Audio Podcasts

Niall talks to Cork Councillor Albert Deasy about Ireland’s new **Health Referral Scheme**, which came into effect on 1 September. Under the new system, Gardaí can refer eligible adults caught for a first drug possession offence to the HSE instead of prosecuting them or issuing an adult caution. Supporters say it could prevent people from being dragged into the criminal justice system over personal drug use and instead direct them towards health services.

Niall talks to Independent Ireland TD Michael Collins about whether workers should be allowed to keep more of the money they earn from putting in extra hours. Independent Kerry TD Michael Healy-Rae has proposed taxing qualifying overtime earnings at a flat rate of 20% as part of Budget 2027, arguing that people who work longer hours should not see so much of the additional income swallowed up by tax. Although INdependent ireland was the fist party to propose the idea

Should Parents Feel Guilty About Going On Holiday Without The Kids? Niall talks to journalist Laura Perrins about a listener’s holiday dilemma that has caused quite a row at home. The listener says she was furious when her husband suggested they escape together on a surprise two week holiday to the Maldives, leaving their three young children at home. He thought he was planning the ultimate romantic getaway for just the two of them, but luckily he had not booked or paid for anything because his wife has flatly refused to go.

The Lindsay Clancy murder trial has gripped millions around the world, and the case is now in the hands of a Massachusetts jury. Niall Boylan is joined by journalist and commentator Laura Perrins to discuss the latest developments in the extraordinary case involving Lindsay Clancy, the Massachusetts mother who killed her three young children, Cora, Dawson and Callan, at their family home in January 2023.

Public sector workers are warning that patience is running out over pay, and the threat of industrial action is becoming increasingly serious. Niall Boylan talks to callers about whether Ireland could be heading towards a major wave of strikes across essential public services, and whether workers in areas such as healthcare, education, public transport and social protection should have the same right to withdraw their labour as anyone else.

In this episode, Niall Boylan speaks to economic journalist with The Sunday Times Ireland, Cormac Lucey, about Ireland’s continuing cost of living crisis and whether Government policy is actually making inflation worse. Prices rose by 3.4% in the year to July, with some household costs increasing far more sharply. Education costs were up 8.9%, clothing and footwear increased by 8.5%, while housing, water, electricity and gas rose by 7.7%.

In this episode, Niall Boylan speaks to Independent Ireland TD Ken O’Flynn about Ireland’s continuing financial and political support for Ukraine. Ken O’Flynn has criticised Taoiseach Micheál Martin’s participation in the Coalition of the Willing, warning that “standing with Ukraine cannot mean a blank cheque with no questions asked.”

Why are men’s mental health struggles so often dismissed until they reach crisis point? A woman has written to the show about her husband, who is in his 40s and says he is depressed. He is self employed, but has stopped looking for work, spends most of his time at home and appears to have lost interest in almost everything, including himself. His wife says she has supported him for months, attended the doctor with him and encouraged him to seek further help, but she feels he is making little effort to change his situation.