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The Ireland Podcast

Fender Jackson
The Ireland Podcast
Latest episode

230 episodes

  • The Ireland Podcast

    230. Brexit: What Happens Next? Prof. Katy Hayward

    20/07/2026 | 46 mins.
    Ten years after the Brexit referendum, what has actually changed?

    In this final episode of our three-part series, Professor Katy Hayward looks beyond the politics of 2016 to examine Brexit's long-term consequences for Northern Ireland, the United Kingdom and Ireland.

    We discuss:

    • Has Brexit been an economic success or failure for Northern Ireland?
    • Has Brexit made a united Ireland more likely?
    • Who, if anyone, has benefited?
    • Has Brexit strengthened or weakened the Union?
    • How has it changed relations between Britain, Ireland and the European Union?
    • Why does the Windsor Framework continue to matter?
    • What happens if a border poll is eventually called?
    • How will historians judge Brexit in fifty years' time?

    Along the way, Prof. Hayward offers one of the most memorable explanations of the Windsor Framework you'll ever hear - describing it as a mythical creature: "a pony dressed up with a little glitter in its mane, an ice cream cone on its head... it shouldn't really exist."

    Whether you supported Leave or Remain, this conversation aims to explain rather than persuade.

    This is Part 3 of a special three-part series on Brexit.

    Relevant Links
    https://www.qub.ac.uk/sites/post-brexit-governance-ni/
    https://www.niassembly.gov.uk/assembly-business/brexit-and-beyond/
    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
  • The Ireland Podcast

    229. Jeffrey Donaldson: The Rise, Fall & Future of the DUP | John Manley

    09/07/2026 | 51 mins.
    Jeffrey Donaldson was once regarded as one of the most influential and respected figures in unionism. A former leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, Privy Counsellor, and key negotiator during some of the most significant moments in post-Brexit politics, his conviction has sent shockwaves through Northern Ireland.

    In this episode, Irish News Political Correspondent John Manley traces Donaldson's political journey, from his early years in the Ulster Unionist Party and move to the DUP, through the Good Friday Agreement, St Andrews Agreement, Brexit, and the Northern Ireland Protocol, before examining the political fallout following his conviction.

    The conversation also explores:

    • The origins and evolution of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)
    • Ian Paisley, Peter Robinson, Arlene Foster and Gavin Robinson
    • Why Jeffrey Donaldson became leader
    • The internal struggles within unionism
    • The impact of Brexit and the Northern Ireland Protocol
    • The future of the DUP
    • The rise of the TUV and changing unionist politics
    • The political response from Sinn Féin and other parties
    • Whether the Donaldson scandal could reshape unionism for years to come

    This episode is intended as an exploration of the political context surrounding one of the most significant developments in modern Northern Irish politics.

    The Ireland Podcast celebrates the people, places, culture and ideas that shape Ireland through long-form conversations.

    Hosted by Fender Jackson.

    Relevant Links
    https://www.irishnews.com

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
  • The Ireland Podcast

    228. How Brexit Was Negotiated: Prof. Katy Hayward

    06/07/2026 | 56 mins.
    How did Brexit move from referendum result to international treaty?

    In Part 2 of this three-part conversation, Professor Katy Hayward traces the negotiations that reshaped relations between Northern Ireland, Ireland, the United Kingdom and the European Union.

    Together we explore Theresa May's Withdrawal Agreement, the backstop, Boris Johnson's renegotiation, the Northern Ireland Protocol, the search for technological solutions, and why the Irish border became the central challenge of Brexit.

    Professor Hayward also discusses the competing priorities of London, Dublin, Brussels and Belfast, and explains why some of the proposed solutions were described as "unicorns".

    This is Part 2 of a three-part series examining Brexit through the eyes of Northern Ireland.

    Topics include

    The Irish border dilemma
    Theresa May and the backstop
    Boris Johnson's renegotiation
    The Northern Ireland Protocol
    The search for alternative arrangements
    UK–EU negotiations
    The Good Friday Agreement
    Northern Ireland after Brexit

    Relevant Links
    https://www.qub.ac.uk/sites/post-brexit-governance-ni/
    https://www.niassembly.gov.uk/assembly-business/brexit-and-beyond/
    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
  • The Ireland Podcast

    227. John Heron: 43 Years in the Gaeltacht

    01/07/2026 | 1h 5 mins.
    As he approaches his 87th birthday, John Heron joins his son, Fender Jackson, for a deeply personal conversation about a lifetime of learning, community and his 42 consecutive years attending Oideas Gael in Gleann Cholm Cille.

    John reflects on discovering the Irish language, the friendships that have lasted decades, dancing with Mary McAleese, the vision of Liam Ó Cuinneagáin, and why he believes anyone who spends a fortnight in Donegal with Oideas Gael will leave speaking Irish.

    Best known to many as co-founder of Heron Bros, this conversation instead reveals the man behind the business: a lifelong learner whose love of language, music and people has shaped more than four decades of summers in the Donegal Gaeltacht.

    A warm and affectionate conversation that celebrates Oideas Gael, the Irish language and the power of preserving family stories for future generations.

    Relevant Links
    https://www.oideasgael.ie/
    https://youtu.be/emdJYEfbhBY
    https://www.irishnews.com/
    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
  • The Ireland Podcast

    226. How Brexit Happened: Prof. Katy Hayward

    29/06/2026 | 49 mins.
    Ten years after the Brexit referendum, Professor Katy Hayward joins The Ireland Podcast to look back at one of the most consequential political events in modern British and Irish history.

    Rather than debating Brexit's merits, this conversation traces how it happened. Beginning with the political climate before the referendum, Professor Hayward explains the promises, pressures and decisions that led to the vote, before examining why the Irish border became central to the negotiations that followed.

    In this first part of a multi-part conversation, we explore the years leading up to the referendum and the constitutional, political and social context that shaped the result.

    Relevant Links
    https://www.qub.ac.uk/sites/post-brexit-governance-ni/
    https://www.niassembly.gov.uk/assembly-business/brexit-and-beyond/
    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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About The Ireland Podcast
About the PodcastThe Ireland Podcast is a long-form interview series creating space for unhurried conversation about life on the island of Ireland and beyond.The ConversationsHosted by Fender Jackson and produced by Salthill Media, the podcast centres on listening rather than argument. Each episode features a single guest and allows time for reflection, context, and experience to emerge naturally. Guests include artists, musicians, writers, athletes, broadcasters, historians, and cultural figures whose work or perspective offers insight into place, memory, and lived experience.There is no political or religious agenda. The podcast does not seek to persuade, promote, or argue a position. Instead, it exists as a space for careful dialogue, where complexity is allowed and difference is approached with curiosity rather than confrontation.The HostFender Jackson grew up in Ulster and later lived in England and China before returning to Ireland and settling in Galway, where most episodes are now recorded. These experiences inform a listening-led, exploratory approach shaped by distance as well as proximity, and by an awareness of how place, movement, and memory intersect.ApproachThe Ireland Podcast approaches the island as a shared, lived place - shaped by multiple histories, traditions, communities, and viewpoints. In a post-conflict society, conversation itself has value. The podcast recognises the role that respectful dialogue, storytelling, and careful questioning can play in fostering empathy and understanding.Over time, it becomes an informal record of conversations about the island and its many expressions, offered quietly and without prescription. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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