The Deirdre O'Shaughnessy Podcast

Afleveringen

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  Nancy Reilly speaks out about husband Mark Reilly's tragic death by suicide at CUH and the HSE apology she received 07.08.2026 33min

  Nancy and Mark Reilly had a charmed life together. Irish-American retirees based in Kinsale, their 36 year marriage saw them travel the world teaching English refugee children and getting involved in community projects in their adopted home. That idyllic life together came to a sudden, tragic end, when Mark Reilly hanged himself while in isolation at Cork University Hospital on 19 March 2022. He had been brought to Bandon Garda station after a suicide attempt four days prior, in the midst of what Nancy believes was a psychotic episode. He had no history of mental health difficulties before that. Ms Reilly is deeply critical of the systems failures that led to Mark's death, identifying a number of issues including the lack of a consultant psychiatrist on duty during St Patrick's weekend; availability of ligature points in the acute mental health unit; isolation of a patient who was supposed to be on suicide watch. "There were going to be no psychiatrists on duty all weekend because it was St. Patrick's Day. Now, right there that raises a question. You don't wait to have a heart attack. There would be a cardiologist available if you had a heart attack on St. Patrick's Day."Why was there not a psychiatrist on duty?"Nancy's case against CUH and the HSE was settled at the High Court last month, with the clinical director of South Lee Mental Health Service, Dr Thomas Cronin, writing a letter of apology for shortcomings in Mark's care. Wife of man who took his own life in CUH unit calls for change in mental health treatmentPieta.ie The Samaritans  116 123 24  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  From rat infested flats to 'thanking God' for Cork City Council – Cork's 12,000 social houses, with Donal O'Keeffe 04.08.2026 33min

  Cork City Council is responsible for almost 12,000 homes – ranging from state of the art modern builds to the now notorious rat-infested 1960s O'Byrne flats.With a budget of approximately €147m, an average rental payment of E80 per week, and 5,000 people on the social housing waiting list, the City's housing department is led by Assistant Chief Executive Brian Geaney, who acknowledges the challenge.This week the Irish Examiner is publishing an extensive investigation into Cork City Council's housing stock – how many, how much, who lives there, how it's managed - and what the future holds.Reporter Donal O'Keeffe is the guest on today's episode of the podcast.This episode was funded by Coimisiún na Meáin.This podcast was funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Bessborough survivor Cindi Bonny on the death of her baby Zoei in 1994 31.07.2026 35min

  "They put the pressure on while I was pregnant.""But after, it was like, he'd be better off without you, and he deserves better. He'd end up with some lovely family that could bring him up and look after him and he could become a doctor one day."... I was constantly told that a mother like me, a person like me, shouldn't have a child. Because at the time I would have had Indian ink up my arms and stuff like that."Cindi Bonny was just sixteen but she had already experienced homelessness, drug addiction and an abusive relationship when she first entered Bessborough in 1993, pregnant with her son Kevin.Adamant that she wouldn't give him up for adoption, determined to breastfeed her baby, she was kept from him for six weeks as the pressure mounted to give him up.Eventually she left with Kevin and returned to her abusive boyfriend – only to fall pregnant a second time, returning to Bessborough in 1994.Her second stay was different, but ended in tragedy with the sudden, shocking death of baby Zoei at just two days old.Zoei was the last baby to die under the care of Bessborough. Unlike so many others before her, she has a grave her family can visit.Cindi shared her story in the Irish Examiner earlier this week in an impassioned plea to authorities for a full investigation of burials at Bessborough, and for a memorial there instead of the planned apartments.Cindi is today's guest on The Deirdre O'Shaughnessy Podcast.Read her article here: 'Do not bury our history beneath concrete', mother of last baby to die at Bessborough tells GovernmentThe Deirdre O'Shaughnessy Podcast: Paving over Bessborough's missing babiesThe Deirdre O’Shaughnessy Podcast: Dominic Finn’s story of being adopted from Bessborough  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Finding a home for RTÉ Cork, with Donal O'Keeffe 28.07.2026 20min

  More than a year after RTÉ Cork employees were promised new, state-of the-art studios and offices, co-location talks with Cork City Council have broken down. A planned move to the Counting House complex now seems unlikely, given the recent announcement that the complex will be home to the new City Library.  The RTÉ Cork building at Fr Mathew Street is home to the RTÉ Today Show, the John Creedon show and a host of other household names from the State broadcaster but the building is in need of major refurbishment. Director General Kevin Bakhurst promised in 2025 that a new premises would be found by 2027. Reporter Donal O’Keeffe is covering this story in today’s Irish Examiner – on today’s podcast he outlines all the options for RTÉ Cork and explains how staff at the beleaguered broadcaster are feeling.   RTÉ Cork staff fearful for future after talks on new studio break down 'Unfair gloss': RTÉ's Bakhurst grilled over reclassification of Derek Mooney and pay implications Gareth O'Callaghan: Is it finally time for an honest debate about selling RTÉ? Obituary: Former RTÉ director general Joe Barry changed the face of Irish broadcasting Suspected burglar arrested in RTÉ Cork studios  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Behind closed doors in the family law courts with Lisa-Ann Wilkinson 24.07.2026 45min

  What goes on in family courts is a mystery to most people – except those who are part of the proceedings.The in-camera rule means there is very limited reporting of family law cases, with nobody ever identified.But a new campaign argues that this rule can protect abusers – while the courts are being weaponised by the same abusive spouses that victims are trying to escape from.Lisa Ann Wilkinson is a barrister specialising in family law, a board member of survivors' group SiSi and one of the women behind the Right to Transparency campaign.She has represented women who were imprisoned for refusing to allow their abusive ex-partners access to their children."I probably know about five or six women who were imprisoned when their children were resisting access with somebody who had either safety orders against them, breaches of safety orders, or convictions for domestic violence. They are still forced on access," she said."I know one mother whose ex is in prison for assault and coercive control and [she] still has to bring the children in to visit them. And that woman can't talk about it, you know, they can't speak to it," she said."And I now know of six or seven 18 plus year olds who were subject to these types of access orders who are now incredibly damaged... some of them are profoundly damaged by being forced into contact and the state's going to have a huge, huge problem on its hand with these now aged-out adults actually expressing the fact that the court process of forced access has caused them damage."Lisa-Ann Wilkinson is the guest on today's episode of The Deirdre O'Shaughnessy Podcast. Campaigners seeking in-camera rule changes to attend Leinster House meetingReform urged as family law system 'failing very people it is meant to protect' Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Sex for rent is finally made illegal, with Ann Murphy 21.07.2026 24min

  The exploitation of vulnerable women for sex in exchange for housing was first highlighted by reporter Ann Murphy in 2020.Young migrant workers with limited English and no network and Ukrainians fleeing the war were among those Ann spoke to in her reporting who had fallen victim. She identified cases all over Ireland, including towns like Newcastlewest, Dungarvan and Kinsale.After a major Irish Examiner investigation in 2021 in which Ann confronted landlords - including one married couple seeking to fill a "granny flat" with a woman who would sleep with the husband in return for accommodation, the issue reached the Dáil floor and civil society organisations began to conduct their own research.It turned out that the increasingly widespread practice was not illegal, with those women who braved the Gardai being told it was a civil matter, while both the Department of Justice and Housing told Ann it was a matter for Gardaí.Now, with a new law introduced to tackle this form of exploitation, Ann talks to Deirdre about the investigations, the campaign for legal change – and whether she thinks women will be protected under the new law.Ann's journalism on this subject won the award for 'Campaigning Journalism' at the Newsbrands Ireland Awards 2026.Listen to the original podcast here: Sex for rent: The 'dangerous h…–The Deirdre O'Shaughnessy Podcast – Apple PodcastsRead our coverage here: Call for campaign to inform people most at risk of sex-for-rent offersSex-for-rent laws won't help women who are already stuck Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Heatwaves, El Nino and coping with our changing climate with Joanna Donnelly 17.07.2026 28min

  Heatwaves have always happened, but in the context of our changing climate and an El Nino year, how do we cope, and what do we need to do?Meteorologist and author Joanna Donnelly  is the guest on today's podcast, explaining the terms we use around unseasonal weather and what El Nino means for our weather.Heatwave could cost taxpayers millions more as melting roads force changes to resurfacingHeatwaves are exposing Ireland's weakest linksEurope's record-breaking heatwave cost more than 10,000 lives in June Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Grace Lynch’s parents on death threats, online abuse and their campaign for road safety reform 14.07.2026 33min

  16 year old Grace Lynch was killed by a scrambler bike in January, while out walking near her home in Dublin.Her heartbroken parents Siobhán and Martin immediately embarked on a campaign to ensure nobody would suffer as they had, seeking legal changes to take scrambler bikes and e-scooters out of the hands of children.Their campaign has already forced the introduction of Grace’s Law, banning the use of scramblers on public roads, but a combination of legal loopholes, lack of enforcement and a non-existent tracing system means, they say, there is much more work to do.They’ve received death threats and online abuse as a result of speaking out – with little legal recourse.When they approached social media giant TikTok about abusive AI videos of their deceased daughter, they were asked to provide a death certificate.Today the couple will speak before an Oireachtas Justice committee.Listen to their story on today’s episode of The Deirdre O’Shaughnessy Podcast. Gardaí call for 'dedicated pursuit training' to deal with dangers of e-scooters and scramblers'I felt like I had to protect her': Grace Lynch's mum recalls harrowing moments after her deathGrace Lynch's mother gets death threats for seeking scrambler bike ban on public roads Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Jamey Carney and the alarming rise in femicide in Ireland, with Liz Dunphy 10.07.2026 14min

  American mother of one Jamey Carney is the eighth woman to die violently in Ireland this year.Her body was discovered in her Killarney home just one day after that of Adina Constantin in Portlaoise, whose husband has been charged in connection with her death. Gardaí have launched an international manhunt in their investigation into Ms Carney’s killing.Since the murder of Ashling Murphy in 2022 prompted widespread outrage, 40 women have died violently in Ireland.Women’s Aid, the National Women’s Council of Ireland and politicians across the spectrum have highlighted their concern at what Taoiseach Micheál Martin referred to this week as the femicide figures “going in the wrong direction”.Irish Examiner Southern Correspondent Liz Dunphy has been covering this story and joins Deirdre on today’s episode. Killarney murder: Jamey Carney's cousin says 'no indication' she had safety concerns'Societal response' required to fight epidemic of violence against women, says TaoiseachNumber of women violently killed ‘not going in the right direction’, says TaoiseachHusband charged with murder of his wife in Portlaoise Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Adopted from Bessborough – Dominic Finn’s story 07.07.2026 34min

  With Bessborough in the news due to controversial building plans, those who survived the notorious institution are telling their stories in unprecedented numbers. Cork County Councillor Dominic Finn is one of three ‘Bessborough babies’ who sits on the local authority – a remarkable statistic, but one that he believes just shows how common adoption was in Ireland in the 1970s.In today’s episode, he tells Deirdre O’Shaughnessy about his happy childhood as one of four adopted children in Cobh, his search for his birth family, and how grateful he feels to have escaped the fate of so many less fortunate Bessborough babies.Read Dominic’s interview with Irish Examiner reporter Sean O’Riordan here: Cork councillor adopted from mother and baby home reunited with birth parents and six siblingsThe Deirdre O'Shaughnessy Podcast: Paving over Bessborough's missing babies Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  An Irishwoman’s Diary Episode 12: A ‘militant’ lesbian nun who made history - Bridget Coll 03.07.2026 16min

  This is series 2 of An Irishwoman’s Diary from The Deirdre O’Shaughnessy Podcast, search in your podcast app for An Irishwoman’s Diary to find the six-episode Series 1.  Bridget Coll’s story reads like fiction — a thriller even — just as the many words used to describe her don’t seem to fit together: nun, lesbian, teacher, militant, law-changer, even “home-wrecker”.This “tiny woman with a fierce heart” from Fanad Co Donegal protested in Chile and made legal history in Canada. But at home in Ireland, her story isn’t so well known.Clodagh Finn: Bridget Coll — nun, lesbian, law-changer, and militant Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  An Irishwoman’s Diary Episode 11: An actress and a trend-setter - Genevieve Lyons 30.06.2026 17min

  This is series 2 of An Irishwoman’s Diary from The Deirdre O’Shaughnessy Podcast, search in your podcast app for An Irishwoman’s Diary to find the six-episode Series 1.  A precursor of Cabaret, the show about ‘a bad girl with a heart of gold’, became the go-to show in Dublin for a brief period in the 1950s, against all the prevailing morals of the time.Asked later why it hadn’t been banned, as JP Donleavy’s The Gingerman was, Archbishop John Charles McQuaid pointed out that the character of Sally Bowles wasn’t Irish, and therefore didn’t present a threat to the morality of Irish women.The star of both shows was Genevieve Lyons, an actor, theatre maker and writer who lived a very unconventional life. Her performance as Sally Bowles caused a brief craze for berets in fashion starved Dublin, and she wrote many books – one, about the famine, owed its name to Princess Margaret.In this episode Clodagh Finn recounts the story of a self-described “lunatic traveller” who though often penniless followed her creative dreams.Clodagh Finn: The Irish woman who made ‘Cabaret’ a hit in Ireland long before the Broadway musicalAn Irishwoman's Diary series 1: Meet the Irish women who left their mark on history  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  An Irishwoman’s Diary Episode10: An intrepid war reporter - Gertude Gaffney 28.06.2026 27min

  This is series 2 of An Irishwoman’s Diary from The Deirdre O’Shaughnessy Podcast, search in your podcast app for An Irishwoman’s Diary to find the six-episode Series 1.  Once described as “Ireland’s ablest female journalist”, the exploits of war correspondent Gertrude Gaffney have been largely lost to history.Her travels throughout Europe – on the front in the Spanish Civil War, in Gdansk as the Germans approached, and at the Maginot line in 1940 – were chronicled in the Irish Independent.Clodagh Finn shares the story of this incredible journalist whose work brought the sights and sounds of World War Two right onto kitchen tables throughout Ireland.Clodagh Finn: Gertrude Gaffney — intrepid war correspondent and Ireland’s ‘ablest woman journalist’An Irishwoman's Diary series 1: Meet the Irish women who left their mark on history Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  An Irishwoman’s Diary Episode 9: Queen Elizabeth’s ‘angel of peace’ - Countess Joan Fitzgerald 26.06.2026 25min

  This is series 2 of An Irishwoman’s Diary from The Deirdre O’Shaughnessy Podcast, search in your podcast app for An Irishwoman’s Diary to find the six-episode Series 1.  Countess Joan Fitzgerald was a pivotal figure in medieval Ireland, immensely wealthy and powerful, but as a woman it was her marriages that defined her power.From the immensely wealthy Fitzgerald family – the Desmonds of Munster, who owned ten castles, her first marriage at age 16 was to James Butler, an Ormond of Kilkenny, aimed at linking the two great Houses.His death by poisoning caused some concerns in London – she was too powerful to be left to her own devices – and she was married off to an Englishman, Sir Francis Bryan, who was referred to by Henry VIII as his ‘Vicar of Hell’.She chose her own third husband from among her own allegiances, and made peace between the warring Ormonds and Desmonds, later being described by Queen Elizabeth as ‘the angel of peace’. The peace she negotiated fell apart just a month after her death.Read Clodagh’s column here: Clodagh Finn: Formidable medieval women deserve much more recognitionAn Irishwoman's Diary series 1: Meet the Irish women who left their mark on history Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  An Irishwoman’s Diary Episode 8: 'A disgrace to motherhood’ Olympic legend - Maeve Kyle 23.06.2026 20min

   This is series 2 of An Irishwoman’s Diary from The Deirdre O’Shaughnessy Podcast, search in your podcast app for An Irishwoman’s Diary to find the six-episode Series 1.She competed in three separate Olympic games; competed for Ireland in hockey, tennis, sailing and cricket, and even won the support of Eamon deValera who sought her out to compliment her “fine race” at Trinity College in the early 1950s.But Maeve Kyle fought against all the odds, including her own in-laws, when she decided to compete in the Olympics despite having recently become a mother for the first time.A letter writer to the Irish Time described her as a “disgrace to motherhood” , but she blew off the criticism to become a popular sporting figure and the backbone of athletics in Ireland for many years.Irish Examiner columnist Clodagh Finn joins Deirdre to discuss the woman who became known, rather inaptly, as ‘The Kilkenny Kitten’.Read Clodagh’s column here: Clodagh Finn: They called Maeve Kyle a disgrace to motherhood — then she became an Irish Olympic iconAn Irishwoman's Diary series 1: Meet the Irish women who left their mark on history Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  An Irishwoman’s Diary Episode 7: Founder of the first Magdalen Asylum - Arabella Denny 21.06.2026 31min

  This is series 2 of An Irishwoman’s Diary from The Deirdre O’Shaughnessy Podcast, search in your podcast app for An Irishwoman’s Diary to find the six-episode Series 1.She campaigned for healthcare for infants, set up an almshouse for the poor, introduced carpet weaving to Ireland, bred silkworms at her home and, rather incongruously, took shooting lessons to stop her brother-in-law bullying her (it worked!).Lady Arabella Denny (yes, like the sausages – a distant branch of the same family) was a woman before her time.Irish Examiner columnist Clodagh Finn joins Deirdre to discuss the woman who left very explicit – and unusual – instructions for what was to be done when she died.Read Clodagh’s column: Clodagh Finn: The life and extraordinary death of Arabella DennyAn Irishwoman's Diary series 1: Meet the Irish women who left their mark on history Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Abuse survivor Simon O’Toole on 'monster’ Bill Kenneally’s death 19.06.2026 47min

  “Hell is not the proper place for him”.  Just one week after the publication of a wide-ranging report into the cover-up around one of Ireland’s most prolific and sadistic child abusers, paedophile Bill Kenneally died in prison on Thursday.  Survivors estimate that Kenneally abused at least a hundred boys and potentially many more, aided by the total impunity being a member of a powerful political family conferred on him.  One of those boys, Simon O’Toole, was abused by Kenneally from the age of 11. In today’s episode, he shares how he went from being a clever, engaged child to an angry, hostile young man as Kenneally’s abuse impacted every aspect of his life.  He describes his battles with alcohol addiction and violence during his forty-year struggle to deal with the impact of years of sexual abuse, torture and degradation.  After sixteen detoxes, eleven rehabs, and two dozen hospitalisations, it was a conversation about giving up alcohol with the New York nurse who saved his life that finally forced him to confront what he was running from.  At almost 60, Simon says the vindication of the report and Kenneally’s death represent a turning point for him, and for the 11 year old boy who was “sacrificed” to protect powerful men’s reputations.  Warning: This episode contains detailed descriptions of abuse and may be distressing for some listeners. If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this episode , contact the 24 hour rape crisis hotline on 1800 77 8888. Bill Kenneally's victims in line for freedom of Waterford city 'He died a befitting death for a monster': Bill Kenneally victims react to death Victims react as convicted paedophile Bill Kenneally dies in prison aged 75 Bill Kenneally and Waterford's open secret: The paedophile who ran rampant through the city 'He's pure evil': Bill Kenneally survivor recounts decades of trauma and the struggle for justice Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  School holidays and the motherhood penalty, with Jennifer Horgan and Sinead O’Moore 16.06.2026 42min

   It’s that time of year again, parents are frantically trying to figure out where to warehouse their children over the next 8 weeks, teachers are trying to marshall exhausted children who are staying up too late and everybody is in desperate need of a holiday. How are working parents meant to manage the summer holidays? Why is there no government assistance for this – and whose responsibility is it, anyway?Teacher and columnist Jennifer Horgan and parenting podcaster Sinead O’Moore have both written for the Irish Examiner in recent days about school holidays, parenting, and the struggle to balance competing responsibilities. They join Deirdre on today’s episode to talk about motherhood, compromise, parenting, and what needs to change. Jennifer Horgan: Teachers aren't responsible for childcare and workplace challengesMums need to be honest about the toll of school years — the 'motherhood penalty' is real   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Explaining the EU Migration Pact, with Paul Hosford 12.06.2026 52min

  The EU migration pact comes in to force today after a week of anti-immigrant riots in Belfast and amid rampant mis and disinformation on social media.On this episode Deputy Political Editor Paul Hosford debunks some of the myths around the pact explaining what the pact is, what it means for Ireland and how much it will cost.This episode covers changes to the asylum process, a hardening of Government policy towards asylum seekers, and the controversy around ‘return hubs’ which would see people sent to third countries with concerning records on human rights like Rwanda and Libya.ieExplains: What is the EU Migration Pact, and can Ireland opt out?Ireland not 'ceding any sovereignty' by harmonising our asylum laws with the EU, Taoiseach says'Incredibly regressive' parts of EU Migration and Asylum Pact 'would make Tommy Robinson blush'President signs international protection bill into law without Supreme Court referralIreland's immigration law 'could become one of Europe's most severe' Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  'If there’s a price tag on every child in this country, it’s a sorry country’: Craig Coady’s fight to save his son 09.06.2026 33min

  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? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.