Podcast Corner: Black & Tans, Cheltenham and magic mushrooms - selection of Irish podcasts

Eddie Lenihan talks about the Black & Tans in the latest episode of his podcast. Picture:Valerie O'Sullivan
After months on a hiatus working on a new book, beloved seanchaí Eddie Lenihan returns to his podcast with monthly episodes. So far this year, he’s discussed holy wells and some of the curious customs that visitors would enact, while in March’s episode, he tackles the Black & Tans and their dark legacy
The talking strand of Other Voices is becoming as much of an attraction of the winter festival in Dingle as the music, with the discussions recorded as part of the Ireland’s Edge podcast (widely available). The latest series, which began at the end of January, features topics on various crises in 2022, from housing to data to climate. Last week’s episode, with Dr Roberta Murphy in conversation with Nuala O'Connor, is about ‘altered states’ and psychedelics.

A seven-episode series to coincide with Cheltenham this week - Tiger Roll will be retired after his final race at the festival on Wednesday, March 16 - the RTÉ Documentary on One team undertook a multi-year job looking at the life of one of Ireland’s greatest racehorses. The episodes all clock in around the 30-minute mark, with a rich soundscape of excitable commentary and regal music. It’s written, recorded, and produced by Michael Lawless, Tim Desmond, and Liam O'Brien. Other multi-part series from the Doc on One team include GunPlot, about the 1970 arms trial, and the acclaimed true crime series, The Nobody Zone.
On the latest episode (#136) of Una Mullally and Andrea Horan’s podcast, a live show with Sabina Higgins, Mullally explains the concept of the show succinctly, saying that it was initially pitched as 32 counties, 32 questions. Obviously they’re far past 32 episodes; she says it was about getting away from the “bun-fighting, antagonistic environment that a lot of people get interviewed in”, rather about informing people, because discourse in Ireland is now rooted in empathy. That in itself should be introduction enough to a podcast full of challenging ideas about crises and topics similar to Ireland’s Edge as well as conjuring ideals for a future Ireland.