THE
IRELAND
Podcast
What This Is
The Ireland Podcast is an independent long-form interview series produced by SALTHILL Media, creating an ongoing record of life stories, experiences, and conversations from across the island of Ireland and beyond.
The podcast is editorially independent. Guests, subjects, and questions are chosen without external editorial direction.
The focus is not on argument or advocacy, but on understanding.
GLEN HANSARD
Music • Memories • Legacy
A growing collection exploring the life, music and
legacy of one of Ireland's most influential musicians.
Explore more voices, stories, and experiences from across the island and beyond.
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 does not mean uncritical agreement. There is room for careful questioning, disagreement, reflection and uncertainty, without making confrontation the purpose of the conversation.
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 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, interviewer, and writer whose work centres on listening, conversation, and cultural memory.
Having spent many years living abroad, including eight years in China, Fender understands the experience of looking back towards Ireland from a distance. Staying connected to home through Irish radio helped shape the idea behind the podcast and an awareness of listeners abroad and throughout the diaspora.
His approach to interviewing is guided by curiosity rather than authority. Guests are given the space to explain how they see the world, with conversations allowed to develop without predetermined conclusions.
Read more about Fender Jackson.
Beyond the podcast, Fender records personal life stories through SALTHILL Media preserving memories and experiences for individuals and families. Learn more here.