The Women's Podcast

In this episode Irish Times journalists Polly Dennison and Roisin Ingle talk to host Kathy Sheridan about Donald Trump’s racism and the four congresswomen of colour who have stood up to him. Known now as The Squad they are Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts. Polly also tells us about Zara’s polka dot dress of the summer (“it’s horrendous on me” she says). Also in the episode, our Book Club returns with a very funny chat about How to Fail by Elizabeth Day. And Rachel Lee, a swimming firefighter from Dublin, tells us about her biggest challenge yet, crossing the North Channel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a momentous week for Northern Ireland with MPs in Westminster voting to extend abortion and same sex marriage rights to the North, we talk to Danielle Roberts from Alliance for Choice about what happens next. Róisín Ingle also talks to Anne O'Leary CEO of Vodafone Ireland and domestic abuse survivor and campaigner Emma Murphy about Bright Sky Ireland a groundbreaking app to support people in abusive relationships. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode features two authors one Danish and one Irish: Sofie Hagen is a London-based Danish comedian and fat acceptance campaigner. She has been starting conversations all over the place with her new book ‘Happy Fat: Taking up space in a world that wants to shrink you’. Sofie talked to Roisin Ingle about fatphobia and about why she is on a mission to change the way people talk to and about fat people. Jane Casey is an Irish-born author of crime novels. From Castleknock in Dublin, Jane studied English at Oxford. After her first book The Missing, was published by Ebury Press in 2010 she began a series of novels featuring Detective Constable Maeve Kerrigan. She has written for young adults but her latest book for grown-ups who like reading about gruesome murders is called Cruel Acts. Jane talked to Roisin about writing fiction, leaving Ireland and how Agatha Christie fuelled her early love of all things criminal. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dublin songwriter Ruth-Anne Cunningham chats to Róisín about her incredible career which took with a bang when she won the ASCAP Songwriters ‘Best Pop Song’ award for a song she wrote when she was 19. Since then she has written a string of hits for the likes of Britney Spears, One Direction and John Legend, but in the last two years she has been focusing on her own singing career. Ruth-Anne has just released her new single ‘Superman’, which she says is "anthem for women who have felt men took advantage of them in their position.” She spoke to Roisin ahead of her performance at the Kaleidoscope festival in Wicklow this weekend.Plus: Ahead of Dublin Pride parade on Saturday, Róisín talks to director of Dublin Pride Clodagh Leonard and chair of TENI Sara Phillips about Pride and the issues facing LGBTQI people in Ireland today.But first, Kitty Holland is in studio to discuss the need to always be vigilant when it comes to women's healthcare and what she's been watching on TV lately. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On today's show Róisín talks to number one bestselling author Karin Slaughter. Karin, who has sold over 35 million copies of her books, was in Ireland recently for the Murder One Festival’s Midsummer series of talks – a visit which coincided with the publication of her new novel, The Last Widow. In this podcast she talks to Róisín about the violence in her books, how she likes to divide the gore evenly among the sexes, and about the fact that she keeps a gun in her home. They also talk about Donald Trump and about her recent appearance on Good Morning Britain, where she clashed with presenter Piers Morgan in a discussion about violence in the TV show Killing Eve. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, two 14-year-old boys were convicted of the murder of schoolgirl Ana Kriégel on May 14th 2018. Irish Times Crime Correspondent Conor Gallagher was in court for the duration of the trial. He talks to Róisín about the trial and about Ana Kriégel, the beautiful young girl who was brutally murdered aged just 14.Later: Róisín speaks to Orla O’Connor, director of the National Women’s Council of Ireland, about former garda Majella Moynihan, who was threatened with dismissal from the force in the 1980s for having a baby with a colleague while unmarried. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today’s show, Roisin Ingle speaks to the Irish-Nigerian journalist, author and academic Emma Dabiri about her book Don’t Touch My Hair. The book is about the history of black people’s hair and for Emma, this story begins with an upbringing in Ireland where her hair was a “constant source of deep, deep shame”. Emma, who lives in London, talks to Róisín about growing up in inner city Dublin, why she had a lot of anger towards Ireland when she left and why she believes Michelle Obama would never have made it to the White House if she had an afro. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In her latest book, Home Grown: How Domestic Violence Turns Men Into Terrorists, Joan Smith writes that the violence perpetrated by men against women – whether it is sexual, physical, psychological, or all of the above – creates terror but is not recognised as a form of terrorism. In today's podcast she speaks to Kathy about how this link was identified decades ago, but never acted upon.Later: Róisín talks to newly elected Labour councillor Annie Hoey about the gendered questions she has faced about her private life since running in the recent local elections.Plus: Róisín and Kathy discuss sports bras, Kylie Jenner and free public transport for women in India. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Award-winning Irish Times reporter Rosita Boland has been enthralled by travel ever since gazing out at the Atlantic Ocean near her childhood home. In the last 30 years she has visited some of the most remote parts of the globe carrying little more than a battered rucksack and a diary. Now she has written a book about some of the stories from those adventures, Elsewhere. She shares some of them with Róisín and tells her what's next on her travel itinerary. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

France will host the Fifa Women's World Cup for the first time when the tournament kicks off tomorrow – Friday 7th June. Ireland and Arsenal footballer Louise Quinn tells Róisín who to look out for.Also today: Irish Times business journalist Laura Slattery on sexist advertising, the Spice Girls and the French Open.Plus: At their AGM this week, the National Women’s Council of Ireland brought together newly elected women councillors, and others who were unsuccessful this time, for a discussion about their campaigns, their leadership journey, barriers for women to enter into politics and their vision for change. Jennifer Ryan went along. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.