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Published by Paul McDermott
A music podcast about iconic Irish albums. Each episode takes a deep dive into the making of an album with one of its creators. Produced by Paul McDermott for Learn & Sing Productions. Info and episode notes: paulmcdermott.ie/podcast
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Every published chart this podcast appears in, in the snapshot behind this page. Each one links to the chart it came off.
From the feed
The latest episodes published to this podcast’s own RSS feed. Titles and descriptions are the publisher’s.
On this episode I’m joined by Aindrías Ó Grúama aka “Grimmo” and Nick Allum, respectively the guitarist and drummer of The Fatima Mansions, for a deep dive into Against Nature , the band’s debut album which was originally released on Kitchenware Records in 1989. We discuss the formation of the band by Cathal Coughlan, the recording sessions for Against Nature and the singles ‘Only Losers Take the Bus’ and ‘Blues For Ceausescu’ and a whole lot more. “ Against Nature is a thoroughly fine LP. To those who’ve ever doubted him or stood in his way, this is Coughlan’s savoured two finger salute. 9/10” Steve Lamacq ( NME , 25 November, 1989). Episode Notes: https://www.paulmcdermott.ie/episode-61
On this episode I’m joined by journalist and author Patrick Freyne for a deep dive into NPB and El Diablo, his two late 90s/early 00s Dublin bands. NPB were a garage rock band and El Diablo were an alt-country band. Freyne's debut novel, Experts in a Dying Field has just been published. It tells the story of Dublin band The Heathens, the self-described 1000th best band of all time. Their tour van crashes and one of their members dies. It’s a witty novel about friendship, memory, grief and of losing your 20s in the back of van with your buddies. It’s inspired by the Dublin music scene of the early 00s and it describes a time before the Celtic Tiger, gentrification, IT hubs and out of control rents changed Dublin for ever. Episode notes: www.paulmcdermott.ie/episode-60
Music journalist and author Simon Reynolds chats about his new book Still In A Dream: Shoegaze, Slackers and the Reinvention of Rock 1984-1994. My Bloody Valentine are the central group in the book, but in this conversation we touch on many of its themes including: MBV and Slowdive being discovered by new audiences; early REM and Cocteau Twins; A.R. Kane and “dreampop”; The Smiths; Throwing Muses; Pixies; Dinosaur Jr; slackers and dole culture in the 80s; music journalism in the 80s; Sonic Youth and Daydream Nation; the popularity of MBV today and why shoegaze has survived. Episode notes: https://www.paulmcdermott.ie/bonus-episode-10
On this episode I’m joined by Andy White, to chat about 1986's Rave On Andy White, his debut album which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. We chat about living in Dún Laoghaire in the mid-90s; Belfast in the 70s and 80s; Terri Hooley and Good Vibrations; The Clash in Belfast; John Cooper Clarke; John Peel; Billy Bragg; manager Peter Jenner; Dave Robinson and Stiff Records; Tom Verlaine and Television; Janice Long; Peace Together; Sinéad O’Connor; WOMAD; producer John Leckie; recording in Abbey Road and living in Melbourne. Episode notes: www.paulmcdermott.ie/episode-59
On this episode I’m joined by David Kitt to talk about The Big Romance. Our chat takes in: the writing and recording of 2000's Small Moments, his debut record on Rough Trade Records; the recording of The Big Romance, its release and huge success; touring Europe; further albums including 2006's Not Fade Away; touring with and eventually joining Tindersticks; re-recording The Big Romance in advance of its 25th anniversary and a whole lot more. Episode notes: https://www.paulmcdermott.ie/episode-58 .
An archive interview with Nigel Grainge on setting up Ensign Records, signing Thin Lizzy, The Boomtown Rats, The Waterboys, Sinéad O’Connor, Into Paradise and Stump, and other stories. Episode notes: https://www.paulmcdermott.ie/bonus-episode-9
On this episode I’m joined by Bob Geldof to talk about The Boomtown Rats' second album, A Tonic For the Troops. Our chat goes in many different directions: Ireland of the 1970s, signing to Ensign Records, working with producer Mutt Lange, the Catholic Church in Ireland, The Boomtown Rats at 50, ‘Rat Trap’ hitting No. 1 in the UK and more. Episode notes: https://www.paulmcdermott.ie/episode-57
Stuart Bailie is a former assistant editor of the NME. From Belfast, he played in Punk bands in the late 70s and early 80s. In 1985 he sold his guitar and bought a typewriter. He headed to London and started writing for Record Mirror. He has just published "The Song is Nearly Over: Music Stories 1985-2025". We chat about growing up in Belfast during the Troubles, 40 years of music journalism, some of his favourite Irish albums and a whole lot more. Episode notes: https://www.paulmcdermott.ie/bonus-episode-8
On this episode I’m joined by Matthew Devereux for a deep dive into Here’s One We Made Earlier the debut album by The Pale. We discuss the band’s early days, signing to A&M Records, recording their debut album in 1992, the album’s three singles (‘Dogs With No Tails’, ‘Butterfly’ and ‘Shut Up Venus’), becoming a self-sufficient band post major label deals, absurdity in music, creating a character on stage, the band’s unique sound, fusing Irish and Eastern music, and a whole lot more. We also talk about Keep Sketch, the second album under Matthew’s own name, that he released earlier this year. Episode notes: https://www.paulmcdermott.ie/episode-56
A short preview of Episode 56 – Here's One We Made Earlier by The Pale
Eileen Gogan joins me to chat about her debut album The Spirit of Oberlin, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. Eileen was in The Would Be’s, The Revenants, The Drays and joined Microdisney for their reformation gigs. We talk about all of that and more including her second album, Under Moving Skies and her collaborations with Cathal Coughlan, Sean O’Hagan, Damian O’Neill, and the Bring Your Own Hammer history project. Not for nothing did Eileen once joke that she was: “Queen of the obscure Indie Irish bands”. Episode notes: https://www.paulmcdermott.ie/episode-55
Mark Cullen joins me to chat about his bands Bawl, Fixed Stars and Ponyclub. We discuss Bawl's Year Zero album and the three albums he recorded as Pony Club (Home Truths, Family Business and Post-Romantic). We also talk about writing songs with The Lightning Seeds' Ian Broudie, being championed by Morrissey in the early 00s, the mid-90s UK Indie scene, Britpop, writing songs for others and a whole lot more. Episode notes: https://www.paulmcdermott.ie/episode-54
In this episode I’m joined by Julie McDonnell, Aidine O’Reilly and Paul Finnegan of The Would Be's. We discuss the early years of the band: forming in Kingscourt, Co. Cavan in the late 80s; being championed by John Peel; supporting Morrissey; being lauded in the UK music press and their first three singles on Decoy Records including debut single 'I'm Hardly Ever Wrong'. We also chat about their brilliant new album HindZeitgeist. Episode notes: https://www.paulmcdermott.ie/episode-53
In this episode I’m joined by Cypress, Mine! members Ciarán Ó Tuama, Ian Olney and Mark Healy to tell the story of the band and a whole lot more. Cypress, Mine! formed in 1984, they released three singles and the album Exit Trashtown (Solid Records, 1988), before disbanding in 1989. Morty McCarthy from The Sultans of Ping and Craig Walker from Power of Dreams also contribute their memories of Cypress, Mine! to this episode. Episode notes: https://www.paulmcdermott.ie/episode-52
A short preview of Episode 52 – Exit Trashtown by Cypress, Mine!
Brian is Ken Sweeney and Understand was his debut mini-album released on Setanta records in 1992. Ken chats about Dublin music in the 70s and 80s, the early 90s indie scene in London, the full history of Brian, Setanta Records, being Irish in London in the 90s, Bring Trouble (the second Brian album from 1999), Ken’s 25+ years working as an entertainment journalist and his great music documentaries. We also talk at length about Needle Mythology’s reissue which they’ve titled Understood, it complies Understand, the Planes EP and more. Episode notes: https://www.paulmcdermott.ie/episode-51
A short video preview of Episode 51 – Understand by Brian.
A short preview of Episode 51 – Understand by Brian.
To mark Cathal Coughlan’s third anniversary EP50 isdevoted to his 2021 album, Song of Co-Aklan. It was the sixth album under Cathal’s own name, it was released on 31 March 2021 and this interview with Cathal was first broadcast on Songs to Learn and Sing on 103.2 Dublin City FM on 07 April 2021. Cathal talks about writing the songs for Song of Co-Aklan; what Microdisney’s reunion meant to him; Telefís, his collaboration (as then unreleased) with Jacknife Lee; the documentaries of Adam Curtis and more. Episode notes: https://www.paulmcdermott.ie/episode-50
A second short preview of Episode 50 – Song of Co-Aklan by Cathal Coughlan.
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Observed September 20, 2026.
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