5 Irish podcasts you should be listening to right now

Podcasts became a well-deserved, highly popular phenomenon a while ago. Whether it is for a train ride, a long drive back home, or even for a cloudy afternoon while organising your room, podcasts seem to have completely won us over in our everyday lives.

Today is easy to get lost amidst all the great options available, so I have chosen five of the best Irish podcasts you should be listening to right now. There is something for everyone, and they serve as entertainment for hours. Not to mention, they are all Irish-made and ready to press play.

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The Creep Dive

Jen O’Dwyer, Sophie White, and Cassie Delane are the hosts of this chilling and immersive gem of Irish podcasts. Here, the three women investigate and report on the hidden details of some strange stories that have made the headlines. They dig deeper than your average bizarre news aficionado, knowing all the data on the subjects, books, internet information, newspaper details, and more. Each host brings their own story to share, some supernatural, some creepy, others scandalous, and even a few that come from nerve-racking headlines you might recognise from the news. The tales are approached with exciting, detailed storytelling, and a group dynamic that brings electric chemistry to the table. The anecdotes can be either shockingly sad or unbelievably weird, yet they do a great job handling the more violent, darker themes. From stories of people who marry literal objects to tales of lady murderers, this chatshow has you covered on your weekly creep dose.

Mothers of Invention

“Climate change is a man-made problem with a feminist solution!” This is the slogan of this chatshow, and I personally love it. The catchphrase does its job of anticipating what the whole thing is about. Hosted by the former Irish president, Mary Robinson, and comedian Maeve Higgins, it’s the show to listen to if you want to learn about the women from all around the globe who are driving bold solutions to climate change-related issues. They are joined by pioneering women who are living proof of how women are turning the challenges of climate change into opportunities to be leaders in their communities. The dynamic between the women is lovely, showing a lot of mutual respect and a desire to advance together into a better reality. This is one of the most empowering, uplifting, and eye-opening of all Irish podcasts.

The History of Ireland

It is only fitting that I shared with you one of the Irish podcasts that talks about the story of how Ireland became Ireland. Hosted by Kevin Dolan, this show shares all about the protagonists, causes, and the aftermath of the Irish War of Independence. It includes even the craziest of details, like “spying secretaries, pig thieves, politicians, poets, school teachers, and the world’s biggest empire”. The episodes are bite-sized, around 13 to 24 minutes, so you can take it as slow as you want or binge them all if diving right into Irish history is part of your weekend’s plans. The stories are captivating, and I promise it is a thousand times more entertaining than your regular good old history class.

Same but Different

This show is co-hosted by sisters Ellie and Keelin Moncrieff, who are similar in morals and looks but their small age gap causes them to have vastly different outlooks on life. This is one of the Irish podcasts you should listen to if you like a little variety. The topics range from politics, cancel culture, or existentialism to a recap of the sister’s worst heartbreaks. They have a very fresh, young, and up-to-date voice, and the episodes’ length varies from 25 minutes to an hour or so. It is definitely a great listen to give a try whilst traveling, since the opinions of Ellie and Keelin often collide and make for an entertaining, family-style debacle that will make you feel accompanied through the road.

Motherfoclóir

The final one of the Irish podcasts you should be listening to started as a Twitter account, carried on as a book, and finally materialized as a chatshow. Hosted by Darach Ó Séaghdha, this show has a strong focus on the Irish language, so it is a great tool to learn more about it in case you are not very familiar with that subject. Though they do not even consider this as anything like a grammar lesson, these half-an-hour episodes are all buzz, no dull. The topics have a nice variety, yet they are all bound together by some connection to Gaeilge. It features everything from feminism and psychology or technology and ancient mythology. This is an amazing, informative and enriching listen, and even, if you aren’t Irish, you’ll come out of listening to it with more of an appreciation for all things Ireland.