The Ireland Podcast

In Part 1 of this two-part conversation, Fender Jackson speaks with writer and producer Graham Linehan about his life and career before, during, and after controversy. Known for shaping modern Irish and British comedy through Father Ted, Black Books, and The IT Crowd, Linehan reflects on creative risk, cultural change, and the personal consequences of speaking publicly on divisive issues.This episode focuses on background, origins, and how Linehan understands the events that led him from mainstream television into activism and independent journalism. The conversation explores questions of free expression, social pressure, disagreement, and what it means to be heard without endorsement.Footnote:The Ireland Podcast has no religious or political agenda. It isn’t aligned with any party, movement, or belief system. The aim of this podcast is to explore ideas, experiences, and disagreements that exist in Irish life - especially the ones people find difficult to talk about.Graham Linehan is a writer whose work shaped modern Irish comedy and whose views have placed him at the centre of one of the most contentious cultural debates of our time. In this conversation, Graham speaks for himself and from his own experience.The Ireland Podcast does not agree or disagree on behalf of the listener, but to ask questions, to probe his thinking, and to allow the audience to hear his arguments directly.We believe it’s possible to listen critically without needing to declare allegiance - and that hearing a person out is not the same as adopting their views.This episode reflects that principle. You don’t have to agree with what’s said here. But we believe serious conversations deserve to be heard in full.

In this long-form conversation, producer and musician Bill Laswell reflects on the making of Album, the 1986 record by Public Image Ltd.Laswell discusses how the project came together in New York, recording early tracks with legendary drummer Tony Williams, and later bringing in musicians including Ginger Baker, Steve Vai, Bernie Worrell, and Ryuichi Sakamoto.He describes the recording process, the use of first takes, and the production philosophy behind the album’s distinctive sound. The conversation also explores how the music was constructed, the role of improvisation in the studio, and how different musicians helped shape the final record.Laswell also addresses a long-circulating story that Miles Davis once appeared at the sessions. In the interview he explains that the visitor was actually Ornette Coleman, who briefly stopped by the studio but did not record. The anecdote has circulated in different forms over the years, and John Lydon also revisits the story in his memoir Anger Is an Energy: My Life Uncensored, where he reflects on the same period from his own perspective.The result is a detailed look at one of the most unusual recording sessions of the 1980s and the creative decisions that shaped the album.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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