The Deirdre O'Shaughnessy Podcast

16 year old Paudie Coady has Friedrich’s Ataxia, a rare, degenerative neurological condition. Last year, the same condition claimed the life of his younger brother Rory.The boys’ mother, Della, has advanced Huntington’s disease.Their dad Craig is in a race against time. Yesterday, he met Taoiseach Micheál Martin as part of his campaign for the HSE to introduce the drug Skyclarys in Ireland.Skyclarys would slow down the progression of Paudie’s illness and give him a better quality of life.Joining Deirdre on today’s episode, Craig said the system for approving new drugs in Ireland is not working.“Look at the silly money the HSE are spending on mistakes in hospitals. You know, you have someone up there that's going around high fiving, yeah, I saved €500,000 here, I saved €1.2 million here, I saved this here, but yeah, how many lives have you saved?“If there's a price tag on every child in this country, well, it's a sorry country,” he said.“Do you want to go to bed every night thinking, God, I hope my child doesn't really get sick because there's no hope?After meeting Taoiseach Micheál Martin – whom he describes as “a family man”, who was emotional during their meeting – Craig is hopeful that there will be progress on Skyclarys.“He had a representative down from Dublin, a HSE / Department of Health representative, and he said it is on the agenda for July...  He said that they were trying to push that meeting forward and he was hoping that it would happen.“He understands that Friedrich’s Ataxia doesn’t wait.”Craig joins Deirdre O’Shaughnessy on today’s podcast to talk about his meeting with Taoiseach Micheál Martin, losing Rory, and the tragedy of his wife Della’s Huntington’s Disease.Taoiseach tells Cork dad who lost one son that discussions on life-changing drug for his other son will be brought forward'I can’t lose him. He is all I have left': Cork father 'begging' for drug for disease affecting sonNiamh Ní Hoireabhaird: How much is my life worth to the HSE?

We say we’re climate conscious – but we don’t want to modify our behaviour.We say the government should do more to fight climate change – but not if we have to pay for it. The recent Irish Examiner ipsos Behaviour & Attitudes poll revealed a lot about how we view climate change – with unexpected differences between women and men, farmers and non-farmers.Irish Examiner reporter Sean Murray has been drilling down into it and he’s today’s guest on the podcast.Irish Examiner poll: People willing to pay €17.15 a week on average to offset red meat consumptionClimate change ranks behind housing, healthcare, and cost of living for voters – pollIrish people believe in climate change — we just don’t want to pay more for itClimate & Sustainability - Irish Examiner

 A rift between Michael and Danny Healy Rae was once unthinkable, but in common with other small parties before them, the Healy Rae machine has fallen victim to the perils of Government.As Mick Clifford wrote in today's Irish Examiner, "The Healy-Raes, that most astute of political entities, have succumbed to the curse of Brendan Behan. They are the latest victims of 'The Split'."How is the split being received in Leinster House? What does the political future hold for the next generation of Healy Raes? And how now will Kerry fare in the halls of power?Mick Clifford and Louise Burne join Deirdre O'Shaughnessy to discuss the fallout from the Healy Rae row in this special bonus episode.Our thanks to Radio Kerry and Jerry O’Sullivan for permission to use the audio at the top of this episode. ‘Team Healy-Rae’ still together, says Danny after Michael blames him for Government exitMick Clifford: The house of Healy-Rae has fallen victim to 'The Split'Michael Healy-Rae says brother Danny ‘effectively sacked’ him as ministerFrom defiance to departure: 45 hours that changed everything for Michael Healy-Rae

When Rory McIlroy slagged off Irish food, saying he wouldn’t include it at a glitzy event because he wanted to enjoy himself, most Irish people shrugged, and possibly even agreed with him.Centra sold nearly 10 million chicken fillet rolls in 2025, and most Irish celebrities, asked if they miss any foods from home in interviews, say Taytos, or Kerrygold.Writing in the Irish Examiner earlier this week, chef and food writer Orla McAndrew described getting a jolt when non-Irish friends who lived here described Irish food culture in those terms, with garage delis and hot chicken rolls getting honourable mentions.She joins Deirdre on today’s episode of the podcast to discuss food culture, the plight of Irish growers, the school meals row, and the Irish obsession with making sure everyone at a wedding gets enough meat.People think 'Irish food culture' is hot chicken rolls and Taytos — we need to change thatIreland needs a minister for food to better serve our needsMichelle Darmody: Ireland could lead the way in ultra-processed foods controlhttps://shows.acast.com/61d5be008150ae0014bc3671/69288dd76009aa978cc7b40dGiving up ultra-processed foods, with Nicole Glennon - The Deirdre O'Shaughnessy Podcast | Acast

“He was polite, gentle, and quiet. Life just went the wrong way for him.” The death of Yves Sakila in Dublin last week prompted widespread outrage after a video of him being restrained by security guards went viral, making international headlines. His grieving family didn’t attend the protests, however, and until yesterday, had not spoken to any media outlets.   The Irish Examiner’s Senior News Reporter Alison O’Reilly sat down with his adoptive mother Angel Issemezey Anzibi and his siblings to learn about the son and brother they describe as “gentle and smart”, able to fix anything and everything around the house.  Although he was regularly in touch with his family and was kind and gentle with his younger siblings, Yves had left home as a teenager due to marital breakdown and mental health difficulties, and he had been on the streets for many years after leaving the foster care system.  “All the time he came home,” Angel said. “He came for food. He came to see us. He helped around the house. He was always my child.” The family say his death has been hijacked by political interests, and they are not interested in political point scoring, but just want justice for Yves.  Listen here: Read Alison’s interview with Angel and the family solicitor John Gerard Cullen here: Family of ‘gentle, smart’, Yves Sakila face agonizing wait for answers on his death  

Former Garda Paul Moody was back in the news this week after being convicted of harassment and coercive control of his ex-partner.He first hit the headlines in 2022 when he was jailed for similar offences against another ex-partner, Nicola Hanney.Questions arose in court about the handling of a complaint against Moody to the Garda Ombudsman Commission – with the victim in this week’s case saying Nicola Hanney would never have suffered, if GSOC had investigated her complaint.The issue of abusers with previous offences and complaints against them has been highlighted in recent years by Jason Poole, whose sister Jennifer was killed by a partner who had previous convictions for intimate partner violence. Minister Jim O’Callaghan is drafting legislation in response to Mr Poole’s call for a register of domestic violence.Callum Walsh, whose sister Daena Walsh was murdered by her partner Adam Corcoran in Midleton, Co Cork in 2024, is also calling for a publicly available register relating to violent crime. Corcoran had 42 previous convictions and was on bail for a violent attack on a French schoolteacher when he killed Daena.Irish Examiner Southern Correspondent Liz Dunphy is writing about the issues brought up by this case in this weekend’s Irish Examiner and she’s the guest on today’s Deirdre O’Shaughnessy podcast. 'I was not just fighting cancer. I was up against a monster': Woman outlines abuse at hands of garda partner‘He can’t hide behind his badge': Nicola Hanney speaks of abuse suffered from ex-garda partnerFormer garda Paul Moody returned to jail for coercive control of second womanMick Clifford: Family bond endures for former garda determined to finally achieve justiceThe Deirdre O'Shaughnessy Podcast: Inside the ‘demonic' murder of Daena WalshThe Deirdre O’Shaughnessy Podcast: Concerns grow around surveillance and technology’s impact on women‘A life sentence should mean life’: Sister of murder victim Siobhán Kearney speaks outThe Deirdre O'Shaughnessy Podcast: Kathleen Funchion on abuse, coercion and the end of a legal battleBruna Fonseca’s life and death: Inside the Cork murder trial 

Sligo business owner Aolish Gormley struggled with her mental health after having her second baby.Despite many strides in maternal care in Ireland in the past decade, suicide remains the leading cause of death for new mothers, having increased in recent years, according to recent figures from Mental Health Reform.The amount of support available for struggling mothers varies hugely according to contacts Aolish has received through the campaign’s social media channels.“In a lot of cases, women will be referred to the perinatal mental health team by their GP... There's varying reports on that in terms of waiting lists and how long it takes to be seen, depending on the area that you're in, or to be referred to private counselling... depending on the pressure on the system,” she says.“So if there's a lot of women looking for it or if there's a lot of pressure, then you could be looking at some women who say they have waited six months for appointments with counselors... when you’re talking about that data with suicide rates, six months for anybody that's struggling with their mental health is too long. “A day is too long for some people really struggling with their mental health.”One major issue for the campaign is the lack of mother and baby psychiatric units. “We should have three. We don't have any. And that means that if a mother does have to be admitted to a psychiatric unit, she has to be admitted without her baby. And I have spoken to mothers who have said firstly that that sent them even into a worse downward spiral, because they had to leave their babies, and I've spoken to other mothers who refused that care and refused to get the help that they really, really needed and knew that they needed because they could not bear leaving their babies. And that's the situation that some mothers are being faced with, and in 2026 that really is not good enough.”Aolish has established the Year of Care campaign to lobby for a full year of postnatal mental health care for new mothers including GP follow ups and establishment of a perinatal mother-and-baby unit.Woman who suffered postnatal depression calls for more mental health support for new mothersSurge in rate of new mothers dying from suicide

22 year old Evan Fitzgerald, identified later as a ‘vulnerable young man’, died at his own hand outside a Carlow shopping centre last June. He was on bail at the time for firearms offences.He and two friends had been arrested in March 2024 in a Garda sting after they had attempted to purchase weapons on the dark web – it turned out the ‘sellers’ were Gardai, and the guns were disabled.They were released on bail after a court appearance in which Gardai never revealed the sting operation that had led to their arrest. In an unprecedented move, Judge Desmond Zaidan later spoke out to correct the record on what transpired in that court appearance.In the aftermath of Mr Fitzgerald’s death, a number of politicians have called for an inquiry into how the sting operation was conducted, Garda statements in court, and leaks suggesting he had a ‘manifesto’ at the time of his death, which turned out to be untrue.Irish Examiner special correspondent Mick Clifford has been covering this case, and he’s the guest on today’s episode.Mick Clifford: Fatal aftermath of Garda sting raises grave questions about policing failureEvan Fitzgerald case: Senior garda praises firearms probeJustice minister found out from Labour TD that gardaí had supplied Carlow shooting gunCarlow shooting 'shouldn't have happened, but none of us know the true story', says gun shop ownerEvan Fitzgerald: Garda sources say 'we don’t have hindsight' when protecting the public