Podcast

In this episode, Niall Boylan speaks to journalist Laura Perrins about whether Ireland needs to fundamentally rethink who we send to prison and what prison is actually supposed to achieve. Ireland’s prisons are under enormous pressure. On 13 August 2026, 5,619 people were in custody across the State, with 339 prisoners sleeping on mattresses on the floor. Limerick Women’s Prison was operating at approximately 161% of capacity. The overcrowding crisis has renewed calls from penal reform advocates for greater use of community service, probation and other alternatives to short custodial sentences, particularly for offenders who do not pose a serious threat to the public.

In this week’s Don’t Call Me Darling, Niall Boylan and his wife Karen are back with another hour of marriage, memories, Irish madness and the kind of arguments that only make sense when you’ve been together long enough to know exactly which buttons to press.

Niall Boylan is joined by John Dallon, one of the leaders of the Dublin fuel protests earlier this year, and election candidate Eddie Punch, as motorists face another painful rise in petrol and diesel prices.

Niall Boylan is joined by columnist and journalist Brenda Power to discuss the horrific M9 crash that has left five teenagers dead and four innocent members of one family seriously injured, including a seven year old boy.

This week on Not Suitable For Broadcast, Niall Boylan is joined once again by his former producer AJ Walsh for a fast, funny and unapologetically opinionated look back at some of the biggest talking points of the week. They ask whether the Government is genuinely expanding choice for women and families, or increasingly looking down on traditional marriage, motherhood and stay at home parenting. They also get into Ireland’s cash economy and ask the awkward question: if you knew your neighbour was taking cash in hand and not declaring it, would you report them?

On today’s show, Niall Boylan talks to podcaster **Elaine Mullally** about a family dilemma sent in by a listener who fears she and her husband are being taken advantage of by their own son. Their 25-year-old son, his girlfriend and their two-year-old child moved into the family home so they could save for a place of their own. They pay no rent, and the grandparents regularly babysit while the young couple go out. But despite saying they are saving, the couple still enjoy regular takeaways, weekends away and nights out with friends, and they are now planning a week in Portugal this September.

In this episode, Niall Boylan speaks to **Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín** about the rising cost of fuel and the Government’s plans to unwind reductions in excise duty from September. Tóibín says the Government is on course to collect around **€1.7 billion in VAT on fuel this year, approximately €238 million more than last year**, while motorists are still struggling with the cost of living. He also warns that drivers could face a series of fuel price increases across **September, October and November** as tax measures change. Niall asks whether motorists are once again being treated as an easy source of revenue, whether the Government should postpone the increases, and how much more families and commuters can realistically absorb

Where should Ireland draw the line between free speech and hate speech? In this episode, Niall talks to callers and Tomas O’Reilly, a Brussels based policy adviser and journalist whose work has previously appeared in Euronews and The European Conservative. Tomas currently works as a policy adviser in the European Parliament.

In this episode, Niall talks to Councillor Gavin Pepper about the rights of homeowners to defend themselves, their families and their property when an intruder enters their home. Last year, Ireland recorded 8,469 burglary and related offences, but behind every statistic is the frightening possibility of somebody finding a stranger inside their home in the middle of the night.