Brendan O'Connor

Kyle MacLachlan has acted in so many productions from the groundbreaking Twin Peaks to the era-defining Sex and the City. He tells Dearbhail about his early acting life, how meeting director David Lynch changed everything for him, his years with Linda Evangelista, playing golf with Paul McGinley and why he's currently a TikTok sensation. These are stories from his new memoir, Fictional Selves.&nbs...

Mary Carolan is the legal affairs correspondent for the Irish Times. She joins Dearbhail to talk about Dolphin House, a specialised District Court, just on the edge of Temple Bar, that only hears family law matters. She explains the differences between Barring Orders and Protection Orders and shares her insights from attending the court.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pagan Priestess Deirdre Wadding, founder of Coire Sois/The Irish School of Spirituality guides Dearbhail through the Celtic season of Samhain. She explains its mythology, why it's a festival of remembrance and where some of its customs come from.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Author Emma Heatherington joins Dearbhail to talk about her latest novel ‘Together for Christmas’, cracking the code of romantic fiction, and her shock of receiving an incurable cancer diagnosis. The writing never stops and she is learning to live in the moment. She speaks about her love of country music, ghost writing songs for country artists and creating her own musical.  See omnystudio.co...

Head of HR Solutions at NFP, Caroline Reidy, tells Dearbhail how applying for a job nowadays has changed significantly from the days of the two-page CV. She advises job seekers to really do their homework on the job they're applying for, what to do and say in the interview process and how to best use AI to help you.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chef and Author Trisha Lewis joined Dearbhail to talk eggs. How to elevate the humble egg from breakfast to your main meals. She uses eggs to add good quality protein, whether it’s the obvious omelette, Asian stir-fried dishes or the exotic shakshuka.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Joining Brendan to discuss the main stories in Sunday's newspapers are: Professor of Political Economy at UCD, Aidan Regan; barrister and former Fianna Fail Minister for Education, Mary Hanafin; political columnist with The Sunday Times, Alison O'Connor; principal of St Aidan's Community School, Tallaght, Kevin Shortall.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Writer Ann Ingle joins Brendan to discuss her new book ‘Still Here: Everything I Know About Being Older’. She describes letting go of pride, embracing technology and struggling with the sharp fall-off in physical contact.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Broadcaster and ‘intergenerational translator’ Aifric O'Connell joins Brendan to talk about the rise of the ‘Fall girl aesthetic’. She tracks its origins from ‘Christian girl Autumn’ and identifies its patron saint as Taylor Swift.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Writer Henrietta McKervey and Film and TV producer, Eoin Sweeney join Brendan to discuss the biggest new shows and films this week. Their choices include a documentary about the woman who prosecuted Donald Trump, ‘Ask E. Jean’; Irish true crime series ‘The Case I Can’t Forget’; and the latest season of long-running medical comedy ‘Scrubs’.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Broadcaster Brian Dowling and Dancing with the Stars judge Arthur Gourounlian join Brendan to discuss their family life together and their remarkable careers. Brian charts his journey from winning Big Brother to a multifaceted TV career and Arthur describes fleeing Armenia to escape war and finding his feet as a dancer and choreographer.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informat...

Musician and mental health advocate, Niall Breslin, joins Brendan to discuss his new podcast series ‘Severed Minds’. It explores the history of the lobotomy in the United States, through the stories of Walter Freeman, who popularised and frequently performed the procedure, and of Gretchen Reb, one of the many patients whose life he destroyed.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informati...

Poet Rita Ann Higgins joins Brendan with a new poem ‘Elder Speak’.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Community Pharmacist and host of the Irish Pharmacy Podcast, Sheena Mitchell, talks to Brendan about how to manage your blood sugar. She explains how blood sugar works, and why common sense will regulate it better than any social media fad. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Psychotherapist Dr Richard Hogan joins Brendan to discuss resilience. He explores how to cultivate it in yourself and your children. Richard also talks about his difficult relationship with his father, who died recently. He reflects on how writing about his pain with his dad, helped to rekindle their relationship.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chef and restauranteur Domini Kemp joins Brendan with some fresh suggestions for easy midweek dinners. She describes how to switch out ingredients, to spice up tray bakes, salads and bone broth.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Joining Brendan to discuss the main stories in Sunday's newspapers are: Máiría Cahill, Northern Irish author and columnist; Dan O'Brien, Chief Economist with the Institute of international and European Affairs; Laura Bambrick, Social Policy Officer with ICTU and Gary Murphy, Professor of Politics at DCU.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dublin actor Aidan Gillen has appeared in everything from Love/Hate to The Wire to Game Of Thrones. His latest show is Stuart Carolan’s ‘Tall Tales & Murder’ on RTÉ One. His talks Brendan through his life and career through the prism of five songs ranging from Art Garfunkel to The Rolling Stones to Fairport Convention.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Joining Brendan to pick out the week's best offerings on the big and small screen are: Nadine O'Regan, Arts and Features writer with the Irish Times and Dave O'Callaghan, Host of the 'Here and Back Again' podcast. Some of the productions they discuss are: Digger, Celebrity Traitors UK, Kill Jackie and East of Eden. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brendan is joined by writer, director and actor Sharon Horgan, who talks about her latest TV series 'Youth'. Drawing from her own experience, she talks about ageing, dating in your 50's, and being part of the 'sandwich generation'.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Broadcaster, Musician and Punk, Tom Dunne, charts the arrival of Punk to Ireland, why it took root in Belfast and Cork before Dublin, he talks about some of the amazing punk bands that came out of Ireland and what Punk’s legacy is.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Author and global thinker Naomi Klein has a knack for capturing the zeitgeist in her previous books like ‘No Logo’, ‘The Shock Doctrine’ and ‘Doppelganger’. Her new book is ‘End Times Fascism: And the Fight for the Living World’ in which she suggests powerful elites are weaponising modern crises to build private escape routes for themselves while urging everyday people to reject doom and collectiv...

Registered Dietician Orla Walsh helps decipher all the different yoghurt types on offer in supermarkets and their various health claims. She says most people should be trying to incorporate this superfood into their diet to boost bone, heart and gut health.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chef, teacher, TV presenter and co-founder of Ballymaloe Cookery School, Rory O'Connell talks us through what makes a food a comfort food? And why do the foods we grew up with have such a hold on us? His Comfort Food recipes include Rice Pilaff with Chicken, Courgettes and Coriander and Pumpkin, Leek, Fennel and Tomato Soup.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Joining Brendan to discuss the main stories in Sunday's newspapers are: ESRI research professor, Alan Barrett; Anglo Celt managing editor, Linda O’Reilly; public policy advisor, Oisín Coghlan; Irish and Sunday Independent political editor, Mary Regan; RTE Soccer Correspondent, Tony O’Donoghue and Belfast Telegraph correspondent, Allison Morris.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy i...