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Edna O’Brien: The woman who defied a nation
Episode 215
Edna O’Brien’s early novels shocked Ireland which plotted its revenge. Her first novel The Country Girls was banned and she had to withstand the whispering of the establishment that she didn’t write …
Published on 8 months, 2 weeks ago
iPhones, groceries & tinned cats. The truth about Trump’s tariffs.
Episode 214
When Donald Trump paused tariffs for 90 days after a week of chaos, once again the world tried to interpret his actions. When people tell you who they are believe them and Trump has told us plenty of…
Published on 8 months, 2 weeks ago
Long Orgasms and Golden Years. The Secrets and Myths of Mick O’Dwyer
Episode 213
As the world sinks deeper into madness, Joe and Dion remember the time of wonder that was the Kerry team under Mick O’Dwyer. What was it that drove O’Dwyer on? Joe recalls his own encounters with Mic…
Published on 8 months, 2 weeks ago
‘I betrayed women all over the place’. Author John Banville on hating the Catholic Church and his terror of eternity
Episode 212
“I thought I came here to talk about books.” John Banville is one of Ireland’s great writers. He won the Booker Prize for his novel The Sea and he has remained one of the foremost figures in Ireland …
Published on 8 months, 3 weeks ago
Rebel With a Cause. How Martin Galvin galvanised Irish America
Episode 211
In 1984, the British government banned Martin Galvin from entering Northern Ireland. Galvin was a key figure in Noraid, the American organisation raising funds for Republican prisoners. In an explosi…
Published on 8 months, 3 weeks ago
In Defence of Jesus
Episode 211
Joe spent a weekend at funerals and reflects on two extraordinary lives, his aunt Susan and Duncan O’Neill. He also considers how what we hear about people in churches is an insipid version of those …
Published on 8 months, 3 weeks ago
Exile On Main Street: Rosie Schaap the New Yorker who found happiness in an Antrim village
Episode 210
Rosie Schaap grew up leading the archetypal New Yorker lifestyle. Her mother was impossibly glamorous and her father was a sportswriter who befriended a young boxer on the way to the Rome Olympics an…
Published on 8 months, 4 weeks ago
Two fingers: Michael Lowry and the humiliation of Ireland
Episode 209
Michael Lowry giving Paul Murphy - and everybody else - the fingers has become the defining image of the controversy over speaking time in the Dail. Lowry said it was ‘an errant gesture under provoca…
Published on 9 months ago
Remembering Giants: George Foreman and Muhammad Ali
Episode 208
George Foreman’s death robbed the world of one of the great sporting figures. It was also a reminder of a time when boxing ruled the world. On Free State today, Joe and Dion look back on the time whe…
Published on 9 months ago
The Truth About Stakeknife: Legendary journalist Martin Dillon on the real stories of the Troubles
Episode 207
Martin Dillon knew Rosemary Nelson. He says he has only met a few people like her in his life. He describes her as someone with "overarching respect for human life". Nelson was a solicitor and in Mar…
Published on 9 months ago