The proud possessor of three masters degrees and two doctorates, Michael Flavin is a Reader in Global Education in the African Leadership Centre at King’s College London. He is the author of two books on technology enhanced learning, two on nineteenth-century literature, and two novels. The first of these, One Small Step, tells the tale of a Birmingham Irish boy and the aftermath of the pub bombings of 1974. He’s also an open, incisive and entertaining interviewee. Plus John Merrigan and Danielle Morgan (aka Fatdan) raise two unique Plastic Pedestals

John Merrigan and Danielle Morgan – aka fatdan productions – take a break between rehearsals to tell us about their lives, their love and their latest play (with music): “Brendan, Son Of Dublin.” Theirs is a journey that takes us from Dublin and Tipperary to London and Liverpool via Dubai, from working a life surrounded by books and theatre to the oil industry, from the BRIT School to the police. They talk about Wilde and Lynott and the centenary of Behan, about musicals for people who don’t like musicals and reveal the mystery of “fatdan”. Plus, Emma O’Rourke places Sinead…

London-born artist Emma O’Rourke uses her own personal archive – and those of other people and institutions – to negotiate that most Irish of concerns: memory and remembrance. Whether sourcing family photos, the recollections of strangers or museum artefacts, her abstractions are both warm and bold. We talk about the effects of interpreting memory along with family, class, holidays and the “best colour”. Plus Declan McSweeney raises James “Big Jim” Larkin onto The Plastic Pedestal.

Declan McSweeney has over twenty five years experience as a local correspondent and writer on either side of the water. As a journalist with the Offaly Express he covered the disappearance – still unsolved – of Fiona Pender, before working both with the Romford Recorder and as a freelance columnist across England. He tells of the changes in regional press, the differences between Irish and English methods and the barriers now facing him and other European journalists when trying to report outside of London. Plus Mick Ord raises his Aunt Phyllis onto The Plastic Pedestal

Journalist, Media Consultant, Producer and Podcaster, Mick Ord is a legend among the broadcast press of Merseyside. A former head of BBC Radio Merseyside, he has covered such events as Heysel, Hillsborough, the Warrington bomb and Liverpool’s successful bid for Capital of Culture. He was NUJ Regional Journalist of the Year in 1990 for his…

Singer songwriter and family historian Ronan MacManus is the son of Ross and brother of Declan (aka Elvis Costello) but more importantly is something of a legend among the Diaspora of London and the South East, with his band Bible Code Sundays and their anthem Maybe It’s Because I’m An Irish Londoner. We talk family…

Actor, writer, director, mentor, spiritual advisor, activist…the list of Chia Phoenix’s roles in life goes on and on. In her own words, she is a “Jack of All Trades, Master of All”. She brings a new and vital perspective to our podcasts as we talk about the historical and linguistic connections between the Caribbean and…

Bass player with the original line-up of Public Image Limited, alongside John Lydon and Keith Levene, John Wardle – dubbed “Jah Wobble” by Sid Vicious -went on to front Invaders Of The Heart, worked on the London Underground during lean years and returned to music to work with – amongst others – Brian Eno, Delores…

The only Irish Traveller to found and head a Gypsy And Traveller Exchange, Josephine (“Josie”) O’Driscoll talks visits to holocaust sites in Krakow, education, family and her hopes for community ownership among Gypsies, Romani and Travellers. Plus John Lee of Irish Stew Podcast raises author Peter Quinn onto The Plastic Pedestal

A journey across the Atlantic to meet two podcasting contemporaries making their own aural journeys across the Global Irish community. John Lee and Martin Nutty have just marked their half-century of interviews and to celebrate, we talk the difference between the diasporas in the UK and the US, the Connemara Patch, Kennedy, stereotypes and voices.…

Star of “Blood Brothers”, Chrissy Rogers in “Brookside” and – would you believe – Mrs Devaney in Jimmy McGovern’s “Broken”, Eithne Browne discusses memories of Mayo, her Master Mariner father and singer mother, changes in Liverpool and strange Irish coincidences. Plus Patrick Osborne raises James (“Big Jim”) Larkin onto The Plastic Pedestal https://the-plastic-podcasts.castos.com/podcasts/10219/episodes/eithne-browne-brookie39s-irish-queen-of-liverpool

Poet, playwright, novelist, horticulturalist, referee and self-proclaimed spoofer, Patrick Osborne talks family, 70s telly in Dublin, local football teams and the best of British and Irish cultures. All the while managing to slip an occasional reference to his debut novel "Baxter's Boys" - a mix of The Snapper, Fever Pitch and Shameless - into the conversation. Plus Fr Bernárd Lynch raises President Michael D. Higgins onto The Plastic Pedestal.

Born in Ennis, Co. Clare, Bernárd Lynch was ordained as a Roman Catholic priest in 1971. He founded the AIDS Ministry in New York in 1982, faced down the persecution of his own church and finally married the man of his dreams, Billy, in 2017. He has been honoured by both the City of New York and the President of Ireland, and now he honours us. Plus Brian O'Neill of Dimple Discs raises Sean O'Hagan onto The Plastic Pedestal

Co-founder of the Dimple Discs label - alongside the similarly named Damien O'Neill (he of The Undertones), Brian O'Neill has a roster of mostly Irish and Irish Diaspora artists including Derry's finest plus Sack, Eileen Gogan, Keeley, Jah Wobble and Telefis and many others. We talk music, Dublin of the 60s, Swastika Laundries, Sinn Fein picnics, The Beatles' works beano, pubbing with Nick Cave and so much more.

Designer Warren Reilly is a rising star in the world of textiles and fashion. A queer, gender-fluid artist of Irish and Afro-Caribbean heritage, his work examines the intersections of identity, taking particular inspiration from the 18th Century. He has been creative director of Fashioning Our History, a headliner for the Queer Georgian Social Season at Burgh House and is currently the curator of the digital exhibition By The Cut Of Our Cloth at The Mixed Museum. He also has strong views in gravy. And as we head towards our second birthday, we return to the first ever Plastic Pedestal - John O' Donoghue on Brian Behan

A tale of remembrance fighting against amnesia, Margaret Urwin works with Justice For The Forgotten, a campaign seeking to find the truth behind the Dublin-Monaghan bombings and other similar atrocities that took place on Irish soil during The Troubles of the 1970s and 80s. It is a tale as often overlooked in Ireland as it is in England and sheds a unique light on that turbulent time. Plus Plastic Pedestals provided by Chelsea McDonagh

An Irish Traveller with an MA in Education, Chelsea McDonagh is also an academic, a creative, a sportswoman, a loving granddaughter, daughter and aunt, a voracious reader, an intellectual powerhouse and one of the most incredible people we've had the privilege to interview.

In a special one-off podcast for St Patrick’s Day 2022, we interview Jack Byrne, Liverpool-Irish author of The Liverpool Mysteries. “Across The Water“, the second part of this trilogy and sequel to “Under The Bridge” is published by Northodox Press today and sees Vinnie and Anne journeying to Ireland to discover the truth nature of…

Born in Waterford, and having moved to London at the age of 19, along with the rest of his family, Tony Frisby is a poet, raconteur and delight. His latest collection “A Boreen In Waterford” takes us from ancient Irish history to a childhood in Tramore and walks across the Sussex Downs, then back again. Seventh in a selection of six episodes for our fifth series. Plus Jessica Martin raises actor and writer Caroline Cooke onto The Plastic Pedestal

Born to an Irish Traveller family in Manchester, Chris McDonagh is the founder of Travellers Against Racism as well as Campaigns Officer for Brighton-based charity FFT (Friends, Families, Travellers). We talk about Channel 4 documentaries, the public perception of Travellers, the notion of being “settled” and his hopes for the future. Meanwhile Lorraine Maher, founder of IAmIrish, brings a unique and personal perspective to our Plastic Pedestals slot.