The Ireland Podcast

What is the difference between feeling low and clinical depression? When does an inner critic become destructive? How do psychologists arrive at a diagnosis? And what does good mental health treatment actually look like?

In this conversation with Fender Jackson, Dr Brannick discusses depression, rumination and self-criticism, behavioural activation, diagnosis, bipolar disorder, the role - and limitations - of AI in mental health, barriers to seeking help, therapy, suicide awareness and recovery.

The conversation was recorded in Dublin as Jonathan Kemp passed through the city during his 4,200km Finding Peace of Mind walk from the Shetland Islands to Galway. Jonathan is raising awareness and funds for four mental health charities: Aware, AWARE NI, SAMH and Mind.

Support Jonathan's Finding Peace of Mind Walking Challenge: https://www.gofundme.com/f/Jonathansupporting4mentalhealthcharities

Aware is the national charity providing support, therapy, education and information to those affected by depression, bipolar and anxiety. They provide free accessible support to tens of thousands of people across Ireland each year. Visit aware.ie or call the Aware Support Line 1800 80 4848.

Jonathan is due to complete his journey in Galway on Sunday 18 October 2026.

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Alan Shatter is a former Irish Minister for Justice and Defence, former Fine Gael TD, solicitor and author.

In Part 1 of this extended conversation with Fender Jackson, Shatter reflects on growing up Jewish in Dublin and how his experience of being Jewish in Ireland has changed over the course of his life.

He gives his personal account of waking to news of the Hamas attacks on October 7, discusses the intelligence and security failures that preceded the attack, and considers the political responsibility of the Israeli government.

The conversation then turns to the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the creation of Israel, Palestinian and Jewish displacement, the Six-Day War, Gaza following Israel's 2005 withdrawal, Hamas's rise to power and the conditions in Gaza before October 7.

Fender challenges Shatter on Israel's responsibility for conditions in Gaza, restrictions on fuel and essential supplies, the scale of civilian deaths, the conduct of the war and the accusation that Israel is committing genocide.

Part 2 turns more directly to Ireland: antisemitism, anti-Zionism, sanctions and boycotts, the description of Israel as an apartheid state, Ireland's unusually strong identification with Palestinians, and Shatter's concerns about the future of Jewish life in Ireland.

Recorded in Dublin.

The Ireland Podcast - Recording the island.

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Quinn is the creator behind Mend & Move On, an online community of almost 600,000 people built around hope, healing and starting again.

In this walking conversation at the ancient Beaghmore Stone Circles in County Tyrone, Quinn speaks about the breakdown of his marriage, the difficult months that followed and how sharing a few simple words of encouragement online developed into a worldwide community.

Quinn and Fender discuss counselling, male friendship, vulnerability, imposter syndrome, becoming an accidental content creator and whether Mend & Move On could eventually become Quinn’s full-time work.

Fender also shares his own experience of divorce, grief and returning to Ireland as the pair discover that neither the path through Beaghmore nor the journey through life is always straightforward.

Relevant Links

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mendandmoveon/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mend2moveon

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@mendandmoveon

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mendandmoveon/

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Why has the Drumcree dispute returned after almost three decades?

John Manley, political correspondent with The Irish News, explains the history of the Orange Order parade, opposition from Garvaghy Road residents, the major stand-offs of the 1990s and the recent legal challenge involving the Parades Commission.

Fender and John also discuss the competing rights at the centre of the dispute, the involvement of Sinn Féin and unionist politicians, the approach of an Assembly election and whether Drumcree could destabilise Northern Ireland’s political institutions.

This conversation reflects John Manley’s own knowledge, analysis and perspective. The Ireland Podcast has also invited a corresponding conversation exploring Drumcree and Orangeism from a unionist perspective.

Recorded remotely on 29 September 2026.

The Ireland Podcast is a long-form, non-partisan podcast. Recording the island.

Relevant Links

https://www.irishnews.com/

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Stephen Averill has spent nearly five decades shaping how some of Ireland’s most important music looks.

From his beginnings with The Radiators From Space to a remarkable creative relationship with U2 spanning Boy, War, The Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby and beyond, Stephen has helped create images that became inseparable from the music itself.

In this episode of The Ireland Podcast, Fender Jackson talks to Stephen about the art of the record sleeve: discovering album artwork as a young music fan, designing before computers, working with musicians and photographers, the relationship between music and image, and what makes an album cover become iconic.

They also discuss Stephen’s work beyond U2, the changing Irish music scene, the creative possibilities that come from limitations, and what happens to album artwork as music moves from vinyl and CD into the digital age.

Relevant Links

https://www.stephenaverill.com/

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

01:33 When Album Covers Became Art

04:07 How Record Sleeves Changed

06:11 Creating a Visual Identity for a Band

07:16 How Stephen Designs an Album Cover

10:00 Designing for U2

11:02 Art vs the Record Company

13:17 Can an Album Cover Sell the Music?

16:08 Working with Great Photographers

18:15 When Record Labels Change Your Artwork

20:20 How Limitations Can Improve Creativity

22:59 What Makes an Album Cover Iconic?

24:00 U2, Success & Creative Relationships

26:22 Logos, T-Shirts & Band Identity

26:49 Stephen Averill's Archive

27:44 From Advertising to Album Design

31:01 Designing for Ireland's Music Scene

32:01 Outro

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Writer and commentator Malachi O’Doherty joins Fender Jackson in Belfast for a wide-ranging conversation about Donald Trump’s intervention on Irish unity, Northern Ireland’s changing relationship with the border and whether either part of the island is prepared for constitutional change.

Malachi recounts his reporting on IRA punishment attacks, including the extraordinary story of a young car thief he calls “Pip.” He discusses Kneecap and what he describes as Belfast “hood culture,” being branded a “West Brit,” and his confrontations with senior republican figures including Bobby Storey and Gerry Kelly.

The conversation also explores healthcare, pensions and the practical questions that could determine Malachi’s vote in a border poll—as well as what might have happened had David Trimble refused to sign the Good Friday Agreement.

Recorded in Belfast on 17th September 2026.

Please subscribe, comment and share the conversation.

Chapter Timings

00:00 Introduction

01:28 Trump and a united Ireland

05:40 Is Irish unity simply “natural”?

09:00 Growing up with the border

14:20 IRA checkpoints and “no-go areas”

15:24 IRA punishment attacks and kneecappings

18:08 The extraordinary story of “Pip”

24:18 Kneecap and Belfast “hood culture”

28:20 Does Kneecap genuinely represent the hoods?

32:06 The Kneecap film, drugs and Gerry Adams

34:27 Would Malachi vote for a united Ireland?

38:03 Pensions, healthcare and the practical questions

41:48 Being branded a “West Brit”

43:04 Bobby Storey, MI5 and intimidation

47:07 The Gerry Kelly legal action

51:22 “Give me the feeder question”

51:53 What if David Trimble had rejected the Agreement?

56:06 Politicians carrying guns

57:58 Does Malachi feel safe in Belfast?

59:14 Malachi’s books and current work

Relevant Links

https://www.irishpost.com/

https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Malachi-ODoherty/author/B001JSEA3U

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Since setting out from the Shetland Islands on 1 January 2026, Jonathan has been walking around 4,200km through Britain and Ireland to raise awareness and funds for four mental health charities.

In this second chapter of The Ireland Podcast's ongoing record of his journey, Fender Jackson catches up with Jonathan in Dublin.

We join him as he meets the Lord Mayor of Dublin, walk with him through the city to Aware's headquarters, hear about the physical and mental challenges of the journey, and join an Aware gathering marking this extraordinary undertaking.

Jonathan is now heading towards Galway for the final stage of the walk.

Sunday 18 October 2026 - Galway

Join Jonathan for the final steps into Galway.

Monday 19 October - Special Event

The Ardilaun Hotel, Galway

An evening with Jonathan Kemp - stories, reflections and what comes next.

Jonathan is raising awareness and funds for SAMH, Mind, AWARE NI and Aware Ireland.

Support Jonathan:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/Jonathansupporting4mentalhealthcharities

Aware is the national organisation providing support, therapy, education and information to those affected by depression, bipolar disorder and anxiety. For more information, visit Aware or call the Aware Support Line on 1800 80 48 48.

AWARE-NI is the depression charity for Northern Ireland. Tel: 028 9035 7820 Email: [email protected]

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Keire Murphy is a policy researcher, migration expert and public commentator. After spending four years conducting migration research at the Economic and Social Research Institute, she recently began working independently as a researcher, writer and podcaster.

In this long-form conversation, we examine Ireland’s changing population, the relationship between immigration and housing, labour shortages, citizenship, family reunification, integration and what it means to be Irish in an increasingly diverse country.

We also discuss:

• Why Ireland’s migrant population has changed

• Highly skilled immigration and the housing market

• Ireland’s two-tier economy

• The benefits and pressures created by population growth

• Assimilation versus multiculturalism

• Women’s rights and cultural differences

• Why parts of the left have avoided difficult immigration questions

• The Government’s changing approach to citizenship

• How Ireland might build a more cohesive national identity

Recorded on 10 September 2026.

CLARIFICATION: At the time of recording, the Department of Foreign Affairs passport guidance stated that guardian consent was not required if a child was married. Irish law does not permit marriage under the age of 18. That wording has since been removed from the Department’s webpage.

Sources and further information:

Keire's Podcast:

- Acast link: https://shows.acast.com/get-shit-done

- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4vP7onscXRsYFy3uBgqHXw?si=b1d8fa22c79d4990

- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GetShtDonePod

https://www.esri.ie/system/files/publications/RS184_0.pdf

CSO — Population and Migration Estimates, April 2026:

https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-pme/populationandmigrationestimatesapril2026/keyfindings/

Government citizenship proposals:

https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-justice-home-affairs-and-migration/press-releases/government-approval-secured-for-the-priority-drafting-of-the-irish-nationality-and-citizenship-amendment-bill-2026/

Family-reunification policy changes:

https://www.irishimmigration.ie/amendments-to-policy-on-non-eea-family-reunification/

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Fender Jackson travelled to Doonbeg on Saturday, 12 September 2026, as President Trump arrived in Ireland for the Irish Open.

Rather than trying to answer the question from a studio, The Ireland Podcast took to the streets to speak to the people who were there: locals, protesters, visitors, businesspeople and others drawn to the village by an extraordinary weekend.

The responses range from fierce opposition to strong support - while others separate their views of Trump the politician from the impact his golf resort has had on employment, tourism and life in Doonbeg.

This episode is also a snapshot of the village itself: the people, the golf, the protests and the atmosphere surrounding a presidential visit to West Clare.

The Ireland Podcast has no political or religious agenda. The aim is to record the island and give different voices room to be heard.

Special thanks to everyone who contributed.

Recorded: Doonbeg, County Clare

12 September 2026

Subscribe to The Ireland Podcast for long-form conversations and stories from across Ireland.

Relevant Links

https://www.mohergolf.com/

https://doonbeg.info/

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Why is Ireland an outlier when it comes to public attitudes towards Israel and Palestine?

Fender Jackson speaks with political scientists Dr Liam Kneafsey of Trinity College Dublin and Dr Miceal Canavan of Queen’s University Belfast about their new research examining why Irish public opinion differs so markedly from that of many other Western countries.

Based on a nationally representative survey of 1,547 people in the Republic of Ireland, their research explores the role of Ireland’s history, memories of colonialism and oppression, support for Irish unity, political ideology, media consumption and attitudes towards Jewish and Muslim people.

The conversation also asks a deeper question: is it history itself that shapes our attitudes - or the stories we tell ourselves about our history?

The Ireland Podcast has no political or religious agenda. The purpose of this conversation is to examine the research, its findings and possible alternative explanations.

Dr Miceal Canavan is a Lecturer in Politics and International Studies at Queens University Belfast. His research examines political attitudes and behaviour, including how history and identity shape the way people understand contemporary political conflicts. Alongside Liam Kneafsey, he is co-author of the 2026 study The Long Shadow of the Past: How Irish History Shapes Attitudes Towards the Israel–Palestine Conflict, based on a representative survey of 1,547 people in the Republic of Ireland. 

Dr Liam Kneafsey is Assistant Professor in Political Science at Trinity College Dublin. His research interests include Irish politics, political behaviour, political psychology, political communication, conflict and peace. He is the co-author, with Miceal Canavan, of The Long Shadow of the Past, which investigates why Irish public opinion on Israel and Palestine differs so markedly from that found elsewhere in Western Europe. 

Relevant Links

https://www.tcd.ie/research/profiles/?profile=lkneafse

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