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The Ireland Podcast

The Ireland Podcast

Written by: Fender Jackson
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About the Podcast

The Ireland Podcast is a long-form interview series creating space for unhurried conversation about life on the island of Ireland and beyond.


The Conversations

Hosted by Fender Jackson and produced by Salthill Media, the podcast centres on listening rather than argument. Each episode features a single guest and allows time for reflection, context, and experience to emerge naturally. Guests include artists, musicians, writers, athletes, broadcasters, historians, and cultural figures whose work or perspective offers insight into place, memory, and lived experience.

There is no political or religious agenda. The podcast does not seek to persuade, promote, or argue a position. Instead, it exists as a space for careful dialogue, where complexity is allowed and difference is approached with curiosity rather than confrontation.


The Host

Fender Jackson grew up in Ulster and later lived in England and China before returning to Ireland and settling in Galway, where most episodes are now recorded. These experiences inform a listening-led, exploratory approach shaped by distance as well as proximity, and by an awareness of how place, movement, and memory intersect.


Approach

The Ireland Podcast approaches the island as a shared, lived place - shaped by multiple histories, traditions, communities, and viewpoints. In a post-conflict society, conversation itself has value. The podcast recognises the role that respectful dialogue, storytelling, and careful questioning can play in fostering empathy and understanding.

Over time, it becomes an informal record of conversations about the island and its many expressions, offered quietly and without prescription.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

© The Ireland Podcast (Produced by Salthill Media) Art Social Sciences Travel Writing & Commentary
Episodes
  • 219. Irish Voices In Shanghai: The Blarney Stone

    219. Irish Voices In Shanghai: The Blarney Stone
    Jun 5 2026

    A short visit to The Blarney Stone in Shanghai, meeting some of the people who find themselves in an Irish pub on a Saturday night in China.


    In this episode, Fender chats with Irish and international voices in Shanghai - including a Dublin toy developer, an Irish pharmaceutical worker, an English model, and a local Chinese regular.


    Topics include toy manufacturing in China, missing Irish conversation abroad, Shanghai life, Guinness, modelling, jazz clubs, Irish pubs overseas, and why places like The Blarney Stone matter when you are far from home.


    Part of the An Irishman in China mini-series.


    Relevant Link

    https://www.tripadvisor.ie/Restaurant_Review-g308272-d4500480-Reviews-The_Blarney_Stone_Irish_Pub_Yong_Kang_Road-Shanghai.html



    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    13 mins
  • 218. Fender Jackson: An Irishman in China - Shanghai

    218. Fender Jackson: An Irishman in China - Shanghai
    Jun 2 2026

    A couple of months ago I spent another week in Shanghai, one of the most fascinating cities I’ve ever visited. In this episode I revisit videos I filmed during the trip and reflect on the strange mixture of colonial history, futuristic architecture, live music, electric vehicles, museums, marriage markets and everyday life that makes Shanghai feel unlike anywhere else.


    Along the way:


    • I get sketched by a street artist while recovering from gastroenteritis
    • Visit the Shanghai Museum and a qipao exhibition
    • Discover Shanghai’s marriage market
    • Hear traditional Chinese music in the park
    • Explore the Bund and the French Concession
    • Reflect on China’s electric vehicle revolution and BYD
    • End up in a Queen tribute night in an old temple-turned-music venue


    Shanghai is one of those cities that feels like several different worlds happening at once.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    46 mins
  • 217. Xishuangbanna - Southwest China After Dark

    217. Xishuangbanna - Southwest China After Dark
    May 29 2026

    Xishuangbanna, in China’s Yunnan Province, is a tropical city near the borders of Laos and Myanmar, known for its temples, night markets and elephant tourism.


    This episode wanders through crowded markets filled with colour, karaoke, strange foods and the unforgettable smell of durian. There’s torrential rain, beautiful temples, incredible food, curious encounters with locals, and even some unexpected hotel entertainment.


    A loose, atmospheric travel diary from southwest China after dark.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    16 mins
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