Podcaster Úna Harty on exploring what Irishness means in 2025

‘What does it mean to be Irish?’

With St Patrick’s Day around the corner, it's a conundrum that could lead us down an oft-treaded path: how do you take your chicken fillet roll? Guinness or Beamish? Barry’s or Lyon's? How To Be Irish podcast and its host, Úna Harty, points a wider lens on the question rather than embracing stereotypes.

I spoke to Úna about the podcast’s ascent before she headed off on her travels to India, Malaysia and beyond, and her connection to the project was palpable.

"I'm looking forward to getting back into it when I’m in Ireland," Harty grins. "There’s lots in the works for the second iteration. How To Be Irish has led to so many other opportunities, but one of the most surprising things about it has been making friends with some of the guests. I've met up with a few of them in person after our interview."

Úna has a distinctive knack for crafting an interesting conversation out of thin air. Having studied Nanoscience at Trinity College Dublin, Harty spent "nearly all of my time" in the drama society while dipping her toe into student journalism. She later completed a graduate programme, walked the Camino de Santiago, travelled South East Asia and lived in Spain - but the marketing specialist needed a creative outlet to invest her free time into.

"It takes a long time to build up the courage to start something like a podcast, but eventually, eventually I got around to it," Úna smiles. "I mostly decided on the guests myself. Slightly selfishly, I wanted to talk to specific people and wasn’t interested in anyone who didn’t match the vibe!"

The guests started to fall into two categories: an Irish public personality that has an interesting story or they're somebody who has a lot to say on Irish identity.

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"It would be great to get those big names to draw more listeners into your podcast but it's hard to strike that balance with quality," the podcaster adds. "The episodes that have been the most popular have actually been with the people with lower social followings.

"Emilie O'Driscoll creates Irish mythology content and was just such an interesting, well-researched guest. Her episode did particularly well. Season one was just about trying to capture the vision on paper. Now there’s the beauty of having an opportunity to see where it goes."

If Harty was interviewed on How To Be Irish, history would be a core focus.

"Some people go down a route of talking about the Irish language and other people feel really connected to music or art," Úna responds. "I'd probably lean on history and politics just because that's quite a personal interest of mine. In the last episode with Amano Miura, we were talking about the establishment of the Irish State after 1916 and the goal of equality. The true essence of Irishness is everyone banding together for the same idea, no matter your class.

"We have a better definition of what it means to be an empathetic citizen and to look out for each other, in my view. Look at community and how it manifests in Ireland today; even how we show up for funerals, sport or the arts. The vast majority of Irish people are welcoming to whoever is coming into Ireland, because we have been welcomed for so long ourselves."

There’s endless knowledge to absorb in every episode, but Harty was especially enlighted by one particular guest.

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"Bobbo the Bard is a very spiritual guy. He really reignited my interest in ancient Irish history and prehistoric sites. I would have felt more connected to that growing up when we visited beehive huts around the Dingle peninsula. You just get this strange feeling about the people who were there thousands of years ago. It's been so interesting to learn about their belief systems that continue to affect us today.

"Another aspect of what it means to be Irish is to be connected to your ancient people, in my opinion. We still celebrate Samhain and St Bridget's Day in our modern calendar. We should learn to celebrate Patrick’s Day in a way that’s more authentic to us as Irish people, I feel."

It may not be a strictly political podcast, but How To Be Irish doesn’t shy away from the downsides of living in Ireland nowadays.

"I would love to challenge myself more and talk to guests whose takes I don’t necessarily agree with," Harty says, on whether a politician will appear on the podcast. "My podcast has a left-leaning lens, and I hope to challenge people’s ideas of Ireland and how it's developing into the future. I’d like to explore housing and homelessness, specifically how they affect the Irish psyche."

Kneecap, Michael D. Higgins, Bernadette Devlin, Tommy Tiernan, Emma Dabir and Mary Robinson are all on Úna’s ‘dream guest’ vision board.

"I’d love to connect with someone like Blindboy or Manchán Mangan. These brilliant thinkers who have already explored the idea of Irishness themselves. I’d like to climb inside their brains and find out what they really want to say. I like to dream big, because you might as well!"Úna laughs.

"My favourite part about journalism is the research and the conversation. I’d love for the podcast to be known as the go-to place to learn about Irish identity and culture."

Season one of How To Be Irish is out now.