The Women's Podcast

In today’s episode, Chelsey Goodan aka the “teenage whisperer” joins Róisín Ingle to talk about her new book Underestimated: The Power and Wisdom of Teenage Girls. It’s an empowering guide to better understand our teen daughters, stemming from Goodan's 16 years spent mentoring young people from all different backgrounds. Goodan talks about the challenges that teenage girls face today, and discusses how mothers can deepen their relationships with their daughters by listening and giving them the tools to find their own solutions. We also hear from Ingle’s 15-year-old twin daughters, Joya and Priya, who shed light on what it’s really like to be a teenage girl in 2024 and what they think their mum is doing right and what she’s doing wrong. 

But first, Irish Times journalist Ella Sloane joins Ingle to talk about her essay which won Ireland's Sarah Cecilia Harrison Essay Prize this week.

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Yesterday, in what for many of us is an utterly depressing turn of events, the American people voted for Donald Trump to become the next President of the United States. It’s an historic development, as he becomes the first-ever convicted felon to be elected to office. He is also the first president-elect to have a civil conviction for sexual assault, and the first to have been impeached twice. The Trump campaign has been rife with misogyny, hatred, and racist rhetoric, yet despite it all, he was elected. So, how did this happen, and what does it mean for women in America and around the world? Kathy Sheridan joins Róisín Ingle for a post-election debrief.

Later in the podcast, poet Donna Ashworth joins us to talk about her upcoming trip to Dublin. The Scottish poet will be flying over to appear as a special guest at Jan Brierton’s Wild Words, an evening of poetry and spoken word at the Ambassador Theatre on November 28th. In this conversation, Ashworth also reacts to yesterday’s election result and reads a poem from her latest collection, Growing Brave: Words to Soothe Fear and Let in More Light.

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With the US election just days away, Irish Times columnist and co-presenter of The Women’s Podcast Kathy Sheridan joins Róisín Ingle to talk about how the election has become a battle of the sexes, with Donald Trump pulling strong support from male voters and Kamala Harris enjoying a comparable edge with female voters. 

Later on, broadcasters and podcasters Jenny Kelly and Mairéad Ronan join the podcast to talk about their brand new book What We Know Now: Lessons on Life, Loss, Love and Friendship. Inspired by their own life experiences, the book explores failures, successes and mess-ups and offers advice on how to navigate life's ups and downs. In this conversation, the pair share the secrets to their 20-year friendship, explain how their relationship with alcohol has evolved through the years and they go through their top ten list for living a happier life.

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Simone Gannon is a content creator, digital marketing expert and the new beauty writer at the Irish Times. Since the beginning of the new year, she’s been entertaining us with her weekly beauty column, where she experiments with the latest trends, imparts her wisdom on all things skincare and makeup and shares her favourite beauty buys. In this episode, Gannon speaks to Róisín Ingle about how to look after your skin at any age, the must have items for the ultimate skin care routine and the beauty products she purchases time and time again.

This episode was originally published in April 2024.

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This month on The Women’s Podcast Book Club, Bernice Harrison, Niamh Towey, Róisín Ingle, and Ann Ingle discuss Sally Rooney's long-awaited fourth novel, Intermezzo.

The novel centres on the lives of two brothers: Peter, a lawyer, and Ivan, a chess prodigy, as they come to terms with the recent death of their father and navigate the complex relationships in their lives.

Some of our book clubbers adored the book, devouring it in “just a couple of days,” while others found it to be a rather “unsatisfactory read.”

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Last week, Trinity College announced that the main library in its city centre campus has been renamed after Irish poet Eavan Boland. It will be the first building on Trinity's grounds to be named after a woman. This week, in more good news for Irish female writers, the Mary Lavin Place will also be publicly unveiled in Wilton Park, in Dublin’s south side. It’s a public plaza to commemorate the famous writer who lived nearby on Lad Lane with her three daughters. In today’s episode, Róisín Ingle is joined by Lavin’s granddaughter Kathleen MacMahon to talk about the writer's extraordinary life and what this commemoration means to the family. We’re also joined by historian, lecturer, and Director of Gender Studies at UCD Mary McAuliffe who campaigned in 2013 for the Rosie Hackett bridge to be named after the Irish revolutionary activist. McAuliffe explains why so few Irish streets or spaces are named after women and what can be done to change this.

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Bella Mackie’s debut novel, How to Kill Your Family, sold over one million copies, and now she’s back with her second book, What a Way to Go. It’s a hilariously dark ‘whodunnit’ that centres on the death of an extremely rich yet extremely unpleasant man, Anthony Wistern. In this conversation with Róisín Ingle, Mackie talks about the online sleuths and armchair detectives who inspired one of her main characters and how her relationship with true crime has evolved over the years.

We also hear about her 2018 memoir, Jog On, which focuses on running and mental health and she reflects on how that book marked "the beginning of the rest of her life". Later on, Mackie also talks about her quick proposal to her “current husband”, BBC’s Greg James, about the upcoming Netflix adaptation of her first novel and about her experience of being stalked by a man she’d never met.

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Today, Róisín Ingle is joined by author, content creator and veteran fashion model Ruth Crilly. In her new memoir, How Not to be a Supermodel, Crilly lifts the lid on her days spent working as a model in one of the biggest talent agencies in the world. Told with Crilly’s undeniable wit, it’s a humorous and touching reflection on the highs and lows of the early noughties fashion scene.

In this wide-ranging conversation, Crilly talks about her Irish roots, the influence of her safety-conscious father and what prompted her to enter her name into a national model search while studying law at Birmingham University. She reflects on her days as a fledgling model, selling car insurance on the weekends to keep herself afloat and all the hilarious situations she found herself in along the way. With her life-long love of writing, Crilly explains how a move into blogging and content creation came as a natural progression, after an eventful twelve years mastering how not to be a supermodel.

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After a short hiatus, the book club is back with Bernice Harrison, Niamh Towey, Róisín and Ann Ingle discussing The Amendments by Niamh Mulvey. The book explores the complexities of family dynamics, religious beliefs, women's rights, and Ireland's history, told through the experiences of three distinct women. So what did our book clubbers make of this debut novel and would they recommend it to others? 

Our next book club pick is Intermezzo by Sally Rooney and we’ll be discussing it in October.

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Writer, philosopher, and friend of the show Laura Kennedy is here to discuss her first book, Some of Our Parts. It’s a memoir and a thought-provoking exploration of identity, told through the labels that shape our lives.  Laura’s have included ‘feminist’ ‘Irish’ ‘neurodiverse’ and ‘poor’ - she argues that they only tell one part of a more nuanced story. In this conversation with Róisín Ingle, Kennedy discusses the labels she has worn throughout her life - both by choice and otherwise. Reflecting on her upbringing in Limerick, her mental health struggles, and her career as a beauty editor and writer, she dissects the labels she has acquired, rejected, or lost along the way.

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WorkEqual is the brainchild of Sonya Lennon, stylist, designer and social entrepreneur. It’s a free service, which helps women find the confidence to enter or return to the workplace. Since 2011, it has helped more than 6,000 people move forward in their career journey. In this episode, Róisín Ingle talks to Lennon about the barriers facing women returning to work, the first steps to getting back out there and why it’s crucial to see women in leadership roles, so that change can begin from the top. We also hear from two WorkEqual alumni, Emma and Eileen, who talk about overcoming imposter syndrome, carving out new careers and the joy of finding themselves and their confidence again. For more information see WorkEqual.ie

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This September, Oxfam is encouraging people to take a stance against the impact of fast fashion and to shop second hand. With the textile sector contributing to 10% of global pollution, Oxfam’s Second Hand September is an initiative to prevent clothes ending up in landfill and to give garments a new lease of life. Singer and musician Eleanor McEvoy is one of the ambassadors for this year’s campaign and in today’s episode she talks to Róisín Ingle about why she got involved, her tips for finding the best gems in charity stores and how her own style has evolved through the years. She also speaks about her latest tour, her love of performing and the heartache which inspired her 2021 album, ‘Gimme Some Wine’.

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At seventy years old, psychologist and author Dr. Bella DePaulo has been happily single her entire life. Having never felt the need to couple up, DePaulo describes herself as "single at heart’" and says her solo status allows her to live her most "joyful, authentic, and meaningful" life. DePaulo has spent many years researching and writing about the single experience and has just released her first book on the subject, Single at Heart. She hopes the book will prove that a powerful, healthy, and happy life is possible not in spite of being single, but because of it. In this episode, she talks to Róisín Ingle about the different ways in which single people thrive, the common misconceptions around singledom, and why she’d rather spend her life with "the ones", than the one.

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In this episode, Aideen Finnegan sits down with former president of Ireland Mary Robinson and film director Aoife Kelleher to talk about their brand new film, Mrs Robinson. Told in her own words, the documentary reflects on key moments in Robinson’s life and career including her move from law into politics, the wedding that her parents refused to attend, and some of her political and personal regrets. In this conversation, Robinson explains why she was initially hesitant to make the film, what she hopes people can take from it and how she went from a shy child growing up in Ballina to walking the halls of Áras an Uachtaráin. Director Aoife Kelleher talks about her memories as a young girl watching the 1990 election, what inspired her to make the film and the joy of going through archive footage including never before seen home-videos shot by Robinson's father.

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There are Rivers in the Sky is the brand new novel from Turkish-British author Elif Shafak. The book is a “love letter to water”, but also a reflection on the climate crisis and the increasing issues with fresh water supply around the world. In this conversation with Róisín Ingle, Shafak explains how she uses storytelling to address global issues and why her writing will always remain political. She also speaks about her nomadic upbringing, being raised by two strong women and her surprising love of melodic death metal.

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Earlier this year, influencer Hannah Neeleman made headlines after taking part in a beauty pageant just 12 days after giving birth to her eighth child. Last month the Sunday Times profiled the 34 year-old dubbing her the 'queen of tradwives.' The interview is still provoking commentary. Journalist Megan Agnew wrote about Neeleman's former career as a ballerina, truncated so she could leave New York City for Utah to spend the next 13 years having babies. Neeleman runs a farm with her husband, living a traditional Mormon lifestyle with no birth control, no elective abortions, no pain relief during labour and no nannies looking after the children. Her way of living has been embraced by the tradwife movement; one that adheres to strict, traditional gender roles and has its roots in right wing ideology. DCU professor of gender and digital culture, Debbie Ging, unpacks the tradwife trend which has exploded on TikTok and gone mainstream in 2024.

Produced and presented by Aideen Finnegan

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This episode was originally published in August 2023.

Rosemary Murphy, a dynamic 40-year-old woman from Dolphin’s Barn in Dublin, had two major goals from childhood. The first was to have a large family. The second was to study medicine and become a doctor. As a mother of 12 children, ranging from 20 to 19 months, the first goal has been well and truly achieved. This September, she will start the journey to achieving her second, when she begins a six year medical degree at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI). In this conversation with Róisín Ingle, Murphy speaks about the joy of being accepted into the RCSI, the long road to get there and why "there’s no such thing as being too old, you can do anything at any age”.

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This November, Americans will have the opportunity to elect their first female president. After securing enough support from her delegates, Vice President Kamala Harris looks set to take on former president and convicted felon Donald Trump in the next election. But will Americans vote her in? In this episode, Róisín Ingle is joined by Caitríona Perry, BBC News Chief Presenter based in Washington DC, to discuss Harris’ rise through the political ranks, her stance on key issues such as women’s reproductive rights and what she might bring to the role if voted into power.

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At the beginning of 2019, writer and journalist Kitty Ruskin was young, free, and single and eager to give her sex life a bit of a shake-up. Having previously shunned the idea of one-night stands and kissing complete strangers, Ruskin decided to embrace her sexuality and embark upon a year of no-strings, casual sex. Partly inspired by Sex and the City’s Samantha and by her desire to shed her sexual reservations, Ruskin began meeting a variety of men on dating apps, one swipe at a time. In her new book ‘Ten Men,’ Ruskin shares the details of her year of sexual liberation and the darker and less discussed side of modern dating. She tells Róisín Ingle about the men she met, the men she'd rather forget, and the lasting impact of her experiment.

Warning: This episode discusses sexual assault and rape.

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Laura Dockrill was just 14 years old when she first set eyes on her husband, Maccabees guitarist Hugo White. The pair quickly began an intense relationship, exchanging carefully curated mixtapes and letters doused in Body Shop perfume. Despite a longing on both sides, the teenagers never let their friendship spill over into romance. It is this tale of young love that serves as the inspiration for Dockrill’s new novel, I love you, I love you, I love you. The book follows the story of teenage sweethearts Ella and Lowe, who spend their early years friend zoning each other, before eventually losing touch. In this episode, Dockrill talks to Róisín Ingle about why she decided to fictionalise her own story and the joys of delving back into the intensity of first love. She also speaks about her experience of postpartum psychosis following the birth of her son in 2018 and how she’s become a voice for this severe mental illness, which affects around 1 in 1000 mothers.

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In this episode, author and journalist Fiona McPhillips talks to Róisín Ingle about her new novel, When We Were Silent. It’s a thriller set in a Dublin convent school, where a culture of silence and abuse is rampant. The story was partly inspired by the 2020 podcast series about disgraced Irish swim coach George Gibney. In this wide-ranging conversation, McPhillips discusses her varied writing career, her personal struggles with infertility, and how she finally brought to life the novel she had been “threatening” to write for years.

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The Queen of Pop, Taylor Swift, is finally back in Dublin this weekend, bringing her Eras tour to more than 150 thousand fans at the Aviva Stadium over three nights. To celebrate the singer's return, we’ve gathered a panel of Swifties to talk about her music, stardom, and her dedicated fanbase. Writer, DJ, and disability activist Louise Bruton gives a potted history of Swift's career, from teenage country singer to global mega superstar. Creative writing student and member of University of Galway’s Swiftie Society, Ella Conneff, explains how Swift's music resonates and brings people together. We also hear from Kayleigh Bealin from the Irish Family History Centre, who has teamed up with EPIC, The Irish Emigration Museum, to track down Swift’s Irish roots and her connections to Derry and Dublin.

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Last year, just 23% of all engineering graduates in Ireland were women, while female engineers currently represent just 12% of the profession. Orlagh Costello, an engineer, coach, and speaker, is on a mission to change this and to encourage more women into this very male-dominated industry. Ahead of International Women in Engineering Day on June 23rd, Costello joins Kathy Sheridan in studio to talk about the many routes into the profession and the career possibilities available. She also explains how nearly everything we interact with on a day-to-day basis has been developed with the help of engineers, from the clothes we wear to the phone you’re probably listening to this podcast on. Costello also talks about the technical drawing teacher who inspired her career, what her first few years working after graduation were like, and how the engineering industry, like all industries, can benefit from having more women involved.

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According to psychologist and neuroscientist Dr Sabina Brennan, we all have the power to manifest our dreams into reality. However, it has nothing to do with wishful or magical thinking. Manifesting, she says, requires a change in the way we think and behave: it’s about learning how to harness the power of the brain. In her new book,The Neuroscience of Manifesting, Brennan explains the science behind this mental process and sets out the everyday strategies to help you build the life you want to live. In this conversation with Aideen Finnegan, the former Fair City actress talks about her move from acting into psychology, the importance of self compassion and the core building blocks of manifestation.

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When it comes to getting divorced in Ireland, many couples end up going through the Irish courts to settle their separation agreements. This process often involves one side battling against the other and can, in some cases, take years to finalise, costing anywhere from twenty to sixty thousand euros. According to divorce expert and author Michelle Browne, there is an easier, cheaper, and less adversarial way to divorce: mediation. In her new book, Scars of Divorce, Browne outlines the devastating and traumatic effects of settling a divorce in the courtroom and explains how her own personal experience inspired her to study law and eventually become a family mediator. In this conversation with Róisín Ingle, Browne details the benefits of mediation, talks through the pitfalls of parenting through divorce and explains “how to get your mojo back” after a marriage breakdown.

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A regular on The Women's Podcast, journalist and author Caitlin Moran was in Dublin recently as part of her latest book tour. As someone who regularly discusses the problems of girls and women in public, Moran has often been confronted with the question: “But what about men?”. Indeed, the statistics on male misery are grim: boys are falling behind in school, are at greater risk of addiction, depression, suicide, and increasingly at risk from online misogynist radicalisation thanks to the likes of Andrew Tate and Jordan B Peterson. Moran explains what led her to write her new book What About Men? and discusses the issues affecting men and boys that she says if tackled will also help women and girls.

This episode was originally published in July 2023.

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The local and European elections are taking place in just over two weeks time, on Friday June 7th. Since the beginning of the campaign, there have been a number of worrying incidents where election candidates have faced intimidation, harassment and abuse while out canvassing or hanging up party posters. Green Party Councillor Janet Horner and Social Democrats election candidate Ellen O’Doherty have both experienced this type of intimidating behaviour in their constituency. They talk to Kathy Sheridan about what happened, how it has impacted their campaigns and how abuse in political life is widespread, problematic and targeted disproportionately at women and minority groups. We also hear from Lisa Keenan, Assistant Professor in Political Science at Trinity College, who recently contributed to the Taskforce report on Safe Participation in Political Life.

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Author, podcaster and fond friend of the show, Marian Keyes is back with her sixteenth novel ‘My Favourite Mistake’. It follows Anna Walsh, as she ditches her high-flying PR job and makes the move from the Big Apple to the wilds of Connemara. In this episode, Keyes talks to Róisín Ingle about abandoning the original idea for the book, in favour of writing a love story instead. She also reflects on some recent personal milestones; moving house, celebrating 30 years of sobriety and having her portrait unveiled at the National Gallery of Ireland.

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In this episode, author Caroline Magennis talks to Róisín Ingle about her new book Harpy: A Manifesto for Childfree Women. It’s a look beyond the often divisive conversation around choosing not to have children, and offers an alternative message of hope and celebration. We also hear from Margaret O’Connor, a Limerick-based psychotherapist and presenter of the ‘Are Kids For Me’ Podcast. Through her work as a therapist, O’Connor supports people wondering if parenthood is for them. Writer Laura Kennedy, is also here to discuss the pressures faced by women as they approach the end of their fertility window and her own feelings of  ambivalence around motherhood.

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It’s hard to believe the last time Wallis Bird was on the podcast was nearly five years ago in 2019. Since then, the Berlin-based musician has released two more albums, the latest of which, Visions of Venus, was released last month. It’s a creative collaboration with the German classical quintet Spark, and together they are showcasing 1000 years of female composers from Clara Schumann to Kate Bush, Enya to Hildegard von Bingen. In this wide-ranging conversation with Róisín Ingle, Bird talks about the women at the centre of this ambitious album and what their music means to her. She also shares the details of her ongoing renovation project, turning a derelict farmhouse in rural Germany into a house for herself and five others, and she talks about the grief and shock at losing her best friend suddenly last December.

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Last November, Pastiche, a pop singer-songwriter from Malahide in Co Dublin was diagnosed with endometriosis, more than a decade after her first symptoms of the condition developed. While the diagnosis itself came as a relief, the 26-year-old was told she may face difficulties when trying to conceive later on. This ultimately led to her decision to freeze her eggs, as a sort of "insurance policy” for her fertility. In this conversation with Kathy Sheridan, Pastiche talks about the egg freezing process, what she wishes she knew going into it and how she’s used her music to share her personal story. We also hear from Edwina Oakes, chairperson of the Irish Fertility Counsellors Association, who discusses the reasons behind the rising numbers of women freezing their eggs and explains who she typically sees going forward for the procedure.

Pastiche’s new song Forfeit Control is out now.

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What does narcissism in mothers look like? According to psychotherapists Helen Villiers and Katie McKenna, the narcissistic mother can be “extremely critical, condescending, oppressive and very judgmental”, with devastating impacts for the entire family. They can also use covert or insidious tactics: taking on a victim role or using guilt tripping or stonewalling to get their way. In this episode, Villiers and McKenna join Róisín Ingle to discuss the main traits of maternal narcissism, how it can impact families and how to heal the emotional scars that come with being a child of narcissistic parents.

Their new book You’re Not the Problem: The impact of narcissism and emotional abuse and how to heal is out now.

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In this episode, Róisín Ingle talks to debut author Rebecca Ivory about her new collection of short stories Free Therapy. The book takes its name from the second story in the collection, but the theme of therapy is there throughout; Ivory’s own therapist even gets a mention in the acknowledgements. The collection takes us into the lives of people who “keep making the same mistakes over and over again”, but for a variety of reasons are unable to change. It’s about unfulfilling jobs, unfulfilling men, desire and connection and has also been endorsed by Sally Rooney. In this conversation, Ivory talks about finding the confidence to pursue her creative dreams, how her family and working-class background shaped her and how she juggles working full time and writing her first novel. 

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Simone Gannon is a content creator, digital marketing expert and the new beauty writer at the Irish Times. Since the beginning of the new year, she’s been entertaining us with her weekly beauty column, where she experiments with the latest trends, imparts her wisdom on all things skincare and makeup and shares her favourite beauty buys. In this episode, Gannon speaks to Róisín Ingle about how to look after your skin at any age, the must have items for the ultimate skin care routine and the beauty products she purchases time and time again.

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March is Endometriosis Awareness Month, so in this episode, we want to highlight the experience of two women living with the condition. Dearbhail Ormond is an entrepreneur and mother of one, with stage four endometriosis, who waited a staggering 18 years to get a diagnosis after seeing more than 20 doctors. Ormond tells Aideen Finnegan about her struggle to find answers to her pain and how it ultimately led her to found ‘frendo app’, a platform for tracking symptoms and to provide support to others navigating the condition. We also hear from Johanna Huber, a physiotherapist and yoga teacher based in Co Cork, who also spent many years being misdiagnosed. Huber discusses the surgeries she underwent to treat her pain, how she helps other women ease their symptoms through movement and relaxation and why she eventually sought medical treatment abroad.

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It’s World Poetry Day today, so what better way to celebrate it than with one of our favourite poets and friend of the show, Jan Brierton. In this episode, Brierton, a self-described ‘accidental’ poet, joins Róisín Ingle to talk about her new book, Everybody Is A Poem. It’s s beautiful collection covering themes of love, loss, menopause, midlife, the mental load, self-acceptance, and much more. Brierton talks about the real-life events which inspired her latest batch of poetry and recites a couple of her favourites.

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Tilly Cripwell, a 22 year-old musician, who regularly performs beside the Molly Malone statue in Dublin, is on a mission to stop people from inappropriately touching the sculpture’s breasts. In this episode, Cripwell tells Róisín Ingle how she’s launched the ‘Leave Molly mAlone’ campaign with the aim of stopping this “misogynistic” tradition and to protest against the mockery and objectification of the city’s beloved statue.

Later on, we’ll also be hearing about another worthy campaign, called ‘Leave our Leave’, run by the Irish Cancer Society. It focuses on the 60 women each year in Ireland, who receive a cancer diagnosis during or just after their pregnancy, who are not able to defer their maternity leave during this period. That’s despite men being able to defer their paternity leave following a diagnosis. To understand why this is the case and how it directly impacts women, Kathy Sheridan speaks to cancer survivor Emma McGuinness and CEO of the Irish cancer society Averil Power.

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This International Women’s Day, we are turning our attention to the plight of Palestinian women and children. So far, more than 30,000 people have been killed in the ongoing conflict in Gaza, the majority of which have been women and children. The UN and Human Rights Watch have called it a “war on women”, with an average of 63 women killed every single day, mostly in their own homes. There are also around 50,000 pregnant women in Gaza, with 180 per day giving birth in unimaginable conditions. To talk about the current situation in Palestine and the difficulties of getting aid to those who need it most, Róisín Ingle is joined by Fikr Shalltoot, a Gazan woman and director with Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP). We also hear from MayKay Geraghty, musician and member of the Irish Artists for Palestine collective, who, on March 15th, will release a stunning cover of Sinead O’Connors ‘Black Boys on Mopeds’, to raise much needed funds for the Lajee Centre in the Aida refugee camp in the West Bank.

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On International Women’s Day this year, March 8th, the Irish public will be asked to vote in two upcoming referendums. The first referendum concerns the definition of family as outlined in the Irish Constitution and proposes expanding the definition to recognise durable relationships. The second referendum proposes the removal of the reference to women’s duties in the home, instead replacing it with language recognising care within the family. To explore all sides of the arguments on the yes and no side, Róisín Ingle is joined by former barrister and journalist Laura Perrins and visual artist Aideen Barry. Irish Times political correspondent Jennifer Bray is also here to set out what voters are being asked, what the changes will mean and what concerns have been raised regarding the amendments.

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In this episode, Kathy Sheridan is joined by British author and journalist Sarah Gristwood, who has just released her new book, Secret Voices: A Year of Women’s Diaries. It’s a captivating collection of diary entries from women, looking back over four centuries, to discover how their experience of everyday life has changed down the years and also how it hasn’t. It includes entries from some remarkable women like Virginia Woolf, Oprah Winfrey, Anne Frank, Louisa May Alcott and even Queen Victoria. In this conversation, Gristwood talks about the inspiration behind the collection, the common themes that pop up throughout like anger, frustration and lust and what these intimate musings have taught her about the variety and richness of the female experience.

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Being a perfectionist may sound like a good thing, but don’t let the name fool you. A perfectionist’s life is far from perfect. If you are one, or you know one well, you’ll likely know of the debilitating effects that can come with a perfectionist’s constant quest for excellence. So why does it manifest and who is more likely to struggle with it? To explore this world of impossibly high standards. Kathy Sheridan is joined by clinical hypnotherapist Fiona Brennan and author and writer Edel Coffey. Brennan explains what causes perfectionism, why more women than men are likely to suffer from it and the ways we can overcome it, while Coffey shares her personal experience of being a perfectionist, how it has affected different aspects of her life and the joy of finally letting go.

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In today’s episode, we’re dusting off our ‘cúpla focal’ and talking about the joys of Gaeilge with two Irish language innovators, Mollie Guidera, aka Múinteoir Mollie and comedian Áine Gallagher. But, don’t worry, you don’t need to have any Irish to enjoy this conversation.

Guidera, an online Irish teacher tells Róisin Ingle how she discovered her passion for teaching at the age of seven, showing her American cousins how to speak a few Irish words over Thanksgiving dinner. We also hear how despite getting kicked out of Irish college in her very first year, her love for the language never faltered.

Gallagher, who brings Irish into her comedy routines explains how a new year's resolution to speak it everyday set her on path to become ‘Ireland’s only guerrilla Irish language enthusiast’.

The pair talk about their passion for our native tongue, what can be done to improve the way it’s taught in schools and why they're on a mission to make Gaeilge great again.

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In this episode, Kathy Sheridan is joined by British academic and author Clair Wills. In her new book  Missing Persons, Or My Grandmother’s Secrets, Wills brings the reader on an intimate journey through her family history and lays bare the brutal treatment of Ireland’s unmarried mothers. The wheels were set in motion for this book in the early 90s, when Wills learned of her long lost cousin Mary, born in Bessborough mother and baby home in Cork in the 1950s. Bessborough was only a few miles down the road from where Wills had spent idyllic childhood summers on her grandmother Molly’s farm. In this episode, she talks to Kathy Sheridan about the inherent shame and guilt that reinforced this culture of secret keeping in Ireland, the challenges of piecing together her family history and why, despite initial reservations, she felt compelled to tell their story.

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Breakdown is the debut novel from author and former English teacher Cathy Sweeney. It tells the story of a disillusioned mother, living in a leafy suburb in Dublin, who leaves her house one morning and never returns. In this episode, Sweeney tells Róisín Ingle how she came to write Breakdown and reflects on the stories women still don’t openly tell about themselves even in modern liberal Ireland. In this wide ranging conversation, Sweeney also talks about her childhood spent moving from place to place, how becoming a mother at 18 shaped her life and why she’s turning her attention to Oscar Wilde for her next writing project.

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In this episode, we are joined by two young black-Irish women who have excelled in their respective fields of law and medicine, despite plenty of obstacles along the way. Trainee solicitor Inny Ekeolu and second year medical student Aghogho Okpara talk to Róisín Ingle about their career ambitions, tackling imposter syndrome and the importance of representation. They also speak about changes they’d like to see in their industries and how they ignored those who told them to “aim lower”.

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All singing, all dancing duo Honey and Lemon are bringing their new show Double Act to the Project Arts Theatre on January 18th. It’s a whistle-stop tour of the history of women in entertainment. Think French & Saunders, The Cheeky Girls and Thelma & Louise. Honey and Lemon consists of Millie Daniel-Dempsey and Amy Robyn Lyster, two multidisciplinary entertainers who experiment with dance, voice and film to blur the boundaries of contemporary dance. In this episode, the pair speak to Róisín Ingle about the inspiration behind the show, their work as artists in residence at the Civic Theatre Tallaght and how movement can do wonders for the mind and body.

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This week, as we ease into the rhythm of a brand new year, we are taking the opportunity to bring you some highlights from your favourite episodes of The Women’s Podcast in 2023. You’ll hear Marian Keyes sharing some learnings on life as she celebrated her 60th birthday, author and academic Katriona O’Sullivan on how a chance encounter transformed her life, plus columnist Caitlin Moran on the worrying rise of Andrew Tate. There’s also a snippet from our interview with Sinéad O’Connor recorded during the promotion of her memoir Rememberings, plus a lesson on botox from journalist and broadcaster Sali Hughes.

If there is a subject you’d like us to cover on the podcast in 2024, please get in touch with us thewomenspodcast@irishtimes.com or DM us on Twitter or Instagram at @itwomenspodcast

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2023: It was a year that broke global temperature records, riots took over the streets of Dublin and the world looked on in horror as more than 20,000 people were killed in the Gaza Strip, around 70% of which were women and children.  HSE-funded fertility treatment became available to couples and the Irish football team did us proud at the Women’s World Cup. Josef Puska was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Aisling Murphy, singer and activist Sinead O’Connor died at the age of 56 and the Irish Government brought in paid leave for victims of domestic abuse. To talk through the pivotal moments of 2023 and how they impacted women in Ireland and around the world, Róisín Ingle is joined by author and academic Katriona O’Sullivan and journalist and broadcaster Alison O’Connor.

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If you’re looking for a last minute gift idea, you can never go wrong with a good book. So that’s why we’ve gathered our book clubbers, Niamh Towey, Bernice Harrison, Róisín and Ann Ingle in studio to share their favourite reads of 2023. Their recommendations include a collection of feminist essays, an unforgettable memoir and a best-selling novel on time travel. Whether it's a gift for family, friends or even for yourself, we hope there's something for everyone here. 

Here's the list of books mentioned in this episode:

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver 

Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay

Before the Coffee gets Cold by Toshikaz Kawaguch

Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

Western Lane by Chetna Maroo  

Past Lying by Val McDermid 

An Eye on Ireland: A Journey Through Social Change by Justine McCarthy 

Poor by Katriona O’Sullivan 

So Late in the Day, Foster and Small Things Like These, all three by Claire Keegan. 

All the Little Bird-Hearts by Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow 

Good Material by Dolly Alderton 

Dear Gay by Suzy Byrne 

The Bee Sting by Paul Murray 

Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life by Arnold Schwarzenegger

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Irish motorsport legend Rosemary Smith died last week at the age of 86. To pay tribute to the trailblazing rally driver, we want to bring you this interview with Smith from 2018. Following the release of ‘Driven’, her memoir ghostwritten by none other than Ann Ingle, Smith joined Róisín Ingle in studio to discuss her colourful racing career, her love affairs with the likes of Oliver Reed and Adam Faith and how she overcame the odd bump in the road along the way. Rest easy Rosemary.

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In 2020, author and reality television star Georgia Harrison became a victim of so called ‘revenge porn’ when she was secretly recorded having sex with her ex partner, Stephen Bear and the footage then put online without her consent. The intimate moment between the two was captured on the CCTV system at Bear’s house and despite pleas from Harrison to delete the footage, her ex uploaded it to the internet, for the entire world to see. In March this year, Bear was sentenced to 21 months in prison for sharing the sexual content. In this episode, Harrison tells Róisín Ingle about the trauma of her most personal moment becoming public, why she didn’t think twice before going to the police and how she campaigned to change a major loophole in the UK law on image based sexual abuse.

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Irish-Nigerian author and broadcaster Emma Dabiri is giving the middle finger to modern beauty standards. Growing up, Dabiri felt pressured to conform to “oppressive” beauty ideals, to shrink herself to fit in and to straighten her afro hair. Now, as she explains in her new essay ‘Disobedient Bodies’, it’s time to rebel against those suffocating beauty constructs. From going makeup free to embracing her natural hair, Dabiri tells Róisín Ingle about the power that comes with reclaiming your unruly beauty.

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In her new book, An Eye on Ireland, award-winning journalist and Irish Times columnist Justine McCarthy shares new and selected pieces of work from her long-spanning career in journalism. For four decades, McCarthy’s writing has challenged stereotypes, held power to account and helped amplify the voices of women in Ireland. In this wide ranging conversation with Róisín Ingle, McCarthy reflects on her entry into journalism, how the death of her father as a young girl shaped the woman she would become, and she shares some of the stories and subjects that left a lasting impression.

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In her new book Eve: How The Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution, author Cat Bohannon explores the history and science behind the development of the female sex. In this episode, Bohannon explains to Róisín Ingle why the frequent omission of female bodies from scientific research inspired her to write the book, the ‘superpowers’ that she says only females are born with and how the advancement of gynaecology and midwifery helped drive civilisation forward.

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At just 64-pages long, you could get through So Late in the Day by Claire Keegan in just one sitting. So if you haven’t read it yet, you’ve no excuse. The story follows Cathal, a civil servant working in Dublin, as he clock watches his way through his office job on a sunny Friday afternoon. When the working day is finally over, he makes the journey home, all the while ruminating on the failed relationship between himself and his ex-fiancé Sabine. It’s a miniature tale that packs plenty of punch, but what did our book clubbers Niamh Towey, Bernice Harrison, Ann and Róisín Ingle make of it? We’d love to hear your thoughts on the book. Why not send us a voice note on Instagram @ITWomensPodcast or email us TheWomensPodcast@Irishtimes.com

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Six years ago, when writer and psychotherapist Lucy Cavendish turned 50 , she began to feel like she didn’t fit in anymore. With her four children reared, Cavendish’s identity as a working mother was gone, leaving her feeling as though she was fading into invisibility; a feeling that some other women in their fifties also experience. After numerous ‘moments’ where she felt a profound ‘loss of self’, she was left wondering, ‘who am I?’ It is this question that the writer tackles in her latest piece for The Guardian, which explores how women in their 50s can begin to step out of the shadows. In this conversation with Róisín Ingle, Cavendish speaks about her feelings of irrelevance and being ‘othered’, what she’s been hearing from those of a similar vintage, and the positive ways in which women can reclaim a sense of purpose and identity.

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Three years ago, Irish Times contributor Catherine Cleary decided to buy the cheapest land she could find in Ireland, with the dream of planting her own native forest. Following a long search, Cleary and her husband Liam, eventually came across 40 acres of land for sale in Co Roscommon. This year, with the help of family, friends and paid contractors, they planted 24,000 trees over 27 acres and have watched their slice of Irish countryside burst back into life. In this conversation with Róisín Ingle, Cleary talks about why she took on a project of this size, the inspiration behind her social enterprise Pocket Forests, which aims to bring mini-forests to urban spaces and how she’s trying to make the world a better place one tree at a time.

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Romantic love, widely elevated as a subject worth interrogating, tends to get a lot of attention while platonic friendship is woefully neglected in the public discourse. Enter, self-described “friendaholic” Elizabeth Day who is attempting to redress the balance. The author and woman behind the hit How to Fail podcast spoke to Roisin Ingle about why the complex bonds of friendship need more attention and how during the pandemic she was forced to reassess her own friendship circle. 

Her new book Friendaholic: Confessions of a friendship addict prompted her to look back at her experience of being bullied at school while growing up in Belfast where she struggled to fit in and make friends. Day spent many years using friendship - the more friends the better - as a form of self-validation. 

For Day, having lots of friends meant you were loved, popular and safe. But this quantity over quality approach was often to the detriment of her own boundaries and mental health. Day talked to Ingle about the great friendships of her life, what it feels like to be ghosted, dealing with frenemies, how friendships were affected by her fertility journey and the lessons she learned while writing the book. Friendaholic: Confessions of a friendship addict is out now.

This episode was originally published in May 2023.

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This week, marked World Menopause Day, a day to raise awareness and break the stigma around perimenopause and menopause. To celebrate this transitional period in life, we’re joined today by Claire Dinsmore, a certified perimenopause coach and fitness fanatic based in San Francisco. In this episode, Dinsmore, who originally comes from Co Down in Northern Ireland, speaks to Róisín Ingle about why perimenopause should be viewed as ‘the power years’ and how she helps women navigate the journey through her online course ‘The Whole Woman Approach’. You can find her on @clairedinsmorecoaching on Instagram.

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A graduate of Dublin’s Lir Academy, English actress Agnes O’Casey made her big break in the highly acclaimed BBC series Ridley Road in 2021. Now the rising acting star is playing the lead in her first feature film, Lies We Tell, a psychological thriller set in 1800s Ireland, which hits cinemas this Friday October 13th. In this episode, O’Casey speaks to Róisín Ingle about her excitement ahead of the film’s release, her upcoming projects including the film adaptation of Claire Keegan’s ‘Small Things Like These’ and her famous great-grandfather, the Irish playwright Seán O’Casey.

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Rough Beast: My Story and the Reality of Sinn Féin is the highly anticipated memoir from former Irish Senator Máiría Cahill. Growing up in west Belfast, steeped in the traditions of Irish republicanism, Cahill seemed destined for a political career within Sinn Féin, but at the age of 16, she was sexually abused by a prominent member of the IRA and life as she knew it changed forever. In this episode, Cahill speaks to Kathy Sheridan about the lasting impact of the abuse, the trauma of the subsequent IRA “investigation” and why, in 2014 she decided to wave her anonymity and share her story.

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Today we’re delighted to be joined by best-selling author and friend of the podcast Marian Keyes, who celebrated her 60th birthday earlier this month. In this conversation with Róisín Ingle, Keyes shares the nuggets of wisdom she has gleaned from her six decades on earth: from learning how to apologise properly, the benefits of making a gratitude list and the joys of staying in your lane and within your comfort zone.

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In this episode, author, travel writer and wellbeing coach Sinéad Kennedy joins Róisín Ingle to discuss her new book Life is a Cycle. It’s an honest and lighthearted memoir, detailing Kennedy’s commitment to living a life filled with excitement and adventure. From finding her tribe with her local cycling group, to solo holidays in exotic locations, Kennedy reveals the joys of carving her own path, bucking expectations of her gender and taking responsibility for her own happiness.

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Mary McKenna is the CEO & Founder of Tour America & Cruise Holidays / The Travel Suite, one of Ireland’s most successful travel agencies. Founded in her sitting room almost three decades ago, the company has gone from strength to strength, despite a number of setbacks through the years, including the 9/11 attacks, the recession and most recently, the pandemic. In this wide-ranging interview with Róisín Ingle, McKenna reflects on her career journey, her life outside of business and why, nearing 60, she’s feeling stronger and happier than ever.

In this episode, we also hear from comedian, singer and actor Síomha Hennessy who is performing at this year’s Dublin Fringe Festival, with her show The Coil’s Lament. It’s an hilarious exploration into online dating, isolation and celibacy, told through stand-up and song. Hennessy talks to Ingle about the inspiration behind the show and performs an exclusive song for us: 'It’s not love'.

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Following on from the success of her 2020 novel Actress, Anne Enright is back with her latest book The Wren, The Wren. It’s a multi-generational story, exploring family trauma and the love between mother and daughter, told through three members of the same family: Nell, Carmel and Phil. In this episode, Enright speaks to Róisín Ingle about the inspiration behind the story, her foray into poetry and the novel’s omission from this year’s Booker long list. They also reflect on Enright's time as the inaugural Laureate for Irish Fiction, her childhood growing up the youngest of five and her “stormy” teenage years.

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The Dublin Fringe Festival kicks off next month on Saturday, the 9th of September. Once again, the festival features a stellar line up of women-led productions, ranging from comedy, theatre and performance art. Making their debut at this year’s Fringe, is Philomena P, a new female-led theatre company with their play ‘in heat’. Philomena P is made up of best friends Sadhbh Malin and Sinéad Gallagher who both come from Dublin. The play, written by Malin and produced by Gallagher, tells the story of Conor and Helen, a couple in their 20s, living together and navigating a rocky relationship. In this episode, they tell Róisín Ingle about the inspiration behind the story, how their friendship has evolved into a creative working relationship and what it’s like being a young woman living and working in Ireland today.

For the full line up of events at the Fringe, check out https://www.fringefest.com/festival/whats-on

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This month our booker clubbers have been reading Old Babes in the Wood, a collection of short stories from award-winning author Margaret Atwood. The book explores themes like love and relationships, what it means to be human, the ageing process and dealing with loss. Seven stories within the book follow the lives of married couple Nell and Tig and the moments big and small that encapsulate their life together. Listen in to find out what Bernice Harrison, Niamh Towey, Ann and Róisín Ingle thought of this new collection from the 83 year-old author.

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Rosemary Murphy, a dynamic 40-year-old woman from Dolphin’s Barn in Dublin, had two major goals from childhood. The first was to have a large family. The second was to study medicine and become a doctor. As a mother of 12 children, ranging from 20 to 19 months, the first goal has been well and truly achieved. This September, she will start the journey to achieving her second, when she begins a six year medical degree at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI). In this conversation with Róisín Ingle, Murphy speaks about the joy of being accepted into the RCSI, the long road to get there and why "there’s no such thing as being too old, you can do anything at any age”.

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Irish author Elaine Feeney is nominated for the 2023 Booker Prize for her novel How to Build a Boat. The writer from Galway is one of four Irish authors and the only Irish woman to make the long list this year. Ahead of the shortlist announcement next month, Feeney joined Róisín Ingle to discuss her nomination, the inspiration behind the book and how a severe illness in 2014 spurred her on to writing fiction. The pair also discuss Feeney’s life growing up in the west of Ireland, falling in love with poetry in her teens and her new poetry collection due out next year.

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In this episode, we have two experts on hand to share their extensive knowledge of the clitoris, a much ignored and often overlooked part of the female body. Urologist Dr Rachel Rubin and author of ‘Vagina Obscura’ Rachel E Gross join Róisín Ingle to explain history’s complicated understanding of the clitoris, how it’s treated in medical study and why popular culture instead zoned in on the ‘G Spot’ as the holy grail of orgasms. They also discuss the rise in cosmetic procedures like labiaplasty and why we need a better word for masturbation.

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American blogger and author Gabrielle Stanley Blair is on a mission to change the conversation around abortion. Rather than centering the debate around women and their bodies, Stanley Blair suggests a crucial refocus: MEN. In her new book ‘Ejaculate Responsibly’, the author argues that men are responsible for 100% of unwanted pregnancies and therefore should be more cautious of where they leave their sperm. In this episode, she talks to Róisín Ingle about the main arguments in her ‘thesis’, the reaction she’s been met with by both men and women and why if the attention was put on preventing unwanted pregnancies, there would be no need to argue about abortion at all.

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Irish singer Sinéad O’Connor died this week at the age of 56. A trailblazer, feminist and advocate for social change, O’Connor will be remembered for her outstanding contribution to music and her courage in speaking out against the status quo. A fond friend of The Women’s Podcast, O’Connor last joined podcast presenter Róisín Ingle for an extended interview in 2021, while promoting her memoir Rememberings. Today, to celebrate her life and her achievements, we bring you that conversation again, recorded in the conservatory of her home in the Wicklow countryside. Rest easy, Sinead.

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A regular on The Women's Podcast, journalist and author Caitlin Moran was in Dublin recently as part of her latest book tour. As someone who regularly discusses the problems of girls and women in public, Moran has often been confronted with the question: “But what about men?”. Indeed, the statistics on male misery are grim: boys are falling behind in school, are at greater risk of addiction, depression, suicide, and increasingly at risk from online misogynist radicalisation thanks to the likes of Andrew Tate and Jordan B Peterson. Moran explains what led her to write her new book What About Men? and discusses the issues affecting men and boys that she says if tackled will also help women and girls.

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In this episode, writer and journalist Dina Kraft tells the story of Holocaust survivor Hannah Pick-Goslar and her childhood best friend, Anne Frank. Hannah and Anne met in Amsterdam as young girls and spent many happy years playing together, before the ravages of war tore their lives apart. ‘My Friend Anne Frank’ is the memoir by Pick-Goslar, detailing the special bond shared by the pair, their final meeting on opposite sides of a barbed-wire fence in a Nazi concentration camp in 1945 and her own incredible story of survival. The book was co-written by Kraft, who spent hours interviewing the 93 year-old at her home in Jerusalem, before her death in October last year.

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I Will Be Good is the new memoir from Peig McManus, an unforgettable Dublin character, who grew up in 1940s Ireland, under the shadow of the Second World War. Now in her 80s, Peig reflects on a life lived boldly even in the face of challenges. In this episode, she tells Róisín Ingle about life growing up in the last of Dublin’s tenements, the trauma of becoming an unmarried mother at the age of 21 and how she finally discovered peace and healing through her work as a counsellor (and a late in life discovery of the ukulele).

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In this episode, book clubbers Niamh Towey, Bernice Harrison, Róisín and Ann Ingle share their summer reading recommendations. Amongst their favourites are The Guest by Emma Cline, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid and The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue. They’ll also be discussing a novel described by one book clubber as “one of the best books I’ve ever read in my life”.

Our next pick for the book club will be Margaret Atwood's collection of short stories 'Old Babes in the Wood'. We'll be reviewing it at the end of August, so why not grab a copy and read it with us.

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It’s almost twenty years since Cecelia Ahern released her debut book P.S I Love You. Now the author is back with her nineteenth novel, In a Thousand Different Ways. It tells the story of Alice, a highly empathetic person who can see and feel people’s emotions through colours around their bodies. In this conversation with Róisín Ingle, Ahern explains how her own experiences as an empath inspired the story and how she wrote it while navigating the ‘three Ps’: perimenopause (and the brain fog and rage that comes with it), the pandemic and the postnatal period, following the birth of her third child,

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Broadcaster and writer Noelle McCarthy was born and raised in Cork, but now lives in New Zealand with her husband and young daughter Eve. Her new memoir ‘Grand: Becoming my Mother’s Daughter’, examines the tumultuous relationship she had with mother Carol, who struggled with alcoholism throughout her life. The book also tracks McCarthy’s life as a promising young student, who in a bid to escape her troubles at home, made the move from Cork city to New Zealand and established a name for herself in the media industry. In this conversation with Róisín Ingle, she reflects on the enduring bonds between mother and daughter, her own transition into motherhood and her relationship with alcohol and addiction.

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Best-selling author Naoise Dolan is here to talk about her highly-anticipated second novel The Happy Couple. It tells the story of Celine and Luke, their upcoming wedding and the three friends who may draw them apart. In this episode, Dolan speaks to Róisín Ingle about swapping London for Berlin, how she almost took up a career in law and dealing with feelings of self-doubt.

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The countdown is on for next month’s FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia. In this episode, Vera Pauw, manager of the Irish women’s national football team, talks to Róisín Ingle about the mood in camp, her hopes for her players and the evolution of the women’s sport over the last five decades. She opens up about her experiences of being raped and sexually abused by prominent Dutch officials and about lessons learnt from the controversy that marred the team’s victory over Scotland to qualify for the World Cup. This is the first time an Irish women’s team have qualified for the tournament. COYGIG!

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In May 2019, the Irish government declared a climate and biodiversity emergency. To guide us through everything we need to know about biodiversity loss and the impact it has on the natural environment, we’re joined by activist, educator and former Rose of Tralee Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin, who recently chaired the Citizens Assembly on the subject. From hedgerows to bogs and from forests to lakes Ni Shuilleabhain tells Roisin Ingle why we all need to be on board when it comes to protecting and supporting biodiversity. This episode explores what we can do as individuals to make a positive difference and become good ancestors to future generations.

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In this episode, Dr Katriona O’Sullivan talks about her powerful, inspiring and affecting memoir Poor. O’Sullivan grew up in England with Irish parents, both heroin addicts, in a home environment riven with dysfunction, abuse and poverty. She became pregnant at 15, experienced homelessness and substance abuse as a young mother before moving to Dublin at the age of 20. Now an award-winning lecturer whose work challenges barriers to education, she tells Róisín Ingle the extraordinary story of how she turned her life around. And about her hopes for transforming attitudes towards girls and women like her.

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In this episode, we revisit a conversation we had last year with Bonnie Garmus, author of the best selling book Lessons in Chemistry. The novel follows the life of Elizabeth Zott, a chemist in 1960s America, who leaves her career in science to present a TV cooking show. Garmus talks to Róisín Ingle about her long road to writing success, the excitement of her book becoming an instant bestseller and how her main character Zott came to her one evening after a bad day at the office.

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Our guest this week is DJ, podcaster and author Annie MacManus - more widely known as Annie Mac - who came on to talk about her second book The Mess We’re In.

The London-based Dubliner’s debut novel Mother, Mother was set in Belfast but her latest is about Orla, a young woman who moves to London at the turn of the millennium and her chaotic adventures as she tries to make it in the music industry and find home in a brand new place.

MacManus talked to podcast host Roisin Ingle about the concept of home, her life and work in London, leaving BBC Radio 1 after 17 years and “politely” turning down an MBE last summer. 

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Romantic love, widely elevated as a subject worth interrogating, tends to get a lot of attention while platonic friendship is woefully neglected in the public discourse. Enter, self-described “friendaholic” Elizabeth Day who is attempting to redress the balance. The author and woman behind the hit How to Fail podcast spoke to Roisin Ingle about why the complex bonds of friendship need more attention and how during the pandemic she was forced to reassess her own friendship circle. 

Her new book Friendaholic: Confessions of a friendship addict prompted her to look back at her experience of being bullied at school while growing up in Belfast where she struggled to fit in and make friends. Day spent many years using friendship - the more friends the better - as a form of self-validation. 

For Day, having lots of friends meant you were loved, popular and safe. But this quantity over quality approach was often to the detriment of her own boundaries and mental health. Day talked to Ingle about the great friendships of her life, what it feels like to be ghosted, dealing with frenemies, how friendships were affected by her fertility journey and the lessons she learned while writing the book. 

Friendaholic: Confessions of a friendship addict is out now.

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This month on the Women’s Podcast book club, we’ve been reading Go as a River, the debut novel from Shelley Read. Set in the beautiful wilderness of Colorado, it tells the story of Victoria, a resilient young woman whose life is forever changed by one chance encounter. It’s a story of love, loss and female bonds. So what did our book clubbers Bernice Harrison, Niamh Towey, Ann and Róisín Ingle make of this debut, tipped to be the next ‘Where the Crawdads Sing’? Share your thoughts on the book with us at thewomenspodcast@irishtimes.com

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This week, the long awaited independent review of the Irish abortion system was published by the Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly. The review examined the experience of women in Ireland using abortion services and assessed how providers are operating across the country. It also included a list of recommendations, including the removal of the three day waiting period and a direction for all 19 maternity hospitals to be involved in service provision. In this episode, Irish Times Political Correspondent Jennifer Bray talks to Róisín Ingle about the key findings from the report, while People Before Profit TD Bríd Smith shares her views on the recommendations. They also discuss the response within the Government to the review, the appetite for action and why “men need to stop thinking about themselves and their own backyard, and to think about the health needs of women”.

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Pray for Our Sinners, the new documentary from filmmaker and journalist Sinéad O’Shea, opens in Irish cinemas this week. It follows O’Shea as she returns to her hometown of Navan, to explore the impact of the Catholic church on the community in decades past. The film shines a light on the horror of mother and baby homes and the use of corporal punishment in schools. In this episode, Kathy Sheridan is joined by O’Shea and by Dr Mary Randles, who also features prominently in the film. In the 1970s Randles provided a refuge to unmarried mothers in her own home, while her husband Paddy fought tirelessly to end violence against children in local schools. Together they discuss how the project came about, the people they met along the way and the importance of standing up and speaking out.

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Caoilfhionn Gallagher is a prominent human rights lawyer, who was recently appointed the Irish government’s Special Rapporteur on Child Protection. A proud Dub and Northsider, Gallagher now works with Doughty Street Chambers in London, where she acts in cases before various tribunals, such as the European Court of Human Rights, UN Special Procedures and the international courts. She has also acted for bereaved families and survivors of the 7/7 London bombings and has worked on the Hillsborough inquests into the deaths of 96 Liverpool FC fans in 1989. In this episode, Gallagher tells Kathy Sheridan about her journey into the legal profession and how a road-traffic accident as a young woman, inspired her to stand up to injustice in the world. We also hear about her work protecting journalists across the globe, what expertise she hopes to bring to this new role in child protection and the peace she finds taking flying lessons.

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An award winning illustrator, author and comedian, Aoife Dooley is a woman of many talents. She has just released her sixth book, a graphic novel called Finding My Voice: Frankie’s World 2. It follows the story of Frankie, a young girl who feels a little different to everyone else and is navigating the world as best she can. The inspiration for the book was based on Aoife’s own diagnosis of autism at the age of 27. In this conversation with Róisín Ingle, Aoife explains how aspects of her life began to make sense following her diagnosis and why she decided to speak out about her autism. We also hear about her life growing up in Dublin, how she uses art to promote positive messages around the condition and the joy she’s finding in new friendships.

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Sherine Tadros is an Emmy nominated journalist turned human rights activist, who has just released her powerful new memoir Taking Sides. The book follows her journey through journalism, reporting for Al Jazeera English and Sky News as their Middle East correspondent. In this conversation with Kathy Sheridan, Tadros reflects on a gruelling 79 days spent trapped inside the Gaza strip and a terrifying sexual assault she experienced while reporting on the downfall of the Egyptian regime. She also explains why she eventually left broadcast journalism to take up a job with Amnesty International, in an effort to not only expose injustice, but to fight it.

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Rachel Thompson is the author of ‘Rough: How violence has found its way into the bedroom and what we can do about it.’ It explores the phenomenon of harmful sexual experiences that women often discount as ‘just bad sex.’ In this episode, host Róisín Ingle, delves into themes like how non-consensual choking has become mainstream, the limits of consent culture and what Thomspon calls a sex misinformation crisis fuelled by TikTok.

*This episode contains references to sexual violence and assault which some listeners may find distressing.*

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With Mother’s Day coming up this weekend, we’re exploring the wonderful, fraught and transformative experience of becoming a mother. When it comes to motherhood, often the expectations of what it will be like do not align with reality. Writer Geraldine Walsh describes being “knocked” by the experience. In her new book, Unraveling Motherhood, the mother of two shares her personal journey with postnatal depression and anxiety and offers a motivational toolkit for anyone struggling with overwhelm, feelings of inadequacy and burnout. In this episode she tells Aideen Finnegan how she began to imagine her struggles as knots to unravel, how she eventually untangled her new identity as a parent and how a break from social media can do wonders for any struggling mother.

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Today we are bringing you a special episode of The Women’s Podcast, recorded live from The Oak Room of the Mansion House, as part of our celebrations for International Women’s Day. For this live recording, we teamed up with The National Women’s Council, who are turning 50 this year. To mark this milestone, our hosts for the evening Kathy Sheridan and Róisín Ingle were joined by guests Sonya Lennon, Tara Flynn, Dr Salome Mbugua, Suzy Byrne and Orla O’Connor, with music from Sharyn Ward. Together the panel reflected on the struggles and triumphs of Irish women over the last five decades, and the challenges and inequalities that still remain. Here are the highlights from the evening. Happy International Women’s Day.

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The Dry is a new comedy-drama which has just landed on RTE One. It tells the story of Shiv Sheridan, who returns to Dublin after years spent partying in London. Sober and full of good intentions, the 35 year-old struggles to stay on ‘the dry’, while living back home with her parents and brother. In this episode, the show’s creator Nancy Harris speaks to Róisín Ingle about the inspiration behind the story, why she used comedy to tackle the subject of addiction and her own experience giving up alcohol for a year.

The Dry airs every Wednesday at 9:35pm on RTÉ One, or you can watch all eight episodes on the RTÉ player now.

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This month on The Women’s Podcast book club, we’ve been reading The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama. It’s the second book from the former First Lady, which promises the reader ‘practical wisdom and powerful strategies for staying hopeful and balanced in today’s uncertain world’. It seemed like the perfect book to start the new year with, but didl it live up to our book clubbers expectations? Bernice Harrison, Niamh Towey, Róisín and Ann Ingle share their thoughts in the latest episode.

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If you’re familiar with the world of online dating apps, you’ve likely come across profiles with phrases such as ‘swipe right for kinky’, ‘just looking for fun’ or ‘NO DRAMA’ written in their bios. Scrolling through profile after profile, you’ll see the same stock phrases again and again, but what do they actually mean? According to Aileen Barratt, who runs the @TinderTranslators Instagram page, these go-to phrases show not just a lack of imagination on the writer’s behalf, but are very often laced in misogyny and offer a unique insight into the person writing them. In this episode, Aileen joins Róisín Ingle to talk about the highs and lows of modern dating, who to avoid when swiping and how the success of her Instagram page led to the release of her new book Tinder Translator: An A-Z of Modern Misogyny.

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The National Menopause Summit is taking place in the Mansion House in Dublin on March 23rd. This “masterclass” in menopause will feature a keynote address from television presenter Davina McCall and will host a wide array of experts who will be debunking myths and taboos and providing inclusive fact based information. In this episode, Kathy Sheridan is joined by the summit’s founder Sinead McNamara, who explains how her own experience with perimenopause inspired her to create the event. We also hear from Sallyanne Brady, founder of The Irish Menopause and Dr Caoimhe Hartley who runs the Menopause Health Clinic in Dublin. Both women will also be speaking at the summit next month.

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In the coming weeks, the Government is expected to pass the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Bill 2022. However, the proposed redress scheme has faced enormous scrutiny due to its narrow eligibility requirements, which exclude around 40% of survivors. In this episode, human rights lawyer Maeve O’Rourke speaks to Róisín Ingle about the flaws within the scheme, while Noelle Brown who was born into Bessborough mother and baby home, explains how it’s yet another slap in the face for survivors.

For more information see http://clannproject.org/redress_scheme/

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