The third stop on our “Lost in Belfast” series is the city’s oldest cultural organization, The Linen Hall Library, located in an 18th-century building across the street from City Hall and a reminder of Belfast’s days as “Linenopolis” when it dominated the global linen trade.

Our conversation with director Julie Andrews delves into the library's rich history since its establishment in 1788, its role as a neutral space for political and cultural dialogue, and its extensive collections, including its signature Northern Ireland Political Collection of ephemera and artifacts gathered during The Troubles. “Politically, we show no allegiance. There’s something in our collection to offend everyone,” Julie says.

She shares insights into the library's innovative projects, ongoing initiatives to ensure the organization stays relevant, challenges inherent in operating a not-for-profit institution, the library's community engagement, its diverse events, and potential future expansions.

Join us at a beacon of Belfast history, The Linen Hall Library!

Links
The Linen Hall

• Website
• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• Facebook
• YouTube
• X/Twitter

Julie Andrews

• LinkedIn

Episode Details: Season 7, Episode 5; Total Episode Count: 108

For the 2nd year in a row, Irish Stew hosts Maedhbh Mc Cullagh, the director of the Capital Irish Film Festival, who discusses the festival's offerings, the audience's response, and the challenges and rewards of organizing such an event in Washington, D.C.

Eva Birthistle joins John Lee and Martin Nutty to discuss her directorial debut, Kathleen Is Here, a gripping psychological thriller. The conversation explores the ideas behind the film, along with Eva's move to the other side of the camera.

The episode continues with Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Mary Robinson's story is brought to life in Mrs Robinson and will be the feature presentation on the first night of the film festival. Martin explores the former president's early background and her current efforts to address the climate crisis through Project Dandelion.

Film Links

• 19th Capital Irish Film Festival - (Feb 27 - Mar 2, 2025)
  
  
• Mrs Robinson
  
  
• Kathleen Is Here Preview
  
  

Mary Robinson Links

• Project Dandelion
  
  
• The Elders
  
  
• Wikipedia

Eva Birthistle Links

• Wikipedia Profile
  
  
• IMDB

Episode Details: Season 7, Episode 4; Total Episode Count: 107

Gerry knows gin from his time behind the bar and from sipping his favorite tipple from the other side of the stick.

But he found his perfect gin, though he could imagine just how it would taste, a taste he finally captured in his now award-winning Jawbox Gin.

Join us as Gerry tells us how the idea for creating a gin just wouldn’t let him go, the Belfast stories behind the Jawbox name and striking logo design, how he managed to time the Jawbox launch just as the gin category was taking off, how The brand has soared through “Graft & Craft,” the origin of his signature Belfast Swerve—plenty of ice, a generous measure of Jawbox, a wedge of lime, all topped with a key ingredient Gerry proudly says was invented in Belfast.

He talks about the steady progress he sees in his city, how his hometown is becoming a “must-visit” city for tourists, the warmth they feel from the people of Belfast, and the “lovely new buzz in the city.”

Our juniper-forward friend from the Falls Road closes with his ”Seamus Plug” for Belfast’s amazing chefs and dedicated purveyors of fresh local food that have ignited Belfast’s dining scene.

All music to the ears of the folks at Tourism Ireland who helped make our “Irish Stew Gets Lost in Belfast Road Trip” possible! Chart your course to Belfast and beyond at https://discovernorthernireland.com

Links:
Jawbox Gin

• Website
• X
• Instagram
• Facebook

Gerry White

• X
• Instagram
• Facebook
• LinkedIn

Episode Details: Season 7, Episode 3; Total Episode Count: 106

Join us in the first leg of our “Irish Stew Gets Lost in Belfast Road Trip” in the vibrant Cathedral Quarter at its prime culinary destination Waterman House as we explore the recipe for restaurant success with Chef and Founder Niall McKenna.
Niall dishes on his culinary journey from West Belfast, training under influential chefs like Paul Rankin, the evolution of his multiple restaurant ventures including James St. and Hadskis, and the buzz surrounding his Waterman House Cookery School.

For Niall it’s all about cooking with local ingredients, drawing inspiration from regional food traditions, unpretentious dining experiences, and a staff trained in the art of hospitality.

The episode wraps with a deep dive into Niall’s signature dishes (later sampled by Martin and John in a return visit) and his gorgeous new cookbook, What's It All About.

Thanks to Niall for his hospitality and to Tourism Ireland for their unflagging support of our efforts to share contemporary Belfast stories with our Global Irish audience.

Links:
Niall McKenna

• Instagram
• Facebook
• LinkedIn

Waterman House

• Website
• Instagram
• Facebook

James St.

• Website
• Instagram

Episode Details: Season 7, Episode 2; Total Episode Count: 105

Star Trek said it would happen in 2024, but for Paddy Cullivan, 2032 will be the year of Irish Unification. Through hot takes on Irish history and AI-fueled visions of Ireland’s future, Paddy charts the course to unity in 2032 through his antic, visionary one-man show I Can’t Believe It’s Not Ireland, on the eve of its US Tour.
Paddy is best known for fronting The Camembert Quartet on Ryan Tubridy’s Tubridy Tonight and then The Late Late Show, playing with everyone from Sinead O’Connor to Russell Crowe to Michael Bublé. But he later shifted focus to innovative one-man multimedia shows, including Solutionism, The Joy of Brex, and his historical entertainments The 10 Dark Secrets of the Irish Revolution and The 10 Dark Secrets of 1798.

In I Can’t Believe…Paddy provides a fresh new interpretation of Ireland’s past from St Patrick to partition and invites the audience to think big with him in envisioning a welcoming, inclusive, and dynamic future united Ireland. The US tour opens in San Francisco on Mar. 1, with stops scheduled for Kansas City, Portland, ME, Boston, New York, and more.

Martin and John also preview their upcoming “Irish Stew Gets Lost in Belfast Road Trip,” featuring a dozen episodes recorded in and around Northern Ireland’s rapidly transforming capital city. And do forgive them for a little humblebragging—they just got back from Dublin where they celebrated winning Bronze in the Irish Pod Awards Best Hosting Duo/Trio category and taking home the Gold as the 2024 Best Society & Culture Podcast.

Open your ears to a new way to understand Ireland’s past and future with this Irish Stew sample of Paddy Cullivan’s I Can’t Believe It’s Not Ireland.

Paddy Links:

• Website
• Twitter/X
• YouTube
• Instagram
• Facebook
• LinkedIn

Episode Details: Season 7, Episode 1; Total Episode Count: 104

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

• Website
• Glucksman House Gala
• LinkedIn
• BlueSky

Episode Details: Season 6, Episode 23; Total Episode Count: 103

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 Ireland.

In this holiday episode Dee shares heartwarming stories of transformation, saying:
“Many parents will say that when they're on the drive out the gates of Barretstown, the conversation with their children is when can we come back? Why do we have to leave? This is better than Disney World! And the teenagers want to know how quickly I can come back, what age I need to be to become a volunteer. ”

But the serious fun of swimming, canoeing, horseback riding, arts & crafts, and putting on plays rests on a foundation of solid governance, a quality that attracted our additional guest Tony Dunne, Bank of Ireland’s US CFO, COO & US Country Manager, to chair the friend-raising and fundraising-focused Barretstown Foundation USA.

The conversation underscores the importance of community and international support, including the cross-Atlantic support from American families and volunteers, and wraps with Dee’s invitation to you to get involved and help Barretstown provide even more “serious fun.”

Links
Barretstown

• Website
• Donate
• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• Facebook
• YouTube
• TwitterX
• TikTok

Barretstown Foundation USA

• Instagram
• Facebook
• Year End Appeal

Dee Ahearn

• LinkedIn

Tony Dunne, CFO, COO & US Country Manager at Bank of Ireland US

• LinkedIn

Episode Details: Season 6, Episode 22; Total Episode Count: 102

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 fascinating origins and research process behind 'Hotel Luxe,' including uncovering the life of Wexford woman May O'Callaghan whose sufragette origins led to a key position in post revolutionary Russia's Comintern. The story focuses on Moscow's delapidated Hotel Luxe in the mid 1920s and the network of revolutionary connections May O'Callaghan established at the eponymous residence. The episode explores the significance of these revolutionary lives in today's context and Maurice reveals his next project focused on a vegetarian cafe in 1930s London that was a hub of anti-Nazi activity.

Hotel Lux Links

• Linktree
• Publisher Page: Footnote Press

Maurice Casey Links

• Website
• Archive Rats SubStack
• Instagram
• BlueSky
• Academia.edu
• LinkedIn

Episode Details:

• Episode 21 of Season 6
• Episode 101 of Irish Stew Podcast