Our Man In Stockholm

In this week's episode we talk to Ben and Jerry from Castleknock Community College about their upcoming trip to Gothenburg to play in the world's largest youth handball tournament, the Partille Cup. The All-Ireland champions know that competition will be stiff, but they aim to represent the country with pride on the west coast, and they're hoping that our community can help them with their fund-raising efforts. If you can help, please donate here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-us-play-olympic-handball-at-the-partille-cup-in-swedenHandball is a hugely popular sport in Sweden, and this is a great opportunity for the Swedish-Irish community to take an interest in it - who knows, maybe in a generation our children or grandchildren will meet the Swedes at a major tournament!

The Nordic GAA season got off to a flying start in Stockholm over the weekend as Gävle won the men's tournament with Copenhagen triumphant among the women, but it was Gävle's new ladies team who brought the sunshine on a rainy day in the capital. We also hear form Seán Collins directly after his brilliant gig at Wirströms City on Sunday May 18 where he wowed the crowd with his own songs and a few well-chosen ballads. Remember - the podcast needs the financial support of businesses and individuals to survive. If you can, please consider purchasing a sponsorship package from our web shop - there's one for every budget: https://irishinsweden.myshopify.com/

With his debut single having finally seen the light of day, the incredibly talented Seán Collins is coming back to Sweden for a gig in Wirströms City on May 18. Nephew of community powerhouse and long-time Stockholm resident Theresa O'Shea Ogenstad, Seán started playing guitar at age 10 and has recently graduated with a degree in music, but perhaps his best education has come in the school of hard knocks that is the Irish pub music scene. A superb singer and guitar-player, he talked to me about his love of music, his songwriting process and how to survive the stag party inferno of Temple Bar, where he cut his teeth! Follow Seán on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seancollins_music/Hear his new single: https://open.spotify.com/track/5WFAGYWdiwU3Pj1juCdVK7?si=f51dd4f0a1514993Support the podcast: https://irishinsweden.myshopify.com/

The Easter holidays saw an exodus back to the Green Isle for many in the Swedish-Irish community, and the podcast was no different! I caught up with Zack Elbouzedi and Axel Sjöberg in Dublin where the pair are currently playing on the right wing for St. Patrick's Atheltic. Zack's sojourn at AIK made him a much-loved player with the fans there, but a desire for playing time saw him head home, where he hooked up with Axel from Helsingborg under former Ireland manager Stephen Kenny. There's also news of a new way to support the podcast - by buying a sponsorship package in the new online store! Please spread the word so we can keep the podcast going! https://irishinsweden.myshopify.com/

This one took a little longer to get out than expected due to a visit to Rory McGrath at Northvolt in Västerås, but no it's finally here! Jen O'Sullivan is back to talk about her adventures in the wonderful world of Italian food, how coming from a big family made her seek the solace of individual sport, and how an active childhood is her recipe for success for her young son!