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Conversations with Parents

The Irish Times

Conversations with Parents is a podcast from The Irish Times. Host Jen Hogan talks to interesting people about being parents. What are the hardest parts? What have they learned about raising kids? What are their parenting strategies - or are they making it up as they go along?


Produced in association with Avonmore Super Milk.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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  • 21 episodes
  • weekly
  • Avg 38 min
  • English

Episodes 21

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  • August 18 · 54 min

    Back-to-school special: starting age, PE problems, school refusal and teenage vapes

    Have you ever wondered how teachers treat your children when you’re not there to witness it? Well, if comedian-múinteoir Julie Jay is anything to go by, you can expect them to be well and truly mothered. Even if they’re teenagers. In this special back-to-school episode, Jen welcomes Julie along with lecturer in psychology Mary O'Kane and John Murphy from the Physical Education Association of Ireland to discuss the challenges and choices faced by parents when they're children are preparing to start the new academic year. Produced by Andrew McNair. Presented by Jen Hogan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • June 2 · 39 min

    Marcus O'Laoire: 'We need to talk more about male fertility'

    Marcus O'Laoire is best known for his photogenic cooking on social media. On this episode he opens up about the journey to fatherhood, and discusses the fertility tests he underwent en route to becoming a dad. He believes male fertility is not spoken about openly, how his friends reacted to hearing he was undergoing fertility tests, and discusses how the immediate suggestion following his sperm analysis results was that the couple try IVF. And we couldn't have him in the studio without getting some proper, gourmet recipes for baby purée. Presented by Jen Hogen. Produced by Andrew McNair. Declan Conlon is the series producer. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • May 19 · 51 min

    Leaving Cert stress? A psychologist, a guidance councillor and a parent share their advice

    It’s said when someone in the house is sitting the Leaving Cert, the whole house is sitting the Leaving Cert. And with the State exams almost upon that’s a lot of people feeling the stress. But fear not because Conversations with Parents is bringing you a special episode with an expert panel to help parents and students navigate the whole experience in the least frazzled way possible. Yes, we’ve made our panel publicly relive their own Leaving Cert trauma for the heck of it. Jen talks about LC survival with guidance counsellor and founder of Find My College Course, Donnchadh O’Mahony, psychologist Malie Coyne and former Leaving Cert student Conor Pope, who is now experiencing the fabled exams as a parent for the first time. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • May 12 · 45 min

    Coleen Nolan: ‘Everyone thought we were nuns ... and that we’d never even kissed a boy’

    Coleen Nolan has always had a very open relationship with her children. When it comes to having conversations with them, nothing is off the table, explains the TV personality and member of The Nolan Sisters. When her son told her he had sex for the first time, it was possibly a more personal sharing of details than many parents are used to when it comes to their teenagers’ lives, but Nolan says her own experiences of growing up, with parents who didn’t like to talk about certain things, made her particularly conscious to be a mother whose children could speak to her about anything. In today's episode, Nolan shares what it was like growing up in the spotlight, navigating being a parent amid marriage separation, and bringing up teenagers under the glare of the British tabloids. Produced by Andrew McNair. The series producer is Declan Conlon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • May 5 · 46 min

    Dec Pierce: 'I know how toxic social media can be'

    Dec Pierce has had a tough couple of years. The Today FM presenter and creator of Block Rockin Beats – his dance music and live gigs show - had a brain haemorrhage in 2023 and last year was diagnosed with breast cancer. On the latest episode of the Conversations with Parents podcast he tells host Jen Hogan about the shock of learning he had breast cancer while on holiday with his wife and young daughter. Fatherhood is something Pierce always hoped to experience but he had thought it wasn’t going to happen for him. “Myself and Kate were trying for a while”, he explains. “I always wanted to be a dad. But I never thought I’d be blessed”. He discusses the surprise of finding out he was going to be a dad when he had given up hope. Maintaining a presence on social media means Pierce is well aware of its risks. “I know how toxic social media can be”, he says and he worries about raising a daughter in the social media age. “I think we’ll handle that very carefully as she gets older. We’re so lucky the generation we grew up in where social media wasn’t a thing”. Pierce was bullied in school and he’s conscious of his hypervigilance to this because of his own experience. “I’m very aware of that. I’m very aware that might not be the case for her. And I don’t want to put my worries, my stresses and my hang ups from those days on her shoulders”. Conversations with Parents is presented by Jen Hogan.This episode was produced by Andrew McNair.The executive producer is Declan Conlon. Brought to you in association with Avonmore Super Milk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • April 27 · 49 min

    Oisín McConville: ‘At one stage, football was the only thing that kept me alive’

    Oisin McConville was destined to get involved with Gaelic football from a young age growing up in Crossmaglen, Co Armagh in the 1980s. “The Troubles is something that played a large part in my life, because bombing, shootings, killings were common place day in day out when I was growing up”, he says. His dream was to score the winner for Armagh at Croke Park. And sure enough, he was the star of the county's first Sam Maguire trophy victory in 2002. He’s the father of two boys and a girl and for now he’s just about hanging in there on the coolness scale “but it’s only going one way”, he laughs. Presented by Jen Hogan. Produced by Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • April 21 · 49 min

    Colman Noctor: ‘Behaviour is always the signpost to a problem. It is very rarely the problem’

    Colman Noctor is a well-known child and adolescent psychotherapist, so you’d be forgiven for presuming with all this expertise at hand that he always gets it right when it comes to parenting his own three children. Not so, the father-of-three says on the latest episode, explaining his children “slam doors” and face the same “trials and tribulations” as the everyone else’s children. He shares the “sobering” moment he realised that you can read all the books and have all the theory, “but in Dundrum Shopping Centre when you’re kid kicks off, it’s a lottery. Parenting is an act of failure. It’s just not failing too much.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • April 14 · 40 min

    Sarah McInerney: When I told my manager I was pregnant he said, ‘Can’t be helped I suppose’

    Sarah McInerney is known for her self-assured, cool and calm approach to interviewing politicians, but on the first episode of the brand new season of Conversations with Parents podcast she tells host Jen Hogan, about the anxiety that plagued her second pregnancy. In a revealing and personal interview, McInerney discusses best laid plans and shares how becoming a mother of two children wasn’t as straightforward as she might have hoped. “My first pregnancy was a dream,” she says on the podcast. “I absolutely flew through it and thought, ‘Oh, I’m a natural mother. I’m just made to do this.’ The second pregnancy was the complete opposite.” Sarah talks to Jen about what surprised her about having boys, the guilt she felt over her heavy Drive Time schedule and more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • April 1 · 25 sec

    Coming soon: Season three of Conversations with Parents

    Conversations with Parents from The Irish Times and parenting journalist Jen Hogan is coming back with a new season. Season three will feature another group of interesting people with new parenting stories to tell. Find us wherever you get your podcasts - or on irishtimes.com. Conversations with Parents from The Irish Times is brought to you in association with Avonmore Super Milk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • Nov 18, 2025 · 45 min

    Richie Sadlier: 'My kids will be sick of me mentioning the word sex, when they're teens'

    Former footballer Richie Sadlier is now better known for his career as a psychotherapist and working with young people in the area of sex education and wellbeing. Knowing what he knows about young people's lives, Andrew Tate and the manosphere, he's well equipped to deal with the thorny issues that many other parents actively avoid discussing. But he admits he might be the last person his young children will want to talk to by the time the teen years roll around. Richie and his wife, Fiona, have had a long and arduous road to parenthood. After eight heart-breaking rounds of IVF followed by a miscarriage, they're now mum and dad to Sam and Molly. In his first appearance on a parenting podcast since their joyous arrival, Richie shares the insights and observations he's made so far about the fatherhood journey so far. And just like he learned to do while in recovery from addiction, he advises anyone couple going through IVF to just take everything one day at a time. Presented by Jen Hogan. Produced by Aideen Finnegan and Niamh Browne. Brought to you in association with Avonmore Super Milk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • Nov 11, 2025 · 46 min

    Miriam O’Callaghan: ‘I’m lucky to have eight children after suffering secondary infertility’

    Miriam O’Callaghan says she understands that having eight children is a source of fascination for people. And where once she might have been bothered by the double standards (i.e. how male broadcasters don’t seem to be defined by their parental status), she is now as happy to talk about her brood as she is about her TV career. The current affairs presenter has just released her memoir “Miriam: life, work, everything” and she delves into all of the above in this enthralling conversation with Jen Hogan. Miriam reveals she had secondary infertility after the birth of her first child, and how her last pregnancy almost had a tragic outcome. She also speaks about her blended family and how close she remains to her former stepdaughter. Miriam also explains how a period of disordered eating in her teens motivated her to build up her daughters’ confidence before they entered the tricky teen years. And she speaks about the devastating loss of her sister Anne, who she closely shared her early years of mothering with. Presented by Jen Hogan. Produced by Aideen Finnegan. Brought to you in association with Avonmore Super Milk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • Nov 4, 2025 · 35 min

    Sophie Ellis-Bextor: ‘We were going out six weeks when we found out I was pregnant’

    Sophie Ellis-Bextor wasn’t expecting to have a baby so soon into her relationship with her now husband, but she says there was a part of her that felt really good about it. This was in the early 2000s when it was not the done thing for a female pop star to start a family. 21 years and five boys later she’s managing to juggle family life with a successful singing career, having just released her eighth studio album, Perimenopop. But it hasn't all been smooth sailing. In this episode Sophie speaks about her first-born’s shaky start after a premature birth, raising five boys and embracing the wisdom that comes with getting older. Presented by Jen Hogan. Produced by Aideen Finnegan. Brought to you in association with Avonmore Super Milk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • Oct 28, 2025 · 33 min

    Chris Hadfield: 'I have an Irish granddaughter and I couldn't be more delighted'

    Chris Hadfield has a granddaughter in China and, as of earlier this year, another granddaughter here in Ireland. But despite the distance, the retired astronaut says they are very much in each others lives. And after all, "I've been around the world in 90 minutes, it's just a little place," he jokes. In this episode, the world's most famous living astronaut sits down with Jen Hogan to talk about how he's managed to juggle such a successful career with parenting. Chris discusses his own upbringing and how it influenced his parenting, how his best intentions may not always have come to pass, and how his now adult children coped with the pressure of having such a famous dad when they were growing up. Plus he discusses his latest career pivot that that of bestselling author. His new book "Final Orbit" is available now in all good bookshops. Presented by Jen Hogan. Produced by Aideen Finnegan, Brought you in association with Avonmore Super Milk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • Oct 21, 2025 · 45 min

    Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin: 'My mum was mortified I was breastfeeding in a restaurant'

    Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin says she and her husband would have had a fourth child, but for her debilitating pregnancies. The scientist and broadcaster says her births went without a hitch, but she was chronically ill with hyperemesis gravidarum on each of her three pregnancies - a complication that causes persistent and extreme vomiting. Her third child, her daughter Doireann, was born at home; something she says she will never forget. Aoibhinn breastfed all three, though she found each experience difficult in their own way. One of her sons was born with a tooth making the process very painful. In this episode, the DCU professor also shares how having children gave her a new perspective on her experience of workplace harassment, and deepened her resolve to advocate for nature restoration. Please note this episode has one or two moments of strong language. Presented by Jen Hogan. Produced by Aideen Finnegan. Brought to you in association with Avonmore Super Milk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • Oct 14, 2025 · 42 min

    Ciara Kelly: ‘A consultant shamed me for being an unmarried, pregnant junior doctor’

    Ciara Kelly was on in a bar on a sun holiday when she found out she was pregnant. 1999 was a time when Ireland was becoming more liberal, but being an unmarried mum "wasn't without some stigma," and no allowances were made on the gruelling 60-hour shifts that were common for junior doctors then. Though motherhood came early she took to it so well that she ended up having a family of four. In 2017 she swapped her medical career for a full-time job in radio. The primetime slot on Newstalk Breakfast means she often gives her take on the events of the day, sometimes drawing opprobrium on social media. "I saw some of the things being said online and realised some of the comments sticking up for me were my son." In this episode, Ciara speaks to host Jen Hogan about managing the backlash, teaching her kids to brush it off and why respecting their agency is so important to her. Presented by Jen Hogan. Produced by Aideen Finnegan. Brought to you in association with Avonmore Super Milk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • Oct 7, 2025 · 46 min

    Prof. Donal O’Shea: “I’ll be advising my girls to go on HRT”

    Being a hormone doctor wasn’t actually much help when it came to parenting three girls, according to Donal O’Shea. He’s an expert in how hormones affect the body but he admits his wife handled ‘the talk’ when his three daughters were teenagers. However, he goes on to say he will be advising them “if I’m around when they are post-menopausal, that they need to be going on HRT.” O’Shea is a consultant endocrinologist and one of the most recognisable doctors in Ireland, owing to his work and advocacy for people living with obesity. In this episode, he discusses the pressure on parents when it comes to the influence of junk food marketing on their kids, how to handle picky eaters and how they might approach the tricky puberty years. He also draws on his experience of working with gender-questioning teens and how their parents may also need support. We also get to know another side of O'Shea, including how he once wanted to become a priest. Presented by Jen Hogan. Produced by Aideen Finnegan. Brought to you in association with Avonmore Super Milk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • Sep 30, 2025 · 43 min

    Fintan O’Toole: ‘I would have loved to have been a stay-at-home dad’

    Do fathers get a raw deal? Are men complicit in the detrimental effect that having children can have on women’s careers? And what exactly is an afterbirth fridge? In this episode Jen Hogan sits down with renowned political commentator Fintan O’Toole to talk about his arrival into fatherhood at a time of profound social change in Ireland. The pair discuss changing nappies, breastfeeding and why he has little time for liberal triumphalism. He has no regrets about choosing his family over a career in the US, but laments that he smacked his first child at time when it was the norm to do so in Ireland. He talks about sending his children to a minority faith school, and how he disagrees with the “middle-class thing of helping your kids into certain careers.” Presented by Jen Hogan. Produced by Aideen Finnegan. Brought to you in association with Avonmore Super Milk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • Sep 17, 2025 · 43 sec

    The toughest challenge of their lives: Conversations with Parents season two

    Conversations with Parents from The Irish Times is coming back with a new season. Last year Jen Hogan spoke to interesting people about the hardest challenge of their lives: raising kids. Season two will feature eight brilliant guests with new parenting stories to tell. So stay tuned, wherever you get your podcasts - or on irishtimes.com. Conversations with Parents from The Irish Times is brought to you in association with Avonmore Super Milk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • Sep 2, 2025 · 43 sec

    Coming soon: Season two of Conversations with Parents

    Conversations with Parents from The Irish Times is coming back with a new season. Last year Jen Hogan spoke to interesting people about the hardest challenge of their lives: raising kids. Season two will feature eight brilliant guests with new parenting stories to tell. So stay tuned, wherever you get your podcasts - or on irishtimes.com. Conversations with Parents from The Irish Times is brought to you in association with Avonmore Super Milk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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