The Irish History Show stands as a masterclass in historical broadcasting, offering a level of rigor and nuance that sets the standard for the genre. Far from a surface-level summary of famous dates, it operates as a deeply researched, academic-yet-accessible archive of Ireland’s past.
The show’s enduring quality is anchored by its presenters and producers, Cathal Brennan and John Dorney. Having steered the program for over a decade—originating on the community airwaves of Near FM before expanding its digital footprint—they bring a veteran broadcasting sensibility to every episode.
Surpassing the 100-episode milestone is a rare feat in podcasting, and their longevity translates into a steady, lived-in dynamic. They aren’t just reading scripts; they are researchers and historians who know how to interview experts, guiding complex conversations with a relaxed but highly informed authority.
Uncompromising Content Depth
Where the podcast truly separates itself is in its formidable depth. Brennan and Dorney refuse to talk down to their audience, frequently diving into the granular mechanics of history rather than just the headlines.
Instead of merely recounting the timeline of the revolutionary period, they examine the intricate socio-political machinery underneath—from the 1922 Postal Strike and the nuances of early Dublin local government, to complex historiographical debates like the “History Wars” and revisionism.
Expert Analysis: The presenters consistently bring on heavy-hitting academics and authors—such as Dr. Brian Hanley discussing the Arms Crisis or Eunan Ó Halpin examining the fatalities of the revolutionary era—ensuring the discourse is rooted in primary research rather than popular myth.
Thematic Range: While the show provides definitive coverage of the Decade of Centenaries and the Civil War, it actively broadens its lens to cover diverse topics, from the localized impact of the Spanish Flu to practical deep dives into Irish genealogy.
Ultimately, The Irish History Show rewards listeners who want to move beyond the tourist-level narrative of Irish history and explore the complex, unvarnished realities of the past.
The Trawl is an absolute triumph, offering a laugh-out-loud sanctuary from the exhausting chaos of modern politics. Each week, hosts Jemma Forte and Marina Purkiss dive headfirst into the swamp of social media so you don’t have to. They expertly curate the most viral tweets, jaw-dropping headlines, and unhinged internet soundbites with razor-sharp wit.
Beneath the engaging humor and digital deep-dives lies a fierce, righteous political critique that pulls absolutely no punches. Proudly and unapologetically left-leaning, the show serves as a brilliant takedown of right-wing hypocrisy and media spin.
The true magic of the podcast, however, rests entirely on the remarkable talent and dynamic energy of its two presenters. Jemma and Marina share an effortless, sparkling chemistry that makes every episode feel like a vibrant, unfiltered chat with your smartest friends. Their authentic bond perfectly balances the heavy, rage-inducing news cycle with infectious warmth and genuine hilarity. Together, they seamlessly transform doom-scrolling and political despair into an entertaining, empowering, and cathartic listening experience.
If you need to make sense of a turbulent world without losing your mind or your sense of humor, The Trawl is simply essential listening.
[ai] While high-definition screens and stadium streams dominate the headlines for the FIFA World Cup 2026, the true heartbeat of the tournament’s global reach lies in a much more resilient medium: radio. Across 104 matches, three host nations, and vastly differing time zones, billions of fans won’t be watching the action—they will be feeling it through live audio commentary. From traditional AM/FM terrestrial transmitters piercing through remote terrain to high-fidelity digital web players streaming to smartphones, radio remains the most democratic and immediate way the world consumes the beautiful game.
The Unrivaled Reach of Live Audio Commentary
Radio broadcasting isn’t just a fallback for when a television screen isn’t nearby; it is a specialized art form. Where cameras capture the wide frame, a radio commentator must translate the tactical shifts, the kinetic energy of the crowd, and the precise trajectory of the ball into pure emotion. For millions of commuters, workers, and fans in areas where broadband infrastructure stalls, signal propagation via radio waves is the only thread connecting them to their national team.
As digital audio distribution scales to meet unprecedented demand, broadcasters are balancing classic over-the-air engineering with geo-unlocked streaming players to create a truly borderless stadium experience. Whether it is a local community station or a massive national network, the audio engineers behind the consoles are ensuring that when the first whistle blows in 2026, no one is left in silence.
However, the modern digital broadcasting landscape is heavily guarded by regional rights agreements, making geo-blocking a frustrating reality for the international fan. While massive networks secure lucrative, exclusive rights for their home nations—meaning an official radio stream perfectly clear in London might be blocked if you try to listen in Lima—the fragmentation of media rights has sparked a massive push for broader accessibility. While tech giants like YouTube are bridging the gap by offering global streams of the opening minutes of matches to bypass these digital borders, finding a completely unrestricted, full-match audio stream remains the ultimate prize for the traveling or displaced supporter seeking uninterrupted coverage.
When the live action concludes, the conversation immediately shifts to on-demand audio, cementing 2026 as the biggest World Cup in history for podcasting. Official audio partners, such as talkSPORT with their World Cup Daily and How To Win The World Cup series, are deploying huge rosters of legends and pundits to capture both the tactical nuances and the raw emotion of the North American fan zones. Alongside independent deep dives like The Road to World Cup 26 Podcast, this explosion of audio content serves as the narrative glue between matchdays. These podcasts ensure that long after the stadium lights dim in Mexico City or New York, the stories of the tournament continue to echo in the ears of fans worldwide.
When Teddy Wakelam took his seat in the stands at Highbury in January 1927 to call an Arsenal versus Sheffield United match for the BBC, he effectively birthed the live soccer broadcast. To help audiences visualize the action, a local magazine printed a diagram of the pitch divided into eight numbered zones—a system that famously gave us the phrase “back to square one.” Nearly a century later, as the 2026 World Cup kicks off across North America, the underlying technology has evolved from static-filled AM transmitters to crystal-clear digital streams, yet the core magic remains entirely unchanged. In an era of screen fatigue, complex TV rights, and fragmented streaming subscriptions, radio endures because of its unparalleled intimacy and accessibility. One hundred years on, the theater of the mind is still the greatest stadium in the world, proving that you don’t need to see the ball to feel the absolute thrill of it hitting the back of the net.
The soccer in 1927 on the BBC wasn’t the first field sport radio broadcast in Europe. The first live commentary on a field sport in Europe was relayed from Croke Park on 29th August 1926. Ireland’s first radio station, 2RN, broadcast the All-Ireland hurling semi-final between Galway and Kilkenny with commentary by Paddy Mehigan.
And for the first world sports broadcast ever we can stay in Dublin. Marconi had been commissioned by the Dublin Daily Express to report the progress of the Kingston Regatta (July 20–22nd July 1898). He did this from a steam tug, sending ‘wireless’ messages back to the harbour where they were subsequently telephoned to Dublin. Becoming the world’s first ‘live’ transmission of a sporting event.
Vidwest have a great back story and a great case for continued funding. As public media is under attack on the national front, saving and supporting Community Media Centers makes sense.
We all know about wind up radios. How about a radio channel to unwind to. I have become fond of popping on BBC Radio 3 Unwind to – unwind to. It is also available on BBC Sounds (UK only) and Radio.ie player here with 6 hours of rewind to unwind to.
a small update – of the 4 stations first listed here only one remains active at the same URL. The issue? YouTuble live links are not permalinks. This can be minimised by never sharing the destination URL at YouTube, share a link that you control as a forwarder, like a BitLY QR code link.
In the UK, local radio has been changing. This might exclude Northern Ireland, but over the years heritage local radio stations have been purchased by big radio groups and rebranded as effectively a national brand. X, Heart, Capital, Smooth, Kiss, Magic, Virgin and Absolute.
Gone are the Red Rose Radio, Radio City (Liverpool) and Piccadilly that I would hear on the AM radio band back in my youth. These stations served their cities “Serving the City” (an old Radio Dublin ident. Local meant local, voice, content, weather and traffic. Local name and loyalty. But that all changed over the last 15-20 years. But, up until now, they held on to local breakfast and local drivetime in the evening. But all of that is about to go, to be fully centralised national sounds.
The implications of this shift extend beyond programming to the very foundations of social and cultural democracy. By concentrating media production and distribution in a few centralised locations, the industry limits the plurality of voices and perspectives that define a healthy democracy. Local radio has traditionally been a cornerstone of this plurality, offering platforms for diverse communities to share their stories, experiences, and concerns. The centralisation of media undermines this role, reducing opportunities for civic engagement and cultural representation.
This might not be mirrored in the North of Ireland (Northern Ireland) or in the Republic (ROI) but the consolidation of ownership has happened in Ireland with Bauer, Wireless and Q Networks having bought and consolidated in the past 10 years. Currently networked programmes are not common, but recent decisions by the regulator about networking of programmes for mid morning on Q102 coming in from London could open the flood gates to syndication across stations owned by a few large networks. In the past there were requests to syndicate The Last Word across Today FM and Newstalk, these request were turned down by the BAI.
Back in the UK there was changes to the regulation of Community Radio in 2024 which seemed to reduced the oversight of regulator on key commitments in broadcasting contracts. Perhaps the loss of commercial local radio is the opportunity of Community Radio to give identity and voice to areas that want voice and identity. Here participation of the people is required. Will there be sufficient take up of this opportunity. Does the scale of community radio match the needs of local franchise areas? Does local business need local advertising or should city and county councils support media hubs in areas, delivering true and genuine community development, and where community radio naming becomes geographic to the area served.
It is always sad to see the demise of radio even if it was expected to happen. But as there is change happening, there is opportunity to build on the legacy of local and breathe new life into civic social audio content with an ownership structure that cannot be bought, sold or flipped.
