Stefanie Preissner is back for a new season of ‘Basically.’ This season Stefanie will be taking all the recent news stories and making sense of them. The season has a fantastic lineup of guests including Neale Richmond, Hugh O’Connell and of course fan favourites Luke O’Neill & Robert Whelan. Basically started back in 2020, and in the past four years the show has become a HeadStuff fan favourite, featuring guests like Michael Martin and Ryan Tubridy.
Stefanie also has a brilliant lineup of guests on her exclusive HeadStuff+ bonus episodes. There will be laid-back behind-the-scenes chats with Pj Gallagher, Luke O’Neill and Stefanie’s husband Noel Byrne.
“I’m back, basically. Tune in. You’re gonna learn loads. I’m excited about this season and really grateful to our two wonderful sponsors for making this season possible.” – Stefanie Preissner
New episodes are out every Tuesday and can be found on HeadStuffPodcasts.com or wherever you get your podcasts.
This season of Basically is sponsored by Mater Private Network & Rockwell Financial.
To access bonus content and to support the show, become a member of HeadStuff+ from as little as €5 (+VAT) per month at here
‘Keep It Tight’ hosted by Deirdre O’Kane and Emma Doran is one of the latest chart-topping additions to HeadStuff Podcasts. For fans that just can’t get enough of the show, we have good news for you.
‘Thanks a Milf’ is the brand new bonus podcast from Deirdre O Kane and Emma Doran. If your Wednesday dose of ‘Keep It Tight’ isn’t quite enough, we’re thrilled to invite you to get on HeadStuff+ for a Friday installment of ‘Thanks a Milf.’
The first episode of ‘Thanks a Milf’ invites you behind the scenes as Deirdre shares the accident on the way to the Tommy Tiernan show that cost her €1600 as well as another brush with the law.
The girls also muse over the terror that is being a freelance ‘artiste’ with no pension. They’re also looking into the cult of men and their football injuries, some heartbreaking sports day stories, and that time when Emma realised who ‘The Gooch‘ was.
‘Our Keep It Tight listeners have been so brilliant – we wanted to say Thanks a Milf and create a space where we can delve even deeper, share a bit more of our personal lives and get to know our listeners a bit more.’ – Emma
‘We’re really looking forward to hearing from our listeners and what they’d like us to talk about.’- Deirdre
To access bonus content and to support the show, become a member of HeadStuff+ from as little as €5 (+VAT) per month at here
We’re in a world surrounded by tech and, in many ways, guided by tech, but how well does the average person understand it?
For Tech’s Sake is back to help listeners become more informed and conscious tech users. Now in its third season, the For Tech’s Sake podcast continues to dispel some of the myths, spin and scaremongering that comes from tech companies and news coverage. Season 3 also has an exciting new look with a new logo designed by Matt Mahon (Digital Director at HeadStuff).
This season of For Tech’s Sake will be the show’s biggest ever, delving under the hood of tech developments to sort the good from the bad and the messy in-between.
“A lot of the coverage and announcements around tech can be bombastic, making everything sound either really impressive or really scary, but we also like to look at the everyday tech that’s perfectly ordinary but also hugely important,” says For Tech’s Sake co-host and creator Elaine Burke.
“Tech can be incredibly powerful and useful, but it can also be stupid and useless too, and we’re not shy at all about calling it out when it is. We do our best to explain some complex topics and the hope is that people won’t feel too intimidated to then engage with tech on a deeper level,” she added.
As always, this season of For Tech’s Sake will call in experts to help, and listeners can expect many discussions around AI as well as sustainability, connected devices, health-tech, surveillance and even democracy.
“In our first season we spoke to a scientist who is now a UN advisor on AI, and our cybersecurity expert from last season has advised the EU and Europol, so we’ve set the bar high and continue to seek out world-class experts for people to learn from,” said co-host Jenny Darmody. “Watch this space for more exciting guests to come!”
With new episodes every fortnight season three of For Tech’s Sake will be packed with the things you should know about the world of tech, as well as bonus content for HeadStuff+ Community members where hosts Elaine and Jenny mull over the latest tech developments and media coverage, sorting the techin’ legends from the techin’ eejits.
“We see this podcast as an antidote to tech evangelism, but we’re also not complete pessimists,” said Elaine. “Tech is typically only as good or bad as its users, so the more we can help those users understand these technologies and their wider impact, the better.”
To access bonus content and discounts, and to support the show, become a member of HeadStuff+ from as little as €5 per month. Visit HeadStuffPodcasts.com
We are delighted to announce that we have a winner for our Join The Cast Competition. Join The Cast started back in October of 2023. We had over 100 submissions who submitted a 3-minute audio or video clip pitching their podcast idea. The entries were judged by a selection of big names in the podcast game, including Tony Cantwell (Tony Cantwell’s Hit Show), Naomi O’Leary (Irish Passport Podcast), and Gearoid Farrelly (Agony Rants), among others.
First Place: ‘Threads’
‘Threads’ hosted by Danielle Olavario is the winner of our first prize. Olavario’s show will ‘explore the intimate connections between people and their clothing.’ Each episode will feature engaging conversations with a diverse range of guests and aims to revive a sense of appreciation for our garments.
You can now look forward to threads joining the HeadStuff Podcast Network. The show has won an incredible €50,000 in production and marketing. This includes full production at The Podcast Studios, guidance from HeadStuff, and a full marketing campaign to launch the show.
‘I’m so excited to start working with HeadStuff on this project – and learning from the best in the business. I genuinely believe that we can trace the stories of our lives through clothes. The prevalence of fast fashion has made people wear things once and forget about them. But I think in doing that, we miss out on something special. This is what I’m so excited to do with Threads. It’s all about bringing back the magic to our clothes and showing how they’re more than just fabric – they’re part of our journey. The competition process has already been so rewarding, and I’ve already connected with some of my fellow finalists. I want to thank the people who voted and made this possible for me – especially my family. I can’t wait to get started!’ – Danielle Olavario
You can still listen to the full pilot of ‘Threads’ here
Second Place:
‘The Junior B Things Podcast’ hosted by James Mc Dowell came in at second place, winning the Deluxe Podcaster Package. The package includes a 1-hour consultation with our experts, 3 hours of recording in our premium studio, 3 hours of editing, and music supplied for the trailer and episode.
There are 100s of GAA podcasts, all of which look at analysing the big games. The Junior B Things Podcast has no interest in that. At its heart GAA is about the people within the community; everyday people that everyone in the club knows something about. This is a show about those people.
You can listen to the full pilot of ‘The Junior B Things Podcast’ here
Third Place:
Last but not least, ‘Freaks’ hosted by Sophie Hearne won the Podcaster Starter Package. This includes a 30-minute consultation with our experts, 1 hour of recording in the studio, and 1 hour of editing.
As an anthropologist Sophie is mad about all things human! We’re rather unique compared to the rest of the animal kingdom; we manufacture and keep pets, we cry when we’re sad, we document, and we choose not to walk around in the nip, we’re complete freaks of nature considering no other animal does any of the above! FREAKS is going to delve into all the weird and wonderful things us human beings do that no other animal does.
We are delighted to announce that this year HeadStuff is celebrating its 10th Anniversary. To celebrate this achievement we are bringing you back to the very start.
HeadStuff History
HeadStuff was founded by Alan Bennett in 2014. It started as a website, HeadStuff.org, that covered topics from literature and music, to film, computer games, and podcasts. Having become more and more interested in podcasts, Alan decided to make one himself, which was when The HeadStuff Podcast started. On the show, Alan interviewed an interesting or creative person on each episode and some big names were featured – starting with Jarlath Regan, whose podcast ‘An Irishman Abroad’ was one of the biggest at the time. If he’s honest, Alan would admit that the episode was really just him asking Jarlath how to make a podcast! Other episodes included Saul Williams, John Connolly, Annie Atkins, Kevin Barry, Arthur Matthews, Josie Long, Ken Early, B. Dolan, and Mary Morrissy.
The podcast did well and was a lot of fun, and it wasn’t long before the idea of a network started to look very appealing. Alan approached Gearoid Farrelly, who had an excellent podcast called Fascinated, and The HeadStuff Podcast Network was born. Now with a small, newly fitted-out recording studio, new shows were added to the network – some from HeadStuff.org editors (Juvenalia and NO ENCORE), and others by opening up to new applications (Double Love, In the Shower with Taz and Marcus, Personality Bingo with Tom Moran, and The Alison Spittle Show). The Network grew as new shows were developed (Motherfoclóir) and established ones were brought in (Dubland with PJ Gallagher and Suzanne Kane), and soon HeadStuff was the biggest podcast network in Ireland. In 2019, The Dublin Podcast Festival was created, in collaboration with Aiken Promotions, attracting international podcasting talent to Ireland, and the network continued to develop.
As the network grew, and with a podcast studio available, HeadStuff became increasingly involved in working with people outside the network to make podcasts. When the legendary Dublin recording studio, Westland Studios, became available, HeadStuff took the leap and spent the best part of a year refurbishing it and turning it into The Podcast Studios as we know it today.
From the 80s-themed Blog Awards at which we won our first award. (Alan Bennett, Paddy O’Leary, Matt Mahon)
HeadStuff 10 Years On
10 years on, HeadStuff has been awarded Ireland’s best podcast network at The Irish Podcast Awards in 2023. Along with the big win, HeadStuff Podcasts were nominated across five categories: best comedy, best entertainment, best factual, best wellbeing, and best interview. We have also added some great new shows to the network including ‘Young Hot Guys’, ‘Keep It Tight’, and ‘The Baby Tribe.’ The exciting news is there is more where that came from!
‘It is a pleasure to be the Network Coordinator for HeadStuff at its 10th anniversary. For 10 years HeadStuff has been at the forefront of Irish Podcasting, offering high-quality production and bringing some of the best Irish podcasts to life. At the moment, I am working on some very exciting things behind the scenes and there’s plenty more to come from HeadStuff!’ – Hilary Barry (Network Coordinator)
‘If I had told my mother in 2014 that in ten years time I’d be running a respected podcast and media company with ten employees, she’d have said, as she said many times back then… “what exactly are you doing?” And to be honest, while I told her at the time what I thought I was doing, even 2014 me would have been fairly surprised if you told him we’d be here. So that’s all to the good. I’m pretty proud of what we’ve achieved. I love my friends who came along with me and the friends I’ve made along the way. And I’m excited to see where we are in another ten years.’ Alan Bennett (CEO)
We have officially come to the final stage in the HeadStuff ‘Join The Cast’ competition. This means that you can have your say on which podcast should be crowned the ‘Join The Cast’ 2024 winner. The winner will have a full season produced here at HeadStuff Podcasts for you to enjoy.
The successful podcast will be awarded €50,000 in production and marketing. This includes full podcast production at The Podcast Studios, a marketing campaign to launch the show, and guidance from our amazing team.
To vote, you must simply listen to each trailer and/or pilot produced for our 5 finalists:
FREAKS by Sophie Hearne
As an anthropologist Sophie is mad about all things human! We’re rather unique compared to the rest of the animal kingdom; we manufacture and keep pets, we cry when we’re sad, we document, and we choose not to walk around in the nip, we’re complete freaks of nature considering no other animal does any of the above! FREAKS is going to delve into all the weird and wonderful things us human beings do that no other animal does.
The Junior B Things Podcast by James McDowell
There are 100s of GAA podcasts, all of which look at analysing the big games. The Junior B Things Podcast has no interest in that. At its heart GAA is about the people within the community; everyday people that everyone in the club knows something about. This is a show about those people.
Scanrach by Cherise Hanvey and Kori Schagunn
Cherise Hanvey is a paranormal investigator with over 15 years experience. She has travelled around Ireland visiting Ireland’s most haunted places. Kori Schagunn is a comedian and improviser who has a keen interest in the paranormal but doesn’t know the first thing about it. Join Scanrach as they visit, discuss, and investigate Ireland’s most haunted places and spooky folklore.
Threads by Danielle Olavario
Through engaging conversations with a diverse range of guests, Stitches will explore the intimate connections between people and their clothing. By highlighting these personal stories, the podcast aims to revive a sense of appreciation for our garments, urging listeners to view them not as mere commodities but as tangible records of the human experience.
Who’s in a Name by Ben Butler
Our name is the thing that is most unique to us. It is how we are branded at birth, and it is our interface with the world. In this podcast, we’ll cover the phenomena of naming people, places and things.
To vote visit click here and give each trailer a star rating. And if you would like to listen to a full pilot just search ‘Join The Cast’ on your podcast platform of choice!
