The Women's Podcast

It was a bright afternoon in April 2015 when Mary Ann Kenny, a university lecturer, received a call that changed her life in an instant. Her husband John, with whom she had two young sons, had collapsed while out jogging and died at the age of 60. Struggling to cope with the sudden loss and the loneliness that engulfed her life in the aftermath, Kenny's grief soon turned to depression, which later progressed into psychotic delusions.In her new memoir, The Episode, Kenny details her descent into psychosis, her hospitalisation, and her journey back to health and happiness. In this episode, she talks to Róisín Ingle about the impact of her husband’s death, the trauma of her psychiatric treatment, and how she has made sense of her mental health crisis.But first, Irish Times reporter Ella Sloane joins us to discuss some of the biggest stories of the week, including Greta Thunberg’s aid mission to Gaza and what new research has revealed about the happiness levels of Irish teenagers.To enter our live book club event, go to Irishtimes.com/events

What do you really know about the menstrual cycle? Can you tell your follicular from your luteal phase? Can masturbation ease period pains and why do so many women get the dreaded ‘period poo’? To answer all these questions and more we’re joined this week by Dr Hazel Wallace, medical doctor, nutritionist, and author of Not Just A Period, a groundbreaking new book that seeks to understand the entire menstrual cycle, not just the few days each month we bleed. In this episode, Dr Wallace tells Róisín Ingle why periods are still so poorly understood, the benefits of tracking each phase of your cycle and when to seek advice from your doctor. She also talks about her own experience with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), her decision to freeze her eggs and why she left the NHS to focus on nutrition and female health. But first, Bernice Harrison is here to discuss some of the biggest stories of the week including the viral shove of French President Emmanuel Macron by his wife Brigette.

This week, we’re joined by the brilliant Kit de Waal novelist, memoirist, and fierce advocate for working-class voices in literature. In conversation with Roisin Ingle, de Waal discusses her powerful new novel The Best of Everything, set in 1970s and 1980s England, which follows the interwoven lives of a single mother, her son, and their neighbours as they navigate grief, love, and survival.Best known for her acclaimed debut My Name is Leon, de Waal also shares insights from her 2022 memoir Without Warning and Only Sometimes, where she recounts her unconventional upbringing as the daughter of a Caribbean father and an Irish Jehovah’s Witness mother. From the fear of a prophesied Armageddon in 1975 to the complexities of faith, identity, and family, the writer reflects on the experiences that shaped her and how they now shape her fiction.This is a moving, sharp, and sometimes darkly funny conversation about resilience, storytelling, and what it means to find your place in the world. Also on today's episode, Niamh Towey joins us to discuss the stories of the week including Gaza, where the UN has said the lives of thousands of children are at risk due to malnutrition.

In 2016, Clodagh Hawe and her three sons, Liam (13), Niall (11) and Ryan (6) were murdered in their Co Cavan home, by their husband and father Alan Hawe, who took his own life shortly after. It was and still is Ireland’s largest murder-suicide and the brutal killings sent shockwaves throughout the country. In her book, Deadly Silence, Clodagh’s younger sister Jacqueline Connolly, gives her account of the circumstances leading up to the mass murder and how her brother-in-law, Hawe, coercively controlled and manipulated her unsuspecting sister. In this episode, Connolly talks to Róisín Ingle about the person Clodagh was, the relationship the pair had growing up and how their bond changed when Hawe entered their lives. She also talks about her family’s painful search for answers in the aftermath of the killings and the critical failures in the initial Garda investigation. But first, Irish Times Opinion editor Jennifer O’Connell is here to discuss some of the biggest stories of the week, including the conviction for sexual assault of actor Gérard Depardieu.

Two years ago this month, Tina Turner died at the age of 83 at her home in Switzerland. The global superstar and rock icon had a career spanning more than five decades. Although she retired from performing in her late 60s, one of her final projects was to collaborate on Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, which debuted in London’s West End in 2018. This month the show comes to Dublin’s Bord Gáis Energy Theatre for a two week run and in this episode Róisín Ingle speaks to some of the cast members, Jochebel Ohene MacCarthy who plays the role of Tina Turner and choreographer Simone Mistry Palmer. But first, Irish Times opinion editor Jennifer O’Connoll is here to discuss some of the biggest stories of the week, including the camogie skorts row, the latest from the papal conclave and Prince Harry’s recent security woes.

In March, a group of secondary school students from Co Offaly made history when they became the first ever all-female team to win the VEX IQ All-Ireland Robotics Competition. ‘The Steminists’ will now represent Ireland at the World Championships in Texas this month. The team consists of five students aged between 12 and 14 years old, from the Sacred Heart School in Tullamore. In today’s episode, two team members, Alice Duffy (12) and Rachel Ebenezer (13), along with their teachers Sindy Meleady and Aisling Burke join Róisín Ingle to discuss the upcoming competition and how they created their winning robot ‘Agatha Trunchball’. Later on we’ll be learning all about Luail, Ireland’s first all-island national dance company with creative director Liz Roche. But first, Irish Times podcast presenter Bernice Harrison is here to discuss some of the biggest stories of the week, including the Satchwell trial and why US immigration have detained Irish woman Cliona Ward.

According to the latest European State of the Climate Report, 2024 was the hottest year on record for Europe and the fourth warmest year ever recorded in Ireland. As part of the global fight against climate change, Ireland has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 51% by 2030 — but are we really on track to meet that goal?In today’s episode, we hear from three climate activists: CEO of the climate change NGO Opportunity Green Aoife O’Leary, marine environmentalist Flossie Donnelly and Catherine Cleary, co-founder of Pocket Forests. They discuss the changes needed at the top, the reasons to remain hopeful about the climate and why individual efforts, even small ones, still matter.

Seven years after Amanda Knox was definitively acquitted of the 2007 murder of Meredith Kercher, she flew to Italy to meet the man who had led the prosecution’s case against her, Giuliano Mignini. The now 37-year-old mother of two wanted to ask her former prosecutor why he had identified her as the chief suspect, pursued a murder conviction against her, and whether he felt any remorse for putting the wrong person in prison.In her new memoir, Free: My Search for Meaning, Knox details this emotional meeting, the years leading up to it, and the shadow her wrongful conviction cast over her life. The book explores the power of acceptance and forgiveness, and how to cope with life’s most challenging moments.In this conversation with Róisín Ingle, Knox talks about the fear and confusion of being accused of such a serious crime, how she reclaimed her identity when she finally walked free, and why what happened to her made her the person she is today.

Bookshops and libraries are bursting with books on parenting and what to expect when you’re expecting, but there aren't nearly as many guidebooks out there on how to be a good grandparent. That’s why family psychologist Terri Apter has written her latest book all about the topic. Grandparenting: On Love and Relationships Across Generations offers readers an expert guide on modern grand parenting and how to overcome tricky family dynamics that might occur along the way. Apter talks to Róisín Ingle about how the first grandchild changed her family, the different types of grandmothers and how important a grandparent is in building a child’s identity. But first, Irish Times journalist Ella Sloane is here to discuss some of the biggest stories of the week including new research from the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre examining attitudes towards victims of sexual assault, why only half of fathers in Ireland are taking paternity leave and how pottery fever is catching in Dublin.