Podcasts are a  great, entertaining, way to enjoy radio and sound recordings when you want, available for free download on your smart phone, tablet, or internet-connected computer.

Podcasts were launched by Apple in 2004, as bloggers began releasing audio files of their blogs online. Since then Podcasts have increased in popularity as a way to share journalism, stories, opinions over the web in downloadable audio recordings.

Podcasts suit a variety of content and are almost always free or low cost, as well as being relatively low-cost to record and share on the internet.

You can choose from news podcasts, culture, travel or film, comedy, lifestyle and fitness podcasts or interviews with personalities or celebrities. Recently true crime and episodic podcasts have seen a rise in popularity where journalists and researchers present the facts of a crime or case and attempt to explain or solve it.  Famous podcasts include Serial, West Cork and This American Life, all examples of audio journalism and storytelling in podcast form.

If you have a smart phone or a tablet, you can access podcasts through a free app on your device.

How to Listen?:

• If you have an iphone or iPad, download the Apple Podcasts App https://apps.apple.com/us/app/apple-podcasts/id525463029

• If you have an android phone or tablet, you can download Google Podcast App https://play.google.com/store/apps/detailsid=com.google.android.apps.podcasts&hl=en_IE&gl=US

• If you already have Spotify on your phone, tablet or PC, you can use Spotify to listen to 1000s of podcasts without downloading a new App https://www.spotify.com/ie/

• You can also listen to podcasts of radio shows on your favourite radio’s websites: Today FM: https://www.todayfm.com/podcasts, RTE : https://www.rte.ie/eile/podcasts/, Beat 102 103 https://beat102103.com/podcasts/ and WLR FM https://www.wlrfm.com/listen-back/

• Having trouble downloading a Podcast app to your device? Get in touch with Generation Tech https://generationtech.ie/ Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm for helpful advice to getting to grips with using technology during lockdown.

What to Listen To?:

• Get some inspiration from Ireland’s monthly podcast charts: https://chartable.com/charts/spotify/ireland-top-podcasts.This is a good selection of what people are listening to in Ireland every month, from comedy, healthy living, politics and current affairs.

• Ask friends for recommendations! The best podcasts grow through word of mouth and you know you’ll probably enjoy a podcast if your best friends are interested in what it has to say.
• Check if your favourite radio shows have podcasts, check if your favourite comedians and sports personalities are involved in podcasts. Newspapers such as the Irish Times, the Guardian and the New York Times produce weekly podcasts discussing and digesting the weekly news.

Recommended Podcasts:

• Lyric FM Documentaries: https://www.rte.ie/lyricfm/the-lyric-feature/podcasts/

• RTE Podcasts: https://www.rte.ie/eile/podcasts/

• Waterford Institute of Technology Podcasts: https://www.wit.ie/news/podcasts

• Irish Life & Lore Oral History Archive: https://www.irishlifeandlore.com/category/podcasts/

• WLR FM: https://www.wlrfm.com/listen-back/

• Beat 102 103: https://beat102103.com/podcasts/

Podcast of the Week:

Our podcast of the week is Irish History Podcast. Historian Fin Dwyer brings Irish history to life in the Irish History Podcast, examining the daily lives of Irish peoples through history. Multi-episode series on the Irish Famine, the Irish Revolution, medieval Ireland as well as exploring crimes and murder trials of the 19^th and 20^th centuries in Ireland.   https://irishhistorypodcast.ie/