Episodes

Ted Smyth, former diplomat, C-Suite executive, and current President of the Advisory Board of Glucksman Ireland House NYU, returns to Irish Stew for a fourth annual end-of-year discussion on American and Irish politics. Topics covered The Democratic Party post loss of the White House and the US Senate The US news media and the election The Irish election and the housing crisis Ireland's diplomatic clash with Israel The return of the Northern Ireland Assembly Ted Smyth Links We...

Founded by actor/philanthropist Paul Newman in 1994 to “press play” for children affected by serious illness, Barretstown serves thousands of young people and families at its magical County Kildare castle and beyond with impactful programs across Ireland and the UK. Our guest Dee Ahearn has been the driving force behind the Barretstown success story, joining in 2010 as CEO after an international career in marketing and communications with a stint as chairperson of the Make A Wish Foundation Ire...

In this episode of the Irish Stew Podcast, host Martin Nutty welcomes back Maurice Casey to discuss the exciting developments in his life since his last appearance. Now a Research Fellow at Queen's University in Belfast, Maurice talks about his first book 'Hotel Luxe, An Intimate History of Communism's Forgotten Radicals'. The book has garnered garnered critical acclaim and was shortlisted for an An Post Irish Book Award in the Hodges Figgis History Book of the Year category. Maurice shares the...

Only 11% of podcasts make it to episode 50 and only 6.4% get to 100. So, excuse The Stew if they’re feeling a wee bit chuffed to drop episode 100 today. For this milestone show, co-hosts John Lee and Martin Nutty are on the receiving end of questions from Wexford’s own, attorney Shelley Ann Quilty-Lake, who grills the pair on their four-year journey, their podcast concept, the show’s evolution, their changing interview approach, and how they collaborate. They reflect on the podcast’s dynamic gu...

Cady Coleman splashes down on Irish Stew to help us explore“The Final Frontier” through the pages of her new book, Sharing Space: An Astronaut's Guide to Mission, Wonder, and Making Change. Part memoir, part chronicle of the astronaut’s life, part manifesto for the power of mission, Sharing Space explores the significance of collaboration, diversity, and making the most of your missions in bringing people together to meet common goals. Through candid reflections and storytelling, “Astro Cady” t...

In this special check-in episode of the Irish Stew Podcast, host Martin Nutty welcomes back author Cauvery Madhavan to discuss her new novel, 'The Inheritance.' Cauvery shares the inspiration behind the novel, which weaves together stories from the Tudor conquest of Ireland and the more recent 1980s. Set in the Beara Peninsula, a place close to Cauvery's heart, the book explores themes of history, place, and identity while touching on the struggles of everyday people during turbulent times. The ...

Healthcare thought leader Michael J. Dowling returns to Irish Stew to discuss his new book The Aging Revolution: The History of Geriatric Health Care and What Really Matters to Older Adults, the launch of Northwell Studios to tell stories that humanize health care, and why he sees gun violence as a public health priority. Last on Irish Stew in April, 2021, the Limerick-born Northwell Health CEO shares insights into the progress of geriatric healthcare, the societal challenges posed by an aging p...

John Connell traveled far from Ireland in his 20s, and early in his career, his work yielded accolades in journalism and filmmaking. Yet happiness and contentment proved to be elusive. Returning to the family farm in Longford, one of Ireland's heartland counties, provided a restorative space to pursue a career as an author. Three books followed, notably The Cow Book, which achieved critical acclaim; despite those successes, the way forward became unclear until an extended trip on the Camino de ...

Our Irish Stew Drinks Party is back with PJ Rigney, founder of The Shed Distillery--home of the breakout star of the burgeoning Irish gin category, Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish Gin, along with its Sausage Tree Irish Vodka, and Drumshanbo Irish Whiskey. The magic happened when PJ rolled the dice after an innovative career in the global drinks industry to strike out on his own. “To build a distillery is one thing, to create the product is another thing, but to create a way of communicating to consu...

Irish Stew delves into the rich world of Irish American literature through the eyes and pen of guest John Kearns, a New Yorker by way of Philadelphia and a relentless storyteller in short stories, novels, plays, poetry, screenwriting, and song. Our conversation explores John’s creative processes, the importance of maintaining cultural roots, the differences between Irish American identities in Philadelphia and New York, and his long run as the curator of the monthly Irish American Writers & Art...

In this episode of Irish Stew, hosts John Lee and Martin Nutty welcome Julie Breathnach-Banwait, a poet and child psychologist. Julie shares her unique journey from her Connemara home (Ceantar an nOlieán) off the west coast of Ireland to the island of Tasmania off the south coast of Australia. Julie discusses her deep connection to the Irish language, her published works, her latest poetry collection, Split Bones (Cnámha Scoilte ), and her experiences living in Tasmania. She reads a poignant bi...

This episode of Irish Stew features an in-depth discussion with Dr. Elizabeth Stack, the Executive Director of the American Irish Historical Society (AIHS). Dr. Stack discusses her journey from Listowel, County Kerry, to her academic career in history and her role in developing the Irish American Heritage Museum in Albany and revitalizing the AIHS. Recorded at the AIHS's historic Fifth Avenue headquarters in New York, the conversation delves into the importance of preserving Irish American his...

In New York for the annual New York New Belfast Conference, Máirtín Ó Muilleoir swung by the Irish Stew Global Headquarters for a transatlantic conversation with co-host John Lee. In this episode, the Belfast Media Group and Irish Echo publisher tells of growing up during The Troubles, watching gun battles on his Belfast street, his move into politics, the less-than-warm reception he got as a Sinn Féin Belfast City Councillor, the superpower he discovered during his eventful year as the Lord Ma...

Vibrant Vivienne Sayers O'Callaghan is an Irish Gen Z entrepreneur, Irish language and culture advocate, and NYC social media influencer rapidly rising to the “top of the heap” as Frank Sinatra croons in “New York, New York.” Viv mixes lively chronicles of her New York adventures with spoon-sized servings of the Irish language and Irish culture, a formula which has earned her almost 40K Instagram followers while her 153K TikTok followers have given her posts over 2.3M likes! Originally from ru...

Is this one of our author episodes or should it fall into our Irish Drinks category because your co-hosts have grabbed a table by the pot-bellied stove at New York’s legendary McSorley's Old Ale House for a conversation with author, cultural creator, and impresario Charles R. Hale. Charles is known for curating lively artistic salons, producing eclectic concerts, and presenting original performance pieces that blend music, imagery, video, and storytelling. We focus on his deeply personal new b...

Writer, performer, and force of nature, born Morag Prunty, but best known by her pen name Kate Kerrigan whisks us from London where she grew up with an Irish identity to Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way where she’s living with an English accent. In this episode, Kate spins tales of idyllic childhood summers in Mayo, the dynamics of being Irish in England during the turbulent 70s and 80s, her challenges in navigating the complex terrain of her Irish identity, and her late-in-life recognition of the o...

In this episode, cohosts John and Martin dive into the world of Olympic shot putting with their guest, Eric Favors, an athlete representing Ireland. Born and raised in Rockland County, New York, with a rich Irish heritage, Eric shares his journey from trying various sports to specializing in track and field. He discusses the intricacies of shot put, a sport that demands not just brute strength but finesse, technique, and a fine balance between power and agility. Eric also touches on the importa...

Irish Stew goes to Canada for a most “Global Irish Nation Conversation” with Jackie Gilna, who’s been Irish in Dublin, Spain, the Netherlands, and now she's Irish in Canada's capital, Ottawa. And through a new venture, she's Irish all around the world. Jackie launched We Are Global Irish this year to showcase Irish innovation, connect Irish businesses and organizations globally, drive opportunities to and from the island of Ireland, and to engage the Irish diaspora and anyone with an affinity f...

Settle in for a spirited episode of Irish Stew with two pioneering women in the Irish spirits industry, Alice Carroll--the proud Limerick distiller and co-founder of Foxes Bow Whiskey, and Maura Clare--the Queen of Poitín and creator of the Smuggling Nun brand. They swap notes on their journey into the spirits business, the challenges and opportunities of operating in traditionally male-dominated sectors, their innovative approaches to reviving and reshaping perceptions around Irish Whiskey and...

Michael Meade spent over 20 years on Wall Street and then stepped away from the pressured world of high finance to do something totally different. Some, in his circumstances, may have opted for plenty of time on the golf course and cracking open a few brews, that’s not the kind of person Michael Meade is. Intrigued by a visit to Ireland, Michael wanted to build a business that would connect to his Irish roots, work with a famous brewing dynasty, revive Ireland's oldest brewing brand and return ...

As Chief Executive of the Western Development Commission (WDC), Allan Mulrooney is a tireless advocate for the Western Region of Ireland, promoting social and economic development for the counties of Donegal, Leitrim, Sligo, Mayo, Roscommon, Galway, and Clare. Why go west? Allan points to the region's mix of the old and the new, how it fosters a work-life balance, the contrast of beautiful natural areas and vibrant cities, its expanding broadband internet and innovation-spurring connected hubs-...

In the first of our “Irish Libations” series, we welcome Michael McKillop, who branched out from the 36-year-old Glens of Antrim Potatoes business to launch Glens of Antrim Distillery with its Lir line of Irish Whiskeys, amidst bucolic surroundings in Cushendall, Northern Ireland. We get a professional’s view of the growing, shipping, and marketing of Ireland’s favorite crop, and how his company is taking on the potato crisp business with its Glens of Antrim and Shindig brands with creative new...

Launching Season Six, we go behind the scenes of the woman-strong Irish film Lies We Tell, a brooding tale of angels and demons, light and shadow, manners and mores, family secrets and family crimes, which The Guardian called “a tightly laced, elegantly cut gothic period drama.” A total rethinking of Irish writer Sheridan Le Fanu’s 1864 novel Uncle Silas, the film centers on Maud Ruthyn, brilliantly portrayed by the rising young star Agnes O’Casey, great-granddaughter of the playwright, Sean ...