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The Deirdre O'Shaughnessy Podcast

Irish Examiner

Looking for a deeper understanding of the stories that matter?

The Deirdre O’Shaughnessy Podcast takes you inside the best Irish Examiner reporting — from Cork courts to global affairs and powerful personal stories. 

With award‑winning journalists and exclusive voices you won’t hear anywhere else.

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  • 26 episodes
  • a few times a week
  • Avg 32 min
  • English

Episodes 26

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  • Friday · 22 min

    Criminal courts in turmoil over solicitors’ strike, with Gráinne Ní Aodha

    The criminal courts have been in turmoil over the past few months as a dispute between Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan and criminal defence solicitors who work for legal aid clients has spilled over into courtrooms. Those accused of a crime are appearing in court with nobody to advise them, cases are being put on the long finger and judges and rights organisations are beginning to speak up about the lack of justice for vulnerable people. Irish Examiner News Reporter Grainne Ni Aodha has been covering this story and is today’s guest on the Deirdre O’Shaughnessy Podcast. Solicitors' walkout raises fears of 'covid-level backlog' in court cases as legal aid strike continues 'Things need to be moved on': Warning of legal challenges over solicitors' pay dispute Ongoing legal aid dispute poses 'grave public risk', solicitors warn ‘It’s a siege mentality’: Minister accused of downplaying disruption caused by solicitors' strike Withdrawal of services by solicitors not justified, says Taoiseach Sarah Harte: Jim O'Callaghan should look closer to home to solve legal delays Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • Tuesday · 54 min

    Trish Bourke on leaving the Jehovah’s Witnesses, being groomed by an older man and finding her place in the world

    Growing up a Jehovah’s Witness in rural Co Tipperary was not your typical Irish childhood. Weekends spend proselytising, no Christmas or birthdays and very little interaction with the world beyond the community meant Trish Bourke was a very sheltered teenager when she was groomed by an older man. In her book UnWitnessed, Trish writes movingly about her steps away from the faith that shaped her, the predatory relationship she fell into and a termination she went through as a result, and her eventual discovery of her place in the world. From being called a murderer by her devout family, and a loving but sexless marriage to teaching computer literacy to Martin Sheen, her story is full of twists, turns and contradictions. Trish Bourke is today’s guest on The Deirdre O’Shaughnessy Podcast. Her book, UnWitnessed, is published by Menma Books and available at unwitnessed.net. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • August 28 · 35 min

    Is Cork University Hospital unsafe for patients?

    Management, clinicians and staff at Cork University Hospital are in a mounting disagreement with the HSE and Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill over staff and resources at the South-West region’s biggest hospital. Trolleys are mounting up at the hospital’s Emergency Department and as the health service faces into the winter season, staff and management fear a tragic incident if resourcing is not urgently addressed. Last week CUH boss Jennifer Kearney wrote to Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill to say the hospital was unsafe for patients and staff. “My responsibility as chief executive is not simply to comply with a process," she wrote. "It is to speak clearly when I believe that process is creating a foreseeable risk to patients and staff. "I would rather raise that concern now, when there is still an opportunity to act, than remain silent and explain afterwards why we did not.” The Minister hit back in an interview on RTE radio, saying there was “no evidence” the hospital was unsafe - but medical staff at the hospital have since rowed in on the CEO’s side. So, is the hospital safe or not? Irish Examiner Health Correspondent Niamh Griffin gets into the detail of the dispute at CUH on today’s episode. Health minister says no evidence of increased patient safety concerns at CUH Hiqa seeks clarity over Cork University Hospital safety fears CUH boss says hospital 'unsafe' for patients amid shortfall of over 1,000 staff Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • August 25 · 57 min

    Wild Swans author Jung Chang on growing up in Mao’s China, her new book Fly Wild Swans and her mother’s death

    Jung Chang achieved worldwide acclaim for her autobiographical work Wild Swans, published in 1992. The book told the story of her grandmother, a warlord’s concubine whose feet were bound, her mother, a Communist Party official who suffered under Mao, and herself, one of the first students permitted to leave China to study in the West in the 1970s. Since its publication Jung has become a prolific writer and historian of China but her biography of Mao, written with her Irish husband Jon Halliday, put her on the wrong side of the Communist Party’s propaganda. Her new book, Fly Wild Swans, tells the story of her life since Wild Swans’ publication – particularly her increasingly difficult relationship with the Chinese authorities. In this interview with Deirdre O’Shaughnessy recorded in front of a live audience at the West Cork Literary Festival, Jung describes how her life changed when the Party became displeased with her; her difficulty in visiting China since the publication of the Mao book; and, for the first time, she discusses the death of her beloved mother, whose life story inspired millions in Wild Swans. This episode of The Deirdre O’Shaughnessy Podcast was recorded live at the Maritime Hotel Bantry as part of the West Cork Literary Festival 2026. See westcorkmusic.ie. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • August 21 · 43 min

    Putting parenting advice under the spotlight with Colman Noctor

    The world is awash with parenting advice – every newspaper and TV show has a parenting slot, and once the algorithm notices something up with your menstrual cycle you will be bombarded with it, from pregnancy right through to parenting young adults, with strong opinions on attachment styles, feeding advice, gentle parenting and more. But Irish Examiner columnist Dr Colman Noctor, who is a child and adult psychotherapist and a mental health lecturer, argues in a new series, every child needs to be parented differently – but crucially, this isn’t just up to their own parents. In his new series he looks at important parts of childhood – school, sports and friendships – through a lens of parenting different children according to their needs. And his recommendations might surprise. “If your child is thriving and they're popular and they're bright and they're clever, there's an onus of responsibility on them to be nice about that, to be a little bit gracious about it, because you have that power to include,” he says. He believes that a lot of modern parenting advice is treating challenges as an isolated challenge for one family –when, in fact, community is often what’s missing from modern parenting. The reliance on AI and online advice, meanwhile, means many parents are missing out on real connection. “Parenting is a very lonely journey for many people. And if you don't have the village of people saying, you're doing a good job and you're doing great and this is working and all that sort of stuff, you're going to turn to the advice,” he adds. Supporting children with friendships, promoting inclusion so that parents aren’t fighting problems in isolation, and making sure more capable children include others across school, sports and friendship is key to the advice in his new series. In this episode Colman and Deirdre discuss the importance of community and connection in parenting, inclusion, and how to be consistent when every child needs you to show up as a different parent. You can read Colman’s column in ieParenting every Tuesday. Read Colman’s weekly columns in ieParenting here: Columns - Irish Examiner The Deirdre O'Shaughnessy Podcast: School holidays and the motherhood penalty The Deirdre O’Shaughnessy Podcast: The year of care campaign, with Aolish Gormley Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • August 18 · 22 min

    Syed Haque, attacked by a teenager in a Carrigaline park

    Syed Haque moved to Ireland from Bangladesh in 2003, working in restaurants for many years. The political science graduate is now an Irish citizen and a married father of two, with a good job in a logistics company.

  • August 7 · 33 min

    Nancy Reilly speaks out about husband Mark Reilly's tragic death by suicide at CUH and the HSE apology she received

    Nancy and Mark Reilly had a charmed life together. Irish-American retirees based in Kinsale, their 36 year marriage saw them travel the world teaching English refugee children and getting involved in community projects in their adopted home. That idyllic life together came to a sudden, tragic end, when Mark Reilly hanged himself while in isolation at Cork University Hospital on 19 March 2022. He had been brought to Bandon Garda station after a suicide attempt four days prior, in the midst of what Nancy believes was a psychotic episode. He had no history of mental health difficulties before that. Ms Reilly is deeply critical of the systems failures that led to Mark's death, identifying a number of issues including the lack of a consultant psychiatrist on duty during St Patrick's weekend; availability of ligature points in the acute mental health unit; isolation of a patient who was supposed to be on suicide watch. "There were going to be no psychiatrists on duty all weekend because it was St. Patrick's Day. Now, right there that raises a question. You don't wait to have a heart attack. There would be a cardiologist available if you had a heart attack on St. Patrick's Day. "Why was there not a psychiatrist on duty?" Nancy's case against CUH and the HSE was settled at the High Court last month, with the clinical director of South Lee Mental Health Service, Dr Thomas Cronin, writing a letter of apology for shortcomings in Mark's care. Wife of man who took his own life in CUH unit calls for change in mental health treatment Pieta.ie The Samaritans 116 123 24 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • July 31 · 35 min

    Bessborough survivor Cindi Bonny on the death of her baby Zoei in 1994

    "They put the pressure on while I was pregnant." "But after, it was like, he'd be better off without you, and he deserves better. He'd end up with some lovely family that could bring him up and look after him and he could become a doctor one day. "... I was constantly told that a mother like me, a person like me, shouldn't have a child. Because at the time I would have had Indian ink up my arms and stuff like that." Cindi Bonny was just sixteen but she had already experienced homelessness, drug addiction and an abusive relationship when she first entered Bessborough in 1993, pregnant with her son Kevin. Adamant that she wouldn't give him up for adoption, determined to breastfeed her baby, she was kept from him for six weeks as the pressure mounted to give him up. Eventually she left with Kevin and returned to her abusive boyfriend – only to fall pregnant a second time, returning to Bessborough in 1994. Her second stay was different, but ended in tragedy with the sudden, shocking death of baby Zoei at just two days old. Zoei was the last baby to die under the care of Bessborough. Unlike so many others before her, she has a grave her family can visit. Cindi shared her story in the Irish Examiner earlier this week in an impassioned plea to authorities for a full investigation of burials at Bessborough, and for a memorial there instead of the planned apartments. Cindi is today's guest on The Deirdre O'Shaughnessy Podcast. Read her article here: 'Do not bury our history beneath concrete', mother of last baby to die at Bessborough tells Government The Deirdre O'Shaughnessy Podcast: Paving over Bessborough's missing babies The Deirdre O’Shaughnessy Podcast: Dominic Finn’s story of being adopted from Bessborough Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • July 28 · 20 min

    Finding a home for RTÉ Cork, with Donal O'Keeffe

    More than a year after RTÉ Cork employees were promised new, state-of the-art studios and offices, co-location talks with Cork City Council have broken down. A planned move to the Counting House complex now seems unlikely, given the recent announcement that the complex will be home to the new City Library. The RTÉ Cork building at Fr Mathew Street is home to the RTÉ Today Show, the John Creedon show and a host of other household names from the State broadcaster but the building is in need of major refurbishment. Director General Kevin Bakhurst promised in 2025 that a new premises would be found by 2027. Reporter Donal O’Keeffe is covering this story in today’s Irish Examiner – on today’s podcast he outlines all the options for RTÉ Cork and explains how staff at the beleaguered broadcaster are feeling. RTÉ Cork staff fearful for future after talks on new studio break down 'Unfair gloss': RTÉ's Bakhurst grilled over reclassification of Derek Mooney and pay implications Gareth O'Callaghan: Is it finally time for an honest debate about selling RTÉ? Obituary: Former RTÉ director general Joe Barry changed the face of Irish broadcasting Suspected burglar arrested in RTÉ Cork studios Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • July 17 · 28 min

    Heatwaves, El Nino and coping with our changing climate with Joanna Donnelly

    Heatwaves have always happened, but in the context of our changing climate and an El Nino year, how do we cope, and what do we need to do? Meteorologist and author Joanna Donnelly is the guest on today's podcast, explaining the terms we use around unseasonal weather and what El Nino means for our weather. Heatwave could cost taxpayers millions more as melting roads force changes to resurfacing Heatwaves are exposing Ireland's weakest links Europe's record-breaking heatwave cost more than 10,000 lives in June Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • July 14 · 33 min

    Grace Lynch’s parents on death threats, online abuse and their campaign for road safety reform

    16 year old Grace Lynch was killed by a scrambler bike in January, while out walking near her home in Dublin. Her heartbroken parents Siobhán and Martin immediately embarked on a campaign to ensure nobody would suffer as they had, seeking legal changes to take scrambler bikes and e-scooters out of the hands of children. Their campaign has already forced the introduction of Grace’s Law, banning the use of scramblers on public roads, but a combination of legal loopholes, lack of enforcement and a non-existent tracing system means, they say, there is much more work to do. They’ve received death threats and online abuse as a result of speaking out – with little legal recourse. When they approached social media giant TikTok about abusive AI videos of their deceased daughter, they were asked to provide a death certificate. Today the couple will speak before an Oireachtas Justice committee. Listen to their story on today’s episode of The Deirdre O’Shaughnessy Podcast. Gardaí call for 'dedicated pursuit training' to deal with dangers of e-scooters and scramblers 'I felt like I had to protect her': Grace Lynch's mum recalls harrowing moments after her death Grace Lynch's mother gets death threats for seeking scrambler bike ban on public roads Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • July 10 · 14 min

    Jamey Carney and the alarming rise in femicide in Ireland, with Liz Dunphy

    American mother of one Jamey Carney is the eighth woman to die violently in Ireland this year. Her body was discovered in her Killarney home just one day after that of Adina Constantin in Portlaoise, whose husband has been charged in connection with her death. Gardaí have launched an international manhunt in their investigation into Ms Carney’s killing. Since the murder of Ashling Murphy in 2022 prompted widespread outrage, 40 women have died violently in Ireland. Women’s Aid, the National Women’s Council of Ireland and politicians across the spectrum have highlighted their concern at what Taoiseach Micheál Martin referred to this week as the femicide figures “going in the wrong direction”. Irish Examiner Southern Correspondent Liz Dunphy has been covering this story and joins Deirdre on today’s episode. Killarney murder: Jamey Carney's cousin says 'no indication' she had safety concerns 'Societal response' required to fight epidemic of violence against women, says Taoiseach Number of women violently killed ‘not going in the right direction’, says Taoiseach Husband charged with murder of his wife in Portlaoise Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • July 3 · 16 min

    An Irishwoman’s Diary Episode 12: A ‘militant’ lesbian nun who made history - Bridget Coll

    This is series 2 of An Irishwoman’s Diary from The Deirdre O’Shaughnessy Podcast, search in your podcast app for An Irishwoman’s Diary to find the six-episode Series 1. Bridget Coll’s story reads like fiction — a thriller even — just as the many words used to describe her don’t seem to fit together: nun, lesbian, teacher, militant, law-changer, even “home-wrecker”. This “tiny woman with a fierce heart” from Fanad Co Donegal protested in Chile and made legal history in Canada. But at home in Ireland, her story isn’t so well known. Clodagh Finn: Bridget Coll — nun, lesbian, law-changer, and militant Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • June 30 · 17 min

    An Irishwoman’s Diary Episode 11: An actress and a trend-setter - Genevieve Lyons

    This is series 2 of An Irishwoman’s Diary from The Deirdre O’Shaughnessy Podcast, search in your podcast app for An Irishwoman’s Diary to find the six-episode Series 1. A precursor of Cabaret, the show about ‘a bad girl with a heart of gold’, became the go-to show in Dublin for a brief period in the 1950s, against all the prevailing morals of the time. Asked later why it hadn’t been banned, as JP Donleavy’s The Gingerman was, Archbishop John Charles McQuaid pointed out that the character of Sally Bowles wasn’t Irish, and therefore didn’t present a threat to the morality of Irish women. The star of both shows was Genevieve Lyons, an actor, theatre maker and writer who lived a very unconventional life. Her performance as Sally Bowles caused a brief craze for berets in fashion starved Dublin, and she wrote many books – one, about the famine, owed its name to Princess Margaret. In this episode Clodagh Finn recounts the story of a self-described “lunatic traveller” who though often penniless followed her creative dreams. Clodagh Finn: The Irish woman who made ‘Cabaret’ a hit in Ireland long before the Broadway musical An Irishwoman's Diary series 1: Meet the Irish women who left their mark on history Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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