The Deirdre O'Shaughnessy Podcast

The US and Israel’s bombing campaign on Iran has caused international chaos, unprecedented turmoil in previously safe areas of the Middle East and an economic shock that is only getting started as the rest of the world finds out just how crucial the Straits of Hormuz is to global supply chains.  But the people bearing the brunt of this war are Iranian, and a repressive regime imposing an internet blackout means that we have limited information about their response to this war.  Dr Mahya Ostovar is an Iranian political activist who has researched opposition movements in the country. An assistant professor at the University of Galway, she wrote for Saturday’s Irish Examiner about how Western anti-war movements are co-opting the Iranian war – and how they don’t speak for Iranian people. 'Anti-war' groups drown out voices of Iranians opposed to Islamic Republic regime 

The demolition of a family home in Co Meath last week brought the idea of ‘build first, apply for retention later’ into the spotlight. Chris and Rose Murray built the 588sq m (6,220sq ft) house near Navan in 2006 despite being refused planning permission for a bungalow half that size on the site. After five unsuccessful retention bids and three failed appeals to keep the home intact, it was eventually demolished last week. While the house has now been demolished, the case divided public opinion enormously and it highlighted the tensions between the planning system, the public, and politicians.  From the developer who superglued himself to a County Council office to the 11 Dublin councillors who took payments in return for planning permission, our relationship with the rules in Ireland has always been questionable. Housing lecturer Lorcan Sirr believes the Irish attitude to planning permission – sin first, seek forgiveness later – is a particular feature of Catholic countries, and that the disrespect shown to the rules by politicians filters down through the general population. He’s been writing about this for the Irish Examiner, and he’s the guest on today’s Deirdre O’Shaughnessy Podcast.  Lorcan Sirr: Meath house the latest example of our disrespect for planning Demolition of house built without planning set to continue after court ruling End of the line for unauthorised Meath house as demolition finally gets under way  

Young mother of two Daena Walsh was found in her burning Midleton apartment with 25 knife wounds in August 2024.  Her partner, Adam Corcoran, the father of her children, was found guilty of her murder last week, and will serve a life sentence. Corcoran’s behaviour, from the moment he brutally stabbed his 27 year old partner to death and tried to burn her body, to his lies in court, piled “cruelty upon cruelty”, Daena’s brother Callum said afterwards. Callum Walsh described Corcoran’s actions as “demonic”.  Irish Examiner court reporter Liam Heylin covered the case and he is the guest on today’s podcast.  

On August 4, 2002, 10‑year‑old schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman went missing after leaving a family barbecue in the village of Soham, a suburb of Cambridgeshire in the UK. Their disappearance triggered a massive 13‑day search and captivated the entire nation. The search ultimately led investigators to school caretaker Ian Huntley, who was later convicted of their murders, while his girlfriend, Maxine Carr, was convicted of perverting the course of justice for providing a false alibi during the search for the girls. More than two decades on, Huntley’s own life ended violently inside a maximum-security jail, raising fresh questions about prison safety.In this episode, we revisit one of the most harrowing criminal cases in recent British history. Journalist Enda Brady joins us to unpack why the case still resonates, how the media covered the unfolding tragedy at the time, and what Huntley’s death means for the legacy of one of the UK’s most infamous crimes.

Flags have become increasingly controversial in recent years. The US flag has become shorthand for MAGA and the Irish flag is under increasing strain, with its appearance on flagpoles all over Ireland signalling that immigrants are unwelcomeHowever the history of our national symbol is equally contested – who first combined the green, orange and white, whose idea was it, what did it mean and why were other symbols rejected?Historian John Crotty is the author of a new book on the tricolour.The tricolour's contested origins show how myths are made

Earlier in March, news broke in the Irish Examiner that 36 households in one estate in Co. Wexford had been served with eviction notices just hours before new rental rules kicked in.36 families with nowhere to go would be a crisis in any context, but with record homeless figures, an incident like this in the Housing Minister’s James Browne’s own constituency would have been a political disaster for the government as well as a personal one for all of those concerned.The uproar compounded when a Ring doorbell video emerged in the days that followed, showing the landlord’s agent stating clearly that the evictions were directly related to the new housing rules.Following political outcry, Patchflow Ltd, which is owned by two local businesspeople with extensive other interests in the south-east, retracted the eviction notice.Irish Examiner Acting Political Editor Paul Hosford broke the story. He’s the guest on today’s podcast. Landlord withdraws eviction notices for 36 households at Wexford housing estateDoorbell video shows agent linking Wexford eviction notices to new rental rulesGovernment urged to intervene after 36 Wexford homes given eviction notices

Warning: This episode deals with child sexual abuse and listeners may find it upsettingLast month, Sligo musician Noel Farrell was sentenced to 20 years in prison after being convicted on sample counts of sexually abusing five of his children.The Central Criminal Court heard how they were neglected, starved, locked in their rooms for days, raped, and beaten – and how after receiving medical treatment for rape-related injuries, they were returned to their father.Their mother Tessie, a chronic alcoholic, was not believed when she told locals what Farrell was doing to the children and reported him to the Gardaí. The children were removed from her care on the grounds of neglect, but returned to Farrell for unsupervised visits, when he continued raping them.Sentencing Farrell, Justice Tony Hunt said “One runs out of words in trying to describe the depths plumbed in this particular case. I say this as a way of trying to illustrate how extreme and awful the nature of the facts in this case are.”Irish Examiner reporter Alison O’Reilly interviewed Amanda, Helen, Jessie and Christopher, four of the Farrell siblings, who say they were repeatedly failed by the State. On today’s episode she describes the court proceedings and the siblings’ reaction to finding justice at last, for them and their mother.'We were treated for rape-related injuries and still sent back into his care'Man gets 20 years for sexual abuse of his five children in a 'grotesque breach of parental trust'

Areas of the Middle East previously considered safe have this week come under missile fire as Iran reacted angrily to illegal air strikes by the US and Israel, in which Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed over the weekend.Over 20,000 Irish people live across the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, where US military bases are now being targeted by Iran. According to UAE authorities, three people have been killed in the strikes with a further 68 reported injured.Over the weekend, the Irish Government warned Irish citizens to shelter in place and register with their local embassies. On Tuesday however Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee said her department was compiling lists of the most vulnerable Irish citizens in the region as the US advised its citizens to leave the Middle East.Irish Examiner correspondent Colin Sheridan served with UNIFIL in Lebanon, Syria and Israel and regularly writes about Middle Eastern issues. He breaks down who’s who in the conflict, why Israel is targeting Iran, what the regional alliances are and how this conflict may unfold.Broadcaster John Hayes works for the Saudi-owned news network Al Arabiya in Dubai. Speaking on Monday, he explained how an initial spate of panic-buying on Saturday had abated as the country’s missile defence system kept the skies safe, with tourists enjoying a beach day on Monday as their flights were unable to depart.