother Nature. It is said to be t...

Roie McCann is the manager of the stunning and unique Clare Island Lighthouse accommodation so Roie is the perfect guest to give us an insider's guide to the magical Clare Island in Co. Mayo, Ireland. This is a part of the country I know very well and love so this is a great chat all about this beautiful part of Ireland. Clare Island stands guard at the entrance to Clew Bay, off Ireland’s western...

Check out my two part Canary Islands special focusing on the islands of Fuerteventura and Lanzarote with the Sunday World correspondent Eamon Dillon. This episode focus’ on Lanzarote and the previous episode was all about Fuerteventura.   I stayed at the Hotel AEQUORA Lanzarote Suites https://slasuites.com   For more information on the Canary Islands - Canary Islands Tourism Board: ...

Check out my two part Canary Islands special focusing on the islands of Fuerteventura and Lanzarote with the Sunday World correspondent Eamon Dillon. This episode focus’ on Fuerteventura and the second episode on Lanzarote.   I stayed at the R2 Rio Calma Hotel https://r2hotels.com/en/hotel/r2-rio-calma-hotel-spa-conference-en/   For more information on the Canary Islands - Canary Islands...

I have 3 really special guests to talk about this wonderful Madeira destination special. When I was in Madeira, I kept hearing that Christmas is a magical time of year to visit, so I have Irish travel writer Deirdre Mullins who paints a really evocative image of Christmas on the island. You will also hear from travel writer Rob Rees sharing great activity and golf tips and finally Emily Blandy, of...

Irish travel writer Conor Power tells us all about his recent slow boat trip along the tranquil canals and rivers of Brittany. He was blown away by the prettiness of the villages and towns he sailed through - many of them never featuring in any guide book. Conor shares his route on a river/canal system that he describes as one of the prettiest that he has seen after years of doing this around Fran...

We have a very special episode celebrating Ireland's patron saint St Patrick with the acclaimed Armagh tour guide Donna Fox who share the myths and history of Ireland's most legendary saint. Donna also talks about the holy city of Armagh where Saint Patrick built his first church. Armagh is recognised as the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland and holds a unique connection to St. Patrick. It was her...

My guest today is debut American novelist Barbara Boyle who tells us all about her new book Pinch Me: Waking Up in a 300-Year-Old Italian Farmhouse. The author writes in her debut novel about her journey from a busy American life to an idyllic one in northern Italy where she started a new life in Monforte d'Alba, a picturesque town in Piemonte restoring a centuries-old farmhouse. So if you, l...

Welcome to my winter activities in Gstaad and Interlaken special with the Irish travel journalist Ed Finn. I always say the Swiss Alps are not just for skiers to enjoy. This stunning country has much to offer with snow covered mountainous landscapes, picturesque old world villages, delicious cuisine and activities like show-shoeing, hiking, kayaking and raclette rafting at nighttime and all of the...

Listen to Rob “Robsski” Rees tell us all about skiing in the wonderful Swiss ski resort of Gstaad. Gstaad is long associated with the glitz, glamour of 5 star hotels like the fairytale Disney like castle Gstaad Palace and celebrities like Hemingway, Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton and most famously Julie Andrews. The town has an understated classy charm but the real treasure is its stunn...

I’m delighted to say that Irish travel journalist Conor Power returns to tell us all about his recent trip to the Maldives – a place he calls “paradise". Conor paints a magical picture for us on what it is like staying in those over tropical water villas in two hotels – the Kandima Maldives  https://kandima.com  and Nova Maldives  https://nova-maldives.com . You can see pictures of...

As the 2025 Austria Alpine ski season begins, I interview travel ski journalist Cian Byrne about our recent December trip to the towns of Maria Alm in the Hochkonig region and Bad Gastein in the Gastein region, which are both part of the huge 760km ski area of Ski Amade near Salzburg. Visit https://www.skiamade.com/en for tips, trips and deals. If you haven’t already, I'd ask you to give me a foll...

Welcome to my Co Meath destination special, in conjunction with Ireland’s Blue Book, where we will be celebrating and discovering the historic and magical Boyne Valley with two local hoteliers over two episodes.   Today I am chatting to Tadhg Carolan from Tankardstown House, a Meath native and board member of Ireland’s Blue Book collection of family owned and run Irish Country House Hotels, M...

Welcome to my Co Meath destination special, in conjunction with Ireland’s Blue Book, where we will be celebrating and discovering the historical and magical Boyne Valley with two local hoteliers over two episodes.   Today am chatting to Suzanne Mullen from the Station House Hotel, the newest member of Ireland’s Blue Book collection of family owned and run Irish Country House Hotels, Manor Hou...

I’m delighted to say my guest is the esteemed Irish travel journalist from print, radio and television Ed Finn and we discuss our recent trip to Zaragoza, the capital of Aragon in Spain. Zaragoza is the fifth largest city in Spain. Zaragoza has impressive sites like the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Pilar, the Cathedral of the Saviour, known as the SEO and the Aljafería Palace, the northernmos...

My guest travel writer Conor Power shares his experiences from our recent trip to the wonderful region of Extremadura in south west Spain on the border of Portugal. We chat about the Ribera del Guadiana Wine and Cava Route, in the region of Extremadura and its wine-growing tradition and exquisite regional gastronomy, historical Roman and Moor heritage, archaeological sites, monasteries and castles...

In celebration of the 4th anniversary of this podcast, we have a US Election Special with Daniel Gilmore, a Republican and Sean O’Neill, a Democrat who discuss the current state of America in the lead up to one of the most anticipated elections in US history. They give a topical, informative and entertaining insight into the Trump v Harris campaigns, exactly 4 years after their last two episodes b...

Porto is gaining a reputation as one of Europe’s coolest cities both as a holiday destination and as a gateway to northern Portugal. I explore this great city and the Minho region above Porto with lush green hills and Vino Vert vineyards and the stunning medieval towns of Braga and Ponte de Lima. I also talk about the areas below Porto including the Douro Valley, the Arouca region and the River Pa...

We have just returned from a family holiday to Provence in France and I am in love with all things French. I discuss this magical part of France with my favourite returning guest and wife Eimer. We talk about the glitzy beach town of Cassis on the coast,following in the footsteps of author Peter Mayle around the medieval hill towns of the Luberon and the city of Aix en Provence. We also cover the...

Welcome to my Donegal destination special, in conjunction with Ireland’s Blue Book, celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Wild Atlantic Way, which stretches 2,500 kilometres along the west coast of Ireland from Donegal to Cork. The Blue Book is also celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.   Today we are focusing on Donegal, which is the start of the Wild Atlantic Way, with an interview...

Welcome to part 2 of my Kerry destination specials, in conjunction with Ireland’s Blue Book, celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Wild Atlantic Way, which stretches 2,500 kilometres along the west coast of Ireland from Donegal to Cork. The Blue Book is also celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.   Today we are focusing on Kerry, probably Ireland’s most famous tourist region, with an i...

Today we continue our series in conjunction with Ireland’s Blue Book celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Wild Atlantic Way, which stretches over 2,500 kms along the west coast of Ireland from Donegal to Cork. The Blue Book is also celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. You should check out my previous two Blue Book episodes on Connemara. But today we are focusing on Kerry, probably Irelan...