Travel Tales with Fergal

I have a very special episode today celebrating the life of the world renowned travel and food writer and broadcaster Anthony Bourdain with interviews with Patrick Radden Keefe from the New Yorker who wrote the definitive profile of him, Laurie Woolever who was his assistant for many years and who has just released a brilliant an oral biography on Tony and Paddy Daly who was his producer for many...

My guest today is Patrick Monahan who one of my favourite UK comedians. Patrick was the first person I actually interviewed for this podcast and I have been saving this episode for the right time and January, when you need a pick me up, is the perfect time. Patrick is half Irish/half Iranian and that mix has produced a big bundle of energy and positivity so I think you will enjoy this episode as P...

I walked on the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route in Spain this year for this Camino Special Podcast series. Along the way I interviewed many interesting people including fellow walkers, pilgrims, guides and historians. The Camino is over 800kms from the Spanish border in the Pyrenees to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia and it typically takes a walker between 30 to 35 to complete. The Camino is...

I walked the Camino for this special 3 part Camino podcast series this year where I interviewed many interesting people including fellow walkers, pilgrims, guides and historians. The Camino is over 800kms from the Spanish border in the Pyrenees to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia and it typically takes a walker between 30 to 35 to complete. In part 2 today I talk to Catharine Murphy who has walke...

I was fortunate to walk on the Camino in Spain in September for this special episode. The full Camino is over 800kms from the Spanish border in the Pyrenees to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia and it typically takes a walker between 30 to 35 days, walking around 25 km a day, to do the full Camino. The Camino is a truly magical experience that I would recommend to everyone but especially lovers of...

I have had a number of comedians over the last 3 seasons and I’m delighted to say that my special guest today Is Karl Spain, who is have my favourite Irish stand up comedian. I have run a comedy club in Clonmel, Tipperary for over 15 years and Karl Spain was the MC at my very first show and I’m delighted to say he will be headlining my next show, which is a Christmas special on the 9th of December...

As part of my Expat Lives series, I have interviewed Irish expats about their lives abroad but my guest today is a little different, as it is an Irish American living in Ireland. Sean O’Neill originally hails from Boston, Massachusetts via Cairo and Ennis, Co Clare.   Sean is in a unique position to share with us an Irish immigrant’s perspective of moving to America and then an American’s vie...

Keith Barry is the world’s leading TV hypnotist, mentalist and brain hacker. With skills that have been showcased in over forty international television shows, he has mastered the ability to hack into people’s minds and rewire their subconscious. Keith's Ted Talk is one of the most viewed of all time with over 30 million views. Keith has just released his first book Brain Hacks where he revea...

My guest today is Sharon Jordan, MD of Irish Travel Trade Network (ITTN). ITTN specialises in delivering topical travel news to both consumers and the trade in Ireland. Sharon has worked for over 30 years in the international travel industry so we get an insider view on the travel trends for 2022 and an insight into how the travel industry is recovering post pandemic.  If you have haven’...

When having a holiday meal, it is not the taste that makes it special rather how it feels. New smells, sights and sounds arouse all the senses. The pleasures of discovering local cuisine when travelling were brought to life in this episode by Russ Parsons, the renowned former food editor of the Los Angeles Times. This was one of the most enjoyable interviews I have done in 3 seasons. I have always...

My first guest of Season 3 is the US comedy legend Reginald D Hunter. Reg has been called a voice of his generation as he unafraid to tackle head on, with searing honesty and great humour, the subjects the rest of us skirt around. Reginald is a true gentleman and a deep thinker and very funny.   This podcast has a very simple premise where I chat to a special guest every week where I ask...

I’m delighted to say that the first episode of Season 3 comes out next Tuesday with a great interview with the comedy legend Reginald D Hunter. And then every Tuesday for the rest of the year. I have some amazing guests recorded for Season 3. But before that we have a special Bonus episode today with bestselling debut author Louise Nealon which was recorded live in the amazing new Junction Dome du...

My guest on this Bonus Festival Special is David Teevan, who is the founder of the Clonmel Junction Arts Festival, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. David shares great tales of his favourite travels to festivals in Malawi, Zambia Iran, Canada, the Edinburgh Festival, Womad in Reading and Womex in Seville and Copenhagen.    I will be doing my first Travel Tales with Fer...

The one question I asked every guest is to "take four deep breaths and think of their happy place" and I have a collection here of my guests favourite places. My guests pick places all over the world with Verbier and the Maldives getting two mentions each. We hear about secluded beaches in Bali and Brazil, the trekking trials of the Camino in Spain, the mountains of Patagonia, the Zambezi in Afric...

I have kept a special guest for the last episode of Season 2. My guest is the travel editor and writer Lucy White. Lucy was the last editor of that Irish institution of travel publications Cara Magazine. As a renowned travel editor Lucy has some fascinating places and stories to share with us. We also chat about how different it is for women when travelling compared to men, and the responsibilitie...

My guest this week is one for foodies and all lovers of ethnic street foods, as my guest is Randy Lewis from the famous Randaddys restaurant on the seafront in Lahinch, Co. Clare. Randy has travelled and worked all over the world. He shares great insights into the food business and shares great tales from many travels in Asia, Africa, the Americas and especially about his time working in India. It...

Our guest this week is Phil Martin, CEO of Blanco Nino, who has just launched a range of gourmet tortilla chip flavours in Ireland. Phil shares tales of his travels all over Mexico and his love for Mexican food.  We also have a great chat about walking the Camino in Spain. This is a fascinating and insightful episode for all lovers of Mexican street food. Tipperary is justifiably renowne...

My guest Annie Kennedy this week is part of the Expat Lives series. Ireland has a tradition of university graduates emigrating for work all over the world and seeking out new adventures. Annie left Ireland straight after studying in DCU and worked abroad ever since Annie has had an eventful and high octane career working in sports marketing for UEFA, FIFA, Eurosport, F1 and Shell on the Ferrari F1...

My guest this week must be my most well-travelled guest so far. The renowned Irish adventurer, writer and documentary maker Manchan Magan. If every episode has a personality, then Manchan’s is pure joy and love for the remotest places and peoples on a planet. A planet that needs sustainable help. After over 30 years of unrivalled adventures to parts of the world unseen by most people, Manchan shar...

My guest Louise Nealon's debut novel Snowflake is coming out on the 13th of May. This much anticipated book has already been optioned by Element Pictures who are behind Sally Rooney's Normal People and Conversations with Friends. Louise is already being acclaimed as a voice for her generation. Louise's writing is truthful, moving and very, very funny. I think she has the magic ingredient and is go...

Our guest this week is Rory O’Neill, who is known as the drag queen Panti Bliss. Rory became a cultural lighting rod during the successful Irish marriage equality referendum in 2015 and is now famous all over the world as an Irish gay icon. He talks on the podcast about the five trips and places that influenced him the most. He shares great stories of spending teenage summers in the south of Franc...

I interview the music industry legend Alan McGee this week. Alan is one of the most influential figures in the history of British music. After setting up Creation Records in the 1980’s, his label was behind era-defining albums from Primal Scream, My Bloody Valentine, The Jesus and Mary Chain and Oasis. Alan is most famous for discovering and signing Oasis. His life has been turned into a movie cal...

The Travel Tales with Fergal Podcast features the travel influencer couple the Two Bohemians, who have nearly 70,000 followers on Instagram, who are working as digital nomads in Tulum, Mexico. They give a fascinating insight into life as full time travel influencers. They tell us how they make money by being influencers on social media, the secrets of the trade and what it was really like travelli...

My guest this week is the world renowned climber Sean Villanueva O’Driscoll who has put the last 13 months in lockdown in Patagonia to record making use. In what is already considered one of Patagonia's most iconic climbs ever, Sean completed the first solo traverse of the Fitz Roy Massif in Argentina in February this year. Fellow Patagonia solo-climbing aficionado, Colin Haley said of the feat, "...

Listen to part 2 of our chat with hotelier Brendan Dwyer who is the GM of the La Finca Resort in Alicante and who lives in Cartagena with his Spanish wife Maria, Director of Tourism for the Region of Murcia and two children. Brendan's love of travelling and passion for the hospitality sector really shines through in this episode. Brendan has worked as a hotelier for over 20 years including Vi...