The Women's Podcast

In today’s episode Róisín Ingle spoke to Jane Goodall, the woman who devoted her life to the study of chimpanzees. In this fascinating conversation, Jane describes how her African adventure started in 1957 when she travelled to Kenya by boat (it took over a month). With no formal training or scientific background, Jane became a chimp researcher under the supervision of archaeologist Louis Leakey. She told Róisin about how her mother’s unwavering support enabled her to reach her goals, what it’s really like to live amongst chimps in the wild and how her unusual methods of research annoyed the senior academics who thought they knew better. She also talks about the ways each one of us can contribute as the world grapples with climate crisis. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It’s Women’s Christmas or as it’s known in Ireland Nollaig na mBan and it’s also the Feast of the Epiphany. To mark the occasion The Irish Times Women’s Podcast been collecting Epiphanies or as Oprah calls them “a-ha moments” from women. In this special episode women recount the lightbulb moments that influenced and in some cases transformed their lives. You’ll hear epiphanies from lots of inspiring women including the award winning author Margaret Atwood, musician and writer Andrea Corr, former United States Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power, fashion designer Sonya Lennon and podcast presenters Kathy Sheridan and Róisín Ingle. A New Year brings with it a feeling of hope, change and motivation. We hope this episode is just what you need to get that New Year’s spring in your step. It might even lead to an epiphany of your own. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

2020 is finally here, but what has the year in store for women around the world? In today’s episode Kathy Sheridan is joined in studio by Syrian born journalist Razan Ibraheem, Irish Times social affairs correspondent Kitty Holland and Irish Examiner columnist Alison O’Connor. Together, they took a look at how women will be making waves around the world in the coming year; including which Irish female authors will be making their debut, what the year has in store for women in sport and how the world of politics will be shaped by strong females. They also revealed their own goals for 2020. Get ready to be inspired. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

2019: It was the year of fanny flutters, Brexit & Borris. The year that Finland elected the youngest ever female prime minister, America won The Women’s World Cup, a new royal baby was born, Wagatha Christie had everyone talking and the fight for women’s rights escalated across the world. To review the very best and worst bits of the last year with Kathy Sheridan are journalists Jennifer O’Connell, Alison O’Connor and Syrian born journalist Razan Ibraheem. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Tererai Trent, an academic from Zimbabwe, was in Dublin recently for the Simmons Leadership Conference. As a young girl born into poverty, Tererai was not allowed to attend her local school. Despite this, she went on to obtain a degree in agricultural education, a Masters in public health and in 2009, she completed her PhD. Oprah Winfrey once described Tererai as her all time favourite guest and from this inspiring conversation with Róisín Ingle, it’s easy to see why. Also in this episode: The Grass Ceiling is a short film created by Iseult Howlett. The film explores female participation in sport and looks at how being physically active and part of a team can benefit you in all aspects of life. Also in the discussion, is Irish Times restaurant critic Catherine Cleary, who along with Iseult has joined a soccer team in recent years. They spoke to Róisín Ingle about the strong female athletes featured in the film and the joy of returning to team sports. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In today’s episode, Psychotherapist and mindfulness teacher Padraig O’Morain is on hand to help bring a little calmness into our lives this festive season. With the constant rushing around, the frantic shopping and the pressure to achieve the "perfect" Christmas, it’s important to take some time to look after yourself too. He spoke to Róisín Ingle about preparing yourself for stressful family gatherings and the easy mindfulness techniques you can use to inject some calm into your Christmas. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In today’s episode, Kathy Sheridan is joined in studio by award winning journalist Catherine Fegan, who has just released the book, ‘The Murder of Mr Moonlight’. It tells the story of DJ Bobby Ryan (Mr. Moonlight) who went missing in 2011 and the strange circumstances surrounding the discovery of his body 22 months later. In May 2019, after a fifteen week trial, Pat Quirke was found guilty of the murder. Catherine is the Chief Correspondent for the Irish Daily Mail and reported on the trial every single day. Following the verdict, she wrote this insightful and meticulous account of the case that gripped the nation. She spoke to Kathy about the trial, the two women at the centre of the story and how jealousy, control and greed led to the killing of an innocent man. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In today’s episode, Róisín Ingle is joined in studio by beauty writer Laura Kennedy and fashion stylist Corina Gaffey to help you out with some brilliant last minute gift ideas. From photo jigsaws, subscription boxes, house plants, eco-friendly makeup and reusable tampon applicators, there’s something for everyone in this guide to last minute Christmas Shopping. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On today’s show, Róisín Ingle is joined by comedian and all-round legend Joanne McNally. In this hilarious conversation, Joanne speaks about living with four other single women, (one of whom is a sexual psychologist), why she mostly uses tinder for content ideas and how her favourite pastime of ‘drinking with the girls’ was the inspiration for her latest show, Prosecco Express.Also, Rosita Boland joins Kathy Sheridan in studio to discuss Time Magazine’s, youngest ever Person of the Year, Greta Thunberg. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Ep 357 Book Club: The Dutch House / Irish Composer Emer KinsellaThe Book Club is back and this time Róisín Ingle, Bernice Harrison, Ann Ingle and Niamh Towey are chatting about The Dutch House by Ann Patchett. The book tells the story of two siblings, Danny and Maeve Conroy, and how their lives unfold over the course of five decades. Also Róisín Ingle chats with Irish violinist Emer Kinsella about her life in Hollywood, California, where she works as a composer, scoring music for the big screen. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In today’s episode we’re joined by the Pulitzer Prize winning novelist, Elizabeth Strout, who has just released her new book, ‘Olive Again’. It’s the much anticipated sequel to her best seller ‘Olive Kitteridge’ which was released in 2008. After eleven years, we’re thrown back into the chaos of Olive’s life as she adapts to changes within herself and the world around her.Elizabeth explains to Róisín Ingle how Olive’s fiery character appeared to her as she emptied the dishwasher, why she kept writing even when the publishers weren’t interested and how her isolated childhood growing up in Maine on America’s East Coast shaped her view on the world.Also, Irish Times journalist Jennifer O'Connell is in studio to discuss the Chilean feminist anthem taking the world by storm and the content moderators who are suing Facebook Ireland for psychological injuries. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Megan Phelps Roper was born into the Westboro Baptist Church, a small Kansas based ministry which garnered world-wide condemnation for their anti-gay protests and pickets at 9/11 memorials and soldier’s funerals. Megan spoke to Róisín Ingle about her new memoir, Unfollow, which details her early life in the church, why her family celebrate tragedy and death and what inspired her to leave it all behind. Also, women’s rights campaigner Tatjana Latinovic was in Dublin recently to speak at the ‘Practical Steps to Workplace Equality Conference’ organised by the charity Dress for Success. Tatjana is the chair of the Icelandic Women’s Rights Association and spoke to Kathy Sheridan about how Iceland has become known as a gender equality paradise and how the historical women’s day off in 1975, when 90% of women in Iceland went on strike, put them at the forefront of the fight for equal rights. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

As we wrap up Food Month here in The Irish Times, we’re joined in studio by award winning chefs Michel Roux Jr. and Margot Janse. The pair travelled to Dublin recently to judge the Euro-Toques Ireland Young Chef of the Year 2019 Competition, which was won by Gráinne Mullins, a head pastry chef at Galway restaurant Lignum. Margo has enjoyed a lengthy career in South Africa working as a head chef in her women dominated restaurant kitchen Le Quartier Français and now focuses her time on her charity Isabelo, Feeding Hungry Minds. Michel, was once a judge on BBC’s Masterchef and runs legendary Le Gavroche, a Michelin Star restaurant in London. They spoke to Róisín Ingle about the cut-throat culture in restaurant kitchens and the challenges faced by female chefs as they try to succeed in male dominated environments.Also Bernice Harrison tells Kathy why she won’t be partaking in the upcoming Black Friday madness and explains why Bikram Yoga is back in the news. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out informat

In today’s episode, we examine what life is like for women living in the Gaza Strip, in southern Palestine. Róisín Ingle spoke to Mona Al Shawa and Hala Riziq, who travelled over to Dublin recently with Trócaire for some respite and to share their experiences with Irish people. Both have made it their life’s mission to defend women’s rights in a place where violent conflict and an oppressive patriarchy make “double victims” of women and girls : Hala works in development and gender based violence, while Mona is the Director of the Women’s Rights Unit of the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In today’s episode, Tanya Sweeney tells Roisín Ingle why the opening of an Oliver Bonas store in Dublin is bad news for our wallets. (She spent too much on a neon rainbow lamp. What? It sparked joy!) They also discuss that car crash Prince Andrew interview and after encouraging us all to de-clutter our homes, ask why is Marie Kondo now selling her own home-ware range? Also on this episode, Roisín speaks to Alison O’Connor and co-founders of the Together For Yes Campaign, Ailbhe Smyth and Orla O’Connor. Together with Gráinne Griffin, they have written It’s a Yes! ; a new book which reveals the inner workings of that historic women-led campaign. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Last week The Women’s Podcast left behind the usual surrounds of the studio for a live recording in House on Leeson Street, with thanks to our sponsors Green & Black's. Marian Keyes was the special guest on the night and treated the live audience to an exclusive excerpt of her brand new book Grown Ups. Marian also spoke about her love of the dark winter nights, why she keeps turning down Dancing With The Stars and how she feels about Ireland in 2019. She also gave some exclusive news about a new book she's just started writing. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode, Róisin speaks to entrepreneur, author and ground breaking business leader, Margaret Heffernan. As the former CEO of five businesses, Margaret shares her incredible insight into the complexities of how an organisation works. Having spent a lot of her career focusing on the role of women in business and leadership roles, Margaret also speaks about how women can positively change the workplace culture and how helpfulness is the key to any happy working environment. Also, Roisín and Kathy discuss the recent Irish Times articles concerning Ana Kriégel; the first written by Orla Muldoon who's headline read ‘Ana Kriégel was murdered by boys because she was a girl’ and the second written by Kathy herself. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode we are joined by former US ambassador to the UN Samantha Power. The Dublin born academic and author talked to Kathy Sheridan about how she became one of the most powerful women in American Foreign Affairs and discussed her acclaimed memoir The Education of An Idealist. Power also goes back to her difficult childhood in Dublin and the custody battle which led to her, aged 9, leaving Ireland and making a home in America with her mother and brother. She talks about Trump, Barack Obama and what gives her hope in a turbulent world. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Today we’ve dedicated the podcast to Gay Byrne - the legendary broadcaster who died on Monday 4th November - and specifically to his impact on women in Ireland. Most of the listeners to his radio show were women, he regularly made space for women on both radio and on The Late Late Show, allowing their voices to be amplified on topics such as divorce, sex, religion, contraception and feminism. He allowed Ireland to see women in a way that challenged the pervasive view in the 19709s and 1980s. One of the many women who spoke about these issues on the Late Late was Ann Marie Hourihane who appears on this episode. Both Women’s Podcast host Roisin Ingle and Ann Marie are super fans of Gay, and are both very sad at the loss of him this week. To some degree this is a bit of a Gay Byrne love in but much more than that it’s a look back at the part Gay played in changing society, particularly for women in allowing these important conversations to take place. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information

Margaret Atwood is a literary legend and you can imagine how excited we were to have her on The Women’s Podcast for the third time. As author of The Handmaid’s Tale - and many other award winning novels - she brought us the world of Gilead and started a powerful global conversation about women which still resonates today at a time when Donald Trump is the leader of the free world and reproductive rights continue to be restricted in America. Along with Bernadine Evaristo she has just won the Booker prize for The Testaments, a sequel to the Handmaid’s Tale. She talked to Kathy Sheridan about misogyny, feminism, parenting and the climate crisis. We hope you enjoy. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.