The Anton Savage Show

20 years ago, the Ferns Report laid bare the systematic abuse of children by members of the Catholic Church in the Diocese of Ferns, and the institutional failures that allowed it to continue for decades. It was the first official state inquiry into clerical sexual abuse in Ireland, and it marked a turning point in how the country confronted that dark chapter of its history. Colm O’Gorman, Human Rights Campaigner and founder and former Director of One in Four, joins Anton to look back on its impact, legacy, and how Ireland has, or hasn’t, changed since.

Ben Elton is one of the defining voices of British comedy. Co-writer of The Young Ones and Blackadder, creator of The Thin Blue Line and Upstart Crow, and the man behind the hit Queen musical We Will Rock You. He’s also a bestselling novelist and stand-up who’s spent decades mixing sharp wit with social insight. Ben joins Anton to chat about his career and his new autobiography, What Have I Done?.

Joining Anton to run through the main stories from the Sunday papers is Frances Fitzgerald, former Tánaiste and member of the G7 Advisory Council; Joan Burton, Former Tánaiste/leader of the Labour Party; Gary Murphy, Professor of Politics at DCU; and Harry McGee, Political correspondent with The Irish Times.

Aontú has fired the leader of its youth wing in Kildare and dismissed five other members following the discovery of ­private WhatsApp groups where some members posted racist and antisemitic comments. Aontú Leader, Peadar Tóibín, joins Anton to discuss.

Mary Nolan Hickey had, up until this year, competed in every Dublin city marathon since 1980. With Mary having decided to hang up her running shoes, the Irish Life Dublin City Marathon organisers decided to name a new trophy after her, one which will be given to the winner of the Elite Women’s Race every year from now on. Mary joins Anton to chat about it all.

Joining Anton to go through the main stories from the Sunday papers is Frances Fitzgerald, former Tánaiste, and member of the G7 Advisory Council; Malcolm Byrne, Fianna Fail TD for the Wicklow–Wexford constituency & Chair of the Oireachtas Committee on Artificial Intelligence; and Ian Guider, Business journalist & columnist with the Business Post.

With Ireland gearing up to take on the All Blacks in Soldier Field in just a couple of weeks, it’ll be “Part Two” of Ireland and New Zealand’s Chicago-based epics. Devin Toner, who played a central role on that momentous occasion in 2016, joins Anton to talk about his experience as well as his career highlights and what his life looks like now since retiring the green jersey in 2022.

Investigations are ongoing following a significant robbery at the Louvre in Paris. Joining Anton to get the latest is Paris-based journalist, John Lichfield.

After Oscar: The Legacy of a Scandal is the new book about Oscar Wilde, written by author Merlin Holland, who is Oscar’s only grandson and the last living relative of the writer. In a symbolic gesture, last week, Merlin collected Oscar’s British Library pass, which was revoked in 1895 when Wilde was convicted for being gay. Merlin joins Anton to discuss.

With AI slop engulfing our social media feeds, what are the long-term ramifications of false and misleading information created by Artificial Intelligence? Anton is joined by technology journalist Andy O’Donoghue to discuss.