5 podcasts to get into over Christmas

Over the Christmas period you will probably end up with a lot of free time.

The holidays are here and instead of the daily grind of so much to do, so little time it will quickly become so much time, so little to do.

With the inevitable fireworks of a family argument only waiting to go off, when they do you should take some time to cool off in a way that isn’t the TV or opening another box of chocolates.

Podcasts are an excellent way to take some time and simple relax in the company of a good interview or story.

Here are with five podcasts for you get into over the Christmas period.

1. An Irishman Abroad with Jarlath Regan

A little over a year ago, comedian Jarlath Regan began the Irishman Abroad Podcast. Regan himself is the titular Irishman Abroad having moved to England to further his career. In this funny, moving and hugely popular podcast Regan interviews Irish celebs who have moved abroad and discusses their life and career, their highs and lows.

It has gone from strength to strength with its long form style of interview giving the listener a unique insight into the guest’s lives. The interviewee’s are who’s who of Irish comedians, actors, journalists and sportspeople as well as one or two ordinary non celebrities.

Highlights include Chris O’Dowd’s rise from Drama College drop out to Hollywood star, Sonia O’Sullivan’s road to becoming an Irish sporting icon and the moving story of Mick Finnegan and his battle with depression, and how rugby has helped him through it.

2. Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo’s Film Reviews

This one is not just for massive film fans. Kermode and Mayo is the flagship film programme of the Beeb. The BBC Radio 5 Live podcast is one of the world’s most popular weekly podcasts with over 100,000 downloads every week.

The premise is simple. Each week Simon Mayo hosts the show while Mark Kermode reviews each weekend’s new releases. The results are fantastic. Kermode is a leading film critic with opinionated, smart and funny views on films and the world of cinema all the while being kept in check by the excellent Mayo.

The Good Doctors welcome actors and directors to their studio and also welcome the views of their devoted listeners (other opinions are available). The Church of Wittertainment, as it has become known is smart, funny, informative and more importantly a really good listen whether you like to go to the cinema or not.

3. Serial

Serial, or the Case against Adnan Syed is the podcast phenomenon that has gone from strength to strength, currently the number one podcast in Ireland and according to Apple the most popular podcast in the world. Serial looks at Adnan Syed, a man who when he was 17 (back in 1999) was charged with the murder of his girlfriend.

But when journalist Sarah Koenig heard about the case via Adnan’s family she found some issue’s with the case that the state brought against Adnan and has painstakingly looked back at the case, trying to piece it all together. Koenig takes the case and reveals her findings in a story like form.

Serial is like an audio version of CSI or Criminal Minds with the one exception, Serial is discussing real people and real events. Koenig interviews Adnan himself, his friends, his enemies, people from both sides of the case to try and figure it all out. Once you have listened to episode one and let it sink in, the podcast will grip you, and leave you desperate to listen to more.

And the good news for people who haven’t been following the series is that now all 12 episodes of the first season are available to download.

4. Second Captains

The former Newstalk team have gone from strength to strength since they left the broadcaster. The Second Captains podcast sits at number two in the podcast charts and has gone on to be the platform for its own TV show.

There is a reason why Second Captains is one of the country’s most popular podcasts. It’s good. Talking about sport can be harder than it looks. People can sound ignorantly opinionated and can drone on and become boring. But that doesn’t happen with Second Captains. Opinionated they certainly are, but they are also informative, smart and funny.

Throw in good guests like of Padraig Harrington and Andy Lee in recent weeks and this podcast make for an excellent listen for fans of all sports.

5. Patcast by Pat Monahan

This is probably the least well known of these five podcast, but the Patcast is an interesting podcast from the lead singer of the band Train (Hey, Soul Sister and Drops of Jupiter), Pat Monahan. In this podcast, Monahan talks to different people in the music business, people he was worked with, sung with and toured with and discusses different aspects of working in music and why people get into and also how affects their lives.

Irish music fans will know a lot of the guests that have featured so far. Irish artists The Script and Niall Horan of One Direction have been on, as well as Pete Wentz from Fall Out Boy and British singer Newton Faulkner.

What makes this podcast interesting is that it feels like you’re in the room, enjoying the chat with Monahan and the guest. Another bonus is that throughout most episodes the artists play some of their songs which gives this podcast a little something extra.