The Women's Podcast

As a nine-year-old girl, French author Adélaïde Bon was raped by a stranger in the stairwell of the affluent Parisian block of flats where she lived. Now her memoir, The Little Girl on the Ice Floe, has been translated into English, telling the story of the rape she suffered that day and the self-harm and self-hatred that followed. Most movingly, though, it captures the way Adélaïde’s pain was hidden from her family and friends through the decades that followed, until the day that she received the phone call from the police detective on the case, informing her that the perpetrator had been arrested, a man who had spent decades in France, but also across Europe, targeting girls. On today's show, Adélaïde speaks to Jennifer Ryan about writing the book, the power of rage and her hope that her book can be of help to other victims of sexual assault. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What is rewilding? Well, it’s an adventure that exists somewhere between a holistic retreat in the wilderness and an uncivilised summer school, designed to re-kindle our connection to our untamed nature. On today's show Róisín talks to Carol McInerney a movement therapist and meditation teacher, Siobhan de Paor, a poet and performance artist, and Kathy Scott of the Trailblzery, about Solstice, a one-day rewilding event in the Dublin mountains. Plus - Irish Times features writer and columnist, Jennifer O'Connell, talks to Róisín about what's on her culture radar and her recent column which tackled the thoroughly unsexy thorny topic of domestic duties. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Executive Director of Oxfam International Winnie Byanyima talks to the Women's Podcast about her early life growing up in Uganda during the regime of Idi Amin, her activism at university which led her to flee to England, the role she played in writing the country’s constitution and her work on global gender inequality. Ms Byanyima has just begun her second term as Executive Director of Oxfam International and she speaks to the Women’s Podcast about the work they do. She also talks about the sexual exploitation scandal involving some of Oxfam’s staff in Haiti which came to light last year and how the charity is still working to recover from the fallout. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This time last year we were gearing up for May 25th, the date of the referendum to repeal the 8th Amendment. It was a momentous time, so today the Women’s Podcast looks back, forward and outward. This episode focuses on what has happened in Ireland in the past year and what needs to happen next. It also looks at the situation in Northern Ireland where abortion is still illegal, the United States where there has been a dangerous row back on women’s reproductive rights under President Trump and to other places like Malta and Argentina.Joining Róisín to discuss this is Sorcha Tunney from Amnesty Ireland, on the phone from New York pro-choice activist and journalist Katha Pollitt and Orla O’Connor, director of the National Women’s Council of Ireland, Time Woman of the Year and one of the leaders of Together For Yes.Plus: Róisín talks to Belfast actor Amy Molloy and Welsh writer Rachel Tresize about their play Cotton Fingers. Set in Belfast it tells the story of a young woman making the journey to Wales to access free NHS abortion care. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On today's show, Kathy talks to acrobats Molly Keczan and Glory Dearling - AKA The Silver Starlets – about how they got into their line of work, what it's like to be women street performers and their participation in the Laya Healthcare City Spectacular, which returns to Dublin and Cork this July.Later: Róisín meets architect and interior designer Denise O’Connor, who runs her own design consultancy, Optimise Design. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

566 out of a total of 1,960 candidates running in next week’s local elections are women. That’s 29 per cent and marks an increase of more 100 on the 2014 local elections – or just shy of 22 per cent. So, progress is being made, but is it happening quickly enough? Kathy talks to Women for Election chief executive, Ciairín de Búis.Later: We meet three more women who are entering politics for the first time in the local elections on May 24th. Kathy talks to Grace McManus who is running for Sinn Féin in Wicklow, Fianna Fáil candidate for Dun Laoghaire Rathdown, Olivia Buckley and Lorraine Hall, who is on the ballot for Fine Gael, also in Dun Laoghaire Rathdown. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lucy Caldwell, an acclaimed author known for her collection *Multitudes* and her role as a guest editor for a new volume of Irish short stories, discusses the current literary renaissance in Ireland. She highlights the diversity and talent in modern Irish writing, featuring voices from both sides of the border. Caldwell shares insights on curating her anthology, *Being Various*, emphasizing the emotional connections with authors. The conversation also touches on the unique challenges faced by women writers in Northern Ireland and the significance of their perspectives.

First: A new report has found that thousands of women who are currently "on home duties" represent a major source of untapped potential in terms of addressing skills shortages. The research, carried out by the state's further education and training authority SOLAS, shows that of the 218,000 women between the ages of 20 and 64 who are not currently participating in the workforce, 16,000 could potentially be attracted to return to work with supports such as flexible working models and training courses. Nikki Gallagher from SOLAS and Joan McNaboe, who authored this report, talk to Róisín about the findings.Later: More than 500 women are running in the upcoming local elections and around 40 per cent of those who have declared for the European elections are female candidates. Have the recent referendums on the 8th Amendment and marriage equality inspired some of the first time women candidates to have a go at mainstream politics? Socialist Party candidate for Europe and Dublin City Council Rita Harrold, Green Party local election hopeful Hazel Chu and Rachael Prendergast-Spollen, who is running for People Before Profit in Dublin, talk to Róisín about this and more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On today's show, Róisín talks to Bollywood superstar Yami Gautam. The Indian actor’s latest film – the 2019 blockbuster Uri: The Surgical Strike – is currently the highest grossing film in Indian cinema so far this year, but it was the critically acclaimed romantic comedy Vicki Donor that made her a household name in 2012. Yami talks to Róisín about women in her country and the Me Too movement, her unlikely start in Bollywood and, if you can credit it, cricket’s EuroT20 Slam competition. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the last decade, the Irish author Tana French has become known for her brilliant crime thrillers narrated by various police in Dublin’s fictional Murder Squad, who tended to be outsiders in some way. In her latest book, the Wych Elm, she has done something a little bit different. Regular book clubbers on the Women's Podcast Bernice Harrison, Niamh Towey and Ann Ingle join Róisín to discuss the book that Stephen King called 'extraordinary' in his review in the New York Times.Plus: Ciara Kenny, acting editor of the Irish Times Magazine talks to Róisín about her first few weeks in the role and makes some reading and listening recommendations.Next time on the Women's Podcast Book Club, How to Fail, but Elizabeth Day. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.