The Deirdre O'Shaughnessy Podcast
The Deirdre O'Shaughnessy Podcast offers a deeper look into the stories that matter, drawing on the reporting of the Irish Examiner. It covers a wide range of topics, from local Cork courts to global affairs and compelling personal stories. The show features interviews with award-winning journalists and exclusive voices, providing perspectives not available elsewhere. Listeners can expect thoughtful analysis and behind-the-scenes insights into major news events.
Episodes
Bessborough survivor Cindi Bonny on the death of her baby Zoei in 1994
"They put the pressure on while I was pregnant.""But after, it was like, he'd be better off without you, and he deserves better. He'd end up with some lovely family that could bring him up and look after him and he could become a doctor one day."... I was constantly told that a mother like me, a person like me, shouldn't have a child. Because at the time I would have had Indian ink up my arms and
Finding a home for RTÉ Cork, with Donal O'Keeffe
More than a year after RTÉ Cork employees were promised new, state-of the-art studios and offices, co-location talks with Cork City Council have broken down. A planned move to the Counting House complex now seems unlikely, given the recent announcement that the complex will be home to the new City Library. The RTÉ Cork building at Fr Mathew Street is home to the RTÉ Today Show, the
Behind closed doors in the family law courts with Lisa-Ann Wilkinson
What goes on in family courts is a mystery to most people – except those who are part of the proceedings.The in-camera rule means there is very limited reporting of family law cases, with nobody ever identified.But a new campaign argues that this rule can protect abusers – while the courts are being weaponised by the same abusive spouses that victims are trying to escape from.Lisa Ann Wilkinson is
Sex for rent is finally made illegal, with Ann Murphy
The exploitation of vulnerable women for sex in exchange for housing was first highlighted by reporter Ann Murphy in 2020.Young migrant workers with limited English and no network and Ukrainians fleeing the war were among those Ann spoke to in her reporting who had fallen victim. She identified cases all over Ireland, including towns like Newcastlewest, Dungarvan and Kinsale.After a major Irish Ex
Heatwaves, El Nino and coping with our changing climate with Joanna Donnelly
Heatwaves have always happened, but in the context of our changing climate and an El Nino year, how do we cope, and what do we need to do?Meteorologist and author Joanna Donnelly is the guest on today's podcast, explaining the terms we use around unseasonal weather and what El Nino means for our weather.Heatwave could cost taxpayers millions more as melting roads force changes to resurfacing
Grace Lynch’s parents on death threats, online abuse and their campaign for road safety reform
16 year old Grace Lynch was killed by a scrambler bike in January, while out walking near her home in Dublin.Her heartbroken parents Siobhán and Martin immediately embarked on a campaign to ensure nobody would suffer as they had, seeking legal changes to take scrambler bikes and e-scooters out of the hands of children.Their campaign has already forced the introduction of Grace’s Law, banning the u
Jamey Carney and the alarming rise in femicide in Ireland, with Liz Dunphy
American mother of one Jamey Carney is the eighth woman to die violently in Ireland this year.Her body was discovered in her Killarney home just one day after that of Adina Constantin in Portlaoise, whose husband has been charged in connection with her death. Gardaí have launched an international manhunt in their investigation into Ms Carney’s killing.Since the murder of Ashling Murphy in 2022 pro
Adopted from Bessborough – Dominic Finn’s story
With Bessborough in the news due to controversial building plans, those who survived the notorious institution are telling their stories in unprecedented numbers. Cork County Councillor Dominic Finn is one of three ‘Bessborough babies’ who sits on the local authority – a remarkable statistic, but one that he believes just shows how common adoption was in Ireland in the 1970s.In today’s episod
An Irishwoman’s Diary Episode 12: A ‘militant’ lesbian nun who made history - Bridget Coll
This is series 2 of An Irishwoman’s Diary from The Deirdre O’Shaughnessy Podcast, search in your podcast app for An Irishwoman’s Diary to find the six-episode Series 1. Bridget Coll’s story reads like fiction — a thriller even — just as the many words used to describe her don’t seem to fit together: nun, lesbian, teacher, militant, law-changer, even “home-wrecker”.This “tiny woman with a fie
An Irishwoman’s Diary Episode 11: An actress and a trend-setter - Genevieve Lyons
This is series 2 of An Irishwoman’s Diary from The Deirdre O’Shaughnessy Podcast, search in your podcast app for An Irishwoman’s Diary to find the six-episode Series 1. A precursor of Cabaret, the show about ‘a bad girl with a heart of gold’, became the go-to show in Dublin for a brief period in the 1950s, against all the prevailing morals of the time.Asked later why it hadn’t been banned, a
An Irishwoman’s Diary Episode10: An intrepid war reporter - Gertude Gaffney
This is series 2 of An Irishwoman’s Diary from The Deirdre O’Shaughnessy Podcast, search in your podcast app for An Irishwoman’s Diary to find the six-episode Series 1. Once described as “Ireland’s ablest female journalist”, the exploits of war correspondent Gertrude Gaffney have been largely lost to history.Her travels throughout Europe – on the front in the Spanish Civil War, in Gdansk as
An Irishwoman’s Diary Episode 9: Queen Elizabeth’s ‘angel of peace’ - Countess Joan Fitzgerald
This is series 2 of An Irishwoman’s Diary from The Deirdre O’Shaughnessy Podcast, search in your podcast app for An Irishwoman’s Diary to find the six-episode Series 1. Countess Joan Fitzgerald was a pivotal figure in medieval Ireland, immensely wealthy and powerful, but as a woman it was her marriages that defined her power.From the immensely wealthy Fitzgerald family – the Desmonds of Muns
An Irishwoman’s Diary Episode 8: 'A disgrace to motherhood’ Olympic legend - Maeve Kyle
This is series 2 of An Irishwoman’s Diary from The Deirdre O’Shaughnessy Podcast, search in your podcast app for An Irishwoman’s Diary to find the six-episode Series 1.She competed in three separate Olympic games; competed for Ireland in hockey, tennis, sailing and cricket, and even won the support of Eamon deValera who sought her out to compliment her “fine race” at Trinity College in the e
An Irishwoman’s Diary Episode 7: Founder of the first Magdalen Asylum - Arabella Denny
This is series 2 of An Irishwoman’s Diary from The Deirdre O’Shaughnessy Podcast, search in your podcast app for An Irishwoman’s Diary to find the six-episode Series 1.She campaigned for healthcare for infants, set up an almshouse for the poor, introduced carpet weaving to Ireland, bred silkworms at her home and, rather incongruously, took shooting lessons to stop her brother-in-law bullying her (
Abuse survivor Simon O’Toole on 'monster’ Bill Kenneally’s death
“Hell is not the proper place for him”. Just one week after the publication of a wide-ranging report into the cover-up around one of Ireland’s most prolific and sadistic child abusers, paedophile Bill Kenneally died in prison on Thursday. Survivors estimate that Kenneally abused at least a hundred boys and potentially many more, aided by the total impunity being a member of a
School holidays and the motherhood penalty, with Jennifer Horgan and Sinead O’Moore
It’s that time of year again, parents are frantically trying to figure out where to warehouse their children over the next 8 weeks, teachers are trying to marshall exhausted children who are staying up too late and everybody is in desperate need of a holiday. How are working parents meant to manage the summer holidays? Why is there no government assistance for this – and whose responsib
Explaining the EU Migration Pact, with Paul Hosford
The EU migration pact comes in to force today after a week of anti-immigrant riots in Belfast and amid rampant mis and disinformation on social media.On this episode Deputy Political Editor Paul Hosford debunks some of the myths around the pact explaining what the pact is, what it means for Ireland and how much it will cost.This episode covers changes to the asylum process, a hardening of Governme
'If there’s a price tag on every child in this country, it’s a sorry country’: Craig Coady’s fight to save his son
16 year old Paudie Coady has Friedrich’s Ataxia, a rare, degenerative neurological condition. Last year, the same condition claimed the life of his younger brother Rory.The boys’ mother, Della, has advanced Huntington’s disease.Their dad Craig is in a race against time. Yesterday, he met Taoiseach Micheál Martin as part of his campaign for the HSE to introduce the drug Skyclarys in Ireland.Skyclar
How we really feel about sustainabililty, with Sean Murray
We say we’re climate conscious – but we don’t want to modify our behaviour.We say the government should do more to fight climate change – but not if we have to pay for it. The recent Irish Examiner ipsos Behaviour & Attitudes poll revealed a lot about how we view climate change – with unexpected differences between women and men, farmers and non-farmers.Irish Examiner reporter Sean Murray
BONUS EPISODE Trouble in the house of Healy Rae
A rift between Michael and Danny Healy Rae was once unthinkable, but in common with other small parties before them, the Healy Rae machine has fallen victim to the perils of Government.As Mick Clifford wrote in today's Irish Examiner, "The Healy-Raes, that most astute of political entities, have succumbed to the curse of Brendan Behan. They are the latest victims of 'The Split'."How is the s
The mystery of Bill Fitzgibbon, found with amnesia in Cork in 1986, with Barry Cummins
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Irish food culture - more than Taytos and Kerrygold? with Orla McAndrew
When Rory McIlroy slagged off Irish food, saying he wouldn’t include it at a glitzy event because he wanted to enjoy himself, most Irish people shrugged, and possibly even agreed with him.Centra sold nearly 10 million chicken fillet rolls in 2025, and most Irish celebrities, asked if they miss any foods from home in interviews, say Taytos, or Kerrygold.Writing in the Irish Examiner earlier th
Who was Yves Sakila, with Alison O’Reilly
“He was polite, gentle, and quiet. Life just went the wrong way for him.” The death of Yves Sakila in Dublin last week prompted widespread outrage after a video of him being restrained by security guards went viral, making international headlines. His grieving family didn’t attend the protests, however, and until yesterday, had not spoken to any media outlets. The Irish
Garda Paul Moody convicted of coercive control, and calls for a public record of domestic violence, with Liz Dunphy
Former Garda Paul Moody was back in the news this week after being convicted of harassment and coercive control of his ex-partner.He first hit the headlines in 2022 when he was jailed for similar offences against another ex-partner, Nicola Hanney.Questions arose in court about the handling of a complaint against Moody to the Garda Ombudsman Commission – with the victim in this week’s case saying N
The year of care campaign, with Aolish Gormley
Sligo business owner Aolish Gormley struggled with her mental health after having her second baby.Despite many strides in maternal care in Ireland in the past decade, suicide remains the leading cause of death for new mothers, having increased in recent years, according to recent figures from Mental Health Reform.The amount of support available for struggling mothers varies hugely according to con
The Evan Fitzgerald case with Mick Clifford
22 year old Evan Fitzgerald, identified later as a ‘vulnerable young man’, died at his own hand outside a Carlow shopping centre last June. He was on bail at the time for firearms offences.He and two friends had been arrested in March 2024 in a Garda sting after they had attempted to purchase weapons on the dark web – it turned out the ‘sellers’ were Gardai, and the guns were disabled.They were re
Who is TikToker Rendy Vlad and why is he covertly recording Cork shop workers, with Emer Walsh
In April, a Cork-based Ukrainian influencer called Rendy Vlad with over a million followers hit the headlines after a video he took of a young woman’s medical emergency in Cork was removed by TikTok. The video was filmed using Meta’s smart glasses, technology which has been sparking privacy concerns for quite some time.Since then the Irish Examiner’s Emer Walsh has been following the activities of
Does Ireland need nuclear power, with John Gibbons
Last Monday Taoiseach Micheál Martin reopened the half century old debate about nuclear power, saying Ireland’s reliance on imported energy must come to an end. Speaking to the Irish Examiner’s Louise Burne in Armenia, the Taoiseach said “we should explore all avenues” to ensure energy sovereignty, including renewables and examining strides in technology around nuclear.The Fianna Fáil TD for Cork
Katriona O’Sullivan on hunger, body image and the search for pleasure
Katriona O’Sullivan’s remarkable memoir Poor saw her become a household name. But her new book, Hungry: A Memoir of my Body is her story told through a different lens, one of sexual abuse, disordered eating, diet culture, and the search for sexual pleasure.In this interview, recorded at St Luke’s in front of a live audience as part of the Cork World Book Festival, Katriona talks candidly about the
Big Tech’s war on women with Margaret E Ward
The West Cork woman whose partner somehow knew where she was at all times... the Cork city retail worker whose interaction with a customer went viral even though she didn’t know he was filming.These two cases recently reported in the Irish Examiner are just the tip of the iceberg of a new era of surveillance and control of women, aided and abetted, often deliberately, by Big Tech.As ‘technofascism
Speeding killed my parents, with Claire Corkery
Tom Corkery was from Coachford in County Cork – an accountant who had done well in England after a lifetime of hard work, he was looking forward to retirement. Sue, his wife, had been a paediatric nurse.Both in their sixties, they were planning a retirement of travel and adventure when in January 2024 while out walking a friend’s dog on a country lane, they were hit by a BMW SUV travelling at 87mp
My sister's killer should never be released with Deirdre McLaughlin
38 year old Siobhán Kearney was killed by her husband Brian in 2006 as she was planning to leave their marriage.Siobhán, a chef, hotelier and mother of one, had been planning to leave Brian Kearney and was keeping a record of his controlling and abusive behaviour on the advice of her solicitor.Although Kearney tried to make her death look like suicide, he was convicted of her murder and has failed
The Luas Cork route, with Donal O’Keeffe
From Ballincollig to Mahon Point, with 27 stops, the Luas Cork route has finally been unveiled. Homes, gardens, sports clubs and pubs will all be impacted – but the almost 100 year wait for reinstatement of Cork’s trams might be about to come to an end.Where are the stops going to be? Which locations are controversial? How long is it all going to take, and how much will it cost?Reporter Dona
Why drink drivers aren’t getting caught – with Liz Dunphy
Drink driving is on the increase in Ireland and so are road fatalities. Doctors and gardai are frustrated at complex laws that make catching drink drivers in the act far harder than it should be – and they’re demanding action that politicians just don’t want to take.High profile cases such as the tragic death of mother-of-two Sheila Dunne in Cork in 2024 and that of Patrick Murphy in Kerry in 2023
Hungary’s new leader, and what it means for Europe, with Shona Murray
While Irish minds were occupied with fuel prices and blockades over the weekend a quiet revolution took place in Hungary.The country’s leader for 16 years, Putin puppet Viktor Orban, was ousted in a decisive election, to be replaced at the helm by his former party colleague Peter Magyar.But who is Magyar and what does this mean for Europe?Euronews reporter and Irish Examiner columnist Shona Murray
A prosecution in the case of Baby John, the Kerry Baby? – with Alison O’Reilly
42 years after his lifeless body was discovered on White Strand near Cahirciveen, County Kerry, a file has been sent to the DPP in relation to the violent death of an infant known only as Baby John.Irish society was rocked by the discovery of two dead babies in different parts of County Kerry in 1984. One of those babies, named John by the local undertaker, was found with stab wounds on the White
Breaking down the fuel crisis, with Professor Aoife Foley
We are in a fuel crisis, “the worst the world has ever seen”, according to Tánaiste Simon Harris. But what does that mean for the ordinary person, how did we get to here – and what’s going to happen next?Professor Aoife Foley is chair in Net Zero Infrastructure at the University of Manchester. She has written for the Irish Examiner recently on how the Government can support consumers and busi
The lonely death of Jamie Weldon
Jamie Weldon from Butlerstown in Co Waterford would have been 57 on the day his body was found, August 19th 2023. Instead, he had lain alone in his apartment for about three weeks after taking his own life. The grief of their brother’s lonely death was compounded for his family by the knowledge that, after being found, he had spent almost a week in
Trump’s war on Iran is more complicated than we think, with Mahya Ostovar
The US and Israel’s bombing campaign on Iran has caused international chaos, unprecedented turmoil in previously safe areas of the Middle East and an economic shock that is only getting started as the rest of the world finds out just how crucial the Straits of Hormuz is to global supply chains. But the people bearing the brunt of this war are Iranian, and a repressive regime i
The Meath demolition drama and our troubled relationship with planning, with Lorcan Sirr
The demolition of a family home in Co Meath last week brought the idea of ‘build first, apply for retention later’ into the spotlight. Chris and Rose Murray built the 588sq m (6,220sq ft) house near Navan in 2006 despite being refused planning permission for a bungalow half that size on the site. After five unsuccessful retention bids and three failed appeals to keep the home i
The ‘demonic, shocking’ murder of Daena Walsh
Young mother of two Daena Walsh was found in her burning Midleton apartment with 25 knife wounds in August 2024. Her partner, Adam Corcoran, the father of her children, was found guilty of her murder last week, and will serve a life sentence. Corcoran’s behaviour, from the moment he brutally stabbed his 27 year old&nb
The Soham murders and the death in prison of Ian Huntley
On August 4, 2002, 10‑year‑old schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman went missing after leaving a family barbecue in the village of Soham, a suburb of Cambridgeshire in the UK. Their disappearance triggered a massive 13‑day search and captivated the entire nation. The search ultimately led investigators to school caretaker Ian Huntley, who was later convicted of their murders, whil
The Irish tricolour, with John Crotty
Flags have become increasingly controversial in recent years. The US flag has become shorthand for MAGA and the Irish flag is under increasing strain, with its appearance on flagpoles all over Ireland signalling that immigrants are unwelcomeHowever the history of our national symbol is equally contested – who first combined the green, orange and white, whose idea was it, what did it mean and
The Wexford eviction mess, with Paul Hosford
Earlier in March, news broke in the Irish Examiner that 36 households in one estate in Co. Wexford had been served with eviction notices just hours before new rental rules kicked in.36 families with nowhere to go would be a crisis in any context, but with record homeless figures, an incident like this in the Housing Minister’s James Browne’s own constituency would have been a political disast
Justice at last for Noel Farrell’s victims, with Alison O’Reilly
Warning: This episode deals with child sexual abuse and listeners may find it upsettingLast month, Sligo musician Noel Farrell was sentenced to 20 years in prison after being convicted on sample counts of sexually abusing five of his children.The Central Criminal Court heard how they were neglected, starved, locked in their rooms for days, raped, and beaten – and how after receiving medical treatm
Bessborough’s missing babies with Donal O’Keeffe
The granting of planning permission for 140 apartments on the site of Cork’s most infamous mother and baby institution last week has caused deep upset to survivors and relatives of those who were incarcerated in Bessborough.Hundreds of babies died at Bessborough between 1922 and 1994, and the Mother and Baby Homes Commission found they were most likely buried on the sprawling site of the former in
What’s happening in the Middle East, with Colin Sheridan and John Hayes
Areas of the Middle East previously considered safe have this week come under missile fire as Iran reacted angrily to illegal air strikes by the US and Israel, in which Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed over the weekend.Over 20,000 Irish people live across the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, where US military bases are now being targeted by Iran. According to UAE authorities,
The SNA U-turn mess, with Ciara Reilly
The Government’s u-turn on and subsequent denial of involvement in a review of Special Needs Assistant allocation was an embarrassing episode for them, but a stressful episode for school communities.Teacher, commentator and mother to a child with special needs, Ciara Reilly has been writing about the review for the Irish Examiner this week.With her uniquely multi-faceted perspective on this issue
Four years of war in Ukraine and finding safety in Cork, with Liudmyla Bortok
‘On 24th of February, 5 in the morning, I woke up because my neighbours were screaming and I heard like, “It started! It started!”‘I looked out of the window and I saw explosions. I was in Kyiv at the time and I saw explosions going around... you could hear explosions, and people were rushing for the apartments to the parking spot we had, and just packing their bags, kids, all they had, pets, and
ICE and the Irish
In recent weeks, the story of Kilkenny man Seamus Culleton has come to the fore as an Irishman living and working in the US who is being detained by the US immigration police ICE. He has described the conditions in the detention centre as like a "modern-day concentration camp" but, since his story came to the public's attention, reports have emerged relating to Mr Culleton's past including hi
Red flags, with Kathleen Funchion
“I suppose from early on there was red flags that I didn't want to see, if I'm being perfectly honest,” says MEP Kathleen Funchion of her relationship with Sean Tyrell, who yesterday lost an appeal against the sentence he received for offences under Section 4 of the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act 2020, also known as Coco’s Law.The appeal refusal and increase in Tyrell’
A battle for the skies, with Emer Walsh
Earlier this week, word began circulating among drone operators in Cork – architects, roofers, corporate video creators and wedding photographers – of a new rule requiring two days' notice of intention to fly a drone over large swathes of the city.The IAA had announced the new rule, which comes into effect today, quickly and with little fanfare, and as the Irish Examiner's Emer Walsh reported on M
Moving away from US tech, with Brian Honan
Big Tech products like Whatsapp, Microsoft Office and the Apple iPhone have become essential to our daily lives, but as President Trump’s tantrums come and go, European reliance on American technology has come into focus.Trade relationships, including supplies of fuel, food and information are all now subject to the whims of an increasingly erratic US President. As state surveillance increases on
Living with the Inuit with Geraldine Osborne
With Greenland in the news, Cork doctor Geraldine Osborne’s recently published account of the year she, her husband and their three small children spent living in the Arctic is timely. Dining on seal and walrus meat in temperatures as low as –40, travelling by dog sled and sewing clothes from animal skins in the traditional Inuit way is not standa
A decade of deception catches up with Catherine O'Brien - with Ann Murphy
Last month in a Waterford courtroom, the past finally caught up with Catherine O’Brien.The Buttevant woman, who’s been the subject of Irish Examiner investigations for a number of years, including the podcast series Catherine the Fake, was sentenced to 25 months in prison for fraud. But this is not the end of this story – as Ann Murphy re
Minneapolis under siege – with Sean Murray
The scenes from Minneapolis are by now familiar to anyone with a smartphone or a television. Masked, unidentified agents of ICE, Trump’s immigration force, dragging people from cars, taking children from their parents and shooting civilians Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti.Irish Examiner reporter Sean Murray has just returned from the twin cities and he is speaking to Deirdre on the podcast today
Obsession, manipulation and murder: The death of Bruna Fonseca
In 2022, 28 year old librarian Bruna Fonseca fulfilled a lifelong dream to travel to Ireland from her home in Brazil.She was attending English classes in Cork, sending money home from her work as a hospital cleaner and embarking on a new relationship with a fellow student when her life was brutally cut short by Miller Pacheco, the obsessive ex-boyfriend who refused to acknowledge their relationshi
Humanitarian Sean Binder’s fight for justice
Sean Binder from Castlegregory, Co Kerry, was an idealistic 24 year old with a law degree, a scuba diving qualification and some time to spare when he decided to spend a year helping the Greek Coastguard to rescue refugees from drowning off the island of Lesvos.Eight years later, he and 23 other volunteers have finally been acquitted of serious criminal charges including people smuggling, belongin
Mad King Donald, with Marion McKeone
From kidnapping the Venezuelan President to unleashing a masked paramilitary force on his own people, from threatening to invade Greenland to sulking over the Nobel Peace Prize in an unhinged letter to the Norwegian Prime Minister, Donald Trump has never been so volatile, or so dangerous.“He believes in the second term that nobody can stop him. In the first term, he didn't really know his way arou
The tragic death in childbirth of Laura Liston
36 year old Laura Liston died in June 2022 after giving birth to a baby boy at her home near Croom, Limerick, under the HSE homebirth service. Since then, HSE midwest has suspended home birthing in the area.She is the first mother to die in home birth in Ireland. Ms Liston’s inquest was held this week at Kilmallock courthouse in Co Limerick, returning a finding of medical misadventure.Ms Liston’s
A publican’s story of addiction and recovery, with Michael Droney
He’s the face behind some of Cork’s most popular bars, but for many years Michael Droney lived a half-life of alcohol and drug addiction.Now, the owner of Crawford & Co, Aye and Osho and the late lamented Rosie Maddison’s is hosting an exhibition in one of his spaces to chart his journey to sobriety, as reported by Liz Dunphy in the Irish Examiner.Michael Droney is the guest on today’s episode
Remembering Ireland’s strongest man, Pa O’Dwyer, with Manon Gilbart
The sudden death of Ireland’s strongest man, Pa O’Dwyer, was widely reported this week.The Limerick Lion was five times Ireland’s strongest man, and had also been named Britain’s Strongest Man. But who was he?The Irish Examiner’s Limerick based reporter Manon Gilbart is today’s guest on the podcast.Pa O’Dwyer 'always stood up for the underdog', funeral toldTributes paid to ‘Limerick Lion’ Pa O'Dwy
‘AI girlfriends’ with Eoghan Cleary
Children are being “bombarded” online by so-called AI girlfriend porn apps, which are gamifying sexual violence and rape and encouraging them to recruit their friends.The technology allows users to ‘nudify’ photos of real people – including children – and subject them to an array of sexually objectifying and degrading practices including torture and violence.Irish charities are calling for the Gov
An Irishwoman's Diary Episode 6: The woman who gave us control of our fertility - May McGee
🎧 Episode 6: May McGee, the woman who fought to make contraception legal in IrelandMay McGee was a young, hearing-impaired mother to four children under the age of two living in a caravan when she took the Irish State to the Supreme Court challenging its position on contraception, and won.Complicated pregnancies including a stroke she suffered in one meant that she was advised to take contrac
An Irishwoman's Diary Episode 5: The original fashion editor - Carmel Snow
Anna Wintour is only following in the footsteps of Carmel Snow, who edited Harper’s Bazaar for 25 years, with a vision of catering to “well dressed women with well dressed minds”. She brought Dior and Givenchy to a US audience, hung out with Coco Chanel and Salvador Dali, and edited writers like Truman Capote, Maeve Brennan and Frank O’Connor, never losing her interest in championing Irish writing
An Irishwoman's Diary Episode 4: Irish sisters at the heart of European culture – Sarah and Amelia Curran
🎧 Episode 4: Irish sisters at the heart of European culture – Sarah and Amelia CurranSarah Curran was best known to generations as the tragic fiancée of United Irishman Robert Emmet, but in her own right she was a writer, poet and talented musician who made connections across Europe. Her sister Amelia was a notable artist who painted the famous portrait of Frankenstein author Mary Shelley and that
An Irishwoman's Diary Episode 3: ‘Looking for a woman in finance’ - Oonah Keogh
🎧 Episode 3: Oonah Keogh,first female member of the Dublin Stock ExchangeThe first female stockbroker in the world made her debut on the trading floor of the Dublin Stock Exchange in 1927, at a time of unprecedented equality and opportunity for Irish women. Her groundbreaking role was entirely forgotten by all but her family until documents in relation to her were uncovered by stock exchange staff
An Irishwoman's Diary Episode 2: ‘Vive la résistance' - Maureen O’Sullivan
“A tough type of woman, at the moment growing quite a successful moustache... Not particularly intelligent, and does not seem [to] take her work very seriously”Despite this blistering account of her capabilities written by a training officer, Maureen O’Sullivan was one of the most successful Allied agents in the French Resistance, lasting seven months in the field compared to an average life expec
An Irishwoman's diary Episode 1: ‘Quiet piggy’ - Grizelda Steevens
Calling women pigs has been a trope to bring down women throughout history.The famous ‘pig-faced woman’ of Dublin was a trailblazer – in the 1700s she set up Ireland’s first public hospital using an inheritance from her twin brother.Working with artisans, builders, doctors and notable figures in Dublin society, her work provided the first freely available medical treatment to the city’s poor.
Manizha Khan Part 1: One woman’s escape from The Taliban
A single act of kindness by a Red Cross nurse to eight year old Manizha Khan would change the course of her life forever – that one action would save her from Taliban death threats twenty years later and lead her on her journey to Ireland.Growing up in Pakistan as a refugee, studying dentistry in China and returning to Afghanistan as a highly educated woman during the country’s brief years of
Manizha Khan Part 2: ‘I would die for Ireland’
After months of living under suffocating Taliban rule, losing her much-loved job, encountering death threats and oppression, Manizha and her family escaped from Afghanistan thanks with help from an old friend. Arriving in Ireland at Christmas, Manizha and her family were welcomed warmly by their new neighbours in Rosscarbery."When we came, it was Christmas. And I remember when we reached Iris
Christmas parcel problems with Caitriona Redmond
Massive delays in parcel delivery, one operator gone out of business just weeks before Christmas and a growing sense that some stockings may be filled with IOUs this festive season has consumers all up in a heap.Irish Examiner columnist Caitriona Redmond has been keeping abreast of delivery problems this Christmas and she is the guest on today’s episode of The Deirdre O’Shaughnessy Podcast. C
Free birthing and the tragic death of Naomi James
Mother of four Naomi James from Co Louth died in June 2024 after giving birth to her youngest son.Having previously experienced traumatic births in hospital, Ms James laboured at home and was brought to hospital where she later died. Her family believes she may have been influenced by the online Free Birth movement to avoid medical intervention.A recent investigation into the Free Birth movement b
Cal O’Keeffe’s astonishing act of bravery
90 year old Callaghan (Cal) O’Keeffe gave his life to save a woman from being hit by a reversing car in 2024.The retired school principal and farmer from North Cork was posthumously recognised last week with a gold medal at the National Bravery Awards.His son Martin spoke to Deirdre about the life and death of an extraordinary hero.Bravery Awards: Gold medal for 90-year-old Cork man who died savin
The mysterious case of Jimmy O’Neill
The disappearance of Jimmy O’Neill is one of Ireland’s longest running mysteries. The 16 year old messenger boy disappeared in 1947 after being accused of stealing a postal order, and his family’s decades-long search has only raised more questions than answers about the conduct of local Gardai at the time.With most of his surviving family long dead, Jimmy’s brother Frank continues to search for an
The Zelenskyy visit
In his first visit to Ireland, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked Ireland repeatedly for its “steadfast support” for his embattled country.Speaking in the Dáil, he said Ireland’s support for the thousands of Ukrainians who have sought protection here and for the country’s defence was rooted in a shared historical understanding.On today’s podcast, Irish Examiner political staff Paul Ho
Ireland needs a Minister for food, with Michelle Darmody
Last week's 'Lancet' report on ultra processed foods (UPFs) established that ultra processed foods are damaging both our mental and physical health, across all the major organ systems of the body.Food writer Michelle Darmody says Ireland could be a leader in cleaning up our food systems, but we need a Minister for Food first Michelle is the guest on today’s episode of the Deirdre O’Shaughnessy Pod
The murder of Miriam Burns
In August 2022, 75 year old mother of four Miriam Burns was found strangled and beaten in her Killarney home after family members asked neighbours to check on her. Her 55 year son Billy, who suffered from bipolar disorder and was known to abuse drugs and alcohol, was convicted of her murder in the Central Criminal Court on Monday. He will be sentenced on Friday.On today’s podcast, Deirdre spe
Inside Ireland’s deportation system
There have been six chartered deportation flights out of Ireland so far this year. It comes as, against the backdrop of heated statements and debates, the Irish Government has been hardening its rhetoric on immigration.Earlier this month, the Irish Examiner was given a rare look behind the curtain of what happens as people are forcibly removed from the country as 52 Georgian nationals – including
A tragedy in Ballinlough
A man in his twenties is in Garda custody today after the stabbing of Stella and Brian Gallagher at their home in Ballinlough on Monday night.Residents of the Shrewsbury Downs estate on the southside of Cork city heard a disturbance outside between 8 and 9pm on Monday night and were warned by Whatsapp message to remain in their homes and lock the doors.Irish Examiner reporter Ann Murphy has been c
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