The Comfortable Spot

Today I'm joined by journalist Michael Lewis. Michael is based in the state of New York and has over forty years experience as a soccer journalist. Michael has covered all levels of US soccer, which includes the World Cup, Olympics, Major League Soccer and North American Soccer League, among other competitions. He writes about the beautiful game for Newsday, is the editor of frontrowsoccer.com, and has written eight books on the sport. I have long been fascinated with soccer in North America and was delighted to have Michael on the podcast to chat about its history, the success of the women's game and the future of the sport there, so I hope you are sitting comfortably and happy to stay with us. 

By accessing this podcast, I 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 and broadcaster Carole Coleman.  Carole is an Irish journalist and is currently a presenter of This Week on Irish state broadcaster's RTÉ Radio One. In 2021 Carole published News from Under a Coat Stand which was her personal account of working from home during the Covid-19 pandemic. I had been planning to chat with Carole for a while, but we never manged to tie down a good time until now, so I hope you are sitting comfortably and happy to stay with us.

By accessing this podcast, I 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 and journalist Eimear Ní Bhraonáin.  Eimear cut her teeth in regional Irish media before moving to the national scene where she worked as a print journalist. These days, Eimear presents a mid-morning talk show on Irish regional radio station Kildare Carlow Local Radio, where she has the highest listenership across the station. While she covers all the serious topics of the day, Eimear has a quirky sense of humour and enjoys getting out and about, meeting her listeners. She took some time out from her busy schedule to join me for a chat, so I hope you are sitting comfortably and happy to stay with us.

By accessing this podcast, I 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 writer and journalist Nick Duerden. Nick has written widely on the arts, family and health. I chat with Nick about a number of his books and also his latest publication called Exit Stage Left – The Curious Afterlife of Pop Stars . It’s an intriguing read with interviews with over forty musicians about life away from the limelight, so I hope you are sitting comfortably and happy to stay with us.

By accessing this podcast, I 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 Aoife Noonan. Aoife is an award winning pastry chef from Dublin, with a history as Head Pastry Chef and Executive Pastry Chef positions in some of the best restaurants in the country. She has also worked as a culinary consultant and brand ambassador for major global brands, with her most recent tenure as a weekly columnist for the Irish Times Saturday magazine. Aoife’s recipes have long been favourites in our house and I was delighted to have her as a guest. So I hope you are sitting comfortably and happy to stay us.

By accessing this podcast, I 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 activist Joe Gonzalez. Joe is one of the founders of The Project Solution which is a non-profit organisation that gives people an opportunity to donate to community infrastructure projects around the world. Joe has spent his professional career in a multitude of fields, including work in television, film, and theatre.  Joe has been a tireless volunteer his whole life and I was very interested in chatting with him about his organisation and also in discussing the similarities of non-profit models in the US and Europe. So I hope you are sitting comfortably and happy to stay with us.

By accessing this podcast, I 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 and journalist Mark Piesing. Mark specialises in writing about technology, culture and everything in between for some of the biggest names in the media, and has recently published his first book, N4 Down : The Hunt for the Arctic Airship Italia. This book tells the story of the largest polar rescue mission in history: the desperate race to find the survivors of the glamorous Arctic airship Italia, which crashed near the North Pole in 1928. I was intrigued by premise of the book and decided to give it a read, and having enjoyed it immensely, I invited Mark to join me as a guest, so I hope you are sitting comfortably and happy to stay with us.

By accessing this podcast, I 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 musician Midge Ure. With a career spanning over forty years, Midge has been one of the most influential artists of his time. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s Midge enjoyed enormous success in a number of bands, including Slik, Rich Kids, Thin Lizzy, Visage and as the frontman of Ultravox. Along with Bob Geldof, he was also a key figure in the now historic charity project Band Aid which raised millions of pounds for Africa during the 1980s. Midge has also had an equally successful solo career and he still records and tours regularly. I have always been a fan of his music and I thought it would be great to have a chat with him about some aspects of his career, so I hope you are sitting comfortably and happy to stay with us.

By accessing this podcast, I 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 actor Moe Dunford. A native of Waterford in Ireland, Moe has built up an impressive career in both television and film. His standout role for television was the History Channel drama The Vikings and recently, Moe was the lead role in the acclaimed Nexflix film Nightride, in which his character, Budge, spends a hyper stressed night driving across the city of Belfast in an effort to complete one last job and escape the criminal underworld. I met up with Moe in his home town of Dungarvan for a chat about his career. This episode is slightly longer than usual, as we covered a lot of ground, so I hope you are sitting comfortably and happy to stay with us.

By accessing this podcast, I 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 audio producer and podcaster Rob Lilley. Rob is one half of a duo who host the increasingly popular podcast The Euro Trip Eurovision Podcast. With his co-host James Rowe, their podcast has managed to capture the fun and excitement that arrives on our television screens every May in the form of the Eurovision Song Contest which is a pan-European song competition that has been running since 1956. Having been a fan of the event for a long time, I was delighted have a chat with Rob about the competition and run through its history and also what we can expect in this year's show.

By accessing this podcast, I 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.