The Women's Podcast

The most fabulous and famous family dynasty in Britain and Ireland during the 1920s were the grand-daughters of the first Lord Iveagh also known as the Glorious Guinness Girls. The glamour, the drama and the secrets are explored in fiction by writer Emily Hourican who spoke to Kathy Sheridan about her new novel The Glorious Guinness Girls. Hourican talks about the inspiration for the book, her geographically diverse childhood and her cancer diagnosis five years ago. Also, a reminder that tickets are still available for our Big Night In Season 2 which kicks off on Saturday October 3rd with Senator Eileen Flynn. Tickets available on irishtimes.com/big-night-in Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the podcast today we have skin expert Jennifer Rock who aswell as talking about her new book The Skin Nerd Philosophy, deals with all your pandemic skin problems and delves into looking after this most important organ every day of the year. We are also very excited to bring you details of season 2 of our Big Night In. From this Saturday October 3rd we'll be back on zoom to bring you conversations with talented inspiring women such as Senator Eileen Flynn, Caitlin Moran and Claire Byrne. For more details go to https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/people/irish-times-big-night-in-online-interviews-with-r%C3%B3is%C3%ADn-ingle-restart-this-saturday-1.4366413 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last April, which seems a hundred years ago now, we spoke to Dr Catherine Motherway, consultant anaesthetist at University Hospital Limerick and former President of the Intensive Care Society of Ireland. In this episode, Roisin Ingle catches up with her to find out Dr Motherway's views on Level 3, life on the frontline, societal compliance with covid restrictions and her hopes and fears as we face into a winter of living with the virus. As a new report from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation shows women's voices being "drowned out" globally in terms of coronavirus reporting. The Women's Podcast will continue to amplify the voices of women on all aspects of this crisis. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cork author Louise O'Neill joined Roisin Ingle on the podcast to talk about her latest novel After The Silence. The book marks a departure for O'Neill in that it's a thriller but what hasn't changed is the uncompromising, gently probing voice of the writer of novels such as Asking For It which on publication became a national talking point. In After The Silence, set on a small Island off the coast of Cork, she explores themes such as emotional abuse and the kind of notoriety that follows a small community devastated by a traumatic event - in this case the unexplained murder of a beautiful young Islander. O'Neill talks about writing, about life in Lockdown and about the new and very different experience of writing a thriller. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There is a lot of confusion and covid-weariness swirling around at the moment so we thought we'd bring you an episode that will divert, intrigue and definitely distract you. Jenny Keane is an holistic sex expert and yoga teacher who runs hugely popular online workshops teaching people to explore their sexuality and enhance sexual pleasure. Her path to an empowering form of sex education began when she was experiencing health issues around her periods but from there she expanding her knowledge and expertise to help women (and men) tune in to their own bodies so that they can experience themselves and the world in a more connected way. What's a yoni? What are the mysteries of female ejaculation? Advice for women who’ve never experienced an orgasm? Jenny knows it all. She certainly taught Roisin Ingle a thing or three. For more find Jenny on instagram @hellojennykeane We hope this episode is a satisfying experience for all our listeners. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There are hundreds of books out at the moment so it's difficult as an author these days, when people are reading more than ever, to stand out from the crowd. One writer who has managed to do that with her terrifying novel The Nothing Man is Catherine Ryan Howard, the Cork woman who has won a devoted army of fans with her always original and often disturbing books. This latest one is a riveting read and Catherine talked to Roisin Ingle about her unusual journey into writing: she once worked as a desk agent in a hotel in Walt Disney World, and got her first big break when she went back to study English at Trinity College as a mature student. She also talked about setbacks, success and being child-free. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When we've asked you what subjects you'd like us to discuss on the podcast, menopause is often mentioned. One listener who got in touch was Helen Kirwan who talks to Roisin Ingle on the latest episode. Helen is going through peri-menopause and has found some of the symptoms stressful and difficult. She talks honestly about coping at this seismic time in a woman's life, while we get some expert advice and important information from menopause expert Caoimhe Hartley who says there should be no stigma or taboo subjects when it comes to women's health. Also on this episode, Laura Lexx talks about her hilarious and heartwarming book which imagines life married to everyone's favourite bespectacled German football manager Jurgen Klopp. A string of truly funny tweets about the enigmatic Liverpool Manager landed her a two-book deal during Lockdown and while she doesn't know much about football, her tribute to Klopp's no nonsense style won her legions of fans. She talks to Roisin and reads an extract from her new book. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our last Book Club took place months ago, early in Lockdown, so we are delighted that in this show Ann Ingle, Bernice Harrison and Niamh Towey are back to discuss our latest read. The book under discussion is Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld, a political fantasy that imagines what life would have been like for Hillary Clinton had she turned down Bill Clinton's proposal of marriage. So it's a what if novel that imagines the life and times of Hill without Bill. Sittenfeld, the author of sharp, compassionate and always clever books such as American Wife, explores how life might have turned out for the Clintons, for America and for the world if these two political heavyweights had never got married. It's a lively discussion and as usual not everyone agrees with each other but we wouldn't want it any other way. We'll announce our next book soon, but until then enjoy this Book Club episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Female genital mutilation is a practice that, according to the World Health Organisation, has affected 200 million women and girls alive today. Today’s guest, author and anti-FGM campaigner Nimko Ali is on a mission to end this worldwide by 2030. In her new book, What We’re Told Not to Talk About (But We’re Going to Anyway): Women’s Voices from East London to Ethiopia, Ali shares her own personal story of FGM and the stories of many other women which are often left unheard. It is a series of intimate and illuminating conversations with women on the subjects of sex, masturbation, periods, pregnancy, the menopause and more. In this episode, the author speaks to Róisín Ingle about challenging the patriarchy, freezing her eggs and trying to make the world a better place. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s been a long time coming, but this week the kids are finally going back to school. For many, it will be a welcome return to normality and routine, but it may bring about some challenges too. In this episode, Róisín Ingle speaks to Irish Times parenting columnist and mother of seven Jen Hogan, who is juggling four different start times and coming to terms with a whole new set of rules and regulations for her children. Psychologist Malie Coyne also joins Ingle to discuss her new book, Love In, Love Out - A compassionate approach to parenting your anxious child. This book is a valuable roadmap for parents who are feeling lost or overwhelmed trying to support a child with anxiety. They speak about the importance of self compassion, building resilience and how to support children who are worried about returning to school. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.