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The Deirdre O'Shaughnessy Podcast
The best stories from the Irish Examiner brought to you by Opinion Editor Deirdre O’Shaughnessy
Latest episode
The tragic death in childbirth of Laura Liston
25:24|36 year old Laura Liston died in June 2022 after giving birth to a baby boy at her home near Croom, Limerick, under the HSE homebirth service. Since then, HSE midwest has suspended home birthing in the area.She is the first mother to die in home birth in Ireland. Ms Liston’s inquest was held this week at Kilmallock courthouse in Co Limerick, returning a finding of medical misadventure.Ms Liston’s husband, Fergal Mannion, and other relatives, including her parents, issued a statement through their solicitor after the inquest.“Laura dreamed of becoming a mother and raising a family with Fergal in her native Croom,” solicitor Scarlett Griffin O’ Sullivan said.“To become a mother was all she ever wanted, maternal by nature, she was a beautiful woman inside and out.”The statement continued: “She did her research and opted for a homebirth via the HSE service and trusted that she would be afforded basic antenatal care. Unfortunately there were deficits in that care, in particular following her son’s delivery. But for those failings Laura would still be alive today.”The families stood silently behind her, and added in the statement: “This tragedy was avoidable and should never have happened."Irish Examiner Health Correspondent Niamh Griffin attended the inquest and is the guest on today's episode of The Deirdre O’Shaughnessy Podcast.Family says homebirth death was avoidable after medical misadventure verdictHSE apologises to family of Limerick woman who died after giving birth at homeHSE completes review of homebirth services suspended due to death of Limerick womanThe Deirdre O'Shaughnessy Podcast: Free birthing and the tragic death of Naomi James
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A publican’s story of addiction and recovery, with Michael Droney
44:51|He’s the face behind some of Cork’s most popular bars, but for many years Michael Droney lived a half-life of alcohol and drug addiction.Now, the owner of Crawford & Co, Aye and Osho and the late lamented Rosie Maddison’s is hosting an exhibition in one of his spaces to chart his journey to sobriety, as reported by Liz Dunphy in the Irish Examiner.Michael Droney is the guest on today’s episode of The Deirdre O’Shaughnessy Podcast. To listen, find The Deirdre O’Shaughnessy Podcast wherever you get your podcasts. To read more about the exhibition read Liz Dunphy’s article here: 'Shame trapped me in addiction for 30 years, destroying my life, family and relationships' Follow Michael’s story on Instagram at @addicted_beautiful
Remembering Ireland’s strongest man, Pa O’Dwyer, with Manon Gilbart
13:38|The sudden death of Ireland’s strongest man, Pa O’Dwyer, was widely reported this week.The Limerick Lion was five times Ireland’s strongest man, and had also been named Britain’s Strongest Man. But who was he?The Irish Examiner’s Limerick based reporter Manon Gilbart is today’s guest on the podcast.Pa O’Dwyer 'always stood up for the underdog', funeral toldTributes paid to ‘Limerick Lion’ Pa O'Dwyer after his sudden passing aged 40Limerick man wins 'Strongest Man' contest in UK
‘AI girlfriends’ with Eoghan Cleary
30:51|Children are being “bombarded” online by so-called AI girlfriend porn apps, which are gamifying sexual violence and rape and encouraging them to recruit their friends.The technology allows users to ‘nudify’ photos of real people – including children – and subject them to an array of sexually objectifying and degrading practices including torture and violence.Irish charities are calling for the Government to act here as the British government announced it was banning AI girlfriend and ‘nudification’ apps and websites.Educator and researcher with SERP Eoghan Cleary is the guest on today’s episode of the Deirdre O’Shaughnessy Podcast and explains how exactly children are being targeted with this tech.Read Cormac O’Keeffe’s feature from Monday’s Irish Examiner here: Children being 'bombarded' online by 'AI girlfriend' porn apps'Build your own AI slut': Boys being targeted online by surge in 'girlfriend' websites
An Irishwoman's Diary Episode 6: The woman who gave us control of our fertility - May McGee
24:29|🎧 Episode 6: May McGee, the woman who fought to make contraception legal in IrelandMay McGee was a young, hearing-impaired mother to four children under the age of two living in a caravan when she took the Irish State to the Supreme Court challenging its position on contraception, and won.Complicated pregnancies including a stroke she suffered in one meant that she was advised to take contraception by her doctor – but the spermicidal jelly she ordered in the post was intercepted by Customs and she and her husband were threatened with prison. She was furious at the Government interfering in her private life.May, who died late in 2025, made it possible for Irish women to plan their families and to take control of their own fertility.📲 To listen, find us wherever you get your podcasts.‘It was one up for the women’: Mary ‘May’ McGee's family to celebrate her life at funeral
An Irishwoman's Diary Episode 5: The original fashion editor - Carmel Snow
24:53|Anna Wintour is only following in the footsteps of Carmel Snow, who edited Harper’s Bazaar for 25 years, with a vision of catering to “well dressed women with well dressed minds”. She brought Dior and Givenchy to a US audience, hung out with Coco Chanel and Salvador Dali, and edited writers like Truman Capote, Maeve Brennan and Frank O’Connor, never losing her interest in championing Irish writing.📲 To listen, find us wherever you get your podcasts.Clodagh Finn: Carmel Snow, the Irish Anna Wintour who reshaped US fashion
An Irishwoman's Diary Episode 4: Irish sisters at the heart of European culture – Sarah and Amelia Curran
28:04|🎧 Episode 4: Irish sisters at the heart of European culture – Sarah and Amelia CurranSarah Curran was best known to generations as the tragic fiancée of United Irishman Robert Emmet, but in her own right she was a writer, poet and talented musician who made connections across Europe. Her sister Amelia was a notable artist who painted the famous portrait of Frankenstein author Mary Shelley and that of her husband, the Romantic poet, and came to the attention of US Vice President Aaron Burr, currently enjoying a resurgence in notoriety thanks to the musical Hamilton. How two sisters from Newmarket in Cork came to associate in such exalted circles is a fascinating story. 📲 To listen, find us wherever you get your podcasts.Clodagh Finn: Amelia Curran, the Irish painter who immortalised poet Shelley