The Women's Podcast

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...

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 attenti...

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 mak...

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...

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, Kath...

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...

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...

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 terrifyin...

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 misinform...

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 postn...

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...

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 th...

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? Bern...

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, t...

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 McNamar...

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...

Bad Bridget is the new book from historians Elaine Farrell and Leanne McCormick. It tells the unheard stories of Irish girls and women who emigrated to North America in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The book which follows the successful podcast series of the same name, is a culmination of over five years worth of research into the lives of these women who travelled across the Atlantic and did...

Feminist author, Mona Eltahaway, joins host, Róisín Ingle, to discuss her fascinating journey through the menopause. The dynamic disruptor of the patriarchy is railing against the societal norms traditionally associated with this clandestine transition, and demanding more people are educated on its impacts (and the importance of moisturising your vulva)  before having to deal with them. The E...

Aimee Brown is the first known person in Ireland to be given a ministerial license for legal cannabis to treat the chronic pain she endures as a result of endometriosis. But her battle to get to this point is the most maddening and incredible story.   Endometriosis is a whole-body disease but is often characterised in relation to the menstrual cycle. Typical symptoms include painful periods,...

Journalist, beauty editor and author Sali Hughes joins us on the podcast to talk about her new book, Everything is Washable. Having run away from home at the age of 14, she had to do a lot of growing up very early and very fast. Now, she's keen to share everything she's learned about life, domesticity, relationships and everything in between. From espousing the benefits of always having WD40 nearb...

In today’s episode we’re talking all about the joys and benefits of hanging out. Whether it’s with your friends, strangers or acquaintances, there is a lot to be gained from the simple act of spending time together. In her new book Hanging Out: The Radical Power of Killing Time, Sheila Liming highlights these benefits and reflects on her own experiences of hanging out, from parties, to conferences...

2022: It was the year that Russia launched their attack on Ukraine, the women of Iran and Afghanistan continued their fight for freedom and the entire country mourned the death of 24-year old Aisling Murphy in Tullamore. The Irish women’s football team won their place in the upcoming World Cup, Roe V Wade was overturned and the Wagatha Christy trial finally made it to court. To review the very bes...

The build up to Christmas can leave many of us feeling frazzled and fried. What should really be a time of festive cheer and fun, often turns into a whirlwind of frantic shopping, decorating, cleaning and cooking. So what is the best way to navigate the shite before Christmas? Róisín Ingle talks to psychologist Allison Keating and comedian Deirdre O’Kane to find out. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com...

The final three episodes of Harry and Meghan’s tell-all documentary series on Netflix have finally been released. With new revelations about the couple’s life together and shocking accusations against the British press and the ‘institution’, the series has remained top of the most-watched list over the last seven days. To dissect the royal drama and the many twists and turns along the way, Róisín...

To help you out with the books you’re going to buy as gifts this Christmas, we’ve asked our book clubbers Bernice Harrison, Niamh Towey, Ann and Róisín Ingle to tell us about the books they’ve loved reading this year. Later on, author Maggie O’Farrell talks to us about her ninth novel, A Marriage Portrait, which is set in Renaissance Italy and inspired by the real and tragic tale of Lucrezia di Co...