The concluding part of an interview with Jane O’Leary, her first since being honoured with the prestigious National Concert Hall Lifetime Achievement Award.

For more than 50 years, Jane O’Leary has been breaking new musical ground in Ireland. We catch up with her to learn more about her life and musical style.

Conversation includes: setting up the Concorde Contemporary Music Group; punk music; the evolution of contemporary music since the the late 70s; composer Ed Bennett; Rick Beato; the simplification and lack of bridges of popular music today; Nick Cave; AI; composing with a pencil vs. composing with a mouse; receiving her Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Concert Hall; Triptych for string quartet and orchestra performed by the ConTempo Quartet and the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland (NSOI), conducted by Kensho Watanabe; working with Kensho; Hans Zimmer and Interstellar; Jane’s upcoming orchestral fanfare for RTÉ Concert Orchestra to celebrate the centenary of the RTÉ; Gladiator Soundtrack featuring Lisa Gerrard; Paul Muldoon; breadcrumbs and other topics.

Photo by Dara Mac Dónaill

Links

https://janesoleary.com/

Additional Links

https://musicforgalway.ie/

http://www.concorde.cmc.ie/

http://theirelandpodcast.com/latest-podcast/episode/6b2f8545/203-jane-oleary-musician-part-1

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0xwtb9A1rIER90qCAS6VHs?si=7b42b99a1e1943eb

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For more than 50 years, Jane O’Leary has been breaking new musical ground in Ireland. We catch up with her to learn more about her life and musical style.

Conversation includes: Jane the musician (listening, performing and composing); Milton Babbitt; early life in Connecticut; getting into music; studying in Vassar College, New York State; the importance of good teachers; being the second woman to get a Phd in composition from Princeton and being one of Ireland’s first female composers; meeting Patrick O’Leary in Princeton (where he was studying on a Fulbright grant); moving to Galway, Ireland; starting out as a music teacher including the art of listening; Titanic soundtrack; Music For Galway; Erica Casey; Angela O’Keefe; funding; teaching in Dublin College of Music (TU Dublin Conservatoire); National Symphony Orchestra Ireland; contemporary music; 12 tone method; classical music in the late 1970’s; Phil Coulter and ‘Scorn Not His Simplicity’; free flowing; patterns; nature; music as a journey on water; Niagara Falls, and other topics.

Photo by Dara Mac Dónaill.

Links

https://janesoleary.com/

Additional Links

https://musicforgalway.ie/

http://www.concorde.cmc.ie/

https://www.theirelandpodcast.com/latest-podcast/episode/57d8333d/204-jane-oleary-musician-part-2

Spotify Playlist for this Episode

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Jah Wobble’s Invaders of the Heart chat with Fender Jackson after their gig in Róisín Dubh, Galway on Wed 3rd December 2025.

Conversation includes: interviews with the band; Keith Levene’s guitar and guitar playing; the Soundman; the complications of performing this album; Dave Kane; Ruby Wood; the evolution of the tracks; Siouxsie & The Banshees; making ‘Metal Box - Rebuilt In Dub'; Yamaha 2100 guitar; John McGeoch; Steve Jones & Johnny Thunders; New York Dolls; punk guitars and amps; this show vs. legacy tours; Paul Schütze; Fangoria; Ken Boothe; Horace Andy; Neville Murray; Nathan Maverick; ‘Trout Mask Replica’ by Captain Beefheart; Keith Levene’s metal Veleno guitar; Steve Howe; Liverpool FC; Henry Kelly; Going For Gold; Hans Zimmer; The Bill and other topics.

Special thanks to Martin Chung, Jon Klein, Marc Layton-Bennett & George King.

Links

https://www.instagram.com/real_jah_wobble/?hl=en

https://open.spotify.com/album/5n0fOludLc0ifBaeFG8ACp?si=yvlLKHEzTe6v0Ijr0EXbMg

https://www.facebook.com/Jah.Wobble.Music

Additional Links

https://www.instagram.com/chungulation/?hl=en

https://www.instagram.com/iamjonklein/?hl=en

https://www.instagram.com/marclaytonbennett/?hl=en

https://www.instagram.com/_georgekingmusic/?hl=en

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Conversation includes: the (non-existent) comedy scene in Ireland in the 1970s and 80s; leprosy and space-travel; Ardal O’Hanlon; The Bogey Boys; Billy Roche; Young Ones; Tommy Tiernan; pioneering the comedy scene; Myles na Gopaleen; Hal Roche; setting up the Comedy Cellar above The International Bar on Wicklow Street, Dublin in the late 1980s with Mr Trellis, Barry Murphy, Kevin Gildea, Dermot Carmody; Dylan Moran; Jason Byrne and Dara Ó Briain; teabags and fireplaces; ‘The Young Ones’ on BBC 2; WC Fields and Laurel & Hardy; Peter Sellers and Woody Allen; Monty Python; Paul Whitehouse & The Fast Show; The Goons; Brendan Balfe; Shelley Berman; Frank Hall & Hall’s Pictorial Weekly; Scrap Saturday; the hard cultural border in Ireland; Tim McGarry & The Hole In The Wall Gang; the guts of the young Patrick Kielty; Jackie Hamilton; Alex Hormozi; Tommy, Be-Bop & Eddie Izzard; Edinburgh Comedy Festival; writing for BBC including The Mahaffys with Pauline McGlynn and Mario Rosenstock; Morgan Jones and Here’s Johnny; screenplays and development hell; The Tyrone Guthrie Centre at Annaghmakerrig, Co. Monaghan; Rick Ruben, Paul McCartney and McCartney 3,2,1; Culture Night; Fail Again, Fail Even Better; Frank McNally at Irish Times; Minnie Riperton, Rhea Perlman and Maya Rudolph; Gershwin & Cole Porter; James Joyce, Nora Barnacle & The Nora Barnacle Museum; AE Russell; Instagram; being in it to win it; McDermott vs. MacDermott; chiselling gravestones; AI, Climate Change and deluded optimism and other topics.

Links

https://www.karlmacdermott.com/

https://www.youtube.com/@failevenbetter/shorts

Additional Links

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6X10SbhtXCFouvclB0Ndin?si=41ad25ec08bf4f36

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In this special milestone episode of The Ireland Podcast, Fender sits down with his own children for a heartfelt discussion about interviewing his parents. Together, they explore why capturing family stories matters, how to approach these conversations with sensitivity, and what it means to preserve memories for the next generation.

Fender also offers thoughtful advice for anyone considering interviewing their own loved ones - parents, grandparents, or elders in their community. And for listeners whose family members have already passed, he gently suggests seeking out those who knew them, ensuring their voices and stories are not lost to time.

Below you’ll find links to helpful documents designed to guide you through interviewing your own loved ones, as well as a link to Salthill Media’s Record Your Life Story - a resource for anyone who wants to preserve personal or family histories in a meaningful way.

A touching, reflective episode that celebrates connection, heritage, and the power of conversation.

Thank you to everyone who has supported us over the last 200 episodes - we truly appreciate each and every one of you. Please continue to help us grow by sharing the podcast with your family and friends, leaving a positive review, and subscribing on your preferred platform. Your support means the world to us.

Relevant Links

Interview Questions

Family Tree Doc

https://www.salthillmedia.com/liferecordings

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Born in Ennis, County Clare, Fr. Bernárd’s journey began in the traditional Ireland of the 1940s, shaped by school, family, and faith. But his path soon led him far from the familiar - from the seminary in Dromantine, Newry, to ordination in Newry Cathedral, and then on to the missionaries in Africa and the turbulent streets of New York in the 1970s, where he found both his calling and his true self.

In a conversation with Fender Jackson, they talk about forgiveness, angels, and the arrogance of certainty. Fr. Bernárd explores his belief that Catholicism is the last pagan religion in the West, and his sharp critique of Bible bingo interpretations of Leviticus.

Fr. Bernárd speaks candidly about discovering he was gay, ministering to the AIDS community at the height of the crisis, and facing the crushing pressures of faith, sexuality, and truth - including false allegations, expulsion from New York, and eventually becoming the first Catholic priest in the world to have a same-sex marriage.

It’s a story of defiance, compassion, and perhaps, time travel - an extraordinary conversation with one of Ireland’s most fearless and fascinating priests.

Links

https://www.frbernardlynch.com/

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Bass legend Gerry McAvoy takes us through a track-by-track journey of Photo-Finish, Rory Gallagher’s powerhouse 1978 album. In this wide-ranging conversation, Gerry shares insights into the sessions, the scrapped album, and the raw energy that defined Rory’s late-’70s sound.

Along the way, we talk Sex Pistols, click tracks and metronomes, Ted McKenna’s drumming, Status Quo, and the aftermath of the accident. Gerry also reflects on Carol Kaye’s influence, cropdusting adventures, and how tracks like “Only the Lonely”, “Memphis Hip Shake” (The Cult), and “Donegal Express” (Shane MacGowan) connect through spirit and groove.

Plus: tales from playing with Joe Bonamassa and plenty more behind-the-scenes stories from a life in rock ’n’ roll.

Relevant Links

http://www.bandoffriends.eu/

https://songwhip.com/bandoffriends

https://www.rorygallagher.com/

Additional Links

Fuel To The Fire (Instrumental) - Band Of Friends

Carol Kaye grooving the metronome

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While recording Episode 122 with Swinford’s own Breege Rowley, the editor-turned-documentary maker suggested to Fender that he speak with Nora McBurney - the voice behind her film ‘All Our Yesterdays’. So that’s exactly what he did.

Conversation includes: introductions; update on the movie ‘All Our Yesterdays’ by Breege Rowley; Swinford and Foxford, County Mayo; tracing Nora’s grandparents move from Swinford and Derryherbert, County Mayo to Pittsburgh, PA; competing in Irish dancing; soft shoe vs. hard shoe; Dan Rooney & The Pittsburgh Steelers; Croke Park; Michael Bublé; studying in Ireland; Trim Castle; Cnoc Suain, County Galway; having an Irish American identity; yinzers, yousens and Scots language; John Williams and Solace; Reverie Road; the Irish American connection; the nosiness of the Irish; the real estate industry in USA today; working from home; buying vs. renting property; Rory Sutherland’s view on the increase of property over the last few decades; recording the Voiceover for ‘All Our Yesterdays’ and other topics.

Links

https://www.instagram.com/theirishyinzer

https://www.facebook.com/theirishyinzer/

Additional Links

https://breegerowleyeditor.com/

https://linktr.ee/theirelandpodcast

Episode 122. Breege Rowley: Cinema & Television Editor

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Fender Jackson recently took part in celebrating the 70th anniversary of the London Irish Centre, marking seven decades of cultural connection and community spirit. The event paid tribute to the Centre’s rich legacy as a home for Irish arts, music, and heritage in London, while also highlighting its ongoing role in supporting the Irish diaspora. Fender’s coverage captured the atmosphere of pride and nostalgia, showcasing performances, speeches, and stories that reflected both the history and the enduring vibrancy of the Irish community in Britain.

Special thanks to the following contributors:

• Deirdre Fraser - Volunteer, London Irish Centre
• Mark Paul - London Correspondent, Irish Times
• Fionnuala Carr - Irish Dancer
• Jennifer Hegarty - Trustee, London Irish Centre
• Helen - Volunteer, London Irish Centre
• Leah - London Irish Centre visitor
• Darren - Security & Events, London Irish Centre
• Katie Doyle - Survivors Integrated Service Manager
• Rosie - Irish Dancer & Musician
• Sarah - Irish Dancer 
• Eva - Future founder of the London Korean Centre
• Susan - Irish Dancer
• Sheena Vallely - Fiddle Player
• Bradon Smith - Fiddler Player
• Paul Kerins - Banjo Player
• Hannah Pender - Director of Programme & Events
• Séamus MacCormaic - CEO of the London Irish Centre 

Performance of John Leary’s by Rosie (Tin Whistle) and Fender (Drums, Bass, Guitars, Percussion, Banjo, and Accordion)

Links

https://londonirishcentre.org/

https://londonirishcentre.org/our-services/community-development/survivorservice/

https://thesunnybanks.com/

www.theirelandpodcast.com

https://linktr.ee/theirelandpodcast

Ep. 181. London Irish Centre: Community Café

Additional Links

https://www.coventryirishsociety.com/help-support/irish-survivors

https://frea.org.uk/

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The Good Friday Agreement, signed in 1998, brought peace to Northern Ireland after decades of conflict by establishing a power-sharing government and ensuring that any constitutional change would happen only by consent. Alastair Campbell, then Tony Blair’s Director of Communications and Strategy, played a key role in the negotiations, helping to shape the messaging, diplomacy, and relationships that made the agreement possible. He shared his reflections and behind-the-scenes stories with The Ireland Podcast when Fender Jackson visited him at his home in London on Thursday, 25 September 2025.

Conversation includes: Scotty Parker and Burnley F.C.; Tony Blair & Jonathan Powell’s optimism; the moment of realisation that the Northern Ireland problem could actually be solved; David Trimble, John Taylor & Ken Maginnis; The Irish Diaries; Bill Clinton & George Mitchell; Martin McGuinness, John Hume, Mo Mowlem & David Ervine; Bríd Rogers; sleep; Dennis Murray; the alignment with John Hume; Seamus Mallon; the hand of history; feeling the encouragement from the streets; the growing media pack; Alastair’s day-to-day role; John Holmes; social media and today’s political landscape; Bertie Ahern; the main stumbling blocks before the GFA was signed; Blair’s skills of constructive ambiguity; ‘The Chuckle Brothers’ (McGuinness and Paisley); Máirtín Ó Muilleoir; the other side to Paisley; Greenifying vs. Trimblification; Martin Ferris & Gerry Kelly; the legacy bill; London Irish Centre; Orla McBreen; Hilary Benn; Gaza and the Middle East; Nick Matthews, the Garden Girls and other topics.

Links

https://alastaircampbell.org/book/the-irish-diaries/

www.theirelandpodcast.com

https://linktr.ee/theirelandpodcast

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