Podcast Corner: Seven of the best Irish shows of 2022
Catherine O'Brien: the subject of our Catherine the Fake podcast. Pic: the Irish Mail on Sunday
McSharry’s weekend shows on 2FM showed she was a natural chat show host, a notion further cemented with Catch Up. A weekly digest, McSharry talks with the ‘Beyonce of Derry’ Aoife Moore about the news of the week before an in-depth interview (our favourite was the Irish international Katie McCabe) and then celebrity news. A simple but effective formula. And often very funny.
Influencer and one-half of the growing Currabinny food empire, James Kavanagh talks to celebrities like Glenda Gilson, Roz Purcell, and his queen Anne Doyle – as well as his long-suffering parents - to ask them some very simple food questions that open up an occasionally deep, often hilarious, always tasty world.
Two shows from the Irish Examiner about people who aren’t who we thought they were. Awarded Podcast of the Year at the 2022 Journalism Awards, The Lost American is a two-parter presented by Noel Baker telling the long and winding story of how US doomsday prepper Thomas Stofiel ended his days as a resident in a Tralee direct provision centre. Catherine the Fake is told by Ann Murphy, who’s on the trail of the ‘mistress of reinvention’ Catherine O'Brien. Densely detailed, Murphy’s telling of O’Brien’s exploits will leave you agog.
Independent senator Lynn Ruane recorded this nine-part series in Dublin’s Wheatfield Prison, seeking to humanise the people behind bars and explaining that she doesn’t know the crimes committed by the men she talks to. Ruane, as always, offers empathy to those who need it most, as the inmates tell their sorrowful tales.
Probably the most entertaining podcast on any of our end-of-year lists, this six-parter is ostensibly for children but with enough gags and innuendo to keep adults hooked too. Set on the mythical island of Mrunglody, Professor Nero wakes up on a mysterious beach, confused as to how he got there. He meets a colourful cast of characters, with voices provided by young pupils and famous names such as Alison Spittle popping up along the way.
Hosted by ecologist Anja Murray and one half of Ye Vagabonds, Brían Mac Gloinn, each of these six episodes is an audio portrait of Ireland’s native trees. Featuring expert interviews and new songs Mac Gloinn has written for the series as well as traditional tunes he’s sourced and arranged, the soundscape is delicious, crunching branches underneath taking you on a virtual forest-bathing trip.
This is not easy listening but it is essential listening as the six-part show seeks to tell the real story of mother and baby homes in Ireland. We hear the real voices and stories of the women whose stories were silenced for far too long.
