The Mick Clifford Podcast

Progress Ireland is a relatively unknown think tank from what might be described as the centre right of Irish politics. Among its backers are the billionaire brother Patrick and John Collison from Limerick. The think tank describes itself as “on a mission to connect Ireland to proven policy solutions around the world”. But what do they stand for specifically and is their message resonating in the political firmament. Progress Ireland’s director Sean Keyes is this week’s guest on the podcast.

DJ Carey has been sentenced to five and a half years in prison for defrauding at least ten people out of various sums on money on the false premise that he was suffering from cancer. Carey was hurling’s first superstar whose exploits on the pitch thrilled the whole country. How did it all go wrong? What prompted him to head down the dark alley that led to imprisonment for the most grievous kind of deception? Eimear Ni Bhraonain’s new book The Dodger gives insight and detail in response to those questions. Eimear is today’s guest on the podcast. 

Political communication was brought to a fine art by Terry Prone, her late husband Tom Savage and their mentor Bunny Carr. Their work was done and felt behind the scenes of successive governments and among numerous politicians. Now Terry is telling all in her memoir from the political years, which includes a whole raft of narratives about how some major figures in Irish politics coped at times of crisis and challenges.   Her book is entitled “I’m glad you asked me that”, a phrase she insists she has never, nor ever would, tell a client to issue. Terry Prone is this week’s guest on the podcast. 

The GAA has deep roots right across Irish society, culture and the economy. On one level it has never been as popular but often threats lurk at the time when the sun is shining. The Irish Examiner’s Michael Moynihan has spent much of his career tracking progress in the GAA and now he has produced a book that looks at the future, the hopes, the dreams and the threats that are being posed. Michael is this week’s guest on the podcast.

Against the odds, Donald Trump has managed, at least temporarily, to stop the bombing and slaughter in Gaza. He has brokered a twenty point peace plan that could potentially ensure both peace and justice in an area that has been devastated. But will it work? And does Trump have the patience and political interest in ensuring that the long hard slog is as successful as the photo opportunities he availed of this week. Professor Scott Lucas from the Clinton Institute in UCD joins the podcast.

Irish Examiner Political Editor Paul Hosford joins Mick to talk over the shock departure of Jim Gavin from the presidential campaign and what now for the race for the Aras. On Tuesday the government introduced its first budget to the sound of groans from the general public and sirens sounding from economists. It was by any standards a week and a half.

The presidential election campaign is underway but so far no fireworks are to be seen. But, Gary Murphy reckons, there are a number of subplots that may well liven up the race and there are questions to ask about the sour reaction of the supporters of candidates who failed to get nominated. Gary Murphy, Professor of Politics in DCU, is this week’s guest on the podcast.

In 2021, Alan Kearney was heading towards the pinnacle of his career. He was due to be promoted to commandant in the defence forces and was in line for a prestigious deployment to Leinster House. Then it all fell apart and he found himself the focus of a long running investigation and criminal charges. It took over three years before he was vindicated but by then the whole case had taken a huge toll on his career, health and family. This is his story.

Charlie Haughey and Garrett Fitzgerald dominated politics in this country in the 1980s, and according to academic Eoin O’Malley, their rivalry shaped modern Ireland. O’Malley’s new book Charlie Vs Garrett examines the rivalry and the times the pair lived through when they were vying to run the country. It is a study of character, class and country. Eoin O’Malley is this week’s guest on the podcast.