The Women's Podcast

This weekend (3rd-6th of May) the All Woman’s long boat team from St Michael’s rowing club in Dun Laoghaire will be one of two teams from the club competing in the Celtic Challenge race from the coast of Ireland to the coast of Wales.The race is a biennial event covering the 155 kilometre distance from Arklow in Wexford to Aberystwyth in Wales and the St Michael's All Woman’s team will be hoping to retain their title from the last race in 2017.On today's show four women from the crew, Liz O’Toole, Martina Doyle, Simone Sav and Liz Doyle, talk to Róisín about the grueling 26-hour Celtic Challenge and what possessed them to sign up to it.Follow the St Michael's rowers progress online:Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/dunlaoghairerowing/ Twitter - @RowDunLaoghaire Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jan Carson is a writer and community arts officer based in Belfast. Her first novel, Malcolm Orange Disappears, was published in 2014 followed by a short story collection, Children’s Children, in 2016. Her latest novel, The Fire Starters, is a dark, propulsive and original tale of fierce familial love and sacrifice, fizzing with magic and wonder. On today’s show she talks to Róisín about magic realism in her writing, her love of Belfast and the complexities of identity in Northern Ireland, her community work and more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mary Pat Kelly, named one of the Top 100 Irish Americans, is an author and a documentary filmmaker. She has also worked in TV on the show Good Morning America and once trained as a nun. Born and raised in Chicago, she lives on New York's Upper West Side with her husband the app developer Martin Sheerin, originally from County Tyrone. Mary was in Ireland recently to speak about her latest book – a novel called Irish Above All – and she came in to speak to Róisín Ingle while she was here. They talk about Mary's Irish roots, Trump and her friendship with the Italian American film director Martin Scorsese, who encouraged her to write about her heritage. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Young And Trans In Rural Ireland is a new resource that has just been launched by Youth Work Ireland to be used by those who work with young people and in schools, in order to make them the best trans allies they can be and to make Ireland more trans-inclusive. Julie James has personal experience of life as a young trans woman in rural Kildare and in this podcast she talks to Róisín about her life and how this Youth Work Ireland resource can help to make things better for trans people in Ireland.Plus: Irish Times journalists Bernice Harrison and Amy O'Connor tell us what's on their culture radar this week. Amy had the difficult job of getting up early to watch the Beyoncé documentary, Homecoming, and reports that it's everything she dreamed of and more. Bernice has some film and podcast recommendations and considers a move to Copenhagen for their progressive bike culture. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Award-winning Irish Times reporter Rosita Boland traveled to India recently with her colleague, this paper's photo editor Brenda Fitzsimons, to investigate waste pickers and innovative recycling projects taking place in Bangalore.One part of what they discovered during their time there was the shocking story of a multi-billion euro industry in the city’s slums, where human hair is a valuable commodity that fetches a high price in beauty salons in the west.Rosita spoke to Kathy about the trip, which was financed by the Simon Cumbers Media Fund. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 2009, at the height of the recession, Geraldine Swarbrigg and her daughter Jane decided to start a new business. Together they brought the cosmetics brand Inglot to Ireland and ten years on - with Jane's brother Peter also part of the family business - the company employs 300 people, is expanding at breakneck speed and has just announced an exciting new partnership with Next in the UK.On today's show, Geraldine and Jane speak to Kathy about all of this, they also explain what the “lipstick factor” means in economic terms, Jane recalls her attempt at upstaging Jennifer Lopez in Las Vegas and they talk about Geraldine's husband Tommy Swarbrigg, the former Eurovision star.Plus: Róisín reports on her first week using a standy-uppy desk at work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mairead Buicke reckons she has been lucky in her career as a singer, from stepping in at the last minute for her first every professional performance at the National Concert Hall, to the teachers she has had the privilege of studying under. Ahead of her one-night-only performance in the Puccini Scandal at the NCH on April 24th, she talks to Kathy about her trad music roots, her big break and why it's all about the core for opera singers these days. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On today’s show, Róisín speaks to Éanna Ni Lamhna, renowned environmentalist, broadcaster and author – who many of you will recognise as a long-standing member of the panel of experts on RTÉ’s wildlife programme ‘Mooney goes Wild’. Éanna is the author of several books including: Talking Wild, Wild and Wonderful and Straight Talking Wild – and she was in the middle of promoting National Tree week when she came into studio to talk to Róisín about her life and career.Plus: Kathy and Róisín discuss controversial comments by a UK judge about marital sex, and they don't quite see eye to eye on the important debate over leggings. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aimée Johnston has swapped Ireland for the white sands and sunshine of the Maldives, after beating thousands of applicants to become the Barefoot Bookseller. The 'Best Job in the World' is in the luxury eco resort of Soneva Fushi in the exotic Indian Ocean destination and was advertised online last year by hotel library curator company Ultimate Library. Aimée has been shoeless on the island for a month now and she speaks to Jennifer Ryan on today's podcast about how it’s all going.Later: Róisín Ingle talks to psychologist and mindfulness meditationteacher Susannah Healy about her book The Seven-Day Soul, which aims to provide a clear path to finding deeper meaning and joy in life through a blend of science and spirituality. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Máirín de Búrca has been a tireless social justice activist for women's rights, housing, prisoner rights, anti-apartheid, and many other issues throughout her life. She has, at times, been a committed member of Sinn Féin and, as a founder of the Women’s Liberation Movement, played a key role in that organisation's infamous Contraceptive Train. Máirín was also a prime mover in a legal case which secured for women the right to sit on juries, has been jailed for her anti-Vietnam War activities and fined for attacking Richard Nixon’s car during his 1970 Irish visit.Now, the octogenarian is the subject of a new documentary by filmmaker Cathal Black. A Loner's Instinct traces Máirín's life, taking us from her childhood in Chicago, to her membership of Sinn Féin, to her role as a founder of the Irish Women’s Liberation Movement.On today's podcast she talks to Kathy Sheridan about her extraordinary life.A Loner's Instinct will screen at the Irish Film Institute in Dublin April 8th 2019 at 18:30, followed by a Q&A. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.