Listen to our most recent episode:

Wednesday, December 19, 2018

Podcast 304: In The Jailhouse Now

On this podcast, we tour the only prison in the Faroe Islands and find it differs greatly from prisons in the United States and elsewhere. We also talk about the Scandinavian theory of incarceration and how it is derived from restorative justice practices from (wait for it) Native Americans. This show is a fascinating look at the Faroes from an angle we don't usually see.

You can listen on Apple Podcasts, on our media player in this post, and just about anywhere you find podcasts, You can also download the show directly here.

If you want to hear the raw audio from our tour of the prison, you can get that here.

Finally, if you're interested in reserving a copy of the book Matthew has written, you can do that here. 

Monday, November 19, 2018

Podcast 303: Filming the Faroes




On this week's podcast, we talk to Michael Raimondo, he's the director at Green Renaissance, a production company based in South Africa. Green Renaissance is in the process of producing a series of short films about people in the Faroe Islands and the first four are already out. The first is embedded at the top of this post, the other three can be found here, here, and here.

We talk to Michael about how he and his team became interested in the Faroe Islands and how he met the people featured in the films.

Then we travel to the northernmost village in the Faroes and wait for a fleeting moment of beauty.

During out interview, Michael makes reference to a blog called My Faroe Islands. You can find that blog here.

As always, you can listen on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher Smart Radio, Spotify, the media player at the bottom of this post, and pretty much anywhere quality podcasts are given away for free. You can also download the show directly here.


Thursday, November 8, 2018

Podcast 302: Faroese Olympic Dreams


On this week's podcast, we talk to Jon Hestoy about the Faroese campaign for recognition by the International Olympic Committee. While Faroese athletes can compete in scores of international competitions under their own flag, including World Cup qualifying football (soccer) matches sanctioned by FIFA, they can't compete in the Olympics. Hestoy is leading the drive to change that. We'll talk about the challenges involved with being a small nation trying to influence a large sportocracy .

After that, we'll go to Klaksvik and listen to the wind whistle through a chain-link fence.

As always, you can listen on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher Smart Radio, Spotify, and really anywhere you get your podcasts. You can also listen on the media player at the bottom on this post, or you can download the show directly here.

Wednesday, September 26, 2018

Podcast 301: Podcast about a book that has a one-character title and that character doesn't exist on an English keyboard.


On our first episode of the new season of the Faroe Islands Podcast, we talk to author Siri Rannvá Hjelm Jacobsen about her novel "Ø" which draws heavily from her own experiences visiting extended family in the Faroe Islands.

Then we'll head outside and check out the newest traffic light in Torshavn. Could it be the shape of things to come?

As always, you can listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play, and anywhere quality podcasts are given away for free. You can also listen on the media player below or download the show directly here.


Tuesday, July 10, 2018

Podcast 300!


This show is a special event recorded live in Torshavn. We recount the early days of the podcast with the people who were there. Then we hear some wonderful live music from Gudrid Hansdottir.
You can listen in all the normal places, or download the show directly here.

Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Podcast 298: TYR in America, 2018

Photo credit: Gale Benning
Faroese metal band TYR is touring North America and we catch up with bandleader Heri Joensen during his band's swing through Portland, Oregon. We talk about touring in America verses Europe, the protesters who have shown up to some of his concerts and, of course, theology.

As always, you can listen on Apple Podcasts, on our media player on Stitcher Smart Radio, and at the Google Play Store. You can also download the show directly here.

Also, we're still raising funds for our next series of podcasts. If you're able to help out, please head on over to our gofundme page and show us some love.

Wednesday, May 16, 2018

Podcast 297: Niels Finsen, Fundraising, and looking forward to 300

Photo Credit: Arne List
This week, we've got a bite-sized podcast where we visit a memorial to Niels Finsen, the first Nordic person to win a Nobel Prize and the only Faroese person to receive that honor.

We also launch our 2018 fundraising drive. We're raising money to fund another season of podcasts, and we'd like your help. If you have the means, please visit out gofundme page and toss a couple of bucks into the tip jar.

Also, we're making plans for our 300th Podcast. We'll record it during a special live event in Torshavn on July 9th. Admission is free, so if you'd like to attend, check out the event page on Facebook and join us for a night of storytelling, music and a few surprises.

As always, you can listen on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher Smart Radio, or the Google Play Store. You can also directly download the show here.

Wednesday, April 4, 2018

Podcast 295: Maurice and Vikingur

This week we catch up with Scottish footballer Maurice Ross. When we spoke to him last in 2017, Maurice was managing a new football (or soccer, if you're American) team on the southern island of Suduroy. Now he's taken the coaching job at Vikingur, a team that has won the league two years in a row.

Maurice talks to Ras 2 journalist Trondur Arge about the move to Gota and the challenges of managing a team where finishing second is considered a failure. This interview is an excerpt of a much longer conversation on Ras 2. You can hear the full conversation here.

We also hang out at a construction site in Klaksvik and imagine what a new city center might look like. And at the top of the show, we offer congratulations to Visit Faroe Islands and Atlantic Airways for winning a prestigious advertising award for their Faroe Islands Translate campaign.

Oh yes, and we also talk about TYR's big tour in North America this spring. You can learn more about TYR's North American tour here.

As always, you can listen on our media player, on Stitcher, on Apple Podcasts and the Google Play store. You can also download the show directly here.

Friday, March 16, 2018

Podcast 294: Mikkeller comes to Torshavn

Photo credit: Pi Performance Photography
Mikkeller is a Danish brewer who has popularized the craft beer movement in Europe. They operate a small number of pubs in cities like Tokyo, San Francisco, and Bangkok. So it raised a few eyebrows when Mikkeller announced they were opening a pub in Torshavn.

On this podcast, we attend the grand opening of Mikkeller Torshavn and talk about the massive changes happening in Torshavn over the past year.

As always, you can listen on Apple Podcasts, on the Google Play app, on Stitcher Smart Radio, and on our media player at the top of the page. You can also download the show directly here.

Tuesday, February 27, 2018

Podcast 293: Faroese Team, Icelandic Manager

This week, we talk to Heimir Guðjónsson, an Icelandic football (soccer) manager who has just taken the top job at HB in Torshavn. HB is kind of like the New York Yankees of Manchester United: a storied team with a packed trophy case that is pretty much despised by anyone who doesn't live within 5 miles of the stadium. HB is the only team in the Faroese top flight that hasn't been relegated, and its fans expect nothing less than a championship each year. Who would take a job managing a team like that? Ras 2 reporter Trondur Arge will ask Heimir that and a whole lot more.

Then we'll stand on a stretch of road in Torshavn that was a popular hangout for teenagers. And because we stood there, no teenagers will ever stand there again.

As always, you can listen on Apple Podcasts or Google Play or Stitcher Smart Radio or anywhere where quality podcasts are given away for free. You can also download the show directly here.

Monday, February 19, 2018

Podcast 292: Faroese Footballer of the Year

Photo Credit: Meinhardt Joensen
On this week's podcast, we attend the Faroese Footballer of the Year ceremony in Torshavn. The Faroe Islands is arguably the most football-mad country in Europe, with about 10% of the population either playing in or attending matches each week. As you can imagine, they take their football awards seriously, too.

We'll talk to two players who took home a lot of trophies. One traveled from Africa to play in the Faroes. The other had a baby in the off-season.

You can listen on Apple Podcasts, the Google Play store, or on Stitcher Smart Radio. Or you can download the show directly here.

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Podcast 291: HOYMA, Part 2

Photo courtesy of Kaj Bergmann, Pi Performance Photography
This week, we continue our coverage of the HOYMA Festival. We'll hear music from Son of Fortune (pictured, above), Elinborg, and TOS. We'll also talk to Benjamin about his solo career, starting Son of Fortune, and how his father influenced him musically.

Then we'll dance late into the night and offer some advice on attending HOYMA for anyone who might be interested.

As always, you can listen on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher Smart Radio, Google Play, you you can download the show directly here.

Also, you might notice a clicking sound in a lot of our music recordings. If you'd like to see the photos that were being taken (hint: you want to see them, they're quite good) you can see the gallery of photos from that night here.

Wednesday, January 3, 2018

Podcast 290 HOYMA, Part 1

Photo courtesy of Kaj Bergmann, Pi Performance Photography

This week, we travel to the HOYMA festival in Gota. HOYMA takes place over a single night and includes ten artists playing two shows each in people's living rooms.

On part one of our coverage, we talk to Lyon (pictured above) and hear some of his music, as well as songs from Flemming Peterson and Martin Joensen.

As always, you can listen on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher Smart Radio, or you can download the show directly here.

If you want to see a great photo gallery from HOYMA, check out this one.