The Deirdre O'Shaughnessy Podcast

Ireland's last Magdalene Laundry closed its doors thirty years ago, on 25th October 1996. Many of those who were subjected to the incarceration and systematic slavery of the laundries are still fighting for recognition and adequate redress.Maureen Sullivan is the author of The Girl in the Tunnel, a memoir recounting her traumatic childhood and incarceration in a Magdalene Laundry at the age of just 12. Sexually and physically abused by her stepfather, she confided in a kind nun who taught in her primary school. The next day, Maureen found herself in a laundry van en route to New Ross, the first day of what would be years of silence and slavery - two years in New Ross, two in Athy, and months in Dublin's School for the Blind. When she began to look for evidence of what had been done to her many years later, a nun revealed that she had been kept away from other children as "a soiled child", for fear they would be tainted by the abuse she had suffered. In this episode, Maureen describes the horror of her childhood, the silence and shame of the laundry, and how uncovering the secrets of her past has helped her to cope.This conversation took place in front of a live audience at Creative Bandon's Banshee Festival. 'I was 12 when I entered the system': 30 years since closure of the last Magdalene laundry'I cant imagine the kind of courage it takes to be you': Oprah speaks to survivor of Magdalene laundry

Data centres have become a hot topic, consuming 23% of Ireland's power and a staggering amount of water. Ireland has a huge number of them per head of population compared to other EU countries, and people are increasingly concerned about the environmental and energy impact.Local communities around the country including Kilmeaden, Co Waterford and Naas Co Kildare are beginning to rally against new centres. Research published last month digs into the reality of data centres in Ireland and one of its writers Patrick Bresnihan is the guest on today's episode. Economic benefits of data centres have been 'exaggerated', report claims

Brenda Dennehy was well known in Cork through her work on 96fm and Red FM and her social media presence. But her bubbly, "stone mad" persona hid her silent struggles with alcohol and prescription medication – until the pressure of holding it all together became too much, and she suffered a very public humiliation when she was judging a charity fundraising event. Videos of her slurred speech and being escorted from the venue circulated online and she received abuse and death threats. A subsequent overdose on Xanax resulted in admission to CUH, but it was only losing her job at Red FM after falling asleep during a live show that brought her back to rehab. During her second stint in rehab she feared she would almost die while detoxing from Xanax. After the "longest, worst night of her life", she wrote in her diary that she would make "the mother of all comebacks". Since that day she has worked on some of the UK's top TV programmes, run five marathons and launched her own podcast The Comeback in which she interviews other people who have hit rock bottom. The death of her beloved father Dano in 2024 threatened to unbalance her, but she has maintained her sobriety. Now, she has written a book, also titled The Comeback. Listen to today's episode of The Deirdre O'Shaughnessy Podcast wherever you get your podcasts. The Deirdre O’Shaughnessy Podcast: A Cork publican’s story of addiction and recovery

Sharon Lynn lost her brother Martin in an unprovoked one-punch attack outside his own front door in Dublin in 2023. His killer has never expressed any remorse. Cian Gallagher was killed in a similar attack in Tallow, Co Waterford in 2022. After his assailant punched him, he boasted to passersby that he had knocked him out "like Conor McGregor". Cian never woke up – he spent eight days in intensive care at Cork University Hospital before he died. Both men died in entirely unprovoked attacks. Both were non-violent, contributing to society positively. Their siblings are now campaigning for a focus on these random attacks, emulating the Australian model. They want to see awareness campaigns, a focus on prevention, and guidelines for consistent sentencing. In today's episode they share their families' struggles with the criminal justice system; the reality of trying to grieve while undergoing gruelling court proceedings; and how the attacks shattered their belief in justice. They talk about masculinity, and how their experiences have highlighted the contrast between good men and those who glorify violence. Sharon and Bryan are the guests on today's episode of The Deirdre O'Shaughnessy Podcast. See Ann Murphy's reporting in the Irish Examiner for more on this story.

On Thursday, discovery of a man’s body in a quiet recreational area outside Mallow town raised alarm. The man, who had been shot at point blank range in what’s suspected to be an execution-style killing has since been identified as Cork city native Paul ‘Bosco’ O’Connor. Gardai have made one arrest in their investigation into his death.Irish Examiner Southern Correspondent Liz Dunphy is today’s guest.Man murdered in Mallow may have been killed in professional 'execution' hit Mallow murder investigation after Cork man Paul ‘Bosco’ O’Connor found dead

Author Louise O’Neill became a household name in the wake of her seminal novel Asking for It which opened up conversations around rape culture and misogyny in Ireland. A former Irish Examiner columnist and a prolific novelist, her life was thrown into disarray in 2023 by a high-profile breakup she describes as “humiliating”. In her new memoir, A Bigger Life, Louise describes being “set alight, and turned to ash” by the relationship breakdown, and charts her unorthodox return to dating – inspired by a conversation with her father.“I really felt like, I have been humiliated enough. I was like, I really don't feel in any way able or ready for this. And I did say to my dad, I was like, I just, I don't want to do this. “And, of course, what I meant by that was like, I'm afraid. You know, I'm afraid that if this happens again, I won't be able to survive it the second time. And then he said he said, Okay, Lou, you know, if you want a bigger life, you have to take bigger risks.”The experiment she conducted took in 100 dates in four countries, in which she met all sorts of men in pursuit of sexual chemistry and rediscovered her faith in human nature.In this episode Louise tells Deirdre about the grief she experienced at losing a version of her life; the unanswered questions that sundered her relationship; re-establishing her relationship with her own desire, and her unapologetic pursuit of sexual pleasure. As for her new singles’ travel agency – you heard it here first. Listen to the Deirdre O’Shaughnessy Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.

Gardai have raided two homes in the Waterford area as part of their investigation into the horrific arson attack on a family home in the Birchwood estate on Tuesday morning.Couple Philip and Kim English and their sons, 12 year old Callum and 8 year old Jayden, were killed in the fire, while their two other children remain in critical condition in hospital. The attack is believed to be part of a campaign of drug debt-related intimidation which began when Philip English reportedly undertook to pay the debt of an associate. Reporter Neil Michael is today’s guest on the podcast, with updates from Waterford.

”We do wish that our children will go before us because we are so terrified at what they will face and how they will have to do it alone."As public sector strikes loom this week, it’s clear that many teachers and parents have lost faith in the government’s ability to tackle educational needs. Teacher Ciara Reilly’s daughter Doireann has special needs. Ciara and her husband Gav have spoken out about the lack of services available for Doireann on previous occasions – despite what Ciara describes as their privileged situation, Doireann has access to no public therapies.In today’s episode Ciara talks about the Government’s inability to plan for the real challenges in education, how money is thrown at problems that should have been planned for in advance, and how she knows there is no plan for her daughter and thousands like her when their parents are no longer able to care for them. “We live every day of our life now assuming Doireann will be with us until we cannot l care for her. And like this is a phrase you're hearing a lot of in media circles and I think I would I'm happy to say it about myself. “Like, as parents of children with need, we think about our longevity constantly. I am not a morose person, but I think about my mortality every single day.”“And you know, we say amongst ourselves, "let me live a day longer than the child will themselves". “And we do so we do contemplate, and this is very dark, but I think it's this is the way people need to hear this. And I'm only brave enough to say it because I hear people further down the road say this, and I can empathize and I relate and I commend them.”We do wish that our children will go before us because we are so terrified at what they will face and how they will have to do it alone."Ciara Reilly: More money for education is good, but large classes impact everyoneThe Deirdre O'Shaugnessy Podcast: Inside the fallout from the SNA allocation controversyCiara Reilly: Definition of need has changed to save money on SNAsCiara Reilly: Budget makes private care slightly more affordable, temporarilyHSE will not publish report showing that 4,200 people need residential disability placement