The Niall Boylan Podcast (They Told Me To Shut Up)

On this episode of The Niall Boylan Podcast, Niall is joined by social commentator Sandra Adams, Paul Treyvaud and secondary school teacher Eric Nelligan to discuss one of the most controversial proposals yet in the battle over children's online safety. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced sweeping new "Australia-plus" social media restrictions that would effectively ban under-16s from acc...

On this episode of The Niall Boylan Podcast, Niall opens the lines to callers to discuss a controversial new proposal that could see owners of derelict properties hit with massive annual tax bills. Finance Minister Simon Harris is bringing proposals to Cabinet for a new Derelict Property Tax that would replace the existing derelict sites levy and allow Revenue to collect the charge directly. Under...

Join Niall Boylan and his good friend and former producer AJ Walsh for their weekly catch-up as they take a look at some of the biggest, strangest and most talked-about stories making headlines this week. From the shocking stabbing in Belfast that left a man with life-changing injuries and sparked public disorder, to a car mysteriously ending up in the pond at St Stephen's Green, Niall and AJ disc...

The UK Government has announced plans to spend £3.7 billion on immigration enforcement over the next three years as it attempts to tackle illegal immigration, strengthen border security and speed up removals. The announcement comes amid growing public concern about migration levels and follows recent unrest in parts of the UK where immigration has become a major political issue. But for people liv...

Social Democrats TD Sinéad Gibney has called for much stronger action against social media platforms, arguing that harmful and dangerous content is spreading online with little accountability. She has repeatedly criticised what she sees as failures by governments and regulators to properly control Big Tech and has advocated stronger regulation of online platforms and algorithms. Now, in the wake o...

Former Channel 4 News presenter Jon Snow has revealed that he has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease at the age of 78. The announcement has reignited a debate that many people find uncomfortable but increasingly relevant in a world where more people are becoming parents later in life. Jon Snow and his wife, who is 30 years younger than him, welcomed a baby boy through surrogacy in 2021 when J...

What would you do if the person you loved was being slowly destroyed by their job? On this episode of the podcast, Niall talks to callers about a dilemma sent in by a listener who says she is at breaking point watching her husband suffer at work. According to her email, her husband is constantly bullied, belittled and disrespected by his boss. She says he works long hours, is underpaid for the wor...

The brutal stabbing of a man on the streets of Belfast has shocked people right across Ireland and the UK. Graphic footage of the attack spread rapidly online, sparking outrage, fear and anger among many members of the public. The suspect, a Sudanese national who had leave to remain in the UK, has since been charged by police and the victim remains seriously injured. On today's podcast, Niall is j...

Murder, Media and the Political Fallout: The Henry Nowak Case On this episode, Niall talks to journalist and commentator Laura Perrins about the murder of Henry Nowak, the public reaction to the case, and the growing political controversy that has followed. Laura recently wrote a strongly worded piece on Substack criticising media coverage of the case, particularly an Irish Times editorial that de...

#764 Ireland's New Addiction: Why Are We Gambling Away €5.5 Billion A Year?

Formula One superstar Lewis Hamilton has sparked a fierce debate after declaring that billionaires simply shouldn't exist. Hamilton, whose own fortune is estimated at around $550 million, said there should be a limit to how much wealth one person can accumulate. The comments immediately raised eyebrows, not least because his girlfriend, Kim Kardashian, is reportedly worth close to $1.9 billion. Cr...

On today's podcast, Niall is joined by Senator Sarah O' Reilly of Aontú to discuss what many see as the growing erasure of women from public life and official language. The debate was reignited after an exam paper issued by the State Examinations Commission used the term "pregnant person" rather than "pregnant woman". The Commission defended the wording as being "respectful and inclusive", but cri...

On today's podcast, Niall is joined by Olga Cronin, Senior Policy Officer with the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, to discuss whether loyalty cards are one of the biggest consumer cons of modern times. Supermarkets tell us that loyalty schemes are designed to reward regular customers with exclusive discounts and special offers. But is that really what's happening? Or are shoppers being pressure...

On today's podcast, Niall is joined by social commentator and podcaster Elaine Mullally to discuss a question that goes to the very heart of love, marriage and commitment. When couples stand at the altar and promise to stay together "in sickness and in health", do they really mean it? The discussion comes after Hollywood actress Sharon Stone revealed that her marriage effectively ended during a ma...

Every week, Niall Boylan sits down with his former producer and longtime friend AJ Walsh for a lively and often unpredictable round-up of the biggest stories making headlines. This week, Niall and AJ discuss the shocking murder of Henry Nowak, a case that has reignited concerns about violent crime, knife attacks and public safety. They examine the growing fears many people have about crime on our...

Would €5,000 be enough to get you out of your petrol or diesel car and into an electric vehicle? On this episode of The Niall Boylan Podcast, Niall discusses the Government's latest proposal to encourage drivers to switch to electric vehicles by offering up to €5,000 to scrap cars that are more than 13 years old and replace them with an EV. The scheme is being considered as part of Ireland's effor...

Should parents be expected to know everything their children are reading, or do organisations promoting books to young people have a responsibility too? On this episode of The Niall Boylan Podcast, Niall is joined by journalist and reporter Ben Scallan and social commentator Karl Deeter to discuss a growing controversy involving Children's Minister Norma Foley and RTÉ. The debate erupted after RTÉ...

Did Police Fail Henry Nowak? | Knife Crime, Race and Public Trust On today's podcast, Niall talks to journalist John McGuirk from Statement International about the shocking death of 18-year-old Henry Nowak, a case that has sparked outrage across Britain and reignited debate about knife crime, policing and public trust. Henry Nowak was one of more than 170 people fatally stabbed in the UK in 2025....

Leaving Cert Party or Parenting Fail? A listener contacted the show with a dilemma that has caused a major disagreement in her household. Her daughter wants to celebrate the end of her Leaving Cert exams by having a party at the family home. The problem? She wants alcohol to be available for her friends. The listener says her daughter is almost 17 and most of the teenagers who would attend are als...

Birth rates across the Western world are collapsing, families are getting smaller, and in many countries more people are now dying than being born. On this episode of The Niall Boylan Podcast, Niall is joined by journalist Laura Perrins to discuss what many are calling a demographic crisis. Laura argues that a combination of factors is driving fertility rates down, including the rising cost of liv...

For generations, Irish people have looked beyond our shores in search of a better life. Whether it was for work, opportunity, adventure or simply a fresh start, millions left Ireland and built new lives around the world. Today, the global Irish diaspora is estimated to be between 70 and 80 million people claiming Irish heritage. But is history repeating itself? Every day on the show, listeners tel...

Niall Boylan and AJ Walshe talk about the stories of the week as well as just some ghood laughs. Ireland’s Disability Numbers Spark Heated Debate One of the biggest talking points this week was the claim that close to one million people in Ireland now classify themselves as having a disability, potentially almost one in four of the population. The discussion exploded online after comments by the T...

On today’s show, Niall talks to callers about the latest Census figures which are expected to show that almost 1 million people in Ireland now identify as having a disability, a figure that works out at close to 1 in 4 people in the country. The numbers have sparked a huge debate online, with many people asking why Ireland’s disability figures appear significantly higher than countries such as the...

On today’s show, Niall talks to social commentator Karl Deeter, Stephen Delaney and callers about the growing controversy surrounding the Ireland vs Israel football match due to take place in the Aviva Stadium this October. Minister for Sport Patrick O’Donovan and Minister of State Charlie McConalogue have both confirmed they will not attend the match because of the ongoing war in Gaza, reigniting...

Journalist Laura Perrins joins Niall Boylan to talk about, or more accurately give out about, Ireland’s controversial Deposit Return Scheme. What was supposed to be a simple environmental initiative has instead left many consumers frustrated, with complaints about long queues, broken machines, extra charges on shopping bills and people storing bags of sticky cans and bottles in their homes waiting...