Podcasts

This Valentine’s Day episode dives into the romance, the history — and the debate — around one of the most loved (and sometimes eye-rolled) dates on the calendar. Niall explores the origins of Valentine’s Day, from the story of St Valentine — the Roman priest said to have secretly married couples —

In this episode, Niall opens the lines to discuss the growing controversy around possible industrial action by rank-and-file gardaí. Their representative body has voted to withdraw voluntary overtime during the St Patrick’s festival amid an ongoing dispute over pay, allowances and what they say are long-promised agreements that haven’t been honoured.

This week, host Niall is joined by social commentator AJ Walshe for a thoughtful — and at times uncomfortable — conversation sparked by a powerful listener email. The discussion centres on a recent anonymous love-story featured on RTÉ’s Brendan O’Connor Show, where a married man in his 50s reflected on a secret same-sex relationship from decades ago and the complicated emotions that still linger.

This week on the podcast, Niall is joined by financial analyst and commentator Karl Deeter to tackle the heated debate around anonymous social media accounts — should they be banned to curb online abuse, or protected as an important part of free expression?

Today, Niall opens the phones to discuss a debate sparked by a recent discrimination case involving a firefighter fitness test and the wider question of gender equality in demanding jobs. After an email from a listener raised concerns that telling girls they can do anything men can do might sometimes set unrealistic expectations, the conversation turns to whether standards should always be identical — or whether some roles naturally favour physical differences.

Today, Niall opens the lines to callers to debate the future of remote work following Nigel Farage’s claim that working from home hurts productivity and is “a load of nonsense.” Is he right — or has remote work improved both business performance and quality of life?

Today, Niall speaks with Gript Media journalist Niamh Uí Bhriain about her recent piece examining Ireland’s healthcare staffing crisis and the wider debate around immigration policy.

Niall is joined by social commentator and podcaster Elaine Mullally to discuss the controversy surrounding the will of legendary Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld. His relatives are reportedly challenging his decision to leave a French home, garden and a multimillion bank account to his housekeeper — partly to ensure care for his beloved Birman cat.

Today Niall sits down with social commentator and restaurateur Paul Treyvaud to tackle one of the most contentious digital debates right now — protecting children online versus protecting personal privacy. While polls suggest most people support banning under-16s from social media, there’s far less agreement about how that would actually work.