Podcast Corner: Joanne McNally goes deep on Furby spy tale
Joanne McNally has a new podcast. Picture: Miki Barlok
After the first season asking , comedian Joanne McNally returns with another pressing concern: It relates to a claim that Furbys were capable of spying, and asks why they were banned by American Security Services. It’s as suitably silly as the first season as she’s thrust into the world of international espionage, politics…. and Furbys.
James Kavanagh is no stranger to podcasts. He has probably cropped up on your favourite show over the years, like or . That’s not to mention the fun food show he did with his partner William Murray, , which ran for 24 episodes in 2022-2023. They’re back with a new, brilliantly titled show, The premise: The pair are leaving Dublin after 11 years, in search of a simpler life in the countryside. They’ve bought a house in Kilkenny with an acre of mature garden ready for planting and growing. They also want to raise chickens and maybe a few ducks.
The nine episodes so far each touch on different aspects of the house: What was the idea behind moving to the countryside, finding the house, their fantasy bathroom, buying a water jug for the guest bedroom. But as you’d expect, it’s the asides and tangents which have you coming back for this easy listening show. Last week, they detailed a holiday to San Sebastian and subsequent train rides through Spain. The travel time clocked up to some 24 hours in the course of a week, they tell us, something Kavanagh says he didn’t sign up for. Their quirks and nitpicks come out alongside some travel tips, but as Kavanagh notes, it’s just so nice coming home to the new house. It’s an ever-so-light show but they’re both endearing personalities. And if you’re around the same age as them and in the process of home-buying yourself, maybe you’ll get some tips along the way.
For something a little different this week, Fin Dwyer from the has linked up with historian and archaeologist Damien Shiels for , a new show months and/or years in the making which seeks to explore the history between Ireland and North America. The first episode, released last week and covering a few hundred years, seeks to answer who the first Irish person was to cross the Atlantic and reach America. The second episode takes us to the 17th century and an Irish woman’s connections to the Salem witch trials.
