The Women's Podcast

This month, actor and mother and baby home survivor Noelle Brown and singer Camille O’Sullivan will take to the stage together for a new theatre performance called In Plain Sight. The project, written by Brown, focuses on Ireland’s history of mother and baby homes, paying particular attention to the large stately buildings dotted around the country that incarcerated young pregnant women. In today’s episode, the pair join Róisín Ingle to discuss the show and how it explores the design and history of three homes that are still standing, Sean Ross Abbey, Castlepollard and Bessborough Mother and Baby Home (where Brown was born). But first, Irish Times opinion editor Jennifer O’Connell is here to discuss some of the biggest stories of the week including the arrest of former swimming coach George Gibney. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Concerns about the rise and rapid development of artificial intelligence often tend to focus on AI’s threat to jobs or its potential to influence politics and elections. But what about the very real threat that AI poses to women? In her new book, The New Age of Sexism, feminist writer Laura Bates explores how the ever-evolving world of technology has become a danger to women and how the expanding scope of what’s possible online is “reinventing misogyny.” In this episode, Bates talks to Róisín Ingle about the real harm caused by pornographic deepfakes, the alarming rise of AI girlfriends, and her eye-opening visit to a cyber brothel in Berlin.But first Irish Times journalist Niamh Towey is here to talk about some of the biggest stories of the week including the new Women's Aid report showing the rise in domestic violence disclosures, the latest in the Annie McCarrick case and the furore over the Bezos wedding in Venice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last weekend our Book Club gathered for a live show at Kildare Village to discuss the best reading recommendations for summer 2025. Róisín Ingle, Bernice Harrison and Ann Ingle were joined at the event by special guest bestselling author Marian Keyes and a room full of Women’s Podcast listeners. There were recommendations to suit every style and every mood, including a gripping crime thriller, a “life-changing” self help book and a couple of exciting fiction debuts. But before we bring you that recording, Irish Times opinion editor Jennifer O’Connell is here to discuss some of the biggest stories of the week, including a crack down on boozy Leaving Cert holidays in Portugal. For the full list of summer reading recommendations, click here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The tradition of women taking their husband’s surname stems from a time when marriage effectively erased a woman’s legal identity and she would become her husband’s property. While this is no longer the case and society has thankfully moved on, the practice of women changing their last name upon marriage still persists today. But why?In a recent feature for The Irish Times, journalist Áine Kenny poses the question: “If changing one’s name isn’t a big deal and isn’t sexist, why don’t we see more men taking their wife’s surname?”To explore this further, Kenny joins Róisín Ingle on the latest episode of the podcast, alongside parenting columnist Jen Hogan. Together, they discuss why they did and didn’t keep their own names after marriage. But first Ingle and Kathy Sheridan are in the studio together to discuss some of the biggest stories of the week including the long awaited excavation of the Tuam babies site, which is to begin on Monday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mary Ann Kenny, an academic and author of 'The Episode,' shares her harrowing journey through grief and psychosis following her husband's sudden death. She candidly discusses the challenges of navigating mental health treatment and emphasizes the importance of compassionate care. Joining her, Irish Times reporter Ella Sloane tackles current affairs, including Greta Thunberg's humanitarian mission to Gaza and insights into the happiness of Irish teenagers. This conversation blends personal resilience with pressing global issues.

What do you really know about the menstrual cycle? Can you tell your follicular from your luteal phase? Can masturbation ease period pains and why do so many women get the dreaded ‘period poo’? To answer all these questions and more we’re joined this week by Dr Hazel Wallace, medical doctor, nutritionist, and author of Not Just A Period, a groundbreaking new book that seeks to understand the entire menstrual cycle, not just the few days each month we bleed. In this episode, Dr Wallace tells Róisín Ingle why periods are still so poorly understood, the benefits of tracking each phase of your cycle and when to seek advice from your doctor. She also talks about her own experience with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), her decision to freeze her eggs and why she left the NHS to focus on nutrition and female health. But first, Bernice Harrison is here to discuss some of the biggest stories of the week including the viral shove of French President Emmanuel Macron by his wife Brigette. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we’re joined by the brilliant Kit de Waal novelist, memoirist, and fierce advocate for working-class voices in literature. In conversation with Roisin Ingle, de Waal discusses her powerful new novel The Best of Everything, set in 1970s and 1980s England, which follows the interwoven lives of a single mother, her son, and their neighbours as they navigate grief, love, and survival.Best known for her acclaimed debut My Name is Leon, de Waal also shares insights from her 2022 memoir Without Warning and Only Sometimes, where she recounts her unconventional upbringing as the daughter of a Caribbean father and an Irish Jehovah’s Witness mother. From the fear of a prophesied Armageddon in 1975 to the complexities of faith, identity, and family, the writer reflects on the experiences that shaped her and how they now shape her fiction.This is a moving, sharp, and sometimes darkly funny conversation about resilience, storytelling, and what it means to find your place in the world. Also on today's episode, Niamh Towey joins us to discuss the stories of the week including Gaza, where the UN has said the lives of thousands of children are at risk due to malnutrition. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 2016, Clodagh Hawe and her three sons, Liam (13), Niall (11) and Ryan (6) were murdered in their Co Cavan home, by their husband and father Alan Hawe, who took his own life shortly after. It was and still is Ireland’s largest murder-suicide and the brutal killings sent shockwaves throughout the country. In her book, Deadly Silence, Clodagh’s younger sister Jacqueline Connolly, gives her account of the circumstances leading up to the mass murder and how her brother-in-law, Hawe, coercively controlled and manipulated her unsuspecting sister. In this episode, Connolly talks to Róisín Ingle about the person Clodagh was, the relationship the pair had growing up and how their bond changed when Hawe entered their lives. She also talks about her family’s painful search for answers in the aftermath of the killings and the critical failures in the initial Garda investigation. But first, Irish Times Opinion editor Jennifer O’Connell is here to discuss some of the biggest stories of the week, including the conviction for sexual assault of actor Gérard Depardieu. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Two years ago this month, Tina Turner died at the age of 83 at her home in Switzerland. The global superstar and rock icon had a career spanning more than five decades. Although she retired from performing in her late 60s, one of her final projects was to collaborate on Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, which debuted in London’s West End in 2018. This month the show comes to Dublin’s Bord Gáis Energy Theatre for a two week run and in this episode Róisín Ingle speaks to some of the cast members, Jochebel Ohene MacCarthy who plays the role of Tina Turner and choreographer Simone Mistry Palmer. But first, Irish Times opinion editor Jennifer O’Connoll is here to discuss some of the biggest stories of the week, including the camogie skorts row, the latest from the papal conclave and Prince Harry’s recent security woes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In March, a group of secondary school students from Co Offaly made history when they became the first ever all-female team to win the VEX IQ All-Ireland Robotics Competition. ‘The Steminists’ will now represent Ireland at the World Championships in Texas this month. The team consists of five students aged between 12 and 14 years old, from the Sacred Heart School in Tullamore. In today’s episode, two team members, Alice Duffy (12) and Rachel Ebenezer (13), along with their teachers Sindy Meleady and Aisling Burke join Róisín Ingle to discuss the upcoming competition and how they created their winning robot ‘Agatha Trunchball’. Later on we’ll be learning all about Luail, Ireland’s first all-island national dance company with creative director Liz Roche. But first, Irish Times podcast presenter Bernice Harrison is here to discuss some of the biggest stories of the week, including the Satchwell trial and why US immigration have detained Irish woman Cliona Ward. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.