THE
IRELAND
Podcast
What This Is
The Ireland Podcast is a long-form interview series dedicated to careful, unhurried conversation. While conversation is central to the podcast, some episodes take other forms, including music performances, readings, and book launches.
The focus is not on argument or advocacy, but on understanding.
Selected Episodes
A small selection of episodes that reflect the pace, range, and listening practice of the podcast. These conversations and performances offer an introduction to the kinds of voices and forms you’ll find throughout the archive.
192. Fender Jackson: Introducing 'The Ireland Podcast'
Fender Jackson introduces The Ireland Podcast and its ethos.
135. James Fearnley: Life Until 'Red Roses For Me'
Ep. 135 has Fender in conversation with The Pogues' Accordionist James Fearnley from England living in Los Angeles on the day before the 2025 LA. Fire started.
177. Lord Chris Patten: The Patten Report
Lord Chris Patten reflects on the Patten Report and policing reform.
112. Laura House: Ancestry, Genetic Genealogist - Part 1
A conversation between Fender Jackson and Laura House, a genetic genealogist in Ancestry. This episode brings a lot of detail to anyone.
The podcast was created as a space to slow things down. At a time when discussion is often compressed into headlines and short clips, these conversations take time, allowing context, memory, and experience to emerge naturally.
Listening here does not mean uncritical agreement. Questions are asked carefully and in context, with room for probing, reflection, and difference. The focus is not on argument or advocacy, but on understanding - recognising that careful attention can reveal complexity without the need for confrontation.
Guests are encouraged to speak in their own words and on their own terms. Rather than pressing conversations toward predetermined outcomes, the aim is to stay with ideas long enough for nuance, uncertainty, and perspective to surface.
A
Place
To
Slow
Things
Down
Who Is It For?
The Ireland Podcast is for listeners who value depth, context, and careful conversation. It’s for people in Ireland, for those living abroad or part of the diaspora, and for anyone interested in Ireland beyond surface narratives.
It’s also for listeners who are tired of opinion-driven media and who value listening over argument - including those in other post-conflict societies who recognise the importance of memory, dialogue, and lived experience. You don’t need specialist knowledge to listen, only a willingness to spend time with ideas and with other people’s experiences.
The Host
The Ireland Podcast is hosted by Fender Jackson, a musician, composer, and interviewer whose work centres on listening, conversation, and cultural memory.
His approach to interviewing is guided by curiosity rather than authority. While each conversation takes its own shape, the intention is not to arrive with fixed conclusions, but to remain open to learning through exchange. Guests are encouraged to speak in their own words and on their own terms.
Read more about Fender Jackson.
