"Travel's in the blood." That's what it says in the Twitter bio of my guest for this, the final episode of series one. Having reported from 140 countries and being a specialist in many foreign regions, you could call that an understatement. 

As well as holding the post of BBC World Affairs Editor, John Simpson is a journalist, broadcaster and accomplished author. He is one of the most respected foreign correspondents in the world who has a certain knack for being in the right place at the right time.

When we caught up, John filled me about first going to see Casablanca (both movie and place!), his strong affinity with Ireland, why he won't be returning to Dubai any time soon, and a long-standing bid to reach an uncontacted tribe in the Amazon.

I hope you enjoy. And thanks for listening!

This episode was produced and presented by Joe O'Connor. Original music and editing by Paul Loughran. Podcast branding and design by I said I would.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When your job requires you to write for both print and screen, where do you draw your inspiration from? Is it the mundane everyday tasks that we take for granted or is it from visiting far-flung destinations where we meet different people and see different ways of living?

My guest for this episode draws on his experiences from both.

Kealan Ryan is an author and filmmaker. His debut novel, The Middle Place, was released last year, receiving plaudits from some major names in Irish literature. It followed his debut feature film, Lift, which he wrote, produced and starred in and which has just been released on Amazon Prime. Kealan is currently working on a number of projects, one of which was inspired by a trip he made over ten years ago.

When we caught up, at a time when Ireland was getting ready to come out of lockdown, Kealan filled me in on childhood memories of San Francisco, discovering a paradise off the coast of Panama, getting familiar with Genghis Khan in Mongolia, and the minor matter of having a gun pulled on him in Siberia.

I hope you enjoy. And thanks for listening!

This episode was produced and presented by Joe O'Connor. Original music and editing by Paul Loughran. Podcast branding and design by I said I would.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If there's one profession that enables a person to really get the lay of the land in another country it has to be the foreign correspondent. Tasked with uncovering unique stories about a given part of the world, they have to get right into the heart of that place and its people.

My guest for this episode is Margaret Ward, a former award-winning foreign reporter and editor with Irish public broadcaster RTÉ. Through her work and outside it, Margaret has travelled to more than 60 countries, from Afghanistan to Rwanda, and was the first person to blog on the RTE website – from inside North Korea.

As foreign editor, Margaret led RTE’s international coverage from 1999 until 2007, when she went to China to open its bureau in Beijing. She has also reported for the BBC, CBC Canada, Deutsche Welle and France 24.

Margaret spoke with me about a love affair with France that started in her student days, revisiting Belgrade after the Yugoslav war, immersing herself in Costa Rican nature, and the curious case of a Clerys bag in Chechnya.

I hope you enjoy. And thanks for listening!

This episode was produced and presented by Joe O'Connor. Original music and editing by Paul Loughran. Podcast branding and design by I said I would.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.