Podcast
80 Days: An Exploration Podcast
Hosted by Luke Kelly, Joe Byrne, Mark Boyle · EN
80 Days is a podcast dedicated to exploring little-known countries, territories settlements and cities around the world. We're part history podcast, part geography podcast and part ramble.
Each episode, we'll land in a new locale and spend some time discussing the history, geography, culture, sport, religion, industry, pastimes and music of our new location.
More details on www.80dayspodcast.com, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram @80dayspodcast | Support us on www.patreon.com/80dayspodcast
12episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Minisode: The Jingle Bells Story (Christmas 2025)
Dec 21Tap to summarizeFull shownotes at www.80dayspodcast.com/jinglebells | Support: www.patreon.com/80dayspodcast In this episode of 80 Days: An Exploration Podcast, we're exploring the story behind the writer of the most well-known secular Christmas song: Jingle Bells, and some of its surprising backstory. We also reflect on whether AI will replace Luke, Mark or Joe first, and take on the now-traditional festive quiz where Luke tests how much trivia from our back-catalogue we can recall. From all of us, have a very merry festive season, and we'll see you in 2026. Your hosts, as always, are Luke Kelly @thelukejkelly in Ireland, Mark Boyle @markboyle86 in Canada, and Joe Byrne @anbeirneach in Ireland . (Theme music by Thomas O'Boyle @thatthomasfella)
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Ceuta (S6.10)
May 23, 2025Tap to summarizeFull shownotes at www.80dayspodcast.com/ceuta | Support: www.patreon.com/80dayspodcast n this episode of 80 Days: An Exploration Podcast we’ll be talking about the autonomous city of Ceuta -- Spanish exclave, military post, and free port on the coast of Morocco, at the Mediterranean entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar. Ceuta, Melilla (also an exclave), and other tiny islets along the coast of North Africa constitute the territories of Spanish North Africa. The city is on a narrow isthmus that connects Mount Hacho (also held by Spain) to the mainland. Mount Hacho has been identified as possibly the southern Pillar of Heracles, of the ancient Mediterranean world. Ceuta was controlled by the Muslim Umayyad Dynasty up to 1415, and then changed hands a number of times over the 15th and 16th Centuries. It played an important role in the Spanish Civil War, and gained its modern autonomous status in 1995. Ceuta’s land area is only about 18.5 square kilometres or 7 square miles, making it among the smallest places we’ve ever talked about, and has a population of around 80,000, similar to Andorra, the Isle of Man or the US Virgin Islands. Your hosts, as always, are Luke Kelly @thelukejkelly in Wexford, Ireland, Mark Boyle @markboyle86 in Toronto, Canada, and Joe Byrne @anbeirneach in Dublin, Ireland. Our theme music and other stings come from Thomas O’Boyle @thatthomasfella.
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Shetland (S6.09)
Feb 28, 2025Tap to summarizeFull shownotes at www.80dayspodcast.com/shetland | Support: www.patreon.com/80dayspodcast In this episode of 80 Days: An Exploration Podcast we’ll be talking about Shetland, a group of about 100 islands, fewer than 20 of them inhabited, in Scotland, 210 km (130 miles) north of the Scottish mainland, at the northern extremity of the United Kingdom, around 340km or 210 miles from Norway. The islands total around 1,500 km2 (or 560 sq mi), making them similar in size to the nearby Faroe Islands, American Samoa or Gran Canaria. Among the settlements on Mainland, the largest island, is Scalloway, a fishing port. Lerwick, also on Mainland, is the islands’ largest town and commercial and administrative centre. The early history of the islands is dominated by the influence of the Vikings, who settled here in the 9th Century. From the 14th century, it was incorporated into the Kingdom of Scotland, and later into the United Kingdom. The climate is generally windy, cloudy and often wet, with rain falling on more than 250 days a year, and average low temperatures a little above 1 °C (34 °F) in winter and around 14 °C (57 °F) in summer. Your hosts, as always, are Luke Kelly @thelukejkelly in Wexford, Ireland, Mark Boyle @markboyle86 in Toronto, Canada, and Joe Byrne @anbeirneach in Dublin, Ireland. Our theme music and other stings come from Thomas O’Boyle @thatthomasfella.
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Minisode: Christmas Quizzes 2024
Dec 23, 2024Tap to summarizeFull shownotes at www.80dayspodcast.com/christmas2024 | Support: www.patreon.com/80dayspodcast In this episode of 80 Days: An Exploration Podcast, we have some trivia about winter celebrations around the world and also conduct our now-traditional Christmas quiz. We'll see you in 2025 with the rest of Season 6. Your hosts, as always, are Luke Kelly @thelukejkelly in Ireland, Mark Boyle @markboyle86 in Canada, and Joe Byrne @anbeirneach in Ireland . (Theme music by Thomas O'Boyle @thatthomasfella)
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Socotra (S6.08)
Dec 6, 2024Tap to summarizeFull shownotes at www.80dayspodcast.com/socotra | Support: www.patreon.com/80dayspodcast In this episode of 80 Days: An Exploration Podcast we’ll be talking about the Central American country Socotra, an island in the Indian Ocean, lying between the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea. It lies 380 kilometres (205 nautical miles) south of the Arabian Peninsula and 240 kilometres (130 nautical miles) east of Somalia. Geographically part of Africa, it has historically been an extremely isolated island due to the monsoon winds that make it difficult to reach for large parts of the year. This isolation has resulted in unique plant and animal life, with the island harbouring many species which went extinct elsewhere tens of thousands of years ago, and It has been described as "the most alien-looking place on Earth" Your hosts, as always, are Luke Kelly @thelukejkelly in Wexford, Ireland, Mark Boyle @markboyle86 in Toronto, Canada, and Joe Byrne @anbeirneach in Dublin, Ireland. Our theme music and other stings come from Thomas O’Boyle @thatthomasfella.
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Belize (S6.07)
Oct 3, 2024Tap to summarizeFull shownotes at www.80dayspodcast.com/belize | Support: www.patreon.com/80dayspodcast In this episode of 80 Days: An Exploration Podcast we’ll be talking about the Central American country Belize, formerly known as British Honduras. This small country on the Yucatan Peninsula. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. This region was a stronghold of the Maya Heartland from around 1500BC up to the arrival of Europeans, namely the Spanish, in the 1600s. A tussle between Spain and Britain developed in subsequent decades, and Belize became a British colony in 1840, and a Crown colony in 1862, before achieving full independence in 1981. The country has an area of 22,970 square kilometres (8,867 sq mi) and a population of just over 410,000, making it similar in size to Wales, Djibouti or the US state of New Jersey, but the least densely populated nation in Central America. This is a very diverse place, ecologically, culturally and linguistically. The official language is English, but there are many other communities such as Maya, Garifuna, Creoles and even Mennonites, who speak a variety of tongues. Belize has over 400 islands or Cays off its coastline, as well as one of the world’s largest marine sinkholes, the Blue Hole, which is 318 m (1,043 ft) across and extends to a depth of 124 m (407 ft). The country also boasts the second largest barrier reef in the world after the one everyone's heard of in Australia. Your hosts, as always, are Luke Kelly @thelukejkelly in Wexford, Ireland, Mark Boyle @markboyle86 in Toronto, Canada, and Joe Byrne @anbeirneach in Dublin, Ireland. Our theme music and other stings come from Thomas O’Boyle @thatthomasfella.
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Wellington, New Zealand (S6.06)
Jul 4, 2024Tap to summarizeLISTENER SURVEY: https://forms.gle/E4DYKT3fZKAVpQeH6 Full shownotes at www.80dayspodcast.com/wellington | Support: www.patreon.com/80dayspodcast In this episode of 80 Days: An Exploration Podcast we’ll be talking about Wellington, New Zealand. Located at the south end of the country’s North Island, Wellington is the third largest city, and capital of New Zealand. Your hosts, as always, are Luke Kelly @thelukejkelly in Dublin, Ireland, Mark Boyle @markboyle86 in Toronto, Canada, and Joe Byrne @anbeirneach in Dublin, Ireland. Our theme music and other stings come from Thomas O’Boyle @thatthomasfella. We also had a huge amount of help from Thomas Rillstone for this episode. He's the legend behind the History of Aotearoa New Zealand Podcast.
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Montserrat, Spain (S6.05)
May 10, 2024Tap to summarizeLISTENER SURVEY: https://forms.gle/E4DYKT3fZKAVpQeH6 Full shownotes at www.80dayspodcast.com/montserrat | Support: www.patreon.com/80dayspodcast In this episode of 80 Days: An Exploration Podcast, In this episode of 80 Days: An Exploration Podcast we’ll be talking about Montserrat in Catalonia, Spain, a spectacular mountain range not far from Barcelona. Your hosts, as always, are Luke Kelly @thelukejkelly in Dublin, Ireland and Joe Byrne @anbeirneach in Dublin, Ireland, joined in this epiosde by John Killeen in Hastings, UK.
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Aaland (S6.04)
Mar 4, 2024Tap to summarizeFull shownotes at www.80dayspodcast.com/aland | Support: www.patreon.com/80dayspodcast In this episode of 80 Days: An Exploration Podcast, we’ll be talking about Åland, an autonomous and demilitarized archipelago of Finland, which lies between Finland and Sweden, although it is closer to the latter by around 20km. Åland (which can also be spelled Aaland) is the smallest region of Finland by both area (1,580 km2 or 610 sq mi) and population (30,000), constituting around half a percent of Finland's land area and half a percent of its population. Despite being Finnish, the only official language is Swedish and the capital city is Mariehamn. Aaland is made up of around 6,700 islands, making it one of the world's largest archipelagos. Your hosts, as always, are Luke Kelly @thelukejkelly in Ireland, Mark Boyle @markboyle86 in the UK, and Joe Byrne @anbeirneach in Ireland . (Theme music by Thomas O'Boyle @thatthomasfella)
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Burkina Faso (S6.03)
Feb 6, 2024Tap to summarizeFull shownotes at www.80dayspodcast.com/burkina-faso | Support: www.patreon.com/80dayspodcast In this episode of 80 Days: An Exploration Podcast, we’ll be talking about Burkina Faso (formerly the French Upper Volta), a landlocked country in West Africa bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d'Ivoire to the southwest. As of 2021, the country had an estimated population of just over 20,000,000. Total land area is around 274,000 km² (or roughly 106,000 sq mi), making it slightly smaller than Italy, slightly larger than New Zealand or the US state of Colorado. Burkina Faso has a primarily tropical climate with two very distinct seasons, wet and dry. Its northern regions are in the Sahel, making them very dry and arid, while the more southern regions are cooler and more tropical. The Mossi people, which still dominates the country today, moved into the region around 1100, and still makes up around 50% of the ethnic population. These were a tribal, agrarian society with a love of horses. In 1896, it was colonized by the French as part of French West Africa; in 1958, a new nation named Upper Volta became a self-governing colony within the French Community. In 1960, it gained full independence with Maurice Yaméogo as president. However, since then the country has struggled to maintain political stability, with political coups or uprisings taking place in 1966, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1987, and twice in 2022. Your hosts, as always, are Luke Kelly @thelukejkelly in Ireland, Mark Boyle @markboyle86 in the UK, and Joe Byrne @anbeirneach in Ireland . (Theme music by Thomas O'Boyle @thatthomasfella)
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