When I saw Ireland with Michael was being hosted at a venue near me, I was excited — until I realized I would be out of town that day. Undaunted, I got the next best thing: an interview with Michael Londra.
Originally from Wexford, Ireland, Londra is an internationally known Irish singer, theater producer and television host of Ireland with Michael on PBS. Coming from a family of musicians, it seemed a path in entertainment was natural. In 1998 he was cast as lead tenor in Riverdance on Broadway. Next came many projects as a producer and performer.
In 2021 Londra debuted Ireland with Michael, a PBS travel and music show. Both host and producer, Londra travels around the Emerald Isle sharing his love of his native land through music.
Prior to recording the interview, Londra revealed he lived for several years just a couple miles away from me on the Near North Side of Chicago. It was just one more reason for me to like him.
Early in the interview, I was a bit surprised to learn why he ended his run in Riverdance, but by the end, I totally understood his reasons. While he enjoyed his time in the role, his heart was elsewhere.
His passion eventually led him to the television show and tours of his beloved native land. The thing I enjoy most about his show is it isn’t aimed at typical tourist spots in Ireland. Londra finds off-the-radar spots. From our brief talk about Chicago, I knew he had a knack for finding such spots, and he proves it on every episode of Ireland with Michael. In our interview he also gave tips on how to find such places.
Londra discussed all of this, but my biggest takeaway from the interview was his love of Ireland and sharing his love. This is what makes his show a success. He is neither a generic host nor a salesman. He simply shows viewers pieces of Ireland knowing we will love it, too. The beautiful music of the show is a big added bonus.
Talking Travel is an interview series on Global Traveler. Subscribe to the GT YouTube channel to be notified of all future interviews and other travel-related videos.
— John Wroblewski, online writer
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