FOR more than 20 years, Alan O’Leary has been giving independent folk and traditional artists a consistent, global platform.
He has dedicated his life to Irish music. It’s what he does.
Originally from Dublin and raised in London from the age of 10, O’Leary is best known as the driving force behind Copperplate, the long-running mail-order business and promotional hub for Irish traditional music.
But in recent years, it is his podcasts that have become his most far-reaching work.
At the heart of that output is Copperplate Time, a weekly 90-minute show that blends Irish trad with what O’Leary himself describes as a touch of “mischief” — a mix of personal favourites, deep cuts and unexpected gems.
Alan O'Leary preparing for his podcastRunning for over 500 episodes, the programme is available around the clock via his website and reaches an estimated 30,000 listeners worldwide.
Alongside it sits the monthly Copperplate Podcast, a tighter, hour-long programme focused squarely on promoting albums available through Copperplate.
Typically running at around 60–70 minutes, it showcases Irish traditional music from some of the country’s top musicians and singers, many of them working on independent labels.
All featured recordings are distributed and promoted through Copperplate, which has long specialised in Irish trad, with listeners able to explore and purchase titles directly via the website, complete with sound samples and catalogue details.
That mission has its roots in his earlier career. O’Leary cut his teeth with Green Linnet, the influential American label specialising in Irish and world music, eventually becoming its European manager.
Under his watch, the UK grew into the label’s second-largest market — a sign, even then, of his instinct for audience-building.
When that chapter ended, he established Copperplate more than 30 years ago, determined to continue promoting artists who might otherwise struggle for visibility. There was, he realised, a wealth of high-quality music being produced, but much of it was going unheard.
His solution was practical as much as passionate: if people could hear the music, they might buy it. From there came Copperplate Consultants, working to bring Irish trad into retail spaces and media channels with a level of professionalism that was often lacking at the time.
The podcasts are a natural evolution of that thinking. Distributed across platforms including Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud, Mixcloud and others, they also reach listeners via Live Ireland, which broadcasts Copperplate Time three times a week — Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8pm GMT — to a dedicated global audience.
O’Leary himself is no stranger to broadcasting, having previously worked with CMR Radio and Spyda Radio, experience that continues to shape the tone and delivery of his shows. Warm, informal and deeply knowledgeable, his style has helped build a loyal listenership that now spans continents.
Recognition has followed. The shows were recently ranked No.1 UK Indie Music Podcast and No.3 in Best Irish Music Podcasts by the FeedSpot podcast listings — a notable achievement in an increasingly crowded field.
Yet the tone of the programmes remains distinctly personal. O’Leary’s selections are shaped as much by his own musical wanderings as by any commercial imperative, giving the shows a warmth and authenticity that listeners clearly value.
For O’Leary, his purpose, his life, has never really changed: making sure good Irish music, wherever it comes from, gets the audience it deserves. And if you want to hear Alan O’Leary live (he plays the flute) he presides over the Tuesday night seisiún at The South London Irish Centre, in Wimbledon.
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