The Comfortable Spot

Today my guest is Benjamin Chesterton. Benjamin is film director and producer with over twenty years experience in visual arts. Benjamin is currently one of the people behind Duckrabbit which is a film production and training company that specialises in heartfelt stories in film for commercial, charity and broadcast clients. Ben is also a strong advocate for improved human rights in visual arts and has been campaigning for stricter moral based guidelines in photo journalism. I met Benjamin as a result of his ceaseless work in highlighting ethical abuse by professional media journalists and  NGOs, and I was delighted to have time to chat with him in more detail about this continuing problem, so I hope you are sitting comfortably and happy to stay with us. 

By accessing this podcast, you acknowledge that the entire contents and design of this podcast are the property of Ken Sweeney, or used by Ken Sweeney with permission, and are protected under Irish and international copyright and trademark laws. Except as otherwise provided herein, users of this podcast may save and use information contained in the podcast only for personal or other non-commercial, educational purposes. No other use, including, without limitation, reproduction, retransmission or editing, of this podcast may be made without the prior written permission of Ken Sweeney.

Today my guest is Suswati Basu. Suswati is an award-winning journalist, editor and podcast host, with ten years experience in working with various prestigious online and print media organisations, as well as with a number of publications. Suswati is also a strong advocate for women's and disabled rights and has been involved in this filed via work with numerous human rights organisations across the world. Her podcast How to Be is hugely informative and through its conversations with expert guests, acts as a lighthouse for those who are seeking help and advice for the many problems life throws at us today. There is an honesty throughout the entire podcast, with the listener being the focus, and the lack of hard sell tactics is refreshing. It was a real pleasure chatting with Suswati about her many achievements, so I hope you are sitting comfortably and happy to stay with us.

By accessing this podcast, you acknowledge that the entire contents and design of this podcast are the property of Ken Sweeney, or used by Ken Sweeney with permission, and are protected under Irish and international copyright and trademark laws. Except as otherwise provided herein, users of this podcast may save and use information contained in the podcast only for personal or other non-commercial, educational purposes. No other use, including, without limitation, reproduction, retransmission or editing, of this podcast may be made without the prior written permission of Ken Sweeney.

Today my guest is professional racing driver Richard Jones. This is a recording I made last year as a pilot episode for a motor racing podcast series. The series didn’t come to fruition, but it did result in some excellent episodes including this one with Richard. Richard specialised in sportscar racing, in particular the Group C category which was extremely popular in the 1980s. Group C boasted huge crowds, popular teams and famous drivers. This is a little more specialised episode than usual, but I do hope you’ll stay with us, as Richard is a great conversationalist and a wonderful guest, so much so that since this chat, we’ve become great friends. So now, without further ado, let’s meet Richard and - as always, I hope you are sitting comfortably and happy to stay with us.

By accessing this podcast, you acknowledge that the entire contents and design of this podcast are the property of Ken Sweeney, or used by Ken Sweeney with permission, and are protected under Irish and international copyright and trademark laws. Except as otherwise provided herein, users of this podcast may save and use information contained in the podcast only for personal or other non-commercial, educational purposes. No other use, including, without limitation, reproduction, retransmission or editing, of this podcast may be made without the prior written permission of Ken Sweeney.

Today I'm joined by author Nicola Pierce. A native of Dublin, Nicola has built up a reputation for high quality historical fiction. Since her first novel Spirit of the Titanic was published, Nicola has managed to create tales that blend beautifully between fact and fiction while keeping a firm eye on historical accuracy. Her most recent novel Chasing Ghosts is a tale of a doomed Arctic expedition and a child lost between the living and the dead who holds a secret that only her brothers and sisters believe. I was really looking forward to chatting with Nicola and we have a rich conversation that goes many places, so I hope you are sitting comfortably and happy to stay with us.

By accessing this podcast, you acknowledge that the entire contents and design of this podcast are the property of Ken Sweeney, or used by Ken Sweeney with permission, and are protected under Irish and international copyright and trademark laws. Except as otherwise provided herein, users of this podcast may save and use information contained in the podcast only for personal or other non-commercial, educational purposes. No other use, including, without limitation, reproduction, retransmission or editing, of this podcast may be made without the prior written permission of Ken Sweeney.

Today I'm joined by Michael Palmer. Originally from Newtownards in Northern Ireland, Michael is a liberally minded Unionist and a member of the LGBT community. Michael is also an active member of the Ulster Unionist Party. I came across Michael on Twitter and admired his courage in standing up against the many ultra conservative factions in Northern Ireland who would see his views very negatively. I was keen to have him  as a guest as I was interested in hearing his views on the future of Northern Ireland and, more importantly, in listening to Michael away from the political sphere.

By accessing this podcast, you acknowledge that the entire contents and design of this podcast are the property of Ken Sweeney, or used by Ken Sweeney with permission, and are protected under Irish and international copyright and trademark laws. Except as otherwise provided herein, users of this podcast may save and use information contained in the podcast only for personal or other non-commercial, educational purposes. No other use, including, without limitation, reproduction, retransmission or editing, of this podcast may be made without the prior written permission of Ken Sweeney.

Today I'm joined by historian Nadia Dobrianska. Originally from Ukraine, Nadia arrived in Ireland following the invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces in February 2022. Nadia and her immediate family are now settled in East Cork, but this is not the first time Nadia has travelled to the island of Ireland, as she completed her history studies at Queen's University in Belfast in 2018. Nadia has a keen interest in Irish culture and language, so I invited her on to the podcast to discuss her experiences living in Ireland now. I also wanted to chat with Nadia about the future of her native country and what, in her opinion, was the motivation behind the Russian invasion, so I hope you are sitting comfortably and happy to stay with us.

By accessing this podcast, you acknowledge that the entire contents and design of this podcast are the property of Ken Sweeney, or used by Ken Sweeney with permission, and are protected under Irish and international copyright and trademark laws. Except as otherwise provided herein, users of this podcast may save and use information contained in the podcast only for personal or other non-commercial, educational purposes. No other use, including, without limitation, reproduction, retransmission or editing, of this podcast may be made without the prior written permission of Ken Sweeney.

Today I'm joined by author Kevin Meagher. Kevin is a commentator on Irish and British politics and has published books on Northern Ireland and the Irish unity question. His writing offers a frank opening point on the relationship between Ireland and the United Kingdom and their future as neighbours. Kevin is a strong proponent of Irish unity and in his recently updated book, A United Ireland: Why Unification Is Inevitable and How It Will Come About, Kevin lays out his set of proposals for a road map to a united island of Ireland. Having read his publications and having followed him on social media, I invited Kevin to join me a guest, so I hope you are sitting comfortably and happy to stay with us.

By accessing this podcast, you acknowledge that the entire contents and design of this podcast are the property of Ken Sweeney, or used by Ken Sweeney with permission, and are protected under Irish and international copyright and trademark laws. Except as otherwise provided herein, users of this podcast may save and use information contained in the podcast only for personal or other non-commercial, educational purposes. No other use, including, without limitation, reproduction, retransmission or editing, of this podcast may be made without the prior written permission of Ken Sweeney.

Today I'm joined by broadcaster Sandy Kaye. Sandy has built up an impressive reputation as a journalist in both radio and television in Australia and recently embarked on a new venture as a host of A Breath of Fresh Air which is a radio show featuring conversations with legends in pop and rock music. What started out as a Covid project is now a weekly, hour-long show that is broadcast on radio stations right across the world and as a podcast on all the leading podcast platforms. Sandy took some time out to chat with me about her life, her stories as a journalist in Australia, and her fast paced radio show, so I hope you are sitting comfortably and happy to stay with us.

By accessing this podcast, you acknowledge that the entire contents and design of this podcast are the property of Ken Sweeney, or used by Ken Sweeney with permission, and are protected under Irish and international copyright and trademark laws. Except as otherwise provided herein, users of this podcast may save and use information contained in the podcast only for personal or other non-commercial, educational purposes. No other use, including, without limitation, reproduction, retransmission or editing, of this podcast may be made without the prior written permission of Ken Sweeney.

Today I'm joined by astrophysicist Dr. Johanna Vos. Originally from Dublin, Johanna is now a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Her specialty is atmospheres of brown dwarfs and exoplanets.  Science is incredibly exciting right now and I invited Johanna to chat about her career and her work in general as an astrophysicist, so I hope you are sitting comfortably and happy to stay with us.

By accessing this podcast, you acknowledge that the entire contents and design of this podcast are the property of Ken Sweeney, or used by Ken Sweeney with permission, and are protected under Irish and international copyright and trademark laws. Except as otherwise provided herein, users of this podcast may save and use information contained in the podcast only for personal or other non-commercial, educational purposes. No other use, including, without limitation, reproduction, retransmission or editing, of this podcast may be made without the prior written permission of Ken Sweeney.