Shows
Fianna Fáil: In Our Own WordsSpeaking Up on Breast Cancer: Survival, Stigma and ScienceThis week on Fianna Fáil: In Our Own Words, Senator Teresa Costello, herself a breast cancer survivor, marks World Cancer Day with an open and honest discussion alongside her friend Nicola Guirenne and Aisling Hurley, CEO of Breast Cancer Ireland.
Teresa and Nicola speak candidly about their shared journey through treatment, how their cancer diagnosis has impacted their lives and living with the ongoing fear of recurrence.
Aisling highlights the importance of the triple assessment, particularly for younger women.
She notes that 24% of women diagnosed with breast cancer are now under the age of...
2026-02-0429 min
Fianna Fáil: In Our Own WordsEffectual Control: Exposing the Reality of Dog Attacks on Sheep.In this episode of Fianna Fáil:In Our Own Words, Senator Paul Daly speaks with County Monaghan father and daughter Eamonn and Niamh Monahan who he hosted in Leinster House so they could present the results of their survey on sheep attacks.
Dog attacks on livestock have become a devastating and far more common reality for sheep farmers across Ireland. According to their research 73% of farmers reporting attacks on their flocks, an average of 18 sheep killed per incident and more than three‑quarters do not receive compensation.
Eamonn and Niamh, have a family farm in Inniskeen, Co. Monaghan and hav...
2026-01-2824 min
Fianna Fáil: In Our Own WordsWhy Our Built and Natural Heritage MattersIn this episode of Fianna Fáil: In Our Own Words, we’re talking about the buildings that tell Ireland’s story and the practical steps being taken to protect them.
From churches and libraries to windmills, observatories and thatched homes nearly 700 historic buildings are receiving over €8 million in conservation funding in 2026.
Seanad Spokesperson on Heritage Senator Mary Fitzpatrick sits down with Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity, Christopher O’Sullivan TD on the day he announced this funding, to chat about why built heritage matters
They talk about how the Built Heri...
2026-01-2314 min
Fianna Fáil: In Our Own WordsAction on Housing: From Plan to DeliveryIn this episode Deputy Catherine Ardagh speaks with Minister for Housing James Browne TD and the party’s housing spokesperson Deputy Seamus McGrath about the Government’s Housing plan Delivering Homes, Building Communities. They outline and examine the work being done to achieve delivery of 300,000 new homes by 2030, including 72,000 social homes and 90,000 affordable supports.
Fresh from his first call for projects for the €1 billion Housing Infrastructure Investment Fund, Minister Browne explains how the new Housing Activation Office is a pivotal part of how we are going to activate and unlock shovel-ready housing projects across the country.
They discuss needs in their lo...
2026-01-2119 min
Fianna Fáil: In Our Own WordsThe Digital Safety Gap: Protecting Our Children OnlineIn this episode of Fianna Fáil: In Our Own Words, Senator Anne Rabbitte and Deputy Chap Cleere are joined by world-renowned cyberpsychologist and author of The Cyber Effect, Dr. Mary Aiken, to dive deep into the findings of the Fianna Fáil Online Safety Survey.
The discussion explores the hidden pressures of "social reciprocity"—the constant digital weight of likes and unanswered messages that keeps a generation of children "always on" and sleep-deprived. Dr. Aiken explains why sleep deprivation is the common thread linking anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem in youth today.
The pane...
2026-01-1431 min
Fianna Fáil: In Our Own WordsPreventing Illness, Promoting Health: Fianna Fáil, the party of preventative healthcareIn this episode of Fianna Fáil: In Our Own Words, Albert Dolan TD and Malcolm Byrne TD are joined by Darina Dunne, Chairperson of the Irish Physical Activity Alliance, to discuss the urgent need to shift from reactive healthcare to prevention-first policy.
With life expectancy in Ireland now at 83 – and rising – the conversation explores how longer lives must also mean healthier lives. From the growing importance of physical activity and strength at every age, to tackling osteoporosis and preventing fragility fractures, our guests challenge the myth that ageing inevitably means decline.
They discuss dementia, cardi...
2026-01-0730 min
Fianna Fáil: In Our Own WordsThe Irish language. How can we help it flourish?In this episode we discuss how the Irish language is taught in our schools, what changes can be made to improve the curriculum and the emphasis on spoken Irish over written Irish in the Leaving Cert. We also talk about how we all have more Irish than we realise and we should be practising our native language at home, with friends and in our daily routines.
Senator Shane Curley is joined by Meghan Scully, Broadcaster & Author as well as Shane Moynihan TD.
2025-12-2323 min
Fianna Fáil: In Our Own WordsTackling Vacancy & DerelictionIn this episode of Fianna Fáil:In Our Own Words, we examine how tackling vacancy and dereliction can deliver homes faster and strengthen communities, as set out in the Government’s Delivering Homes programme.
Fianna Fáil Housing Spokesperson Séamus McGrath TD is joined by Marion Jammet, Director of Policy and Advocacy with the Irish Green Building Council, to discuss the scale of vacant and derelict properties across Ireland and how new measures under Delivering Homes are designed to bring these homes back into use.
The discussion covers expanded Croí Cónaithe supports, includin...
2025-12-1716 min
Fianna Fáil: In Our Own WordsBuilding a Storm-Ready IrelandIn the wake of ESB Networks’ Review of Storm Éowyn and the latest update to its Winter Resilience Plan, this episode takes a clear-eyed look at how Ireland is strengthening its electricity network against increasingly severe weather.
Fianna Fáil Cavan–Monaghan TD Brendan Smith hosts this discussion with Brian Brady, ESB’s Head of Network Resilience and Climate Adaptation, and Karen McGeough, Senior Manager for Storm Resilience and Readiness.
Together, they unpack the major learnings from Storm Éowyn, a storm that delivered record-breaking winds, and explore the extensive 23,000 km network inspection, ESB Networks’ approach to rapid st...
2025-12-1212 min
Fianna Fáil: In Our Own WordsAll Things Agriculture: Blue Tongue, Bird Flu, Nitrates and MercosurThis week on Fianna Fáil: In Our Own Words, we’re diving into all things agriculture. Joining the conversation are Aindrias Moynihan, TD for Cork North West and Chair of the Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Seanad spokesperson on Agriculture, Westmeath Senator Paul Daly and Dublin Central Senator Mary Fitzpatrick.
Together, they tackle key issues shaping the sector right now — from Blue Tongue and Bird Flu to Mercosur and the Nitrates Derogation. They break down what these challenges mean on the ground and how they’re impacting farmers, consumers and communities, especially as we head into the busy Christmas season.
This is...
2025-12-0924 min
Fianna Fáil: In Our Own WordsUnseen Struggles: What Exams Are Really Like with DyslexiaOn this episode of Fianna Fáil: In Our Own Words, 18 year-old Leaving Cert student Ethan Elwood of St Raphael’s School in Loughrea, County Galway shares his experience of navigating school and exams with dyslexia and ADHD. Speaking candidly about his time in the Junior Cycle, Ethan describes the hidden challenges he faced when his learning difficulties were undiagnosed. He recounts how he was under constant time pressure in the classroom and often felt like an outsider, wrongly believing that everyone was smarter than him.
He sits down with Senator Shane Curley, a former school teacher and...
2025-12-0417 min
Fianna Fáil: In Our Own WordsUnseen Struggles: What Exams Are Really Like with DyslexiaOn this episode of Fianna Fáil: In Our Own Words, 18 year-old Leaving Cert student Ethan Elwood of St Raphael’s School in Loughrea, County Galway shares his experience of navigating school and exams with dyslexia and ADHD. Speaking candidly about his time in the Junior Cycle, Ethan describes the hidden challenges he faced when his learning difficulties were undiagnosed. He recounts how he was under constant time pressure in the classroom and often felt like an outsider, wrongly believing that everyone was smarter than him.
He sits down with Senator Shane Curley, a former school teacher and...
2025-12-0317 min
Fianna Fáil: In Our Own WordsFianna Fáil enhancing support for survivors of Domestic ViolenceThis episode coincides with 16 Days of Activism against gender based violence and International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
Meath West Deputy Aisling Dempsey, Tipperary North TD Ryan O’Meara and Dublin South West Senator Teresa Costello discuss a key measure in Ireland’s new housing strategy, Delivering Homes, Building Communities. The provision ensures that survivors can move to another local authority without losing their place on the housing list.
They also explore Senator Costello’s proposal for training all elected representatives to better support survivors and the importance of speak...
2025-11-2618 min
Fianna Fáil: In Our Own WordsJennie’s Law – A Brother’s Fight for JusticeThis episode coincides with 16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence and International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
Twenty-four-year-old Jennifer Poole from Finglas in North Dublin was murdered by her ex-boyfriend Gavin Murphy from Coultry Drive in Ballymun at her home in April 2021.
The mother of two was stabbed multiple times by Murphy who unbeknownst to her had a history of violence against women and had served time for attacking a former partner and her mother with a knife.
Jennifer had been involved with Murphy for a year prior to her...
2025-11-2627 min
Fianna Fáil: In Our Own WordsFianna Fáil: the Party, the People, the FutureIn the inaugural episode of Fianna Fáil: In Our Own Words, An Taoiseach Micheál Martin, Senator Alison Comyn and Deputy Albert Dolan sit down for a powerful conversation that celebrates the past and charts a bold course for the future.
This special episode marks a pivotal moment for Fianna Fáil as it approaches its 100-year anniversary.
An Taoiseach, Senator Comyn and Deputy Dolan explore the party’s legacy, the wider Fianna Fáil family and a vision for Ireland’s future.
With optimism and ambition, the conversation highlights Fianna Fáil’s role...
2025-11-2627 min
Perspectives with Neilo2024 PwNeilo Wrapped!In this 2024 Perspectives with Neilo Wrapped!, we rewind and revisit four episodes from earlier in the year, exploring a recurring theme that connects them.
In our first podcast back in January, we chatted with acclaimed journalist on contemporary China, Bethany Allen. We talked to her about her book "Beijing Rules" in which she discusses China's Authoritarian Economic Statecraft. In this revisit, we hear how the Chinese Communist Party has highly politicized the area of sister city twinning and the role of Confucius Institutes.
The topic of Confucius Institutes also came up in our second interview with Alexander Dukalskis, Associate Professor...
2024-12-2339 min
Perspectives with NeiloElection 2024 - The Other Important IssuesIreland's General Election will take place on Friday November 29th, 2024. Overall, 685 candidates are running across 43 constituencies for 174 seats in the next Dail or Parliament.
Much of the focus and discussion so far has been on what the mainstream media have dubbed 'Auction Politics' as politicians and their parties try to better each other with promises of various benefits if elected. Examples include, free university fees, child care benefits, dropping the USC charge, reducing the VAT rate on hospitality and so on.
While many of these areas are genuinely important, the relentless competition for votes between the different party candidates means...
2024-11-2718 min
The Growth in Educational Leadership PodcastE13: Claire Murray: From Nurse to Political Candidate - A Journey of Leadership and AdvocacyIn this episode of the Growth in Educational Leadership Podcast, I interview Claire Murray, a practice nurse turned political candidate and very dear friend! Claire shares with us her experiences and motivations for entering politics. She highlighted her desire to address social issues she encountered in her nursing role, such as housing and healthcare. As a first-time entrant in the General Elections, she discusses the importance of listening, advocacy, and the challenges and rewards of her political journey. She emphasises the need for more female representation in politics and her commitment to creating meaningful change...
2024-10-1543 min
The Irish Legislation Podcast with Barry WardSeanad Reform: the Seanad Bill 2020 and the Seanad Electoral (University Members) (Amendment) Bill 2020, with Dr Maurice Manning & Senator Malcolm ByrneSenator Barry Ward talks Seanad reform in Episode 5. Barry is joined by two former TDs: Senator Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fáil – Wexford); and former Leader of Seanad Éireann and current Chancellor of the National University of Ireland, Dr Maurice Manning.
Malcolm Byrne was elected to the 32nd Dáil for the Wexford Constituency in a by-election in November 2019; he was subsequently elected to the 26th Seanad on the Cultural & Educational Panel and is the author, along with his fellow-Fianna Fáil Senators Pat Casey and Shane Cassells, of the Seanad Electoral (University Members) (Amendment) Bill 2020. This episode explores the ro...
2020-11-0838 min
The Irish Legislation Podcast with Barry WardSeanad Reform: the Seanad Bill 2020 and the Seanad Electoral (University Members) (Amendment) Bill 2020, with Dr Maurice Manning & Senator Malcolm ByrneSenator Barry Ward talks Seanad reform in Episode 5. Barry is joined by two former TDs: Senator Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fáil – Wexford); and former Leader of Seanad Éireann and current Chancellor of the National University of Ireland, Dr Maurice Manning.
Malcolm Byrne was elected to the 32nd Dáil for the Wexford Constituency in a by-election in November 2019; he was subsequently elected to the 26th Seanad on the Cultural & Educational Panel and is the author, along with his fellow-Fianna Fáil Senators Pat Casey and Shane Cassells, of the Seanad Electoral (University Members) (Amendment) Bill 2020. This episode explores the ro...
2020-11-0838 min