The Women's Podcast

The murder of 33-year-old Sarah Everard in London prompted thousands of women to share stories about fearing for their personal safety and the modifications they make to their behaviour in order to feel safe. That collective trauma has spilled out on social media and elsewhere all over the world. On Tuesday, a socially distanced peaceful 'Reclaim the Streets' protest organised by ROSA was held in Dublin. Others are planned for Cork, Limerick and Galway today. In the latest issue of The Irish Times, the results of a survey carried out by Transport Infrastructure Ireland were published. It found that large numbers of Irish women fear for their safety using public transport, cycling or walking alone. The 'Travelling in a Woman’s Shoes' report also found that women felt “heavily responsible” for their own safety when travelling and there was “little focus” in society generally on the role men can play in ensuring their safety. The fact that women are fearful is not shocking to women, but it seems like the penny i

Acts of Desperation is the darkly funny debut novel from Waterford writer Megan Nolan. Set in Dublin, it tells the story of an intense love affair between the narrator and her boyfriend Ciaran, a half-Danish poet. Their dysfunctional relationship plays out over the pages and lends itself to the question: why do women stay with toxic men? Nolan began writing the book while in Athens in 2016 and completed it three years later. In today’s episode, she speaks to Roisin Ingle about her bookish childhood in the sunny south east, her short stint in Trinity college and the positive reaction to her first venture into fiction writing. We’ll be discussing Acts of Desperation in our next episode of the book club, which will be out next month. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The disappearance of Sarah Everard in London and the subsequent discovery of a body in woodland by police searching for her, has got many of us talking about the everyday fear that women experience when it comes to being alone in public. Ms Everard, a 33-year-old marketing executive, went missing after leaving a friend’s house in Clapham, south London, at about 9pm on March 3rd. The Met Police announced on Wednesday that a diplomatic protection officer held in relation to her disappearance had been arrested on suspicion of murder. On today’s podcast, Róisín and Kathy discuss why, 40 years after the original Reclaim the Night marches, women are still scared and whether things would be different if men felt as frightened every time they went for a walk alone.Also in this episode, Kathy speaks to Aoife McLysaght, professor of genetics at TCD, Holly Cairns, Social Democrat TD for Cork South-West and Dr Gabrielle Colleran, vice president of the Irish Hospital Consultants Association, about this week’s grim anniver

Last Thursday, the Irish Times Women’s Podcast hosted an evening of storytelling to mark International Women’s Day. Guests on the night were invited to share their stories of overcoming a challenge, in front of our virtual audience on Zoom and Facebook. In today’s episode, you’ll hear a selection of highlights from the event, including a brilliant story of using creativity to work around academic challenges from senator Lynn Ruane and a moving tale about reclaiming the joy of sea swimming from trans woman and activist Aoife Martin. Journalist Brianna Parkins spoke lovingly about her hard-working mum Lorraine and activist Ailbhe Smyth spoke about the severe depression and anorexia she endured as a young woman in the early 1970s. You can watch back the event in full on The Women’s Podcast Facebook page here: https://fb.watch/45I8OGwTe-/Later on, Irish soprano Celine Byrne joins Roisin Ingle to speak about her brand new live-stream concert La bohème, which is taking place on Saturday 13th of March live from the

China is facing mounting global criticism over its treatment of the mostly Muslim Uighur population in the north-western region of Xinjiang. Rights groups say China has detained more than a million Uighurs over the past few years in what the state says are "re-education camps". However there is evidence that Uighurs in these camps are being used as forced labour, that families are being separated and that women are being subjected to human rights violations including rape, forced marriage, torture and forced sterilisation. Countries including the US, the Netherlands and Canada have accused China of genocide and crimes against humanity, while more than 50 Irish faith leaders have signed a statement condemning the persecution of the Uighurs and other Muslims in China. But activists say the international community must take action to end what they say is the biggest concentration camp system since World War II. In today’s podcast, Róisín talks to Yara Alagha, a parliamentary researcher in Seanad Éireann for the

Trish Kearney was one of the six Irish swimmers who charged former swim coach George Gibney with sexual abuse offences in 1992. Known in her younger days as Patricia McCahill, the Olympic hopeful was abused by Gibney from the age of thirteen. The abuse lasted over seven years. The case against Gibney was subsequently dropped following an appeal, but his crimes were later outed by journalist Johnny Watterson in a piece for the Sunday Tribune. Now nearly thirty years on, he remains a free man, who has never stood trial for his actions. In her memoir Above Water, Trish writes about the child she once was, growing up in a happy family who nurtured her talent and passion for swimming. She details the years of abuse suffered at the hands of her coach, a man trusted by her family and the wider community. In today’s episode, she speaks to Róisín Ingle about her stolen youth, coming to terms with the past and finding peace and happiness along the way. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Luvvie Ajayi Jones wants you to be a fear-fighting troublemaker. We're all afraid of something: of hearing the word 'no', of being different, of being 'too much', or not enough. In her new book, The Fear-Fighter Manual, the award-winning author, podcaster and TED talker, shows us how to embrace fear and get past it to live our best lives. In today's podcast Luvvie talks to Róisín about why we should all strive to be professional troublemakers. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Have you ever wondered why you remember some things and not others? Or why, even though you might share an experience with someone, their memory of it differs to yours? Psychiatrist Veronica O'Keane has spent 38 years working in neuroscience and psychiatry with patients whose ability to make sense of the world is impaired. In her book, The Rag and Bone Shop: How We Make Memories and Memories Make Us, she draws on that experience to explain why the way we memorise some things and forget others, is driven by our emotions. On today's podcast Róisín speaks to professor O’Keane about how we make memories and how they shape what we know and how we feel. She also talks about the importance of collective memory of the past and why she believes the deletion of the audio recordings of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes is a devastating loss for that reason. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In the last twelve months, almost half of young people between the ages of 18 and 24 have witnessed or experienced racism. This shocking statistic is part of new research by The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, who have recently launched their All Against Racism campaign. Featuring interviews with eleven people from different ethnic backgrounds, the campaign aims to explore racism in Ireland and challenge the individual and societal attitudes that allow it to continue. In today’s episode, Róisín Ingle is joined by Teresa Buczkowska and Raihana Zeroug who both feature in the awareness drive. Buczkowska, a Polish migrant woman living in Ireland since 2005, works as an integration officer in the Immigrant Council of Ireland. Zeroug is a young student of Politics and Sociology at UCD who has been involved with sport and racism initiatives through Sport Against Racism Ireland. Together they discuss the importance of listening to different perspectives and experiences, the need for diversity in leadershi

In Ireland 40% of people don’t live in a couple. When you look at those in the 16-29 age bracket, that skyrockets to 71%. After almost a year of lockdowns, give or take the odd month when restrictions were relaxed, the rules introduced to fight the spread of coronavirus have meant that sex between single people, or established couples who don’t cohabit, has in effect been illegal, against regulations, or only allowed outdoors. So, is it possible to date in a pandemic? How difficult is it to live a life starved of physical affection? And, what will dating be like when all of this is over? In response to a listener email highlighting some of the issues around being a single person in the pandemic, we gathered a panel of women together on Valentine’s Day to discuss the realities of dating, or not, during lockdown. In today’s podcast Róisín talks to Irish Times advice columnist Roe McDermott, journalist, blogger and Irish Times contributor Filomena Kaguako and Emily Wicks, a beauty blogger and plus size model fro

Nature writer and essayist Kerri ní Dochartaigh was born in Derry, Northern Ireland at the height of the Troubles. The daughter of a Catholic mother and Protestant father, her childhood was one of trauma and violence. Struggling to identify with either side, her family were forced out of two homes and were also victim to a frightening petrol bomb attack. In her first book, Thin Places, ní Dochartaigh lays bare the ways in which these events affected her life. Weaving between two contrasting genres, nature writing and memoir, the book is an emotional history of the Troubles and an exploration into the comforting and healing power of the natural world. In today’s episode, the writer speaks to Róisín Ingle about the meaning of Thin Places and the idea that certain locations can make us feel closer to the other world. They also discuss her experiences growing up in the North, some serendipitous moments along the way and the meandering search for a sense of belonging. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out

Thousands of Poles have taken to the streets again in recent weeks, in protest against the introduction of new legislation effectively banning abortion. It follows last October’s constitutional court ruling that outlawed abortions in the case of foetal abnormalities. According to the ruling, which cannot be appealed, the only remaining circumstances for a Polish woman to end a pregnancy legally in her home country are in cases of rape, incest or health risk.On today's podcast Róisín speaks to three women about the situation in Poland: Julia Marciniak, Hospitality and Tourism coordinator for Unite the Union and Polish pro choice activist, Iwonna Kowalska, a Warsaw-based member of the Polish Grannies protest group, and Alibhe Smyth, a longtime LQBTQ+ and abortion rights campaigner here in Ireland.https://www.amnesty.org/en/countries/europe-and-central-asia/poland/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Dr Jessica Taylor is a UK-based psychologist, sexual violence survivor and author of the best-selling book Why Women Are Blamed For Everything. She is also a senior lecturer in forensic and criminal psychology and the Director of Victim Focus - an organisation that addresses victim blaming practices in social care, policing, mental health and support services. On today’s podcast she talks to Róisín about a new, world-first training and research programme she has developed in partnership with Rape Crisis Network Ireland. The programme is in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and the proliferation of online counselling services. Its aim is to ensure that remote trauma counselling for victims of sexual violence is carried out correctly, that it is standardised and that it is really working for the victims. Jessica also talks to Róisín about her own life story, overcoming shocking rape and physical abuse as a teenager, returning to education and training to be a psychologist, going on to become one of the UK’s mos

Bad Bridget is a five-part podcast series which tells the unheard stories of Irish girls and women who emigrated to North America in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The series is a culmination of over five years worth of research by historians Elaine Farrell of Queen’s University Belfast and Leanne McCormick of Ulster University. Each episode delves into the lives of these women who travelled across the Atlantic and didn’t quite find the American dream. The extensive research into police, court and prison records uncovers the types of criminal activity in which Irish women were involved, including drunkenness, sex work and murder. In the 1860s, Irish women alone made up 86% of the female prison population in New York, while a 19th-century survey of 1,238 foreign-born sex workers found that 706 were Irish, just over half. In today’s episode, Farrell and McCormick speak to Róisín Ingle about the Irish women that history chose to forget. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

What’s your lockdown style? Are you still getting fully dressed, washing your hair and putting makeup on? After 12 months at home, for many of us, leggings have become part of our daily uniform while our jeans are gathering dust. A year into this new comfy way of life, we ask the question, what have we become? To discuss this, Roisin is joined on today’s show by beauty columnist Laura Kennedy, comedian and co-founder of the MOB comedy theatre and school, Erin McGathy, and Jen Hogan, parenting columnist, author and mother of seven. Also in this episode, Roisin recites an excellent poem by a woman called Jan Brierton, which truly captures the spirit of Lockdown 3. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In our latest podcast we hear about the Gender Disparity Report on Irish radio, compiled by the Why Not Her? collective. It outlines a continuing gender disparity among the 20 most-played songs by Irish artists on Irish stations between June 24th and December 24th, 2020. On today’s podcast, Roisin Ingle speaks to activist and Why Not Her? founder Linda Coogan-Byrne about the report’s findings, where improvements have been made and what she believes needs to be done to achieve greater gender and racial diversity on Irish Radio. The hugely successful singer-songwriter RuthAnne also gives her reaction to the report and describes her own experience as an artist trying to break through what she describes as the “lad sound” on Irish Radio.Later in the show, we speak to Marin Alsop, a groundbreaking orchestra conductor considered to be one of the best in the world. Marin was recently a guest tutor on the National Concert Hall's award-winning Female Conductor Programme. Our co-producer Jennifer Ryan caught up with he

Five Minute Therapy is the first book by Dublin-based psychotherapist Sarah Crosby. Packed full of practical exercises and powerful insights, it provides readers with the tools to reflect on their life experiences and explore who they are and who they might like to be. Think of it as your own pocket therapist. In today’s episode, Crosby speaks to Róisín Ingle about her journey from archaeology to psychotherapy, her early struggles with an eating disorder and how the Instagram page @theMindGeek set the wheels in motion for the book. From boundary setting, the joys of self discovery and how to be a good friend to others, Sarah shares some excellent tips on how to mind your mental health during another tough lockdown. Also, a reminder that Winter Nights is kicking off on Monday 25th January. It’s a five-day online festival of conversation, culture and ideas. Amongst the events, Roisin Ingle will be joined by Holocaust survivor Edith Eger as they explore ways to change the thoughts and behaviours that can keep u

This Friday, Trinity College Dublin professor Jane Ohlmeyer will deliver the Ford Lectures at the University of Oxford in England. Just ten women have delivered the prestigious lectures since they were founded in 1896 and prof Ohlmeyer will be the first woman from a university in Ireland to be invited to do so. Born in what was then Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) to a Northern Irish mother and a South African father, Ohlmeyer grew up in Belfast at the height of the Troubles. On today's podcast she talks to Kathy Sheridan about the last impact witnessing that violence has had on her. She also speaks in detail about her career, her fascination with the British Empire and Ireland's place in it, the experience of being a woman bashing on the glass ceiling in higher education and how she is feeling about the Ford Lectures. Rumour has it prof Ohlmeyer will be in the running for the soon-to-be vacant provost job at TCD. But as she explains in this podcast, she can't really go into that at the moment. Watch this spac

Raw, tired, angry and emotional. That’s how our guests on today’s podcast feel.It’s as they attempt to digest the government-commissioned report from the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes released this week. It found a shocking number of deaths and widespread abuses at religious institutions for unmarried mothers and their children in this country. Set up in 2015 following revelations about the deaths and burials of hundreds of children in Tuam, Co Galway, the commission was charged with examining what happened to vulnerable women and children in mother and baby homes in the State during the period from 1922 up to 1998. It found that 9,000 children - most of them babies - died in these institutions during that time. On Wednesday, Taoiseach Mícheál Martin apologised to survivors on behalf of the State saying, "we embraced a perverse religious morality and control, judgementalism and moral certainty, but shunned our daughters."To talk about the report, Kathy Sheridan is joined today by Rose

Author and podcaster Caroline Foran took the world by storm in 2016 with the release of her best selling self-help book, Owning It: Your Bullsh*t-Free Guide to Living with Anxiety. Now, she’s back with her third book Naked: Ten Truths to Change Your Life, which challenges readers to explore, embrace and expose their vulnerability. From realising that you’ll never really have it all figured out to accepting that someone else’s success doesn’t take from yours, the truths featured in this practical guide will help produce positive change in your life. In today’s episode, Foran sits down with Róisín Ingle to discuss the power of your own vulnerability, how to deal with imposter syndrome and what life is like as a new mother in the middle of a pandemic. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.