Hidden Heartlands promoted to ‘global nation’ on US podcast

The Hidden Heartlands with all its tourist attributes is certain to receive future visitor attention after the Midlands region was the recent focus of the Irish Stew podcast aimed at the promotion of Ireland to a global audience.

The "conversation for the global Irish nation" podcast co-hosts John Lee and Martin Nutty visited Athlone and the wider Midlands for eight days prior to Christmas and have since relayed their experiences of the region to their growing global listenership.

The pair behind the podcast, based in New York, stayed in the Sheraton Hotel Athlone during their visit "our second road trip to Ireland", and met with a number of prominent locals in the town and further afield to gauge what makes the Hidden Heartlands a region to explore for visiting tourists.

Nutty, who left Ireland for the US at the age of 19, said one of the reason's behind the pair's decision to visit the Midlands was to highlight what the region has to offer international visitors.

"I view Ireland as 'doughnut focused' in terms of tourism. The major cities are on the coast so tourists tend to visit these places as opposed to travelling inland," Nutty said.

He said that that tourists should not just focus on visiting coastal counties but take the time to "visit the drive through counties" which all have "history and a story to tell".

"Some tourists might view the Midlands as drive-through country as they travel west from Dublin to the Wild Atlantic Way, but we found just a fraction of what they are missing in the Hidden Heartlands," the podcast pair said.

Co-host John Lee, who has a family connection to the Midlands, his grandmother Rose Kinahan hailed from Clara, said his "main takeaway" from visiting the Hidden Heartlands was the "sense of community" within all the towns and villages which they visited.

"From my perspective, the commitment to community was clearly evident. There are so many reasons to visit the Hidden Heartlands and we were both impressed by the ongoing revitalisation of the entire Midlands region," Lee added.

A "history buff", Nutty said it was "extraordinary" to "rub against the past" represented by Athlone Castle and Clonmacnoise.

"We also examined the roll which eskers played in the Midlands, while exploring the extraordinary biodiversity which the region had to offer. We simply just slowed down and immersed ourselves in the region during the course of our stay," Nutty said.

During their time in Athlone, they met with John Coffey, the proprietor of Michelin Bib Gourmand winning restaurant Thyme.

Nutty said that the food that Coffey produced for both podcast hosts was of "world class standard" and be worthy of paying "close to $500" for the privilege in New York.

"I can genuinely say it was the best meal I ate in 2025," Nutty stated.

Reflecting on the "sense of community", Lee acknowledged that Coffey's connection to his regular produce suppliers enabled local businesses to remain open.

"John has a sense of loyalty to his local community. He provides a venue for local businesses and creates such wonderful food from the produce delivered to him," Lee stated.

While in Athlone, they visited Sean's Bar, where they "explored the legend and lore of the country's oldest pub with official storyteller Timmy Donovan".

"Timmy flipped the calendar back to 900 AD when Luain Mac Luighdeach set up an inn on the banks of the Shannon which would evolve over the centuries into the Sean’s Bar of today," Lee said.

The podcast pair also availed of a walking tour of the town courtesy of Vincent Harney.

"Vincent peeled back the layers of the Athlone story from atop the town's Castle and while crossing the River Shannon, we trod the ancient streets back into the very heart of Irish history.

"Vincent revealed Athlone's surprising connections to the Titanic disaster with the sad tale of the ill-fated passenger Margaret Rice, whose body could only be identified by the shoes she wore, purchased from Parsons of Athlone in the red brick building that still stands today at the corner of Custume Place and Northgate Street.

"Our guided tour host definitely made a compelling case for visiting Athlone reminding us that 'the history of Ireland is here in Athlone'," Lee added.

Not content with promoting all that Athlone has to offer the visiting tourist, the pair next ventured to Banagher in Offaly, "the River Shannon providing the backdrop for most of our travels", where they met with local historian and 'That Beats Banagher' author James Scully "in the local church" and savoured the hospitality of JJ Hough's "singing pub" with Irish Racing Post journalist Mark Boylan.

Birr Castle Demesne was a reminder of "innovation" in the Midlands with the great telescope a "significant astronomical instrument" located on the grounds of the town's main tourist attraction.

"Built in the early 1840s, it was the largest telescope in the world at the time and remains a symbol of engineering and innovation," Nutty said.

Prior to their departure for the US, Nutty and Lee returned to the Westmeath countryside and a stop in Tyrrellspass where they explored Cloncrow Bog with community leader Eugene Dunbar.

Over the duration of their eight day tour of the Midlands region the podcast pair spoke with "almost two dozen guests".

"We captured stories about local history, organic farming, biodiversity, greenways, Shannon river cruising, farm-to-table dining, slow adventure travel, hospitality, archaeology, astronomy, entrepreneurship and civic pride, while also going into the landscape that shapes the Midlands region," Nutty added.

Entitled 'Off The Beaten Craic', the series of Hidden Heartlands focused podcasts are now available on the Irish Stew Podcast website.