Erin's Isle Podcast

How the Galway Cathedral shows the resilience of the Irish Spirit.

Ballyfin is a luxury country house in County Laios, not far from Dublin, Ireland. It is was build in the 1800's and has been a popular getaway for the rich and famous from around the world.  In 2018 they held a special dinner and invited Chef Patrick O'Connell from Little Washington Virginia to help. It was  grand dinner indeed.  Tour the home and the gardens and hear the chefs talk about locally sourcing food in Ireland and in Virginia for the best they can offer.  All that plus A Broad Abroad in Episode #7 of Erin's Isle.

Tour the Dunbrody Famine Ship and hear the stories of those who sailed her. And hear the history of the Hole in the Wall Bar in Kilkenny. All that plus A Broad Abroad in Episode 40 of Erin's Isle.

Hear all about Kilkenny Castle, the Medieval Mile and Kytler's Inn, also known as a Witches' Kitchen. History that shaped the town and that will make you want to visit. All that plus A Broad Abroad in Episode 39 of Erin's Isle. 

A working windmill and a competition for roses. You can find them both within miles of each other in the west of Ireland. Tralee is where women from around the world compete for the title of the Rose of Tralee every August. Hear where they come from and just how the competition began so many years ago.  And Blennerville, between Tralee and the Dingle Peninsula is where you'll find Ireland's only working windmill. It works to this day, but not more to bring in tourists than to turn out tons of flour. Hear all about the area in Episode 38 of Erin's Isle.

From cemeteries and funerals to wakes and monuments, the Irish know how to celebrate a life well-lived. Hear all about about, including the role grave robbers played and how the newly dead are honored daily.  All that plus A Broad Abroad in Episode 37 of Erin's Isle.

From preserving Irish ancestry to musicians creating and sharing Celtic music, Episode 36 of Erin's Isle explores them all. In particular there is a focus on the connections from Ireland and Scotland all the way to the high desert of Nevada, and all across the United States.

Finding your way around Ireland can be tricky. The good thing is that everyone you see will help you. Hear the kind of directions you will get, and learn all about the Cliffs of Moher and what to listen for along with the seabirds and the never-ending wind.  ASll that plus A Broad broad in Episode #35 of Erin's Isle. 

Dingle Gin has just won awards for both its whiskey and its gin. Hear all about how they go about their distilling and why they serve you whisky before the tour even begins. And Sean and Kieran Murphy have found sweet, sweet success using the dairy products of Ireland. They moved to Ireland 20 years ago and have built an empire around ice cream. Murphy's Ice Cream celebrates the flavors of Ireland from Irish Brown Bread to Sea Salt, to Dingle Gin. All that plus A Broad Abroad in Episode 34 of Erin's Isle.

Hear all about Ann O'Maille and her House of Original Style in Galway. She's a knitter, a teacher and a businesswoman extraordinaire. And find out how a love of nature and a love of art resulted in the silver shamrocks that Maura Dickerson sells at the Galway Market in Galway. All that plus A Broad Abroad, in this episode of Erin's Isle.

Riding along the beaches of Ireland free as the wind atop a Connemara Pony is something you see in the movies. And it feels like you're in a movie when you do it, too. Hear what it's like, feel the thrill of the adventure and find some tips on planning your own adventure in Episode 32 of Erin's Isle. And if watching the talents of the sheepdogs that the Irish sheep farmers rely on is more your speed we've got that too. Demonstrations are put on for tourists to see what goes on behind the scenes bringing sheep in from across the land.  It's all in Episode 32 of Erin's Isle.    

Michael Browne calls his oysters The Galway Breakfast. "They clean the palette and give you a boost for the day," he says. Hear about how he harvests them and how he gets people to try them. And Seaweed may just be the new Kale. The Connemara Seaweed Company is growing in leaps and bounds. Find out how they harvest that, what goes into processing it and how to use it. All that plus A Broad Abroad in Episode 31 of Erin's Isle.

Viking reenactments have become quite a popular thing all across Europe and in Northern Ireland they celebrate the Viking heritage in Portadown, not far from Belfast. The annual Viking Festival there includes longboats, a Viking village, crafters, concerts and Vikings of every age.  They cook, camp, craft, and battle all through the weekend. And the television series Vikings put on by The History Channel has helped fuel the Viking Festivals as a circuit. Hear the battles, the music and the people, in Episode 30 of Erin's Isle.

Dingle is a magical place. And there are some passionate artists who live there.  Abi Dillon followed her passion for beach combing and crafts all the way to opening a shop featuring Sea Glass and other artists in the Dingle Area.  Harris Moore settled in Dingle and built a Celtic and Prehistoric Museum after traveling the world playing music.  And they are the tip of the iceberg for magic in Dingle.  Check out their stories plus A Broad Abroad in Episode 29 of Erin's Isle.

Imagine rustic coastal courses with incredible greens, golfing around a castle, or a lakeland course that is also home to a historic Abbey and carriages from the Orient Express. Golfing in Ireland offers all that and more.  You just need to know where to go to find it.  Episode 28 of Erin's Isle shows you were to go, what you'll find and what you just might want to ask about.  

Meet the Galway Hookers. They are a tradition, and there is a movement to bring them back as a working force in the West of Ireland.  The effort to restore the traditional fishing boats of the Claddagh, known as the Galway Hookers, is an international effort and a growing project that involves people from all walks of life all focused on seeing the shiny black beauties with their bright red sails working again on Galway Bay. And...they are so iconic that The Galway Hooker is also a winning brand in Ireland for everything from GAA teams to beer. Hear the story of the Galway Hookers from boats to beer in this episode of Erin's Isle.   

Irish crystal is known for it's strength, sparkle and elegance.And it's still made by hand. In fact, at Waterford Crystal every piece is hand blown, hand cut and hand finished. And you can watch them making timeless art, and admire the results in every shape you can image. You know what else shines bright for the future? The Blackrock Castle Observatory. From a colorful history to a starry eyed future, the people of Cork have retained it's history and given it a new lease on life. All that plus A Broad Abroad in Episode 26 of Erin's Isle.  

The village of Adare looks like it's from a storybook about Ireland, with thatched cottages, a lovely park and a magnificent Manor House. Find out why Abbeyglen Castle is the friendliest castle  in Connemara, hear what sets if apart. And learn all about how wool gets from the sheep to the famous sweaters of the Aran Islands, at Ireland's National Wool Center.  All that plus A Broad Abroad, in episode 23 of Erin's Isle.

When it comes to tractors in Ireland, no one knows more about them than Austin O'Sullivan. He's has studied what they mean to Ireland and he collects them. He started the Agriculture Museum of Ireland and if you're lucky he'll take you on a tour. It's housed in the historic outbuildings of Johnstown Castle near Wexford. Those tractors put a lot of donkeys out of work. But there is a sanctuary here that looks for those donkeys and takes them in. Hear how thankful they are, and how you can offer a few welcomed hugs to them if you like.  All that plus A Broad Abroad, in Episode 23 of Erin's Isle.

Award-winning food! In this Episode of Erin's Isle we visit Ballymaloe, Ireland's premiere cookery school. Located in rural Ireland between Waterford and Cork it is an amazing international operation training chefs for work around the world.  And then we take The Galway Food Tour through the best the west has to offer in cooking and in fresh locally-grown products. From seafood to whiskey the key is to learn what's available and where to find it.  All that plus A Broad Abroad, in this episode of Erin's Isle.