Best Motherfoclóir Podcasts (2024)

1
#24 Scríbhneoirí na Gaelainne Nua - A Conversation with Éilis Neary 1:12:03

5M ago1:12:03

1:12:03

To learn more and for all show notes go to - https://thelanguagequestion.com/episode-24-scribhneoiri-na-gaelainne-nua-a-conversation-with-eilis-neary/By Finghin Mac Cárthaigh - Flor McCarthy

1
#23 The Power of Individual Action - A Conversation with Derek Hollingsworth 1:11:33

6M ago1:11:33

1:11:33

To learn more and for all show notes go to - https://thelanguagequestion.com/episode-23-the-power-of-individual-action-a-conversation-with-derek-hollingsworth/By Finghin Mac Cárthaigh - Flor McCarthy

1
#22 An Calafóirneach Gaelach - A Conversation with Séathrún Sardina 1:07:27

6M ago1:07:27

1:07:27

To learn more and for all show notes go to - https://thelanguagequestion.com/episode-22-an-calafoirneach-gaelach-a-conversation-with-seathrun-sardinaBy Finghin Mac Cárthaigh - Flor McCarthy

1
#21 Banríon an Ghrinn - A Conversation with Áine Gallagher 1:13:05

7M ago1:13:05

1:13:05

To learn more and for all show notes go to - https://thelanguagequestion.com/episode-21-banrion-an-ghrinn-a-conversation-with-aine-gallagherBy Finghin Mac Cárthaigh - Flor McCarthy

1
#20 An Gaeilgeoir Ar Líne - The Online Gaeilgeoir: A Conversation with Mollie Guidera 1:08:09

7M ago1:08:09

1:08:09

To learn more and for all show notes go to - https://thelanguagequestion.com/episode-20-an-gaeilgeoir-ar-line-the-online-gaeilgeoir-a-conversation-with-mollie-guideraBy Finghin Mac Cárthaigh - Flor McCarthy

1
#19 Ag Filleadh Arís - Coming Back Again: A Conversation with Eóin Killackey 1:23:06

8M ago1:23:06

1:23:06

To learn more and for all show notes go to - https://thelanguagequestion.com/episode-19-ag-filleadh-aris-coming-back-again-a-conversation-with-eoin-killackeyBy Finghin Mac Cárthaigh - Flor McCarthy

1
#18 Gaeilgeoir san Úll Mór - A Conversation with Caoimhe Nic Giollarnáith 1:01:55

9M ago1:01:55

1:01:55

To learn more and for all show notes go to - https://thelanguagequestion.com/episode-18-gaeilgeoir-san-ull-mor-a-conversation-with-caoimhe-nic-giollarnaithBy Finghin Mac Cárthaigh - Flor McCarthy

1
#17 Banfhile Ildánach: A Conversation with Ciara Ní É 1:17:48

9M ago1:17:48

1:17:48

To learn more and for all show notes go to -https://thelanguagequestion.com/episode-17-banfhile-ildanach-a-conversation-with-ciara-ni-eBy Finghin Mac Cárthaigh - Flor McCarthy

1
Back From The Dead: Translating Transylvania 1:03:27

10M ago1:03:27

1:03:27

With thanks to the Bram Stoker Festival, the Motherfoclóir Podcast was resurrected for one afternoon in October 2022 to discuss the translation of Dracula into Irish by Seán Ó Cuirreáin. In this recording of last year's live show Darach is joined by Peadar and Siún as they consider the different motives of the politicians who commissioned the trans…

1
#16 Fear na bhfocal - The Wordman - A Conversation with Gary Bannister 1:22:12

10M ago1:22:12

1:22:12

To learn more and for all show notes go to - https://thelanguagequestion.com/episode-16-fear-na-bhfocal-the-wordman-a-conversation-with-gary-bannisterBy Finghin Mac Cárthaigh - Flor McCarthy

1
#15 The Estonian Connection - A Conversation with Indrek Ois 59:58

10M ago59:58

59:58

To learn more and for all show notes go to - https://thelanguagequestion.com/episode-15-the-estonian-connection-a-conversation-with-indrek-oisBy Finghin Mac Cárthaigh - Flor McCarthy

1
#14 Lifting the Invisibility Cloak - A Conversation with Áine Ní Ghlinn 1:25:43

11M ago1:25:43

1:25:43

To learn more and for all show notes go to - https://thelanguagequestion.com/episode-14-lifting-the-invisibility-cloak-a-conversation-with-aine-ni-ghlinnBy Finghin Mac Cárthaigh - Flor McCarthy

1
#13 Episode #13 - Tóraíocht na Dea-Bheatha - A Conversation with Antain Mac Lochlainn 1:22:17

11M ago1:22:17

1:22:17

To learn more and for all show notes go to - https://thelanguagequestion.com/episode-13-toraiocht-na-dea-bheatha-a-conversation-with-antain-mac-lochlainnBy Finghin Mac Cárthaigh - Flor McCarthy

1
#12 Episode #12 - Speaking A Forked Tongue - A Conversation with Dr Róisín Costello 1:12:01

1y ago1:12:01

1:12:01

To learn more and for all show notes go to - https://thelanguagequestion.com/episode-12-speaking-a-forked-tongue-a-conversation-with-dr-roisin-costelloBy Finghin Mac Cárthaigh - Flor McCarthy

1
#11 What About All About Irish - A Conversation with Patricia Mac Eoin 54:05

1y ago54:05

54:05

For all show notes and links visit - https://thelanguagequestion.com/episode-11-what-about-all-about-irish-a-conversation-with-patricia-mac-eoinBy Finghin Mac Cárthaigh - Flor McCarthy

1
#10 Mórfhile na Cathrach; A Conversation with Louis De Paor 55:51

1y ago55:51

55:51

For all show notes and links visit -https://thelanguagequestion.com/episode-10-morfhile-na-cathrach-a-conversation-with-louis-de-paor/By Finghin Mac Cárthaigh - Flor McCarthy

1
#9 The Self-Made Gaeilgeoir – A Conversation with Seaghan Mac an tSionnaigh 46:39

1y ago46:39

46:39

For all show notes and links visit - https://thelanguagequestion.com/episode-9-a-conversation-with-seaghan-mac-an-tsionnaighBy Finghin Mac Cárthaigh - Flor McCarthy

1
#8 Living Her Best Life i Saol na Gaeilge – A Conversation with Ola Majekodunmi 53:17

1y ago53:17

53:17

For all show notes and links visit - https://thelanguagequestion.com/episode-8-a-conversation-with-ola-majekodunmiBy Finghin Mac Cárthaigh - Flor McCarthy

1
#7 - The Radical Revolutionary – A Conversation with Caoimhín De Barra 1:25:47

1+ y ago1:25:47

1:25:47

For all show notes and links visit - https://thelanguagequestion.com/episode-7-a-conversation-with-caoimhin-de-barraBy Finghin Mac Cárthaigh - Flor McCarthy

1
#6 Western Star - A Conversation with Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh 53:00

1+ y ago53:00

53:00

For all show notes and links visit - https://thelanguagequestion.com/episode-6-a-conversation-with-muireann-nic-amhlaoibhBy Finghin Mac Cárthaigh - Flor McCarthy

1
#5 An t-Oideachasóir ~ The Educationalist: A Conversation with Éamonn Ó Dónaill 1:12:14

1+ y ago1:12:14

1:12:14

For all show notes and links visit - https://thelanguagequestion.com/episode-5-a-conversation-with-eamonn-o-donaillBy Finghin Mac Cárthaigh - Flor McCarthy

1
#4 The Language and The Colony - A conversation with Audrey Magee 1:10:51

1+ y ago1:10:51

1:10:51

For all show notes and links visit - https://thelanguagequestion.com/episode-4-a-conversation-with-audrey-mageeBy Finghin Mac Cárthaigh - Flor McCarthy

1
#3 Global Gael - A conversation with Tadhg Mac Dhonnagáin 1:21:22

1+ y ago1:21:22

1:21:22

For all show notes and links visit - https://thelanguagequestion.com/episode-3-a-conversation-with-tadhg-mac-dhonnagain/By Tadhg Mac Dhonnagáin

1
#2 A View from the Heart of the Donegal Gaeltacht 58:39

1+ y ago58:39

58:39

For all show notes and links visit - https://thelanguagequestion.com/a-view-from-the-heart-of-the-gaeltacht/By Finghin Mac Cárthaigh - Flor McCarthy

1
#1 - A Historian of the Irish Language 1:25:30

1+ y ago1:25:30

1:25:30

For all show notes and links visit - https://thelanguagequestion.com/a-historian-of-the-irish-language/By Finghin Mac Cárthaigh - Flor McCarthy

1
Fáilte - Weclome | Introduction 5:40

1+ y ago5:40

5:40

Fáilte - Welcome | An Introduction to The Language Question - Ceist na TeanganBy Finghin Mac Cárthaigh - Flor McCarthy

1
Introducing | Words To That Effect 32:58

2+ y ago32:58

32:58

Motherfocloir is part of the HeadStuff Podcast Network and there are lots of other shows on the network we think you might like. Words To That Effect is a show that tells stories of the fiction behind popular culture and if you're a fan of Motherfocloir we think there's a very good chance you'll like this show too. Here's a full episode, all about …

1
186: #186 | Last Orders - The Residents' Bar 1:32:37

3y ago1:32:37

1:32:37

Thank you for your support over the last four years. Thank you for inviting us into your headphones and into your head. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did. Thank you to Brian and Kirsten for making each episode look and sound amazing. Thank you to Éimear, Clodagh, Caitlín, Siún and Ola, and all the members of the extended Motherfoclóir family…

1
BONUS | Amy Louise O'Callaghan and the Irish Arts Center NYC 36:37

3y ago36:37

36:37

If you follow Darach's Word of the Week project with the Irish Arts Center in New York, you'll have seen the artwork of Amy Louise O'Callaghan - @amylouioc on Twitter, Instagram and Etsy - who reimagines Irish mythology in the style of Japanese animation house Studio Ghibli. More recently she has reimagined the iconography of tarot cards using well…

1
185: #185 | Last Orders - The Grass Beard: Finn Longman and Queer Readings of An Táin 49:52

3y ago49:52

49:52

Join us for the final episode of Motherfoclóir, live on Zoom tonight: https://www.patreon.com/posts/55377967 --- Every artistic/visual representation of Cúchulainn presents him as a hulking, ultra-masculine figure. But is this interpretation justified by the text? In the Táin, Cúchulainn is frequently described as a small lad, girly in some ways, a…

1
184: #184 | Last Orders - Motherfoclóir Meets Blindboy 1:12:28

3y ago1:12:28

1:12:28

The re-release of Professor Terence Dolan's Dictionary of Hiberno-English didn't happen by accident, but was nudged into existence by a writer who also happens to be one of the most seminal and relevant voices in Irish podcasting. And he's our guest this week! Before we folded the podcast forever, we are delighted to bring you this conversation bet…

1
183: #183 | Last Orders - 32 Shades of Salach: Romance Novels with Róisín McNally 59:25

3y ago59:25

59:25

In terms of literary prestige, romance novels don't get no respect, ranking lower than sports biographies and screenplay novelisations on the scale of respectability - according to people who don't read them, anyway. But what about people who do? Since Covid, sales of romance novels have shot through the roof, largely on account of the #BookTok has…

1
182: #182 | Last Orders - Seven Deadly Letters - J, K, Q, W, X, Y, Z 58:56

3y ago58:56

58:56

Four years ago we started this podcast off with a discussion of the letter V. There’s been much water under the bridge since then and while we always meant to give the other seven “forbidden” letters their own episode, there was always something a bit more urgent to attend to. Like translating smutty novels and so forth. But on today’s episode, Dr …

1
181: #181 | Last Orders - Parenting Is An Irregular Verb - Séamas Ó Reilly 46:27

3y ago46:27

46:27

Everybody is talking about Twitter sensation Séamas Ó Reilly and his hilarious yet moving memoir "Did You Hear Mammy Died?" And rightly so - it's a sensational telling of a remarkable story of a boy with ten siblings losing his mother far too young and being reared by one of the most memorable Irish Dads in the history of memoir. Can a movie be far…

1
180: #180 | Last Orders - Diabhal Scéal 57:26

3y ago57:26

57:26

When we say that a child is full of divilment, are we saying that they are possessed by Satan? No, we are not. In today's episode, Darach, Gearóidín and Peadar consider the concept of the devil in the Irish language. Why does diabhal scéal (devil a story) mean no story? What's the deal with the devil being buried in Killarney? Were politicians awar…

1
179: #179 | Last Orders - Créatúrs, Sliabhíns & Digressions 51:44

3y ago51:44

51:44

Well, it couldn't last forever; Motherfoclóir will be ending forever before this autumn. Before we go on our separate ways, we'd like to bring you some topics and guests that we always meant to, but put on the long finger because we wanted "do more prep" or "wait until X was available" or some other excuse. Anyway, there's no time to procrastinate …

1
Teaser | Darach Meets ... The Europeans! 13:26

3y ago13:26

13:26

Darach chats to Katy and Dominic, the hosts of popular podcast "The Europeans". To hear the full episode and much more visit https://www.patreon.com/darach The Europeans podcast can be found at https://europeanspodcast.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesBy HeadStuff Podcasts

1
178: #178 | Fatal Deviation 1:04:29

3+ y ago1:04:29

1:04:29

Darach is joined by Mira Adama (@LostWolfling), along with a cast of other contributors, to discuss a cult classic of Irish cinema. Watch Fatal Deviation here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPne3Wh0lqk This is our last episode of the season! You can join us on Patreon for bonus content throughout the break. --- Support Motherfocloir on Patreon: h…

1
177: #177 | Let’s Start With Komets-Alef: Learning About Yiddish With Meena & Arun Viswanath 47:37

3+ y ago47:37

47:37

Recently, Yiddish became the fortieth language to join Duolingo, an achievement that followed hot on the heels of Harry Potter being translated into Yiddish. And would you believe that a brother and sister were responsible for these separate accomplishments? Well, when we found out about it we were struck by how many of the same kinds of conflicts …

1
176: #176 | BONUS: Irish Sign Language with Caroline McGrotty 46:36

3+ y ago46:36

46:36

Watch this episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsORJSesv48 In 2017, Irish Sign Language (ISL) was officially given legal recognition in Ireland. Of course, it has a long history prior to this and in today's episode, Darach and Gearóidín meet Caroline McGrotty (@CarolineMcTweet), an ISL translator and presenter, to find out more. Where did ISL …

1
175: #175 | Up The Lagan In A Bubble: Line of Duty and the Irish Cop Trope 47:49

3+ y ago47:49

47:49

Jesus, Mary and Joseph and the Wee Donkey. Everyone is hooked on “Line of Duty” at the moment, the latest reinvention of the cop show genre - and, fittingly, a reinvention of the “Irish cop” trope which is even older than television. But why did this format - a legacy from the era of segregation and McCarthyism - survive when westerns, Elvis movies…

1
174: #174: Ceci N'est Pas Une Gickna - Louise Selkies Ní Chuilinn 56:27

3+ y ago56:27

56:27

When he’s not beavering away at this very podcast, Darach does a bit of work with the Irish Arts Center in New York as part of their word of the week project. This allows him to collaborate with some exciting and talented artists, such as today’s guest Louise Ní Chuilinn (as known as Selkies). Louise, an Irish speaker living in Brussels, tells Dara…

1
173: #173 | The Bramble: Oein De Bhairduin 1:10:32

3+ y ago1:10:32

1:10:32

There’s a song in the Mincéir tradition (made famous among settled audiences by Luke Kelly) called the 40 Foot Trailer which ends with the line “There's a bylaw to say you maun be on your wayAnd another to say ye can't wander” The implication is clear: the Traveller Community are damned if they do and damned if they don’t. Despite the visibility of…

1
172: #172 | By The Banks of My Own Orinoco: The Wonderful World of @EnyaComments 47:26

3+ y ago47:26

47:26

One of the finest new accounts to join Twitter during the pandemic has been @EnyaComments, a deceptively simple twitter handle that shares comments written under Enya videos on the YouTube.These range from the ridiculous to the sublime. But what is it about Enya that draws such a wide fanbase from around the world? Why do her fans feel such a close…

1
171: #171 | Please, Mr Postman - Colm McEvoy on An Post & Eircodes 56:20

3+ y ago56:20

56:20

Every few weeks, a story goes viral in Ireland: a letter, addressed to someone like "that lady with the yellow baseball cap who owns a cat the size of a dog and a dog the size of a cat" is posted and finds its intended recipient. It's a tribute to the affection and esteem with which Irish people regard their postal service. It hints at one of a num…

1
170: #170 | Well, Well, Well: Vampires, Evil Fish and Holy Wells 43:40

3+ y ago43:40

43:40

Are things holy because we need them or do we need them because they're holy? This is something that we consider on this week's episode when holy wells are discussed. Are the legends and myths about holy wells just a roundabout way of explaining what their purpose is? Why are there so many in Limerick? What does Ryan Tubridy's surname mean? We also…

1
169: #169 | The Subh Milis Not Taken - What Is The Best Loved Poem In Irish? 56:01

3+ y ago56:01

56:01

Back in 2015, the Paris Review ran an article on Robert Frost’s poem, “The Road Not Taken” and concluded that it is - by some distance - the best known and most widely referenced poem of the twentieth century. Nothing else comes close. And yet, it is as misunderstood as it is famous. Many poems, or extracts from poems, are misread outside their ori…

1
168: #168 | Last Train To Eel Town: Thoughts On Baile In Irish Placenames 56:39

3+ y ago56:39

56:39

Whether it's Flann O'Brien, the Book of Kells, Dindsenchas or An tOileánach, the Irish literary and literary historical traditions respect the idea of the digression - the idea that knowledge information, truth itself does not respect the artificial categories that limited human minds try to trap them in. Just as crabs think that eels are flying be…

1
167: #167 | A Fiadh By Any Other Name: The 2020 Baby Names 51:52

3+ y ago51:52

51:52

At the end of February, the CSO released the 2020 baby name statistics and after a long run, Emily is no longer the top girl name in Ireland. How should we interpret this? What does it mean for existing Emilys, especially the ones who rejoiced in the name before it became so popular in the noughties? Grace is the new top name, but how much of that …

1
166: #166 | Turscar-red For Life: Spam In Irish 41:14

3+ y ago41:14

41:14

Greetings agus Salutations, I am Motherfoclóir, prince of words, Irish, Irish words and words from Ireland. I have a very special request to make of you. If you listen to this podchraoladh about spam as Gaeilge, I will send twenty millionty squillion US Dollars in gold bullion into your earphones. Please send me your bank details by WhatsApp voice …

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Motherfoclóir Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Quick Reference Guide