The Women's Podcast

According to academic Dr Marie Keenan restorative justice is “a way of giving justice to victims that centres the victim of crime in the process, as distinct from the criminal justice system, which centres the perpetrator”. Keenan joined two women Janet O’Brien who’s son was killed in a one punch attack and Sophia Murphy who was sexually abused by her father to discuss the power of restorative justice. The women explore how coming face to face with perpetrators in a safe, controlled manner can be transformative for victims of crime.  In this powerful and insightful conversation, the women also speak about  the difficulty as victims of navigating the criminal justice system. But first, Irish Times Opinion Editor Jennifer O’Connell is here to chat about Holly Cairn’s difficult first day back after maternity leave, the benefits of moderate drinking and The Walsh Sisters, the highly anticipated TV adaptation of Marian Keyes’ beloved novels.

1980s Dublin wasn’t all emigration and recession. There was great music, mad nights out and a capital city bursting with homegrown talent. Irish rock icons Leslie Dowdall of In Tua Nua and Flo McSweeney of Toy With Rhythm and Moving Hearts were at the epicentre of it and now they have teamed up to present Natural Women, a collaboration which will see them covering songs by 1970s songwriting legends Carole King and Linda Ronstadt in Vicar Street. They came in to talk to host Roisin Ingle about their 1980s heyday, the scene in the Pink Elephant nightclub and why they wanted to make music together after all these years. They even give us a bit of a song. But first, Irish Times Opinion Editor Jennifer O’Connell is here to talk about some of the biggest stories of the week including the at home cervical screening that has arrived in the UK and the presidential chances of conservative Catholic Maria Steen.

We’ve a special live episode of the podcast for you today, a wide-ranging chat with actor, writer, presenter and mother of five Rosie O’Donnell at The Electric Picnic. We teamed up with Jan Brierton’s Wild Words at the festival where O’Donnell talked to Róisín Ingle and a packed Manifesto tent about everything from her feud with Donald Trump, moving to Ireland, weight loss drugs, the price of fame and that time she turned down a night out with Prince. Star of The Flintstones, Sleepless in Seattle and A League of Their Own, the former talk show queen also talks about how she has lost some Jewish friends by speaking out about the genocide in Gaza and why she’s so happy to have made Ireland her home. But first, Irish Times Opinion Editor Jennifer O’Connell is here to talk about the biggest stories of the week for women, including the devastating earthquake in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.

This weekend the Women’s Podcast is joining the line up of Jan Brierton’s Wild Words at Electric Picnic. For the event, Róisín Ingle will be hosting a special live recording of the podcast with American comedian, actor and new Irish resident Rosie O’Donnell. Brierton joins the podcast today to look ahead to the weekend’s festivities and to explain what festival goers can expect from the rest of the Wild Words lineup. She also talks to Ingle about her exciting year ahead, which includes another appearance at Dublin’s Olympia theatre and a two day celebration in December to mark her 50th birthday. But first, Irish Times Journalist Niamh Browne is here to talk about the biggest stories of the week, including Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s big announcement, the discussion around Serena Williams' latest endorsement and all the latest on the CAO offers which came out this week.

In the early 20th century, in a remote village in Hungary, a group of women, driven to despair by their violent, abusive husbands, decided to take matters into their own hands. Their solution to their difficult life circumstances was arsenic, a deadly poison easily extracted from fly paper or arsenic-rich “flystones". The women began slipping this deadly substance into their husband’s porridge, stews and drinks and according to some estimates, up to 300 people in the Nagyrév region were murdered in the space of two decades. In this episode, Hope Reese, author of The Women Are Not Fine, joins Róisín Ingle to explain why this deadly sisterhood of women were driven to kill, how the murders spiralled out of control and how they were eventually caught and punished for their crimes.But first podcast producer Aideen Finnegan is here to discuss some of the biggest stories of the week including the crowning of the 2025 Rose of Tralee, Sally Rooney’s support for Palestine Action and why Rhashidat Adeleke is out of this year's World Athletics Championships.

In recent years, more and more women have been speaking openly about their decision to not have children. There are numerous books on the subject, dedicated social media spaces for childfree women and an ever increasing media interest in sharing the stories of those who refuse to go down this well-trodden path. However, some of the lesser told childfree stories are those of older women, who went against the grain at a time when motherhood was not only expected of women, but regarded as central to their lives. In this episode, Róisín Ingle is joined by one such woman, 77 year-old writer and academic Helen Taylor, who from a very young age decided not to have children. In her new book Childless by Choice: The Meaning and Legacy of a Child-free Life, Helen shares her reasons for choosing to remain childfree and she unpacks the complex feelings that have accompanied her choice. In this wide-ranging conversation, she tells Róisín Ingle where she draws meaning in life, how she dealt with moments of regret and what she wants women to know about the later stages of a child-free life.

Following the breakdown of her long-term relationship in 2021, Orla Donoghue became a single parent to her then one-year-old son, Rory. The transition, however, was far from easy. As a new mother, she grappled with feelings of isolation, shame and uncertainty and despite the fact that one in five households in Ireland are single parent families, she also found the experience deeply isolating. However, it was this difficult experience that ultimately led her to set up Solas Coaching, a support space dedicated to helping other single parents. In today’s episode, Donoghue talks to Róisín Ingle about finding her footing as a solo parent, the importance of asking for help and why she's passionate about supporting others in difficult times.

This month on The Women’s Podcast Book Club, Bernice Harrison, Niamh Towey, Róisín Ingle, and Ann Ingle are discussing The Marriage Vendetta by debut author Caroline Madden. The book tells the story of Eliza Sheridan, who seeks the help of a marriage therapist to mend her relationship with her unloving and unsupportive husband Richard. As their sessions unfold, it becomes clear that this is no ordinary counselling service. Week after week, Eliza is encouraged by her therapist to commit a series of vengeful acts against her oblivious husband, with each task more bizarre than the last. We’d love to hear your thoughts on the book. Why not send us a voice note on Instagram @ITWomensPodcast or email us TheWomensPodcast@Irishtimes.com

Would you sleep in a different room to your partner? Or do you think couples should share a bed together? That's what we’re asking on today’s episode of The Women’s Podcast. While many people enjoy sharing a bed with their other half, there are many others who prefer to go solo when it comes to sleep. This could be for reasons including loud snoring, a partner tossing and turning in the night or even a disagreement over what temperature the room should be. While there’s still a stigma attached to going your separate ways at bedtime, Australian writer Jennifer Adams argues there shouldn’t be.Happily married and sleeping apart from her husband for more than two decades, Adams has literally written the book on separate sleeping and in today’s episode she tells Róisín Ingle why it’s not only possible but easily attainable, to have both a great night’s sleep and a great relationship. She also shares some tips from her book ‘Sleep Divorce: How to sleep apart, not fall apart, which will help you to broach the subject with your partner or figure out how to make it work with limited space. But first, Irish Times journalist Niamh Browne is here to discuss some of the biggest stories of the week including yesterday’s shooting in Fermanagh, the average cost of IVF for Irish couples and why Irish radio should be playing more female artists.