Paul O'Mahony

Stockholm

Editorial Product Manager at The Local (Europe)

Editorial product manager @thelocaleurope. Producer and presenter @swedeninfocus. Mostly on Mastodon @[email protected]

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Articles

Ask the expert: What makes Sweden such a coffee culture?

1 week ago | thelocal.se | Paul O'Mahony

Our guest this week is also a specialist on coffee, the hot drink of choice in a country where the habit of consuming coffee and cake is so ingrained that it has sparked global interest in Swedish fika culture. But just how central is fika to social and workplace life in Sweden, what’s the quality of the coffee like in comparison to other countries, and why are Swedes so loyal to the regional coffee brands that are dotted around the country?
Boost your Swedish and test your Sweden knowledge with The Local Games

2 weeks ago | thelocal.se | Paul O'Mahony

When we asked Membership+ subscribers what they’d like to see us add to The Local, many called for the addition of games and puzzles. We heeded the call and recently launched Games as part of Membership+. Whether you want to boost your Swedish skills, train your numerical brain, or test your news knowledge – we’ve got you covered. For example, you can improve your Swedish with WordroW, where you get six guesses to reveal the word of the day.
What can foreigners in Sweden expect from the economy in 2025?

2 weeks ago | thelocal.se | Paul O'Mahony

With the Swedish economy still in a difficult place, The Local's Becky Waterton asks SEB economist Américo Fernández what the outlook is like for the country as a whole, and for households in Sweden, in the coming months and beyond. What do recent Swedish currency gains mean for foreigners in Sweden? What’s useful for immigrants to think about when saving for pensions? How should couples with unequal incomes think about their savings in Sweden?
Will Sweden's 'poor conduct' law muzzle immigrants?

2 weeks ago | thelocal.se | Paul O'Mahony

In this week's episode we talk about the government’s push to eject more immigrants for bad behaviour, and we have an interview with migration minister Johan Forssell on attracting and retaining highly skilled workers. We also hear from Américo Fernández, an SEB economist and personal finance expert, on how foreigners in Sweden can navigate difficult times in the Swedish economy.
Is your Swedish good enough for university? - Quiz 6

3 weeks ago | thelocal.se | Paul O'Mahony

It’s time again to learn some Swedish as our panelists try their hand at the tricky vocabulary section of högskoleprovet, the Swedish university entrance exam. Host Paul O’Mahony in Stockholm is joined this week from Malmö by The Local's Emma Löfgren and James Savage. READ ALSO: SWEDISH TEST: Can you pass the vocab part of Sweden's version of the SAT?
Why immigrant tech workers are challenging Sweden on citizenship

3 weeks ago | thelocal.se | Paul O'Mahony

In this week's episode we have an interview with an American tech worker who has launched an initiative urging the government to reconsider its plans to tighten citizenship requirements. Our panelists also discuss why Swedish politicians in Brussels have fought tooth and nail to retain the right for 15-year-old Swedes to drive extremely slowly in car-like contraptions on Swedish roads.
'Sweden has had a horrible time integrating newcomers'

4 weeks ago | thelocal.se | Paul O'Mahony

“Everybody needs to understand this country to survive, to be successful and possibly even happy. And so you need a roadmap and a compass to manoeuvre in society. It doesn’t mean that you have to like every bit, but you do have to understand how it works,” the author and historian Lars Trägårdh tells The Local’s Nordic editor Richard Orange in a wide-ranging and fascinating conversation.
OPINION: Swedish media must get better at covering immigrant perspectives

1 month ago | thelocal.se | Paul O'Mahony

For almost two decades rejected asylum seekers have taken the only legal recourse available to them – thanks to the country’s “track change” programme (spårbyte) they could stay in the country on a work permit as long as they managed to secure employment. On March 12th this pathway to residency disappeared when politicians voted in the Riksdag to abolish the option.
Why thousands of foreign workers risk expulsion from Sweden

1 month ago | thelocal.se | Paul O'Mahony

In this week's episode our panelists discuss two stories affecting work permit holders after parliament voted through a new law targeting former asylum seekers for expulsion from Sweden and Northvolt filed for bankruptcy. We also ask if Sweden should be doing more to involve immigrants in the construction of a cultural canon that could be used for citizenship tests.
'My background sometimes gives me an advantage over Swedish colleagues'

1 month ago | thelocal.se | Paul O'Mahony

Having grown up a member of Pakistan's Christian minority, Saba Wallace says she was faced with a choice over how to approach the world. "I have always been mindful of the fact that I can do it two ways. I can either think that I don't belong anywhere, or I can take it more as an advantage: that I belong everywhere." In some cases her background has even given her an edge over Swedish colleagues when dealing for example with human rights groups in Asia or Africa, she says.