Catherina McKiernan joins Jarlath for a fascinating and rare conversation about the highs and lows of her life and career. Catherina is an Irish sporting legend and yet she often looks back on her glittering career with mixed feelings. She opens up about her battles with remaining in love with the sport when the business side of things took over. We hear about her realisation about the importance of striking a balance after becoming burned out relatively early in her career. Catherina was 92 sec...
Dec 19, 2021•34 min•Ep. 495
On Tuesday the House of Representatives voted to hold ex-president Donald Trump’s former chief of staff, Mark Meadows, in contempt of Congress and refer him to the US Department of Justice for prosecution after his refusal to testify to the select committee investigating the Capitol riot. This week Marion McKeone explains why she believes he played a critical role in the January 6th riot and why history needs to accurately record what exactly took place in the corridors of power on that fateful ...
Dec 17, 2021•16 min•Ep. 494
The fear of injury is a constant conscious or unconscious fear for every athlete no matter what their experience level. For many it’s the reason they avoid running completely. Rather than feeling powerless over the prospect of injury, Jarlath asks Sonia O’Sullivan and another gold medal winning Irish athlete, our special guest David Gillick, if there is a formula to avoid picking up physical ailments from running. With the European Cross Country Championships in Dublin last weekend we get a revi...
Dec 14, 2021•30 min•Ep. 493
Comedy isn’t just in Jack Whitehall’s genes it’s in his bones. Today on Irishman Abroad’s Selection Box Jarlath chooses Jack’s latest movie “Clifford The Big Red Dog” as his cinema recommendation for all of the family this Christmas and talks to the man himself about how it was made. This isn’t just a movie promotion interview though. Jarlath and Jack have been friends for years. Together they go deep into Jack’s earliest influences, the process of nailing a physical comedy bit, being a magnet f...
Dec 12, 2021•35 min•Ep. 492
If the Ghislaine Maxwell trial is proof of what money can let you get away with, the injustice that Anthony Broadwater suffered is an example of what can happen at the other end of the spectrum. He served 16 years for a sex crime he didn’t commit, was branded a sex offender and struggled to integrate back into normal life. As Marion details in today’s episode, a bizarre twist of fate and the help of director Timothy Mucciante changed his life this week. We also get the latest from the New York c...
Dec 10, 2021•13 min•Ep. 491
With storm Barra bearing down on Ireland there has never been a more appropriate moment to release our long planned but never recorded episode about coping with winter conditions. The temptation to roll over in bed on a Saturday is so vast that even the great Sonia O’Sullivan admits she nearly fell foul of it this past weekend. Instead, she scrambled down to Bushy Park while Jarlath shambled to St Albans. Both got the result! Today Sonia takes us through the basics and not so basic tips and tric...
Dec 07, 2021•31 min•Ep. 490
The headline might read, 'Claire Walsh - the only Irish person ever to compete at the Freediving World Championships' but there is way more to the story of this trailblazing Irish woman. Jarlath caught up with Claire at an unusual crossroads in her life. Before all hell broke loose, when she wasn’t travelling the world taking part in one of the toughest sports known to man, Claire Walsh taught businesses and individuals how to harness the power of their breath. All that came to an abrupt halt fo...
Dec 05, 2021•37 min•Ep. 489
With week one drawing to a conclusion the award winning US correspondent Marion McKeone explains what exactly took place. Jarlath wonders what kind of defence can be mounted for the business partner of a convicted predator such as Epstein. Discrediting the memory of the victims seems to be the path chosen by Maxwell's ferocious defence team. The key witnesses, the pilot who claims he saw nothing and the possibility that the conspiracy theories relating to the case are true - Jarlath and Marion g...
Dec 03, 2021•11 min•Ep. 488
Why do 99% of runners, including Sonia O’Sullivan, go too fast on their easy runs? Experts believe that 80% of your running each week should be done at a very easy conversational pace in order to build stamina and recover properly from harder sessions yet very few people actually stick within this pace window. Most will go a little too fast, some (like Jarlath) have gone so fast on their slow days that injury is just around the corner. This week Sonia explains why this simple piece of advice is ...
Nov 30, 2021•37 min•Ep. 487
This week actor, writer and activist Evanna Lynch joined Jarlath to discuss her astonishing new book. Evanna speaks about when and why her critical inner voice started to become toxic. She provides some invaluable advice to the parents of those battling eating disorders and reveals exclusive news of her next project. From her thoughts on the freeing nature of art's subjectivity to the importance of speaking out about the challenges of womanhood, why the Harry Potter reunion wasn't as fabulous as...
Nov 28, 2021•34 min•Ep. 486
Three cases that directly impact the rise of vigilantism in America were decided this week. The lynching of Ahmaud Arbery shocked the world but only when the public got to see footage of what took place. The place saw the same footage and were content not to act. Jarlath asks Marion about what this says to the public on the other side of these convictions. Marion takes us through the trial step by step and attempts to join the dots between Arbery, Rittenhouse and Charlottesville. Justice was ser...
Nov 26, 2021•14 min•Ep. 485
Sonia heads to California to check out a potential training camp for her Nike athletes. On a whim she decided to run a half marathon. Hear how she got on in this great episode about all things snack related. There’s a brilliant letter from a listener who built her own snacks business from a very simple idea, Sonia’s tip of the week and a deep dive into pre, mid and post run snacks. Jarlath is 1600km into his running challenge for Jigsaw. Why not support him. He has only 400km to go! https://www....
Nov 23, 2021•36 min•Ep. 484
Richard Chambers sits down to discuss the storm surrounding his new book “A State Of Emergency - The Story Of Ireland’s Covid Crisis”. It’s an extraordinary piece of writing from within the storm. Each and every day while covering the news for Virgin Media News in Dublin, Richard had a rare vantage point of those in charge, those on the front lines and those who suffered most through this crisis. He tells Jarlath about why he wanted to gather what he saw into one publication and what he feels co...
Nov 21, 2021•34 min•Ep. 483
With jury selection almost complete, Marion McKeone looks ahead to the most anticipated celebrity trial in recent memory. Ghislaine Maxwell stands accused of sex crimes, conspiracy and perjury related to the actions of the financier Jeffrey Epstein, who killed himself in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019, while awaiting sex trafficking charges. Attorneys have said that Ghislaine Maxwell “played a critical role in helping Epstein to identify, befriend and groom minor victims” and “in some cases, Maxw...
Nov 19, 2021•15 min•Ep. 482
Whether you're failing to cool down, stretch properly, refuel or sleep adequately, you are making the next run harder than the last. This week the greatest Irish athlete of all time breaks down the keys to replenishing and restoring the body after the exertion. Jar drained the tank last week and felt sick at the end of his Sunday run. Together they laugh about the reasons why this happened. Sonia explains the struggles she has had with recovery in the past and gives us a rare insight into the su...
Nov 16, 2021•27 min•Ep. 481
This week, Jarlath is joined by Kodaline frontman Steve Garrigan for a one of a kind conversation about his life and career. Steve speaks frankly about the painful shyness that dominated his early years and how his parents tried to help him. Later Jarlath asks about the devastating effects of tasting fame in your Leaving Cert year and how he wrote Kodaline's hit single High Hopes at a time when he felt like he had hit rock bottom. From the hilarious accounts of his earliest roles as a Pokemon an...
Nov 14, 2021•35 min•Ep. 480
This week the New York Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez hit the headlines again when The White House condemned the Republican congressman Paul Gosar for tweeting a video which depicted him striking and appearing to kill her. The House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, said “threats of violence against members of Congress and the president of the United States must not be tolerated” and called on the House Republican leader, Kevin McCarthy, to join in condemning the video and call on law enforcement to inv...
Nov 12, 2021•17 min•Ep. 479
This week Jarlath talks to Sonia about all the challenges facing women in sport and how we can keep young girls involved. Together they reflect on how few and far between the options once were for young girls interested in pursuing sport in a serious way in Ireland as recently as the early 90s. Has enough changed? Sonia gives her opinion what needs to happen for change to take place for this generation. We also get an update on her elite training group at Nike HQ in Oregon. This week German athl...
Nov 09, 2021•34 min•Ep. 478
This week Damien Dempsey makes a much-anticipated return to the podcast for the first time since 2015. In this very emotionally raw conversation, Damien speaks about the meditative state he experiences while singing, his private battle with a shyness, his experiences of depression and the making of his powerful new documentary Love Yourself Today. Damien reflects on waiting on creativity to arrive and the devastating thought process that he had prior to opening for Christy Moore. Damien discusse...
Nov 07, 2021•31 min•Ep. 477
It’s a year since Joe Biden won the White House and yet this week Democrats lost resoundingly in two states he won by a landslide. Marion McKeone joins Jarlath to try to shed some light on why this week’s events could be critical in deciding how the next three years play out. Later in the episode Marion explains why the battle ground has moved to the school curriculums. In the meantime the Supreme Court looks set to allow New Yorkers to carry firearms in public. Marion picks apart the legal argu...
Nov 05, 2021•12 min•Ep. 476
What can we learn from the greatest marathoner of all time? Cathal Dennehy travelled to Kaptagat and lived there for 3 days absorbing everything. He chats to Sonia and Jar about exactly what mere mortals can apply to their training. It’s eye-opening stuff to say the least. Sonia also gives us an update on her travels and explains the benefits of incorporating one track session into your training each week. There’s also a hilarious account of a nightmare run Jarlath had on Halloween morning and S...
Nov 02, 2021•36 min•Ep. 475
With over 8 years and 500+ episodes in our ever-growing archive, this week we are delighted to bring you The Athletics Legends Episode which brings you a collection of classic moments in one jam-packed episode from over the years with Irish athletic and Olympic legends including Sonia O'Sullivan, Ronnie Delany, Sinead Diver, Derval O'Rourke and much more. Topics in this exciting bumper episode include the psychology of sport, mental toughness, inner monologue, dealing with injuries, criticism an...
Oct 30, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 474
Marion McKeone has spent the past week investigating the death of Halyna Hutchins. The cinematographer tragically died when a live round was discharged during the filming of a western starring Alec Baldwin. In this week’s Irishman In America Marion examines the facts of the incident, what is known/unknown at this time and the role that budget cuts might have played in this tragedy that has rocked the world of cinema. In the extended Patreon version of this episode Marion goes deeper into similar...
Oct 29, 2021•15 min•Ep. 473
Whether you’re deep in training or just toying with the idea of running a marathon, today’s episode of An Irishman Running Abroad contains gems of information, tips and anecdotes from two of the most knowledgeable people you could find. One is of course our resident coach and all time athletics legend, the icon, the goat and the former World Champion Sonia O’Sullivan and the other is the brilliant standup comedian and author of “26.2 Miles To Happiness” Paul Tonkinson. Both perspectives are inva...
Oct 26, 2021•38 min•Ep. 472
Rocky is a very boring movie if he never gets knocked down. You may not know it but our guest this week hit the canvas harder than most. Comedian, writer and broadcaster Oliver Callan joins Jarlath for rare conversation about his early life, new series and that fall from grace. Oliver opens up to Jarlath about finding his niche in a busy impressionist market, how his talent protected him from being bullied at school and he tells the shocking story of escaping from an abusive relationship involvi...
Oct 23, 2021•33 min•Ep. 471
How did America’s richest people become its most murdered? Today on Irishman In America, Marion McKeone takes us through the most forgotten series of serial killings in American history, the first case for and the reason why the FBI was created. “The Osage Murders” involved mass conspiracy, corruption and violence that extended all the way to Washington. The subject of David Granny’s award winning book, “Killers Of The Flower Moon” is currently in production as a major motion picture but why has...
Oct 22, 2021•15 min•Ep. 470
This week we open the mailbag. It’s been bulging for months with a backlog of your questions for Sonia on training, nutrition, injuries and more. Not only does Jarlath get the chance to ask all your questions for the GOAT but he also gets to dip into the raft of questions he has never had the chance to ask. In classic no-nonsense Sonia style, we get the whole truth on each subject and an account of the worst questions she’s ever been asked. There’s even time in the second half for Jarlath to ask...
Oct 19, 2021•34 min•Ep. 469
When Brian O’Donovan was offered the plum role of RTÉ News' Washington Correspondent he knew he was taking his family on an adventure. After 2 years of fake news, scandals and turmoil, he had no clue he had only seen the beginnings of the craziness that would follow. With the clarity that Brian’s on site reports are known for, he speaks about what it was like reporting from the front lines of a White House implosion. Brian speaks about adapting to family life in America, why the US media is miss...
Oct 16, 2021•33 min•Ep. 468
Does the media have a role to play in the rise of vaccine scepticism in America? Marion McKeone examines the impact of Joe Rogan and other alternative news sources in a week when his interview with CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta drew massive attention. Who is Joe Rogan and why do so many people look up to him? Marion looks at his origins and the choir he appears to preach to. What does the attempt by Texas to prevent vaccine mandates mean and will it produce any change in national policy? Will NBA super...
Oct 15, 2021•14 min•Ep. 467
The experts at Profeet in London welcome Jar (the rookie) and Sonia (the Olympic legend) to their 3D imaging lab and state of the art facility to examine, compare and contrast their running mechanics. In this bumper episode the listener gets to come inside Profeet's incredible Fulham Road facility for Jar and Sonia's first ever road trip adventure episode. Tom Scales from Profeet talks us through the data and personally sculpts custom insoles for Jar and Sonia based on the information gathered. ...
Oct 12, 2021•43 min•Ep. 466
