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The Ireland Podcast
17. Gino Lupari: Irish Musician
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Episode 17. This week’s guest is one of the world’s most famous bodhran players Mr Gino Lupari. Gino plays with a fantastic group called Four Men & A Dog who he affectionately refers to in this interview as The Dogs. Gino has recorded with Sinead O’Connor, Shane McGowan, Rick Danko, Levon Helm (The Band) and Garth Hudson to name but a few. He’s appeared on almost 50 albums, toured in over 30 countries and performed over 1000 concerts.
We talk a little bit about Gino’s Italian heritage through his identity but I mostly steer away from that topic as it was covered excellently by Mr Paddy Glasgow on his brilliant podcast which is entitled Small But Massive. (We hope to get Paddy Glasgow on this podcast some day as he has been doing some of most worthwhile work in the whole of Ireland for the last 30 years or so. Anyway, check out that podcast episode. The link is below.)
In this episode I ask Gino mostly about his percussion. What does he play? How does he play it? How does he decide which instrument to play? How does he arrange? How does he record? I mention the Shure SM57 mic but I just call it the 57. If any of you are thinking of getting into production this should be the first mic you buy. It’s about 100 Euros and it will make anything sound rock and roll.
We also talk about Gino’s new album: No Turning Back. It was recorded in Donegal in Liam Bradley’s studio and also in Paul Casey’s studio who also mixed and mastered it. Musicians featured on the CD include: Liam Bradley. Paul Casey, Seamus O'Rourke, Brian McGrath, Dónal Murphy, Mick Daly, My Girl Josephine, Liam Bradley, Paul Casey, Nicky Scott, John McCullough, Gerry O’Connor, Damien “Nashville” McGeehan, Tim Edey, Dermot Byrne,Cathy Jordan and Lauren Doherty.
Gino is touring the album and you can find those dates as well as links for buying the CD on his website.
We recorded this conversation in Draperstown (aka Ballinascreen) in County Derry on Thurs 4th January 2024. Special thanks to my brother and his family for the loan of their living room. The soft furnishings really helped the acoustics of this recording.
Relevant Links
Gino on Small But Massive Podcast
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206. Steve Vai: Guitarist - Part Two
01:02:05|Steve Vai returns for Part Two of this special conversation marking the 40th anniversary of Public Image Ltd’s Album. Because we don’t have a licence to play the record in the episode itself, listeners are encouraged to line up their own copy of Album and press play at the countdowns as Steve and Fender listen through the tracks in real time. Vai reflects on what he played, how the sessions unfolded from inside the control room, and why Album remains one of the most enjoyable and creatively free guest projects he ever jumped into - minimal direction, total space, and a sound that still feels unique forty years on. Along the way, he recalls dinner with John Lydon, being asked about joining PiL, and the gear he used at the time: Guitar: Charvel Custom (“The Green Meanie”)Amp: Carvin X100B (“ice pick” sharp tone)Delay: Roland SDE-3000 rack delaySetup: two SDE-3000s - one for mono delay, one used as chorus via chainingOverdrive: amp set with drive + a kick-in pedal for solosSitar: Choral sitar (electric)Play-along track cues and full notes are included below.00:40 - Track 1: FFF (countdown and play)06:15 - Track 2: Rise12:20 - Track 3: Fishing17:39 - Track 4: Round28:40 - Side Two begins - Bags (countdown and play)34:11 - Track 6: Home40:03 - Track 7: EaseThanks / credit:Shout-out and thanks to Ned Evett for connecting the conversation and for the Galway link-up. Honourable mention to drummer, Colin McMahon.
205. Steve Vai: Guitarist - Part One
26:16|This episode forms part of a short series marking the 40th anniversary of Album by Public Image Ltd. Steve Vai’s contribution spans two episodes - this is Part 1.Steve Vai - Part 1In Part 1 of this two-part conversation, Steve Vai talks about the musical influences and ideas that shaped him long before his career took form.The discussion centres on Frank Zappa - how Vai first encountered his music, the discipline of transcribing it in detail, and what working with Zappa taught him about composition, attention, and intent. From there, he reflects more broadly on improvisation and artistic evolution, drawing parallels with musicians such as Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Jeff Beck.Vai also discusses the pressures of virtuosity and self-criticism, and how his relationship with the guitar has changed over time, touching on his early career years and the gradual shift from pure intensity towards melody, phrasing, and expression.
204. Jane O’Leary: Musician - Part 2
47:24|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 DónaillLinkshttps://janesoleary.com/Additional Linkshttps://musicforgalway.ie/http://www.concorde.cmc.ie/http://theirelandpodcast.com/latest-podcast/episode/6b2f8545/203-jane-oleary-musician-part-1https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0xwtb9A1rIER90qCAS6VHs?si=7b42b99a1e1943eb
203. Jane O’Leary: Musician - Part 1
47:04|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.Linkshttps://janesoleary.com/Additional Linkshttps://musicforgalway.ie/http://www.concorde.cmc.ie/https://www.theirelandpodcast.com/latest-podcast/episode/57d8333d/204-jane-oleary-musician-part-2Spotify Playlist for this Episode
202. Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart: Metal Box - Rebuilt In Dub
42:16|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.Linkshttps://www.instagram.com/real_jah_wobble/?hl=enhttps://open.spotify.com/album/5n0fOludLc0ifBaeFG8ACp?si=yvlLKHEzTe6v0Ijr0EXbMghttps://www.facebook.com/Jah.Wobble.MusicAdditional Linkshttps://www.instagram.com/chungulation/?hl=enhttps://www.instagram.com/iamjonklein/?hl=enhttps://www.instagram.com/marclaytonbennett/?hl=enhttps://www.instagram.com/_georgekingmusic/?hl=en
201. Karl MacDermott: Comedy Writer & Performer
01:03:59|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.Linkshttps://www.karlmacdermott.com/https://www.youtube.com/@failevenbetter/shortsAdditional Linkshttps://open.spotify.com/playlist/6X10SbhtXCFouvclB0Ndin?si=41ad25ec08bf4f36
200. Fender Jackson: Interview Your Parents
24:46|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 LinksInterview QuestionsFamily Tree Dochttps://www.salthillmedia.com/liferecordings
199. Fr Bernárd Lynch: Priest, Author & Activist
01:05:54|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.Linkshttps://www.frbernardlynch.com/
198. Gerry McAvoy: Photo-Finish & Joe Bonamassa
43:49|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 Linkshttp://www.bandoffriends.eu/https://songwhip.com/bandoffriendshttps://www.rorygallagher.com/Additional LinksFuel To The Fire (Instrumental) - Band Of FriendsCarol Kaye grooving the metronome