Last week the Bishop of Kerry announced that the church in the diocese was facing further challenges this year with more retirements of priests scheduled. So where stands the Catholic church in this country now in terms of serving its community? Will, for example, congregations be expected to travel further to attend mass and confession? Will there be a greater role for laity in the church? And is there willingness within the current hierarchy for creative solutions? Roy Donovan, a priest and member of the Association of Catholics Priests is this week’s guest on the podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ian Bailey’s death this week has reawakened debate on whether or not he should have been put on trial for the murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier. He was the chief suspect and was arrested twice but never charged. In 2019 he was convicted of murder in abstentia in Paris. But should he have been charged with murder in this jurisdiction. Nick Foster has written a book about the case, Murder At Roaring Bay. He and Mick disagree as to whether the evidence was sufficient to put him on trial. They debate the issue on this week’s podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Since Christmas there has been a number of restaurant closures throughout the country, including the high profile Nash 19 in Cork city. These were predicted due to a variety of cost related issues, most particularly labour and fall-out from the pandemic in areas like the warehousing of debt. So what will this mean for the future and is there anything that can be done to ensure that small businesses in general can survive in the current climate. Restauranteur Ross Lewis is this week’s guest on the podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brothers Michael and Danny Healy Rae are among the most high profile of the Dail’s independent TDs and both come with a serious political pedigree, courtesy of their late father Jackie. Recently, Irish Examiner political correspondent Ciara Phelan spent a few days in their company in and around the family bailiwick of Kilgarvan in Co Kerry. In this week’s podcast Ciara tells us about what she saw and heard, both from within the family and without and what impact their success is having on politics, both local and national. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ireland’s wild salmon stocks are disappearing. Over the last thirty years the stocks have plummeted due to a range of factors from fish farming to water quality to the ravages of climate change. There has already been a major impact on tourism, but beyond that lies the prospect of the complete disappearance of wild salmon. What can be done to arrest this slide before it is too late. John Murphy, chair of Salmon Watch Ireland, is this week’s guest on the podcast.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bernard Barton retired as a High Court Judge in 2021 but has maintained a keen interest in his former career. He is active in writing and researching in both the law and history and he has a special interest in proposals around changes to defamation laws, specifically a proposal to abolish juries. He passionately believes in the role of juries in our courts. As this week’s guest on the podcast he discuss this as well as changes he observed over the years in relations between judges and politicians and why retirees like himself could be of further use to the administration of the law today. [Long Version]. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the end of year approaches time for a lookback on what has gone on over the last twelve months and maybe a little peek into the future. It’s been an interesting year in politics and with a number of elections due in 2024 the year ahead promises to be even more interesting. Irish Examiner Political editor Elaine Loughlin and deputy political editor Paul Hosford give their reflections and predictions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week the government announced new, tighter rules to apply to Ukrainians fleeing the war in their country and arriving on these shores. Does this signal a change in approach to war refugees here and what does it say about the kind of pressures that communities around the country are experiencing with the influx of over 100,000 people in the last eighteen months. Political Correspondent Ciara Phelan, who broke the story for the Irish Examiner, is this week’s guest on the podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bernard Barton retired as a High Court Judge in 2021 but has maintained a keen interest in his former career. He is active in writing and researching in both the law and history and he has a special interest in proposals around changes to defamation laws, specifically a proposal to abolish juries. He passionately believes in the role of juries in our courts. As this week’s guest on the podcast he discuss this as well as changes he observed over the years in relations between judges and politicians and why retirees like himself could be of further use to the administration of the law today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Facial recognition technology is now firmly on the political agenda after the riots in Dublin. The technology, which is in use in many countries, assists police to finding and identifying suspects. Ther are, however, fear about how it is used and whether it can be misused. This week’s guest, Olga Cronin, Senior Policy Officer at the ICCL, gives the lowdown on the pros and cons of a technology that is, one way or the other, going to be in the news for some time. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With the conflict in Gaza entering a new phase Irish Examiner Political Editor Elaine Loughlin takes stock of where everything is at right now. Elaine was in the Middle East last week and she relays what she experienced and she was in Leinster House this week where the was also a lot of noise, if not a great amount of heat.Elaine Loughlin is this week’s guest on the podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the first anniversary of Vicky Phelan’s death, the Irish Examiner launched its Read My Lips public health awareness campaign to encourage women to get tested for cervical cancer. Before she died, Vicky had been involved in pulling together the ideas for this campaign and on this week’s podcast Irish Examiner Feelgood Editor Irene Feighan talks about how the campaign came about and her memories of Vicky as well as Vicky’s solid legacy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tommy Conlon and Ronan McGreevy are guests on this week’s podcast to discuss their book, The Kidnapping. In November 1983, the IRA kidnapped supermarket executive Don Tidey. Three weeks later, an army private and trainee gardai were murdered by the kidnappers in a remote area in Co Leitrim. The reaction was one of profound shock and over the longer term there was major consequences. The authors have written a riveting account of one of the seminal events of the Troubles south of the border, including the impact of the IRA’s campaign in counties like their native Leitrim. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cork native John Wain is a Senior Emergency Shelter Co-Ordinator with the United Nations, currently based in Ukraine. He has a unique view of the conflict as it develops in that country and his job and experience also render him as somebody who knows a thing or two about building emergency accommodation for those fleeing war, something that is apparently not getting done in this country.John Wain is this week’s guest on the podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last week the Citizen’s Assembly finished its work examining how illegal drugs are dealt with in this country and whether a more enlightened approach is required. One very interested observer of the work was Maynooth University law lecturer, Dr Cian O Concubhair, whose specialist area is in policing. Cian also had personal interest in the assembly and its deliberations dating from an event in his own life that ultimately led him down a path to studying law. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When is it alright for a democratic state to let one of its citizens go to their death and not prevent it? A new book by former IRA man and H block prisoner Richard O’Rawe covers the activities of the highest level informer that the British security services had in the Provisional IRA, Freddie Scappaticci. Scap was the man who tortured and shot spies on behalf of the Provos while operating as one himself. And evidence has emerged that he informed his handlers of most of the killings before they occurred. Richard O’Rawe is this week’s guest on the podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last weekend’s massacre of up to 1,000 civilians by Hamas in southern Israel has prompted an equally horrific reaction with the relentless bombing of Gaza from the air. As civilians on both sides are bearing the brunt of this intractable conflict, many are asking how did things get this bad and is there any chance of peace. Joining the podcast to discuss these matters is Francesco Cavatorta, professor of politics at Universite Laval in Quebec, and formerly of DCU in Dublin. He is co-author with Vincent Durac of Politics and Governance in the Middle East. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said he is making the eradication of child poverty a priority for this government. Exactly how urgent the issue is will become clear in the forthcoming budget. But what exactly is child poverty? What is the lived experience of children who are living in poverty? And what exactly needs to be done if it is to be addressed in a meaningful way. Maria O’Dwyer is a researcher and national co-ordinator of the Prevention and Early Intervention Network. She is this week’s guest on the podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The concept of retirement villages is largely alien in this country but Pat O’Mahony is determined to change that. After a lifetime working in education he has written a book on how best to cater for the housing of an aging population using a model with which he became familiar with while working in Australia. The idea is simple and works very well in many other countries so what is stopping it being utilized here. Pat O’Mahony is this week’s guest on the podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a world where social media dictates so much, often through those who know so little, Laura Dowling is a turn for the books. In 2022 she left her job as a pharmacist, at which she had worked for twenty years, to set up a business initially to operate entirely online. Her experience and knowledge inform entertaining Instagram posts which are increasingly popular and through detailed research she has produced a range of plant based products, which are her passion. Laura Dowling, the fabulous pharmacist is this week’s guest on the podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Summer’s over, the leaves are turning and politicians are trooping back to Leinster House. The forthcoming Dail terms promises to be very interesting, starting off with the run in to the budge in October. Elaine Loughlin, Political Editor of the Irish Examiner, sets the scene for the twelve months ahead, one that currently looks as if it will the last full year before a general election.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dan Troy began his working life as a civil engineer but soon found that he had a calling to the Catholic church, and specifically what used to be known as the Missions. After completing his studies in the Columban order, he was dispatched to Wuhan in China, where he has now lived for over twenty years. He talks about what it is like to be a missionary priest in a nominally communist country, how Wuhan managed the covid pandemic which originated in the city and why China now feels like home. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The electoral commission has recommended more TDs and more constituencies for the next general election. But what does it all mean, who are the winners and where can you find the losers? Will it impact on the formation of the next government? Why do we need more TDs at all and why do we like our constituencies within county bounds. Running the rule over this new electoral landscape is Gary Murphy, Professor of Politics at DCU.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last week Mick wrote a column with the headline “McSwiney’s legacy is being stolen by Sinn Fein”. The McSwiney referenced was Terence, the Lord Mayor of Cork who died on hunger strike in 1920. One reader who took issue with the piece was Danny Morrison, former director of publicity for Sinn Fein and one of the central figures in the provisional movement in Northern Ireland throughout the Troubles. Danny suggested a podcast on the matter and who could turn down such an offer.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Throughout the state’s cities, towns and villages, dereliction has become a blight. Everywhere there are vacant and disused properties at a time when there is a huge housing crisis. So what is being done about it and where are the prospects of a brighter future. Irish Examiner reporter Neil Michael has completed a comprehensive series in the paper about dereliction right across Munster (the series is available on irishexaminer.com) and he talks to Mick on this week’s podcast about what he has found and where it is all going. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

He is a professor of history in UCD in his day job, but Paul Rouse also writes a weekly column for the Irish Examiner and presents the popular Irish Examiner Football Show podcast. His all round experience has led him to corral a collection of essays, reflections and pieces on what history says about sport and sport about history, entitled Sport in Modern Irish Life. Paul is this week’s guest on the podcast.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ireland’s women returned home this week after exiting their very first World Cup finals after just three games. Getting to the tournament was a momentous achievement for Irish sport in and of itself, but storm clouds over the team gathered prior to the tournament and persist post-competition after an apparent rift between captain Katie McCabe and manager Vera Pauw.  Joining us to discuss Ireland’s performance at the World Cup and the wider legacy for women’s sport in Ireland is John Fallon, Irish Examiner soccer correspondent, fresh off the plane from covering the tournament in Australia.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Over a decade in the making, Ireland is finally set to pass laws updating gambling legislation and bringing it into the 21st century. It'll introduce the country's first gambling regulator, bring in strict curbs on advertising and introduce a social fund for problem gambling initiatives. But how important is it these laws are passed, and do they go far enough? And why does Ireland have a "mountain to climb"? Consultant psychiatrist Professor Colin O'Gara joins the podcast this week to discuss.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Covid has seen a huge migration from cash to digital payments, but has this heralded an unstoppable move towards a cashless society? Recently there has been controversies about the GAA refusing to take cash at the entry to some games and an attempt by one of the retail banks to have cashless branches. Dr Olive McCarthy, director of UCC’s Centre for Co-operative Studies examines in detail the evidence on whether cash remains king. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Where now for Ryan Tubridy and RTE? Will the presenter be back on the airwaves, how is the power balance now between him and the broadcaster? Communications expert Terry Prone reads the runes and offers some deep insights and observations of where the whole debacle now stands.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark Woods recently retired from a forty year career in journalism, principally in the area of sports. Changes, he’s seen a few and here he shares his remarkable, interesting and humorous journey though all the changes that have happened since he first entered a newspaper fresh and green, straight out of school. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Artificial intelligence is having an increasing impact on how we live, particularly through the likes of chatbots such as ChatGPT. Some who are aware of the potential of AI are already warning of a future in which software could have more intelligence than humans. So what do we need to know, what needs to be done, and how can we take it handy. Professor Gregory Provan from UCC is this week’s guest on the podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One of the most notorious murder cases in the state, which also almost brought down a government, was that involving Malcolm Macarthur, who was found hiding out in the Attorney General’s home in 1982. Macarthur, from an quasi aristocratic background, had vicious killed Bridie Gargan and Derek Dunne in fits of violence that somehow seemed at odds with her personality. Journalist Harry McGee’s new book, The Murderer and the Taoiseach, examines the case in detail and relates his own engagement with Macarthur who served thirty years in prison. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A new opinion poll, a series of coincidental articles, the mid term blues and a question hanging over Michael Martin, will he stay or will he go? Irish Examiner political editor Elaine Loughlin unravels all on this week’s podcast.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tony Connelly is known across the country as RTE’s Europe Editor but now he is exploring his family history for a TV documentary. His grandfather, Michael Connelly from East Galway served in the RIC right up until it was disbanded in 1922. The trajectory of his life and career makes for a fascinating story and has also provided Tony with some food for thought about the RIC, their role in Irish society and how they are remembered today. Tony Connelly is this week’s guest on the podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Summary results for last year’s census were published this week and they provide a snapshot of where exactly Ireland is now. Senior statistician at the Central Statistics Office, Cormac Halpin spoke on the podcast about what the change are and what they mean. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On 24 May 1923 the Irish Civil War ended with the order to dump arms. This is one of the final major occasions to be examined in the centenary of the revolutionary decade, a time when the newly independent state finally had a chance to breathe. So how did it come about, and what was left at the end of a conflict that exercise a huge toll on a public that was already exhausted and damaged. Historian John Dorney is this week’s guest on the podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In October 1984 the IRA attempted to kill Margaret Thatcher with a bomb in the Grand Hotel in Brighton where she was staying for a Conservative party conference. The plot failed but five other people died. It was the most audacious attempt at assassination that the Provos had undertaken over the course of the Troubles. The story of the Brighton bomb, who plotted it, who carried out the plan, and how the main culprit was eventually captured, form the core of Rory Carroll’s new book, but it is much more than that, providing a wide lens view of the Troubles throughout the 1980s, written in the style of a thriller. And it also poses an interesting question: How would history have unfolded had the IRA been successful in killing Thatcher? Rory Carroll is this week’s guest on the podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Speculation over who exactly will take over as presenter of the Late Late Show has been mounting as various presumed candidates have stepped forward to declare that they are not interested. So who is now the favourite and can he or she manage to ensure that the show maintains its relevance in a world transformed from the days when the show was unmissable.Professor Jane Suiter from DCU discusses the past, present and future of the show. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Next month a brother and sister from a highly successful Co Kerry family which made good in New York are due to be sentenced for fraud offences. Donal and Helen O’Sullivan were found guilty of the offences in relation to contributions from their construction company to union funds. It’s all a long way from Ballinskelligs in south Kerry where the family grew up and a long way from the dizzying success the family achieved in New York, where they were pillars of the Irish and Irish American community. The Irish Examiner’s Catherine Shanahan has the full story and she is this week’s guest on the podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week an inquest into the deaths of forty eight young people in a fire in the Stardust disco in North Dublin in 1981 opened. It’s been a long, torturous journey for the bereaved to a point where they believe there is a very good chance of the truth of what happened to their loved ones finally being established. Irish Examiner reporter Sean Murray has been following the journey of the Stardust families for most of his journalistic career and he was present this week to witness pen pictures of those who lost their lives. Sean is this week’s guest on the podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The acquittal of Gerry ‘the Monk’ Hutch on the charge of murder this week has raised a whole host of questions, mostly for the gardai and the DPP. Why was this case ever brought? How did anybody build a case around the main prosecution witness, Jonathan Dowdall, whose character was ripped apart in the witness box? What does the ruling say about the controversial Special Criminal Court? And why does it appear that Gerry Hutch has achieved some level of sympathy among sections of the public? Irish Examiner reporter Sean Murray covered the trial and he is this week’s guest on the podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The debates on the Anglo Irish Treaty which took place in December 1921 into January 1922 were historic and tragic, leading ultimately to the Civil War. Poet Theo Dorgan adapted the debates for Anu Productions which staged a ten hour production over four nights and was ultimately streamed on RTE last Saturday, the centenary of the vote on the treaty. The result is enthralling and profoundly sad in light of what was to unfold in the following months. Theo Dorgan speaks about what he learned from working on the material, how the men and women of the day were brought to life and what exactly is this Republic about which they argued. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Irish Examiner’s political correspondent has the lowdown on what exactly the government and state apparatus are doing to celebrate the twenty fifth anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. Paul also talks about his own family in which he discovered during childhood that his grandfather was from the North yet the Troubles were never discussed. Then there is his own contribution to cross border relations through his involvement in all island American football. We also discover that he even plays with an American accent. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Prominent members of Fianna Fail and Fine Gael harbouring escaped IRA men, kidnappings replacing armed robberies, gardai saluting IRA funerals, agricultural grants used to build sheds for storing bombs, a plan to flood the economy with counterfeit £10 notes. Those were just some of the incidents and activities in the Republic of Ireland in the 1980s while a violent conflict was taking place just north of the border. So how much support was there for the Provos in the south and what form did it take. Gearoid O Faolean has written a new book about what exactly went on and some of the revelations are surprising, with one of two jaw dropping. He is this week’s guest on the podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Carmel McMahon immigrated to New York when she was twenty with a suitcase of dreams and plenty of unseen baggage. Her time in the city was marked by both awakenings and struggle, most of it personal, including bereavement and a long battle with alcohol. In a lyrical memoir she combines her personal and family story with that of the history of the country of her birth and how trauma can be passed down through the generations unless and until it is dealt with. Carmel is this week’s guest on the podcast where she talks about her book, In Ordinary Times, Fragments of a Family history. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tina Satchwell went missing on 20 March 2017. The Cork woman was much loved by her family and did not overtly appear to have any problems in the world. The case has baffled gardai who have been involved in both a widespread search and a thorough investigation of the case. One senior garda source told the Irish Examiner that they are convinced there is somebody out there who can provide further clues as to what happened her. Irish Examiner Liz Dunphy is reporting this week on the case, the heartache that lingers for Tina’s family and the leads that investigators have followed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week it was announced that the director of Social Justice Ireland Fr Sean Healy was stepping down from his role after half a century working on behalf of the most marginalised in society. Along with his co-founder of SJI, Sr Brigid Reynolds, he is calling it a day to make way for the next generation. On the podcast he speaks about his origins in Cork, his early experiences in Africa, how Bertie Ahern roped him into talking to Fianna Fail in its pomp, and he asks why Leo Varadkar never got back to him on his proposal to eliminate poverty. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This month one hundred years ago the civil war reached its nadir with some horrific outrages in Co Kerry. Combatants on both sides died in terrible circumstances, including the outrage at Ballyseedy where nine men were tied around a mine and blown up. Miraculously one, Stephen Fuller, survived. This week's podcast guest is Historian Owen O’Shea, he looks back on those violent weeks and the subsequent fall out that resonated down through the generations. He also examines how exactly the past is being remembered today.Neither political party which grew out of the civil war “covered themselves in glory” in how they treated those who were injured and damaged during the conflict, according to historian Owen O’Shea.During the first decade of the state’s existence between 1922 an 1932 the Cumann na nGeadheal government was extremely parsimonious in compensating those who had fought on the free state side, and completely dismissive of anti-treaty veterans.“Many were begging and begging in pension applications for some financial support,” O’Shea tells the Mick Clifford podcast. “They were battling mental health, financial troubles, breakdowns and immigration and the free state did very little in the first decade of its existence to support those who went out to fight for the state. Neither (political) party on the two sides of the conflict could claim they covered themselves in glory in that respect.”The centenary of the Ballyseedy massacre, in which eight anti-treaty prisoners were blown up on a lonely road outside Tralee falls on March 7. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Forty years ago, Fr Patrick Ryan, a native of Doon in Co Limerick, was murdered in Texas. He had been living in the USA for a just three years after a career largely spent in Ireland and Africa. Pretty quickly a native American man James Reyos was arrested and charged with the murder. He was convicted and has spent the last four decades in prison or restricted in his movements on parole. Now, new evidence has emerged to suggest that he was not murderer. So how did everybody get it so wrong and where are the suspects whom the police now believe were responsible for the death of a much loved priest. Irish Examiner reporter Ann Murphy has the story Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Protests against asylum seekers and refugees in recent weeks have given rise to the possibility that the far right may be in a position to enter the political arena in the near future. Throughout Europe, far right parties have been gaining strength over the last twenty years on a broad anti-immigration platform. That has not happened in this country but is it about to change?Political academic and MD of research company Ireland Thinks Kevin Cunningham crunches the poll numbers and looks at the trends in Europe over the years for signs of what might be about to unfold here. He also asks the question whether the salience of immigration to the electorate can be reversed once it becomes an issue.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As a young reporter, Ellen McGarrahan witnessed a botched execution of Jesse Tafero, who had been found guilty of murdering two police officers in Florida. Tefero’s girlfriend and co-accused Sunny Jacobs was also due to be executed but this was commuted and, following further legal challenges freed from prison. Sunny subsequently married Peter Pringle, who had been sentenced to death in 1980 for the murder of two gardai but was ultimately released. The couple settled in Galway. Meanwhile, Ellen McGarrahan set out to find the real truth about the crime for which Tafero suffered a horrible death. Was an innocent man executed by the state? Were he and his girlfriend wrongly convicted? McGarrahan’s quest brought around the world, including a few days in Galway in the company of Jacobs and Pringle. Ellen is this week’s guest on the podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This winter the country once again endured some shocking scenes of people lying on trollies in emergency departments in hospitals across the state. Then the crisis appeared to pass and many simply moved on. But the crisis hasn’t passed and lives are being lost throughout the year because of the crisis. Long serving consultant in emergency medicine Fergal Hickey has been a keen observer of the politics of health in this respect over the last thirty years and he remains deeply concerned that the needless loss of life every year is not receiving the attention it deserves. Fergal Hickey is this week’s guest on the podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One off housing has been a hot political potato for decades, and is still in the news. The government is due to issue new rules for one off housing at a time when there are objections to the whole concept for sustainability reasons but on the other hand some say that it has a role in play in tackling the housing crisis. Writer Adrian Duncan’s Little Republics – The Story of Bungalow Bliss features Jack Fitzsimons, a man who was instrumental in the proliferation of one-off houses in the 1970s and 1980s. The book also examines the cultural, economic and environmental impacts of this way of living and where it stands today. Adrian Duncan is this week’s guest. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week the government announced a €2.5bn redress scheme for the owners of apartments stuck by fire and other defects. The scheme comes at the end of a long campaign by homeowners but also raises questions about culpability. The state has acknowledged that regulation was, to put it at its mildest, lax during the frantic building boom of the 2000s, but what about the builders who threw up sub standard work in their rush to turn a golden buck. Mick talks to Irish Examiner political correspondent Ciara Phelan about the questions that arise and they also look in on the beleaguered Pascal Donoghue. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The debates on the Anglo Irish Treaty which took place in December 1921 into January 1922 were historic and tragic, leading ultimately to the Civil War. Poet Theo Dorgan adapted the debates for Anu Productions which staged a ten hour production over four nights and was ultimately streamed on RTE last Saturday, the centenary of the vote on the treaty. The result is enthralling and profoundly sad in light of what was to unfold in the following months. Theo Dorgan speaks about what he learned from working on the material, how the men and women of the day were brought to life and what exactly is this Republic about which they argued. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does the year ahead hold for politics? Irish Examiner political editor and current journalist of the year Danny McConnell joins Mick to give his forecasts on what to expect from the government under Leo Varadkar’s stewardship, what exactly to expect from the Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien, whether Micheal Martin is likely to lead his party into the next election and will Mary Lou McDonald continue to exude the appearance of a Taoiseach in waiting. Danny also gives his prediction on which politicians he expects to shine in 2023. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gavan Ring, one of Ireland’s leading tenors, talks about his life and work, performing post Covid, and why, when looking for a place to stay, it’s always better to describe oneself as an opera singer rather than a freelance musician! Gavan is this week’s guest on the podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week’s podcast, the last of the year, looks back on the political year with Irish Examiner Deputy Political Editor, Elaine Loughlin. Who can face into the turkey and ham with a smug and relaxing demeanour and who realises they will have to do a lot better once the New Year bells are silent. Will the government, under its new Taoiseach, make an inroads into tackling the housing crisis, and what does the recently published Climate Action Plan mean to the general public. All is revealed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Special Criminal Court is hearing evidence in the trial of Gerard ‘the Monk’ Hutch and two others for the murder of David Byrne at the Regnecy hotel in Dublin in February 2016. The chief prosection witness, a long time family friend of Hutch’s, is giving state’s evidence against his former friend. The testimony has been riveting, offering an insight into Dowdall’s version of gangland crime and his own travails after he was previously imprisoned for torturing another man. The Irish Examiner’s Sean Murray reports from the court for this week’s podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Thomas Garavan was 12 he found out that his mother had a sister he never knew about. Over the following years, he was to discover that there were five other aunts and uncles whom he’d never heard about, all of whom along with his mother had been committed to Tuam Mother and Baby home when they were toddlers. The UCC academic set about tracing all of them and opening them up to the reality that they had siblings and extended families that they never knew about in a society where children committed to institutions grew up as second class citizens. Professor Thomas Garavan is this week’s guest on the podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As numbers of refugees from the war in Ukraine and asylum seekers fleeing other forms of conflict continue to arrive in the country, accommodation services are under pressure. Reactions to the prevailing situation vary along the spectrum from welcoming to intolerance. However, some locations have been asked to do more than others in finding accommodation. One such town that has been in the headlines recently is Killarney. The town’s mayor Niall Kelleher talks about how Killarney has welcomed refugees and how it is managing in terms of accommodation but also in the face of wild and ugly untruths often spread about new arrivals.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do we solve the housing crisis? The question is one bedevilling public life at the moment and will be at the centre of the next general election. The crisis is having major impacts right across society, but what are the answers. Michael O’Flynn, one of Ireland’s leading developers and housing policy analyst and author Rory Hearne was very different views on what needs to be done. In a robust exchange they put forward their respective proposals and punch holes in each other’s solutions. Michael O’Flynn and Rory Hearne are this week’s guests on the podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Donald Trump announced his candidacy for the presidency of the United States in 2024. He is an early entry to the race and his announcement came in the wake of mid term elections in which the Republican party was expected to do much better. So does Trump have a good chance of making one of the greatest comebacks in US political history? Where now for his bogus claim that the 2020 election was stolen from him? And what will his candidacy do to the Republican party but also the growing chasm in US politics that is seeping into everyday life. This week’s guest on the podcast is presidential historian, Robert Schmuhl, who is emeritus professor at the University of Notre Dame and Adjunct Professor in the School of Law and Government in DCU. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

David Quinn is for many a standard bearer of conservative Catholicism, through both his commentary in the media and his stewardship of the Iona Institute. He says that he is one of the few voices of conservatism around today in a media bubble that, some, including himself, would say is dominated by liberal and left wing ideology. On this week’s podcast he talks about hate speech and why it is unsatisfactory in its current construct, why we won’t talk about immigration in this country and what exactly is the illiberal left. He also addresses the frequent allegations that pop up – usually on social media – about the funding of the Iona Institute. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The planning board An Bord Pleanala has been beset by a series of controversies involving malpractice and misgovernance in recent months. Last week the Irish Examiner published details of an internal review at the board which outlined series issues and confirmed practically all the media reports that had come out in recent months. But has everything been revealed, and has any serious intent been attached to accountability? Cianan Brennan has been reporting on the An Bord Pleanala story for the Irish Examiner since it first emerged and he joined Mick on the podcast to untangle the strands and set out in plain terms why this is an issue that requires action from both the board and its political masters.NOTE: Since recording this podcast, the chair of ABP, Dave Walsh, has announced he is taking early retirement. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Catherine O’Brien has had a varied business career flitting between law, the florist business, a veterinary products company and moving in the bloodstock world. Today, there is a bench warrant out for her arrest on a charge of animal cruelty and the Criminal Assets Bureau went to the High Court in order to seize an expensive car she owned which the CAB say is the proceeds of crime. So who is this woman and, more to the point, where exactly is she now. Irish Examiner investigative reporter Ann Murphy is on the case and she is this week’s guest on the podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Noeline Blackwell, currently the chief executive of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, has spent her whole career working in human rights law. During that time she has always advocated for those who are seeking to have their rights vindicated, whether it’s through getting access to court or recovering from the trauma of intimate violence. She talks about the barriers that exist for the victims of violence who are seeking justice, how much has changed and how much more still has to be changed to accommodate victims in our legal system. Noeline Blackwell is this week’s guest on the podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A recent violent protest outside the Dail by far-right activists has once again raised the question as to whether their brand of intolerance is on the rise in this country. Throughout Europe, far right parties have been having electoral success this year, but beyond politics how much of a threat and these groups and how do they operate. Mark Malone, who has tracked the activities of the far right and works with the Far Right Observatory gives a fascinating insight into who’s who and why they need to be closely monitored. Mark Malone is this week’s guest on the Mick Clifford podcast  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Shane Ross has written a major biography of Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald, entitled A Republic Riddle. He talks on this week’s podcast about the difficulties he had in getting people to talk to him about the book and how he still considers his subject’s evolution as a political being to be something of a riddle. He also defends a central theme of his book, that Mary Lou is not fully in charge but beholden in some sense to the “hard men” who ran the IRA and still hold sway in the so-called Republican movement. Shane Ross is this week’s guest on the podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sinn Fein’s health spokesperson David Culinane is promising to reform the health service for once and for all. Last week his party published an alternative health budget but his plans go far beyond that. But how can he succeed where others have failed? Where will all the staff come from to fulfil his plans, and does he believe that reform is possible without closing some services and shipping major political pain? David Culinane is this week’s guest on the podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The prospect of a border poll at some point in the future, and the expectation that it would lead to a united Ireland, has prompted much discussion, debate and books. Most of the focus has been on how exactly this will come about and what kind of entity will emerge from unification. Now, however, veteran journalist and writer Malachi O’Doherty has written a book asking can we be as one and beyond that, should we. Malachi O’Doherty discusses what is a unique and wide ranging examination of the past, the present and the possible future on this island. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kay Barrett, from Donaghmore Co Cork has experienced mental health difficulties which eventually led to her being imprisoned. Her family are highly concerned for her welfare and perplexed at a system in which the courts are forced to deal with people like Kay because the proper healthcare is not available. She is current serving a sentence for minor offences in Limerick prison and her sister Clair and aunt Carmel are particularly concerned about how the conditions in prison are impacting on her mental health.Clair Barrett and Carmel Nestor are this week’s guests on the Podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In recent years the country has been coming to terms with how previous generations of young women were treated when they gave birth outside marriage. A dark and painful history has been laid bare in documents like the Mother And Baby Homes Report. But what is it like for adopted people today looking for the details of their birth and early life? Aoife O’Connell has been on such a journey and she has found that despite the excavation of the past adopted people are still not afforded the access to their own details that should be a human right. Aoife is this week’s guest on the podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How caring is our society and how caring can it be in a political system that champions the individual? Kathleen Lynch, Professor Emeritus of Equality Studies in UCD has written a book about how capitalism ensures we do not care for each other as we should, or, more importantly, need to. On the podcast she points out how caring is completely unvalued in society, yet for individuals it is, or will be at some point, our more primal need. So what has to change and how do we go about it? Kathleen Lynch talks on this week’s podcast about the central messages in her book, Care and Capitalism. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the winter bears down on Afghanistan there are real fears of a famine with over 25m people now living in poverty under the Taliban regime. Irish journalist Hannah McCarthy has spent time in Afghanistan since the Taliban took over last August and she reports that there is a growing humanitarian crisis. She has also seen first hand the result of the American led sanctions and she questions who exactly is being worst impacted in the efforts to displace the Taliban. Hannah McCarthy is this week’s guest on the podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Journalist Sean O’Driscoll has written a jaw dropping account of the life of Rose Dugdale, the British aristocrat who forsook her life in the upper echelons of British society to join the IRA in the name of a socialist revolution. Heiress, Rebel, Vigilante, Bomber examines the exploits, politics and personal struggles of one of the most unlikeliest figures to emerge from the period of violence in Northern Ireland. O’Driscoll talks about how he came to write the book and the various figures who agreed to be interviewed, and the account he was told about Dugdale’s role in developing new bombs in a remote Co Mayo farm.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In March 2019, Naoise Connolly Ryan’s husband Mick Ryan was among 157 people who died when a Boeing 737 max aircraft crashed in Ethiopia. Mick Ryan was a senior engineer with the UN World Food Programme. It was the second fatal accident involving a Boeing max in five months. Since then, Naoise and other families have been trying to get justice for their lost loved ones. Boeing has offered all the bereaved families around €1.2m, but Naoise has turned that down and says she wants justice. So far, nobody of consequence has had to answer or a system in which profit was put ahead of passenger safety. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Don O’Leary was told last February that he had less than a year to live. Despite that he has still not missed a day at work as the director of the Cork Life Centre, which caters for youths who are unsuited to the confines of the education system. He talks about how the system fails so many and how the Life Centre has managed to succeed with youths who might otherwise have had nowhere to go. He looks back over a life that included a term in Portlaoise Prison for membership of the IRA in the 1980s and how after he was released he grabbed a chance to get involved in education, which became his passion. Last year he received an honorary doctorate from UCC and he insists that he’s won’t let his condition dictate how he lives. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The killing of Tom Oliver in Co Louth in 1991 was one of the more shocking murders associated with the Troubles. The IRA claimed he was an informer, a charge his family deny. In 2017, the gardai re-investigated the murder and the team believed they had advanced the case. However, the case is now the brief of a British operation investigating collusion, called Kenova. But why has there been no prosecution? And what do two former British agents in the IRA know about the murder? And what does the garda commissioner know about it through his former role in the PSNI?Retired chief superintendent John O’Brien spoke on the podcast about a case that plumbs some murky depths and for which Mr Oliver’s family have not received any answers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With the end of the Dail term in sight and a whole host of problems bedevilling the government, Irish Examiner political editor Danny McConnell runs the rule over the body politic’s performance since the start of the year. He covers all the issues with his usual insight, verve and colour and he even finds time to tell why it’s good to be a Dub. Well, most of the time.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sonya Egan was recently imprisoned for two years for a campaign of harassment against former Sinn Fein TD Jonathan O’Brien and businesswoman Laura O’Connell. Some details of the campaign, which also involved Egan stalking Ms O’Connell, were revealed in court. But on the podcast Laura O’Connell tracks how she first came into contact with Egan, how things developed to the point where Egan was harassing her on a nearly daily basis and what happened when she was forced to go to court to ensure her own safety. Laura also details the massive impact the whole affair had on her physical and psychological health. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The enveloping inflation spiral and cost of living crisis is dominating public life today and practically everybody has been impacted in one form or another. This is the third major crises the country has faced in little over a decade, following a recession and the pandemic. But it is the first time in a generation that inflation is creating havoc in everyday lives.Irish Examiner columnist Fergus Finlay was at the frontline the last time there was such a crisis, working as a union official and then for the government that grappled with the issue, as well as rearing a young family. He talks to this week’s podcast about what it was like, the differences today and how we can tackle the current crisis. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With the centenary of the start of the Civil War arriving next week and the conflict having been marked by a major conference in UCC last week, we are looking at the role of women in what unfolded at the time. For most of the last hundred years, women were largely written out of the period but that is now changing. Apart from the general omissions there were women who played particularly prominent roles in the Civil War.Dr Mary McAuliffe and Dr Hilary Dully joined Mick on the podcast for some fascinating insights in the role of women in the Civil War.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Martin McMahon has seen first hand the inequalities within the Irish health system. A political activist, and co-founder of the Tortoise Shack podcast, Martin has had a cancer condition for the last thirteen years. His first hand knowledge of the system has opened his eyes to the gross inequities that current exist. But how can the problems be addressed and is the political will there to do something about it? Martin is this week’s guest on the podcast.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On 29 May the champions league final between Liverpool and Real Madrid took place in Paris but what unfolded was far more than a football match. Liverpool fans were dangerously penned into tight spaces ahead of the game, access was highly restricted and the folk memory of Hillborough in 1989 was to the front of many minds. After the match, the departing fans were tear gassed by police and attacked by gangs of thugs. To top it all off, the initial response from the French government was to blame the fans. So what happened and what does the occasion say about policing on the continent? Film maker Neil Atkinson, who presents the popular Anfield Wrap podcast was one of those present on the night and he is this week’s guest.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Monday, Lisa Smith was found guilty at the Special Criminal Court of membership of Islamic state group, ISIS. The case, which included details of how Ms Smith, who was from Dundalk and served in the Irish army, converted to Islam and ultimately travelled to the Islamic State as it then was. She was detained, and married and then had to flee as Isis was in retreat, ending up in appalling conditions in a refugee camp. The evidence gave an insight into the kind of regime that existed in the nascent state and the depravity that was used to enforce the will of Isis. Court reporter Eoin Reynolds attended every day of the trial and he is this week’s guest.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Willie McGee joined the fledgling garda fraud squad in the 1970s and over the following thirty years his work brought him to the front line of the kind of frauds that would make some good movies. From the gang that diverted phones from a bank while claiming money on fake bank drafts to the blackmailers who threatened to introduce foot and mouth disease into the country unless a ransom was paid, Willie saw it all. Now he has put his experiences between the covers of a book to tell it like it was. Willie McGee is this week’s guest on the podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nearly exactly one hundred years ago, Sir Henry Wilson was gunned down on the streets of London by two IRA men. The assassination was one of the seminal events leading up to the Civil War as the British government claimed that it had been ordered by the anti-treaty forces in Ireland.Irish Times journalist Ronan McGreevy’s new book, Great Hatred, The Assassination of field marshal Sir Henry Wilson MP, provides context, colour and plenty of evidence from the time, the lead up to the killing and its aftermath. It also answers the question that has occupied historians over the last century. Who exactly ordered what was, at that point in time, a reckless operation.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recently retired master of the High Court Ed Honahan was often in the headlines because of his interventionist approach to the job. Mr Honahan’s court was the first stop for hundreds of people who found themselves drowning in a sea of debt in the aftermath of the economic collapse in 2008. He gained a reputation as being a thorn in the side of banks who were of the belief they just had to show up and put their hands out to retrieve the loans which they had handed out with gusto when the Celtic Tiger was astride. Mr Honahan tells the podcast about how he tried to assist lay litigants, why the courts are inaccessible to most people and why one day he felt it necessary to break a window in his court. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the war in Ukraine continues, those who have fled to this country are trying to get on with their lives. Polina Bashkina had what she says was a good life in Kiev but all of that has now been whipped from her and her six year old son and they are currently living in Co Galway, awaiting developments. Polina is a journalist and she has written accounts of both her journey and that of other Ukrainians who have come to this country since the war began.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The only Irish writer shortlisted for this year’s €100,000 Dublin Literary Award is Cork born Danielle McLoughlin for her debut novel, The Art of Falling. Danielle is a late comer to a writing life, having spent years practicing as a solicitor before taking up the pen seriously in a time of illness. Since then she has won wide acclaim for her short stories in particular and the reaction to her debut novel has raised her profile onto another level again. Danielle McLoughlin is this week’s guest on the podcast.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The North goes to the polls on 5th May in what many are describing as the most significant election in the assembly’s history. Mick Fealty, founder and editor of the current affairs online publication Slugger O’Toole, believes the election is now Sinn Fein’s to lose. However, he also sees change afoot in the north with a growing middle ground and he would like to see far greater emphasis on the bread and butter issues that are the primary concern for most people. But what of the two big preoccupations that appear to take up a large amount of time with the two leading parties, the protocol and a border poll? Listen in to hear Mick Fealty’s unique take on what’s ahead.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There is a lot going on in the world at the moment and not a lot of it is good. Irish Examiner Political Editor Danny McConnell is this week’s guest and he takes the temperature in Leinster House and beyond, looking at how this country is addressing the war in Ukraine, dealing with the cost of living crisis and chewing the fat over carbon taxes. And there is also the matter of the new spring in the step of the Taoiseach Micheal Martin. Where did he get it and how long will it last? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

While the focus of the world is on the war and humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, there is an ongoing refugee crisis in southern Europe. Thousands fleeing war and persecution in the developing world are arriving on Europe’s shores but now a new regime is in place which has been compared to Ireland’s Direct Provision system. Detention centres are being built on Greek islands in order to house refugees ahead of any decision on their status. But the system has come in for severe criticism. Oxfam Ireland’s Aideen Elliot spoke to Mick about this and the wider problems around how refugees are regarded within Europe.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Claire Ryan bought her home in 2006 but within a year she knew that she was living in a dangerous development. Fire safety defects in the building were discovered. What followed was a fifteen year odyssey of stress and worry while no action was taken against the developer and the authorities appeared to turn the other way.Claire’s experience is not unique but it is one of the more shocking examples of a problem that is believed to affect up to 100,000 homes built during the Celtic Tiger years. Also on the podcast is Pat Montague who represents the Construction Defects Alliance, a group of stricken homeowners who are seeking resolution to a problem that is not of their making. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the current housing market there are some who will use the crisis to exploit vulnerable people. One phenomenon that has come to light in recent times is the advertisement of rooms for rent at a low cost in exchange for sexual favours. Irish Examiner reporter Ann Murphy has done extensive investigative work in this area which has culminated in the introduction in the Dail of a private member’s motion to outlaw the practice. But how prevalent is it and what lengths will some go to exploit young women to such a degrading extent. Ann is this week’s guest on the podcast.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Natalya Summar has been living in Cork for twenty years but since 24th February she has been focused on doing what she can for her native Ukraine. She is now embarking on a journey to rescue her niece who has made it to Poland from her home in Kyiv. Natalya talks on the podcast about how her family are coping, and the guilt she feels being so removed from them and her friends. We also talk to Tatiana Vargramenko, an anthropologist and UCC academic, about the history and culture of her native Ukraine and the ties the country has with Russia.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Housing is the defining issue of Irish politics at the moment but what do we talk about when we talk about housing? Lorcan Sirr has assembled a collection of experts to give their views on how housing impacts on all aspects of life, from attitudes to land to whether planning takes account of gender, health, aging and the environment. The book, Housing In Ireland – Beyond The Markets may well be a staging post for a national conversation on what exactly we need right now. Lorcan Sirr is this week’s guest on the podcast.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Exactly one hundred years ago this month meetings took place in the Gresham Hotel to shape a new police force. Michael Collins chaired the first meeting and what emerged from the discussions was a new force that still had some hurdles to mount before settling down to be guardians of the peace. In the force’s centenary year, Conor Brady, former chair of the Garda Ombudsman and former editor of the Irish Times, assesses how AGS has got on and is getting on.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this decade of centenaries, some of those who made their mark a century ago have had their lives and contributions critically examined. However, there has also been an acceptance that a number of women who lived through those times had not heretofore been recognised for their contributions. Marie Comerford is one such woman and her recently published memoir is probably the last first person account we are likely to see written by a witness and participant in extraordinary times.On Dangerous Ground: A memoir of the Irish Revolution is edited by Hilary Dull and she is this week’s guest on the podcast.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The government is examining how to cut down on protracted objections to planned projects and some people are up in arms about it. Peter Sweetman is, by his own admission, a serial litigator against planning decisions. He has a record of being successful in the actions he has taken – in some instances all the way to the European Court of Justice. This week, he spoke on the podcast about why the proposed changes to planning legislation would be illegal, what drives him and whether, on the cusp of 80, he has any intention of slowing down.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Just over sixty years ago the morning sickness drug Thalidomide was withdrawn from the market when it was discovered that it was causing major foetal damage in the expectant mothers to whom it had been prescribed. Tens of thousands of mothers across Europe miscarried and at least another 5,000 babies were born without limbs, with limbs foreshortened and other serious medical issues. In Ireland the drug remained on the market for nine months after it was withdrawn by its German maker. Today there are about forty Thalidomide survivors and they are still seeking a state apology. Finola Cassidy is one such survivor and spokesperson for the Irish Thalidomide Association.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sunday January 30 marks the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, the day that thirteen innocent people were shot dead in Derry by members of the parachute regiment of the British army. Another man later died from his wounds. Irish Examiner political correspondent Aoife Moore, a native of the city, is also a niece of one of those murdered on that day, Patrick Doherty. She talks about how the event traumatised and shaped whole communities and acted as a recruiting agent for the IRA.She also discusses what she sees as apathy in the South towards the campaign by families to get justice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As always, the major political stories for the coming year are likely to emerge from nowhere that is currently on the horizon. However, we do know that there will be two major events in 2022. An assembly election in the North may well see Sinn Fein take over as the largest party and be rewarded with the office of First Minister. And in December – if the government gets that far – there will be a change of Taoiseach in the rotation agreement between Fianna Fail and Fine Gael. But what else is likely to come dropping over the course of the year? Irish Examiner Deputy Political Editor Elaine Loughlin joined us. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Charlie Haughey bestrode public life in Ireland for four decades and was then hauled back into the spotlight in retirement when it was discovered that he had been in receipt of millions from wealthy individuals when he had been a senior politician.Professor Gary Murphy of DCU has written a compelling account of Haughey’s life that examines the good, the bad and the ugly of probably the most talented and divisive politician of the second half of the last century. Turn on, sit back and listen to a fascinating account of Haughey and the times he lived in. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 2019, Romi Ramtohil was living on the streets and in bad health. After thirteen years in this country he saw no way out of the rut into which he had fallen. He wanted to return to his native Mauritius. But how could he get there. He had no way home, no means, no passport, not even a mobile phone. Into the breach stepped a whole array of people to help Romi, including the Alice Leahy Trust, two gardai, and various medical personnel. The result was a rare good news story, which is particularly appropriate at this time of year. Alice Leahy and Garda Damien McCarthy are this week’s guests on the podcast.The Mick Clifford PodcastIrish ExaminerMick Clifford Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How much damage is your poor old Christmas jumper doing to the environment? The cost of fast fashion in not just abuses of working and human rights, but also damage to the environment is now being acknowledged. Recent images from the Atacama Desert in Chile where hundreds of thousands of tonnes of unwanted clothes are left to rot slowly have presented the reality of what happens when we buy cheap and discard easily. The desert is one of the hottest places on earth and a favoured dumping ground for clothes from all over the world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last week the cabinet recommended a presidential pardon for John Twiss, a 34-year-old man who was hanged for a murder he didn’t commit in 1895. Twiss, a native of Castleisland in Co Kerry, was convicted on flimsy and manufactured evidence of the murder in Newmarket, Co Cork of a man who was an agent for landlords. Even before he was executed his case was recognised as a grave injustice. A petition signed by 40,000 people was presented to the Lord Lieutenant in Dublin but to no avail. Today, we examine the John Twiss case, including contemporaneous newspaper reports from the time. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Exactly a century ago on 6 December, the Anglo Irish Treaty was signed in London. The document for the first time recognised Ireland’s right to independence, albeit under particular conditions. The occasion was marked by initial euphoria which quickly gave way to some confusion and anger, in turn leading all the way to the outbreak of civil war within six months. By August 1922, the two leading Irish signatories, Arthur Griffith and Michael Collins, were dead.But how significant was the occasion? Did the signatories on the Irish side get the best deal possible? And did it really represent, as Collins claimed at the time, the freedom to achieve freedom. UCC history lecturer Gabriel Doherty spoke to Mick for this week’s podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On 25 February last on a small farm in North Cork, Johnny Hennessy killed his two brothers Paddy and Willie and then drowned himself in a nearby river. The three brothers had been close, their lives since childhood having largely revolved around the family farm. They were regarded as ordinary, decent hard working men. So what happened to prompt this tragedy and could anything have been done to prevent it. The Irish Examiner reporter Neil Michael, who attended the inquest into the brothers deaths, is this week’s guest. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Frank O’Rourke lost his Dail seat, which he had held for one term, in 2020. In the days prior to the election, there was both a physical leaflet drop and an online campaign which spread scurrilous lies about his personal life. He believes the campaign led directly to his loss and he launched a legal action against social media companies. One culprit was identified as having issued a defamatory tweet on the day of the election, but O’Rourke believes there was an organised campaign too, as he puts it, take him out. Frank O’Rourke is Mick Clifford’s guest on this week podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Imelda Wickham spent twenty years as a prison chaplain in one of Ireland’s largest prisons. During that time she met hundreds of prisoners and their families and her experience has led her to the conclusion that for the greater part prison doesn’t work. She talks about the kind of people she met over her years as chaplain and the families of prisoners who have to bear their own burden. She also explores why it is that only those from the poorest backgrounds who usually end up behind bars. Imelda would like to see greater emphasis on restorative justice as it would facilitate the victim but avoid what is supposed to be the last resort of prison. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Three sisters and their cousin suffered prolonged abuse as children at the home of their uncle in Dublin. On November 1, Patrick Caffrey with an address at Grove Road, Harold’s Cross was sentenced to three years in prison. The ending of the legal process was a relief for the three Odumosu sisters, Grace, Siobhan and Fiona and their cousin Linda McDonagh. But the experience from the point where they disclosed the abuse to the conviction and sentence of the perpetrator was one that exacerbated the trauma they had suffered at the hands of their uncle. Grace and Siobhan Odumosu spoke to Mick for this week’s podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Robert Harris has, for the last thirty four years, spent at least six months every year living in Skellig Michael. His job description was originally caretaker/guide but he has come to be a keeper of the Rock and its heritage and role as a bird sanctuary. Robert has now written a moving and fascinating account of the rock, its power and his relationship with it, entitled Returning Light: 30 Ye.ars of Life On Skellig Michael.Robert Harris is this week’s guest on the podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Anne Daly and Ronan Tynan’s latest documentary Bringing Assad To Justice examines the attempts by hundreds of exiled Syrians to gather enough evidence to ensure that one day Bashar al Assad will have to stand trials for his war crimes. This is the Irish filmmaker’s second piece of work on the war in Syria where at least 350,000 people have died and six million have been forced to leave the country. The documentary is particularly timely as recent events suggest there are already attempts to invite the Syrian dictator back into the international community. Ronan spoke about the making of the film, the brave people he encountered and how an Irish video journalist in the New York Times highlighted how the regime had actually targeted hospitals for bombing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are Irish voters moving to the left and if so why? Results from the 2020 general election appear to indicate that a growing number of voters are now voting on the left of the political spectrum. But is this a fad, or related to specific issues in that election, or is it part of a growing trend in this country? If there is a move to the left then it is coming at a time when many countries in Europe and even further afield appear to be going in the opposite direction. Political economist Aidan Regan recently co-wrote a paper on the issue and he talks on the podcast this week about what is really going on, how long it has been going on and what exactly is left populism, which appears to be in the ascendant with Irish voters. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At a time when climate change is taking up more of the public square questions are being raised as to how we can all live more sustainably. To that end environmental scientist Tara Shine has penned a book How To Save Your Planet One Object At A time. The book shows how we can all make little changes incrementally in our daily lives that will ultimately not just save the planet but most likely save money too. Tara was Mick’s guest on this week’s podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week a whistleblower told the US senate about how Facebook had suppressed research that showed the serious impact that use of the company’s Instagram platform can have on young women and girls. Frances Haugen said that anytime it came to a conflict between public safety and profit, Facebook always opted for the latter. So how harmful is the culture of Facebook and Instagram and what can be done to protect young people in particular from the worst excesses in pursuit of profit. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are you a confident person or do you lack confidence? How does it feel to be confident and how can you get a little of that if you don’t have it. How powerful is the collective confidence in nations, large groups or even sports teams? And what is the crucial connection between confidence and action? Ian Robertson is Emeritus Professor of Psychology in Trinity College Dublin and he has written a fascinating book about the subject called How Confidence Works. He is this week’s guest on the podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How much do the big tech companies, led by Facebook, Google and Amazon, know about you? How big an influence do they have on your life without you even realising it? The role of big tech in all our lives has increased exponentially in recent years but a question arises as to whether elected governments have kept up with them to the extent that they can protect us, the citizens.Johnny Ryan of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties is co-author of a report, Europe’s Enforcement Paralysis, which suggests we may be living in a wild west of cyberspace. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The exhumation of the body of ‘Baby John’ this week has once again awoken interest in the Kerry Babies case. The gardai are anxious to find the mother of the baby whose body was found on the White Strand in Cahirciveen in April 1984 with twenty eight stab wounds. So how close are the gardai to actually finding, after all these years, the missing person in this case of tragedy and injustice?Donal Hickey was one of the earliest reporters on the scene when the story first broke and he covered the tribunal that went down in history as a notorious example of how some women were treated in the Ireland of the time. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Have you ever fantasised about the phone call to tell you a long lost and forgotten great aunt has just died and left you a forture? Maeve Mullin is a genealogist whose work includes tracking down the beneficiaries of Wills who could be the lucky recipient of such a phone call. Her work in Findersinternational brings her in contact with a treasure trove of human stories about love and loss and the lost and lonely and the odd recipient of that phone call. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 1976 the Cork-Dublin mail train was robbed setting off a series of events that led to a major miscarriage of justice. Osgur Breatnach was one of three men convicted and later cleared of the robbery. Another was Nicky Kelly, whose case came to international prominence when he went on a hunger strike prior to being released from prison and ultimately pardoned.For the last forty five years Breatnach has been pursuing the government to hold an inquiry into the whole matter. His cause has received support from civic society, politicians, lawyers and one retired judge. He spoke to the podcast about developments in the campaign and his own struggles to lead a normal life and the traumatic events that transformed his life. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the Taliban exerts control on Afghanistan and women’s basic rights come under attack again we speak to a woman from another part of the Islamic world who was subjected to a forced marriage. Dalal Alshohaib met the man she was told would be her husband when she was 18 and was forced to marry him a year later in her native Saudi Arabia. She managed to eventually get out of the marriage and now lives in Ireland where she is estranged from her family back home. Her story is one of struggle and ultimately triumph. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bryan McDonald is an Irish journalist working for the Russian online newspaper, Russia Today. From his home in the city of Sochi on the Black Sea he spoke to the podcast about how the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban is being viewed in his adopted country. He also spoke about what he says are misplaced western views about Russia, the very black economy there, how free or otherwise the media really is and how he ended up many miles from his native Co Carlow. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change this week has provided a wake up call for the world at large. We can no longer continue to live as we have, particularly those of us who inhabit the wealthier countries. A huge reduction in carbon emissions will be necessary to stave off the worst aspects of the changing climate. But what exactly will this mean for all of us over the coming years? How must we change our lives in order to keep our climate? What moral responsibilities are now on our collective shoulders? Environmental scientist and writer Cara Augustenborg addresses these issues and explains why she believes a better society is possible if we are all willing to do our bit. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vera Regan is Professor of Sociolinguistics in UCD and she listens to people professionally to find out and analyse why they speak as they do. How much does your language say about you, where you came from and where you aspire to go? Why do we use the words we use and why do some of us use words that others avoid? And where do you insert, like, the word like, not to mind the often annoying word, so. Sit back and listen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In July 1921 a truce was called in the War of Independence bringing to an end a conflict that was to shape the future of this island. The truce also ended a unity of purpose among Irish nationalists that had flourished since the Rising in 1916, to be replaced by a politics that was to last in one form or another for the following century.But what was it like for the man and woman in the street in Ireland when war came to an end? How did the combatants feel about it? And was there any way that what was to follow could have been avoided? Dr John Borgonovo, from UCC’s school of history, tells it like it was. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Two documentaries on the murder of Frenchwoman Sophie Toscan du Plantier in West Cork in 1996 have recently been released. Ian Bailey, who was the chief suspect for the murder in its aftermath is a central figure in both productions. This week, he spoke to the podcast about how the documentaries have awoken interest in the case, their impact on him and how his life has altered significantly in recent months. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Twenty years after journalist Susan McKay wrote a book about Northern Protestants, she once more takes the temperature of the tradition right across society in the north with her new book, Northern Protestants: On Shifting Ground. The publication comes at a time when the ground is indeed shifting, with the fall-out from Brexit and an increasing number of people wondering whether the march towards a united Ireland is now gathering pace. Susan talks about how many within the statelet are now looking south with a different attitude despite the rhetoric that appears to be the staple of political leadership within the unionist tradition. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rebecca and Pat were told that their unborn baby had a fatal foetal abnormality and proceeded to have a termination as a result. Three weeks later they discovered that the information they received was completely incorrect. Their baby was perfectly normal. On Wednesday they settled a High Court action with those involved in the catastrophic error. The couple are this week’s guests on the Podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Should one-off housing be allowed to a much greater extent than it is and would that contribute towards tackling the housing crisis? Irish Examiner Deputy Political Editor Elaine Loughlin is this week’s guest on the podcast where she sets out the case for a more innovative approach to one-off housing at a time when communities across the country are seeing so many young people fleeing rural Ireland. We also discuss the wider issue of how much the high price of land has impacted on the housing crisis today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This year marks the centenary of one of the most momentous years in the country’s history. Arthur Griffith was a leading figure during the revolutionary period who has perhaps not been remembered with the same respect and affection as others. Founder of Sinn Fein in 1905, friend of the 1916 leaders, president of the provisional government while DeValera was in the USA and one of the chief negotiators of the Anglo Irish Agreement in 1921. Why, in the popular imagination, is Griffith not held in higher esteem? Colum Kenny, author of The enigma of Arthur Griffith – Father Of Us All joins the podcast to rake over the man, his life and his legacy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week’s guest Saoirse Exton is worried about the planet, the future and the failure of those who lead to act against the dangers.Saoirse is a 15-year-old transition year student in Limerick who wrote to the Irish Examiner to express her anger and concern at the apparent disregard for the ravages of climate change. She is already an experienced activist in her young life and rightly feels that her generation needs to take the initiative.“I am sick and tired and angry and yet I have barely lived,” she wrote. “I am exhausted simply by caring. My grief runs deep, it saps my strength when I am forced to continue to live in a society shaped by your hands that simply does not care.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How long does it take to be radicalised online? Caolan Robertson reckons as short as six weeks and he should know because he was radicalised and went on to make videos for You Tube for a range of different right wing extremists and conspiracy theorists. He travelled extensively making these films, including back to his native Ireland at the time of the Eighth amendment referendum. Today, he is dedicated to warning people of the dangers of radicalisation, which, he believes, is growing at an alarming rate. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Normal fare in politics has resumed with a bang as we appear to be finally heading out of the pandemic. Housing is the issue that is dominating and according to this week’s guest, Irish Examiner political editor Danny McConnell, it is also likely to be the front and centre all the way to the next election. Danny talks about how this government and its predecessor appears to have missed a trick in really tackling the housing issue before it got to where it is now at. He also runs the rule over the forthcoming Dublin Bay South by-election. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week’s report from the ESRI says that the millennial generation in this country is likely to be the first to be worse off than their parents. Stagnant wages, and particularly rising house prices and rent, mean that those in their 20s and 30s are experiencing serious struggle to follow the well trod path of settling down and owning their own home.So what is it really like for those who left education with high hopes a few short years ago? Do they feel betrayed, bitter, confused? Do they retain any optimism about the future? This week the podcast guests were two millennials, Ryan O’Rourke and Shauna Bowers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kieran McCarthy is a former IRA member and a former Sinn Fein councillor. He left the party after a falling-out in 2015. Unlike others who have left he is largely in agreement with the Sinn Fein political project and is not a critic of the party, although he has some issues about how his time there came to an end. He spoke to the podcast about his past in the IRA, his belief that the campaign of violence was justified and about who is in control of the party’s principle policy – bringing about a united Ireland.Irish ExaminerMick Clifford Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Author Mark O’Connell spent two years travelling around the globe meeting individuals and groups who are preparing for, well, the end. ‘Notes From an Apocalypse – A Personal Journey to the End of the World and Back’ is his fascinating and humorous account of what makes these people tick and how he can relate to some of their anxiety. Mark is this week’s guest on the podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Frank Serpico exposed major corruption in the New York Police Department and his story spawned the Hollywood classic movie, Serpico, with Al Pacino in the eponymous role. Fifty years later, Frank Serpico is going strong, railing against corruption, finding new hope in nature and still carrying the bullet in his head since the night he was shot in controversial circumstances.He talks to the podcast about the police and their attitudes to minorities, then and now, and whether the conviction of Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd will change anything. He also talks about his own experiences, the Irish cops he knew, how he nearly died the night he was shot and why he’d do it all again. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With outdoor activity opening up again for children and adults, will it just be a question of picking up where we left off? What impact did the lockdown and the pandemic have on the development of children, particularly in the relationship so many of them have with sport? Will the events of the last fifteen months prompt sporting organisations to rethink how to engage with children and those attracted to their games?To address these and related questions, the podcast spoke to Brian Cuthbert, school principal, former senior Cork football manager and an expert in the field of youth development in sport. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Linda Doyle this week became the first woman Provost in Trinity College’s 429 year history. She talks to the podcast about growing up in Cork, how she came to study engineering in UCC and why at first she thought she would never fit into Trinity. As the only professor of both Engineering and the Arts in the world, she explains how the disciplines compliment each other by looking at the world from different perspectives. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jude Sherry and Frank O’Connor are urban designers who moved from Amsterdam to Cork three years ago. Their experience abroad living and working in cities that have been repopulated in recent decades prompted them to look around their new environs and envisage a vibrant future, where hundreds of derelict buildings are transformed into living hubs. But how do you get there? How do you transform the dereliction that blights towns and cities all over the country and create twenty first century urban living spaces. Listen in. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Derek Scally’s book, The Best Catholics In The World, is part personal journey, part reportage and full of insight into the role of the Catholic Church in Irish society down through the ages and recent decades. He traces over his own childhood, speaks to those who still worship and to some of the leading figures in the decline and fall. He also provides a fresh perspective into the complicated relationships between church, state and society. Derek is this week’s guest on the podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In December 2017, Paddy Moriarty, a native of Abbeyfeale, Co Limerick went missing for his home in the Australian outback. He lived in the town of Larimah, pop 12. He disappeared along with his dog. There was no sign of a struggle or anything out of the ordinary in his home. Pretty soon, the police suspected he was the victim of foul play. But who in the tiny hamlet would want to have done harm to the 70-year-old Irishman? Kylie Stevenson, co-producer of the podcast series Lost In Larimah, joined Mick to talk about the case. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Seamus O’Mahony is an author and doctor who brings wry observations, dark humour and social awareness to the books he has written while practicing as a consultant gastroenterologist in Cork University Hospital. He retired last year just before Covid hit and his latest book The Ministry of Bodies has been described as “a brew of madness and sadness worthy of Flann O’Brien". Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Economist Seamus Coffey and trade unionist Brendan Ogle have opposing views on whether or not Ireland is a relatively equal or unequal country and whether it is heading in the right direction in that respect. Both have recently produced work putting forward their respective positions. They debate here cogently and with not a little fire and sparks. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week a married couple, both solicitors, were jailed for an elaborate fraud that robbed banks of credit unions of at least €400,000. The couple, who had been in practice in Cork used false identities, scanners and disguises including wigs, to pull off their sophisticated criminal enterprise. The Irish Examiner’s Noel Baker reported on the story for the newspaper and he tells the podcast of their rise and fall. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As we approach the first anniversary of the arrival of the coronavirus on these shores, public health specialist Dr Orla Healy discusses the rollout of the vaccine in this phase of the pandemic. She talks about any possible pressure points in the roll-out and how the development of vaccines has been transformed in this pandemic.Dr Healy, who is leading the Covid Response for the HSE in the South and South West, also details how the approach to and resourcing of public health has changed as a result of our experience over the last twelve months. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Worrying activity online and the targeting of high profile individuals from a minority background formed the basis of an investigative piece of journalism by Irish Examiner reporters Aoife Moore and Paul Hosford. Aoife tells the podcast why serious vigilance is required to ensure that a campaign of hate does not take hold in this country as it has elsewhere.Also, she explains why the latest controversy over policing in the North is tapping into some old resentments in the nationalist community. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Saoirse McHugh had a brief but high profile time as an election candidate for the Green party. The 30-year-old activist narrowly missed being elected to the European parliament, subsequently missed out on a Dail seat and then resigned from the party in opposition to the decision to go into government.Here the environmental activist discusses her time in the party but also where she sees climate change and biodiversity challenges developing and whether or not a breakaway Green party is in the offing in the near future. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Denis Eustace is the fifth generation of his family to train and practice as a consultant psychiatrist. He has specialised in later life mental health. Since the onset of the pandemic he says that he and colleagues are noticing some very worrying features in the mental health of older people. Fear and isolation are contributing to a rise in people experiencing mild cognitive impairment and more needs to be done to protect one of the most vulnerable cohorts in the population at this particular time. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last week, the former minister for Social Protection became the first parliamentarian from the government benches to criticise the Mother and Baby Homes Commission report. Now the leader of the Seanad, she talks about what she feels needs to be done for survivors of the homes. She also explains why she changed her mind after initially indicating she would leave politics when she lost her seat, and why she bristles at the narrative that her Fine Gael party is full of privately educated and privileged representatives. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The report of the Commission of Investigation into the Mother and Baby homes has answered some questions and left many others hanging about the treatment of women who gave birth outside of marriage in twentieth century Ireland, and the fate of their babies.For whom was the investigation conducted? Was it for those who gave birth and were born in these homes, or was it to provide the state with a forum to tell itself a story about the times?To discuss that and other issues that have arisen since the publication, Mick was joined by Dr Katherine O’Donnell, Associate professor at the School of Philosophy in UCD and a member of the Justice for Magdalene Research group. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Financial consultant Eddie Hobbs takes out his crystal ball and looks into the future as it might unfold once we get the pandemic under control. That future, according to Eddie, could well be determined by a technocracy of the world elite who meet and make plans under the guise of bodies like the World Economic Forum.He cautions that the democratic world must be vigilant to avoid being subjected to the kind of controls that totalitarian states like China exercise on their people. And he also thinks that we might emerge from the pandemic in pretty good nick in this country. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

War of Independence Podcast - Part Four:WOMEN OF THEIR TIME: Helene O’Keeffe.The role of women during the revolutionary period had, until recent decades, not so much been written out but not written in at all. That is beginning to change with greater research into the roles played by women both inside and outside Cumann na mBan. Helene O’Keeffe speaks here about a number of the women who made serious contributions during that period. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Irish Examiner political team runs the rule over the ministers in the government since its formation last June.Danny McConnell, Elaine Loughlin, Paul Hosford and Aoife Moore give their individual assessments and markings out of 10 for each of the ministers who have governed during what must be one of the most difficult times in a generation. There are a few surprises in there, some who have done better than might have been expected, and a few who most definitely must do better once the New Year opens up. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alice Leahy is this week’s guest. She talks about the people who visit the Alice Leahy Trust at this time of year, particularly those who have no homes and quite often simply don’t fit into society.Alice has been running the Trust Agency, which is a drop in centre in Dublin’s inner city, for more than forty years and she wonders whether the pandemic will have given people the opportunity to slow down and take time to spend a little time with each other. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mick Clifford talks to John Borgonovo on the War of Independence. The War of Independence was an early example of guerrilla warfare, fought with the co-operation and consent of the native population. But how intense was the war? What kind of people were the volunteers and how did they operate and engage with the native population and how did they deal with informers?Dr John Borgonovo is the guest on this week’s podcast, one of the Irish Examiner’s series to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the revolutionary period. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Irish Examiner political correspondent Aoife Moore is on the podcast talking about a week in which she found herself the target of online trolls from across the political divide, having a go at her over various pieces she has written in the paper. She also talks about attitudes down south to a Derry girl like her and whether or not a border poll would receive as great a welcome among the nationalist community in the north as some might think. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kieran McCarthy: The burning of Cork in December 1920 was one of the seminal events of the War of Independence. Major damage was done to the city centre and to the psyche of the population in what was an wanton act of violence and destruction. The event had a major impact on the city and its populace for many years after. Historian Kieran McCarthy discusses what led up to the fateful night, how it unfolded and the drawn out aftermath. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After their son Niall took his own life John and Johanna O’Hara went looking for answers as to what had driven him to despair. They were to discover that Niall, a student in Maynooth University, had been arrested on a minor public order incident the night before he died. They also found out that there had been an earlier incident some weeks previously. Niall had never been “a moment’s trouble” so they are convinced that his death was directly attributable to what happened on those nights. Their experience in trying to piece together what afflicted their son has left them deeply disillusioned with An Garda Siochana. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A TALE OF TWO MAYORS: Gabriel Doherty.Tomas MacCurtain and Terence MacSwiney both served as lord mayors of Cork in 1920. Both tenures in office were very short as Mac Curtain was murdered in his home two months after taking the mayoral chain and MacSwiney, his successor, died in Brixton Prison at the end of a 74 day hunger strike.Historian Garbriel Doherty sketches out the lives and deaths of these two close friends, their respective roles in the War of Independence and how each of them is regarded within Cork and beyond. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How good is the system in this country in catering for parents of new born children? Can and should the state and employers do more? Do women get a raw deal from the existing system? Do we need a cultural shift in attitudes towards parental leave and parental equality.Irish Examiner political correspondent and relatively new mother Elaine Loughlin talks to the podcast about her experience and her research in the area. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How does it feel to get up every day and face into fighting for your children’s rights? That’s the lot of thousands of parents of children with a disability. The law is there to protect all children, including those with a disability, but repeatedly the state and its agencies fail to observe it. One of the biggest issues for these parents is finding a school for their children. Miriam Kenny, chairperson of Involve Autism is this week’s guest on the podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Independent TD Catherine Connolly has had a varied background that includes working as clinical psychologist and a barrister before she arrived in politics. Last July she was elected the first female Leas Ceann Comhairle of the Dail. She talks about her new role, how she doesn’t enjoy being a politician, her time in the Labour party and how anger brought her into politics. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

John O’Brien spent thirty eight years in An Garda Siochana at a time when the state and policing went through transformational change. From chasing paramilitaries along the border to putting together cases against gangland crime figures he accumulated huge experience, all of which he retells in his new memoir A Question Of Honour. The retired detective chief superintendent is also a keen student of the interface of politics and policing and offers some strong opinions on where it works and where it doesn’t. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Next Tuesday sees the election for the next US president in a contest that many believe to be the most important in decades. Can Donald Trump, against the odds, succeed in getting four more years? Or will the American people, through their extraordinary method of electing a president, prefer a safe pair of hands in Joe Biden?Mick was joined by Professor Bob Schmuhl of Notre Dame University to discuss the two contestants, their respective records and who will be the last man standing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Right wing extremism is growing in Ireland, according to the annual report from the EU crime agency, Europol. This is the first time that this country has featured in the EU body’s monitoring of right wing extremism.So is this ideology, which has been gaining traction around the world, not least in the United States, a threat to the current political landscape? And who are these right wing extremists who have come to the attention of Europol and the gardai in this country. Dr Natasha Dromey who lectures in UCC and is an expert on terrorism spoke to this week’s podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There was plenty of spending but very little corresponding cheer in Budget 2021, mainly because of the pandemic that has impacted on all our lives.But are there any reasons to be cheerful and have the Ministers for Finance and Public Expenditure spent wisely and covered all bases?Economist Jim Power and Irish Examiner Political Correspondent Danny McConnell joined Mick to discuss this and other elements of Budget 2021. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Earlier this week the government passed the milestone of 100 days in office. An unprecedented coalition has been governing through unprecedented times and it has been something of a baptism of fire full of controversies, the odd scandal and the continuing threat that the virus poses to public health and society.Taoiseach Micheal Martin is the podcast’s guest this week to look back over what has been achieved and what could have been done better. He also sets out the current state of the relationship between his government and NPHET. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

CNN Reporter Donie O’Sullivan attended the Minnesota rally on Wednesday where the Covid 19 virus first became apparent among Donald Trump’s staff. Just over twenty four hours later the president tested positive for the virus.Donie talks about how the adoring crowd paid homage to Mr Trump at what may well turn out to be his last major rally in the campaign and he relates what the president’s supporters at the event think of their hero. He also reports on the election online where misinformation and false flags are playing a major role in the presidential campaign. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Neasa Hourigan is the Green party’ spokesperson on finance who has had a baptism of fire in politics going from a full time carer to a councillor and onto TD all in the space of seven months. Following her election to the Dail last February she was a part of the Greens negotiating team in coalition talks yet voted within the party not to go into government. She is currently seeing out a suspension on Dail speaking time for voting against the government on a bill to allow for evictions. She spoke to this week’s podcast about her politics, her place in the Green party and what a just transition looks like. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The US election is little over six weeks away and the polls still favour Joe Biden but the race is tightening. This time around Donald Trump is no longer the outside promising to “drain the swamp”. He is instead outgoing president who is running on his record.How exactly is Trump regarded in this country? One person who believes that many in the Irish media follow the lead of their counterparts in the US media is Seth Barrett Tillman, an American academic living in this country. He is this week’s guest on the podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A private member’s bill advocating a law for assisted dying will be introduced in the Dail in the coming week by People Before Profit Gino Kenny. The topic was recently in the news when cervical cancer campaigner Vicky Phelan said that she would be in favour of any such law.But what is involved and is Irish society ready to move in the same direction as counties such as Holland, Belgium and Canada and some US states.Joining the podcast this week to dig down into the topic is Professor Des O’Neill, specialist in geriatric and stroke medicine. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As we face into a new post Covid world many economists, sociologists and political scientists are predicting that major changes will have to be made to how we live. In particular, there are fears that growing inequality could be a feature of the new world.In that vein an increasing number of people are looking at new concepts, none more so than that of Universal Basic Income. UCC economics lecturer Declan Jordan is one such voice and he told this week’s podcast what it’s all about. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The country is bracing itself for the reopening of schools for the first time since the outbreak of the pandemic last March. Major preparations have been put in place to comply with best practice in tackling the virus.But how are they managing in countries that are not as developed as ours. Colm Byrne is a teacher who has been living and working in Cambodia for the last six years where the schools remain in lockdown. He fears that if they don’t open within the next few months they may never open again. Colm spoke on the podcast about how life in Cambodia and particularly how it is for children and the teachers who are desperate to educate them in an Asian country still struggling to come to terms with its past. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Schools are reopening to a different world over the coming weeks, a world that is completely alien to all past and present pupils. This week, the podcast spoke to Richel Long, principal of the 800 student Christ King School in Cork about the preparations that have gone into getting the school in shape.From staggered schooldays to designated doors of entry, from furniture removal to a strict ‘no sniffles’ policy, Richel paints a vivid and stark picture of what awaits students, teachers and parents in this strange new world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The recent outbreak of Covid 19 in the meat processing industry has given rise to questions about employment conditions in that and other low paying sectors. Workers in many of these sectors are forced to declare themselves as self-employed and as a result do not enjoy any of the protections or benefits that accrue to employees in normal circumstances. This in turn has knock on effects for the exchequer and society.Martin McMahon has long been an advocate for the elimination of what is called bogus self- employment and he is this week’s guest on the podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Artists of all disciplines have been hit particularly hard by the pandemic. It was difficult enough for the vast majority of artists to make a living before the pandemic hit but now they are forced to exist in world where, for example, social distancing throws up huge problems in performing. So what is to be done in order to ensure that art continues to be made in order to provide society with a vital form of oxygen?Addressing these and other questions on this week’s podcast is Angela Dorgan, Chair of the national campaign for the arts and CEO of First Music Contact. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The French authorities are attempting once more to have Ian Bailey extradited for the murder of Sophie Toscan Du Plantier. This week the High Court heard an application to surrender Mr Bailey following his conviction last year in a Paris court of the 1996 murder.The DPP in this country has repeatedly ruled that Mr Bailey does not have a case to answer in relation to Ms Du Plantier’s violent death. The courts here must now decide whether or not Mr Bailey is to be extradited to France, where he is likely to spend the rest of his days in prison. The podcast spoke to law lecturer Jennifer Kavanagh about what is at stake legally in the current chapter of this long running saga. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Communications expert Terry Prone is the guest on this week’s podcast to give her insight on what is working and what is not working for politicians striving to get their message across.She also runs the rule over Donald Trump’s communication strategy and explains why she thinks Eamon Ryan’s wife, Victoria White, should not have relinquished her highly rated Irish Examiner column because of her husband’s new job. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The recent high profile spat over Daniel Kinahan rising in the world of boxing has thrown up interesting questions about organised crime and sport. Mr. Kinahan has been named in the High Court as a major player in organised crime. Yet outside the country, and particularly in boxing, he was regarded in relatively benign light until recent months.Security analyst Sheelagh Brady talks to the podcast about how crime and sport have become entangled around the world, how the major criminals are now washing their money and why some are running out of places to hide. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A new government was formed on Saturday 140 days after the general election. Micheal Martin was elected Taoiseach and he appointed a cabinet with a few surprises.So what will this new government be like, how will it govern and what impact will the relationships between the various personalities have on the ability to get things done?Danny McConnell, political editor of the Irish Examiner spoke to the podcast about these and many other aspects of the new government in this special edition. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Junior minister for health Jim Daly took the road less travelled when he announced last September that he would not be contesting the next general election. He had watched his young family grow through the years when his job meant he was at the beck and call of constituents even when he wasn’t based in Leinster House. Now he wanted to grab what he could before the kids were all grown up.He talks about life as a TD from rural Ireland, what could be changed and what should not be changed. He also looked back over his time in the portfolio of mental health and elder people and revealed the only job that would ever have kept him in politics at this stage of his life. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

All eyes are on the Green party this week as the three parties hoping to form a government consult internally on whether or not to go for it. The smart money says Fine Gael and Fianna Fail will ratify the proposed programme for government, but Green party leader Eamon Ryan has a much more difficult task.Dr Theresa Reidy, political scientist at UCC was this week’s guest on the podcast to discuss that, the wider political climate and where exactly politics is going today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Summertime but the living ain’t easy this year if you’re in the tourism business. Those in some of the most beautiful parts of the country, particularly down the western seaboard, are facing into a season that is hugely curtailed. That in turn deprives thousands of the means to get through the long winter.John Fitzgerald, who is based on the Ring of Kerry and operates with his wife a seaweed tours business, talks to the podcast about how they and most of their community are hoping to salvage what they can from the curtailed season, some of which will be as a result of an expected boom in the staycation market. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a week in which protests spread throughout the USA after the violent death of George Floyd at the hands of police officers in Minneapolis, the podcast’s guest is an Irish exile in Seattle, Gillian O’Connell.Gillian talks about how the events of the past week have awakened her to the reality of institutional racism in the country she had made her home for the last twenty five years. She believes that the recent events could well prompt real change this time and force the USA to confront its oldest problem. Interestingly, she sees that one leader in this respect could be corporate America. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One of Ireland’s leading chefs Ross Lewis is the guest on this week’s podcast to discuss how the pandemic has affected the restaurant business and the hopes and fears in the sector about opening up again.He talks about how social distancing rules will impact on restaurants, the prospects for those working in the sector and the changes that can be expected in living and working habits and how that will effect eating out.He also gives an insight into the personal experience of turning the lights out on his business last March at the outset of the lockdown. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Maurice McCabe is this country's best known whistleblower following his reports of malpractice in An Garda Siochana where he was a sergeant with an exemplary record.Now, two years after his retirement, following a series of inquiries and a tribunal examining his claims and the reprisal he suffered, he has agreed to act as patron for the anti corruption body, Transparency International.He spoke to the podcast about how he’s getting on with life, how Transparency International helped him and what he does when whistleblowers from various walks of life show up at his front door. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The spread of the corona virus has led to major problems in particular settings, one of which is direct provision centres. One centre that has experienced an outbreak is the recently opened Skellig Hotel in Cahirciveen. Nearly one hundred asylum seekers were transferred there from the Dublin area with 24 hours notice in March and now over a quarter of the residents are infected.The asylum seekers, local people and politicians have all called for it to be closed down. But why and in what circumstances was it opened, and what does it say about the direct provision system? Mick spoke to a local businessman Jack Fitzpatrick and Aswer, one of the residents of the centre. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

While the western world has faced major upheaval in dealing with the pandemic, the developing world has a whole set of different, and largely more dangerous problems.John Wain, who hails from Cork, is currently based in the UN in Geneva but spends a lot of his time in the developing world, building shelters for refugees fleeing war, violence and famine. He joined Mick on the podcast to talk about the challenges faced in these regions and why in particular the lockdown solution may not be a good idea for the poorest countries in the world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s guest on the podcast Eddie Hobbs has some strong opinions on how the country is going to come out of the current crisis, the role that the banks must play and the repeated failure in official circles to recognise the importance of small business. He talks about how we are facing into a New World Order in which “radical centralism” will be in vogue and political power will revert to the people in a manner not seen in decades. He also talks about the collapse of Brendan Investments, the vehicle of which he was the public face and how that and perceptions around it had a devastating impact on his reputation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The public health emergency and lock down has for many people provided space to reflect on how we are living as a society. Are our priorities as they should be? How do we measure success? Is there a better, more sustainable way of living?Ten years ago university lecturer Anne Ryan attempted to answer some of these questions in a groundbreaking and prescient book, Enough Is Plenty. Anne is also a co-ordinator in the organisation, Basic Income Ireland, which advocates for a system of Universal Basic Income. On the podcast she explains her philosophy and where it has been put into practice with some encouraging results. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adam Harris was diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum at the age of five but by the time he was nineteen he had established the organisation ASIAM that today is the leading advocacy group for people with autism and their families. During the current health emergency people with autism have their own unique struggles and Adam spoke to the podcast about the challenges that are arising at this time. He also explained how he was given the opportunity to reach his full potential and how society today has made some advances in observing the human rights of people with autism yet there remains a lot more to be done. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One figure who has emerged in the current pandemic to provide reassurance about the direction of the country is Tony Holohan. The chief medical officer at the Department of Health has been a nightly figure on TV screens as he gives his daily press briefing about infections and, sadly, deaths.But who is this high profile doctor and civil servant and how did he arrive at his current station? This episode of the podcast attempts to answer these questions with the help of our guest, long time Irish Examiner health correspondent Catherine Shanahan. Catherine also gives her opinion on whether or not the recent subsuming of private healthcare into the public system can be sustained in the long run. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The changes imposed by the onslaught of the corona virus have affected all areas of society but most particularly those who work in the healthcare system. Professor Ronan Collins is a consultant physician in geriatric and stroke medicine at Tallaght University Hospital. Since the outset of the crisis he has noticed a worrying trend among some people who are reluctant to contact health professionals even when they show worrying symptoms of conditions such as stroke.He spoke to the podcast about the responsibility that we all have to ensure that fears about the virus and its impact on hospitals does not discourage people from addressing their own urgent health concerns. He also spoke of his optimism that as a society we can come through this better and why, despite working in the public health system he believes we should not retain the current, temporary one tier model in health. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nearly two months after the general election and in the midst of an existential crisis we still don’t have a government. Fianna Fail and Fine Gale are involved in talks that some suggest would make a slow bicycle race look at a Grand Prix event.So when will be have a government and if two of the three big parties do manage to come to an agreement, who else will go in with them? Joining Mick on the podcast to discuss these issues was Irish Examiner political editor Danny McConnell. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alison O’Connor has like many people been reflecting in recent weeks on the nature of life and death as the country endures what amounts to lockdown and the virus takes lives at an increasing rate. She talks to Mick Clifford for today’s podcast about how the bereaved at this time are being robbed of the rituals that constitute the comfort blanket that usually provides solace in days after a death. She reflects on the more mundane and even blackly humorous aspects to working from home and being in closer proximity than usual to our nearest and dearest and wonders how as a society we will have changed when it’s all over. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Against much expectation from pundits, Holly Cairns was elected as a TD for the Cork South West constituency in February’s general election. Her party the Social Democrats had virtually no presence in the constituency and the candidate had only last May been elected to Cork County Council for the first time. She is now the only female TD representing any of the Cork city or county constituencies.She spoke to Mick about the new Ireland she intends to work towards, combining farming and politics, and how soon after her election she was approached and offered sympathy for her new station as a politician’s wife! (Her partner, Christy O’Sullivan, is also a TD for the constituency). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The onslaught of the Covid 19 virus is expected to put our hospital service under severe pressure. Among the biggest worries will be whether the system will be able to cater for all those who are worst affected by the virus, and particularly patients who will need assistance in breathing through ventilators.Throughout the world there is a shortage of ventilators to deal with this crisis and already in Italy doctors are being forced to choose who should have access to the life saving equipment. In this country, a number of different groups from engineering backgrounds are attempting to fast track the production of ventilators. One of these, the Covid Response Team, is attempting to design and build a “battlefield ventilator” in a matter of weeks. Mick spoke to the group’s founder, John Wallace who runs his own specialist engineering company. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On 20 March 1920 a number of RIC men entered the home of Cork’s Lord Mayor Tomas McCurtain and shot him to death in front of his family. The killing was the first of a number of traumatic events in the city that year, including the death of hunger strike of McCurtain’s successor, Terence McSwiney and culminating with the burning of the city centre in December. The 100th anniversary of McCurtain’s death is being commemorated this week and the scheduled events – postponed due to the coronavirus – were to have been led by the current Lord Mayor, John Sheehan. He spoke to Mick about McCurtain’s life and legacy and the view of history a century down the line. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kieran McCarthy is a former IRA member and a former Sinn Fein councillor. He left the party after a falling-out in 2015. Unlike others who have left he is largely in agreement with the Sinn Fein political project and is not a critic of the party, although his has some issues about how his time there came to an end. He spoke to the podcast about his past in the IRA, his belief that the campaign of violence was justified and about who is in control of the party’s principle policy – bringing about a united Ireland. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Norma Costello has been reporting from Iraq, Syria and Turkey for the last five years. The Kerrywoman was at one stage embedded with Kurdish fighters and she has reported on some of the most horrific human rights violations that have been perpetrated on the world stage in that period.She spoke to the podcast today about her experiences, why she feels the world isn't listening and how a couple of young students were radicalised in Galway and left to fight for ISIS. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week's guest is Kerryman Donie O'Sullivan, who is the Disinformation, Technology and Politics correspondent for the American television network, CNN. His job entails rooting out the real 'fake news' on the internet as opposed to what Donald Trump describes as fake news. This involves attempting to track down who is spreading false information, particularly with a view to manipulating public opinion and impacting on the political system. Donie was employed in the wake of the 2016 presidential election when it emerged that false information from a number of sources, including Russia, had had an impact on the election of Donald Trump. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eamon Dunphy has, over his lifetime, crossed the political spectrum from left to right and back again. On this week's podcast he assesses the current political impasse and what it means for the country. He recounts how he fell out with Sinn Fein some years ago after a spell during which he considered himself a supporter. And he also offers an opinion on whether we will get to the Euros this year and whither RTE's sports coverage without Joe Brolly. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the aftermath of the 2011 general election poet Theo Dorgan forecast that "it was an interim moment in a long, unfolding process of change…” that would take a few elections before a new kind of politics would emerge. After last week’s seismic general election results many now believe that we may be on the cusp of that new kind of politics. Theo Dorgan is this week’s guest on the podcast where he gave his views on what is unfolding and how we must learn from the past to see what is coming down the line. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After the earthquake in last Saturday's election the country has been left with the prospect of a long drawn out dance before we arrive at a coherent government. The smart money is currently on Sinn Fein and Fianna Fail coming together and asking the Greens along to keep them company and to keep the peace. But is all of this idle speculation or is it simply the only way a government can be arrived at short of another general election. Discussing this and the rest of the fall-out from the general election with Mick is Danny McConnell, political editor of the Irish Examiner. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The general election is finally upon us and the podcast is taking a look back at the campaign that was and a look ahead into the tea leaves to see how exactly the votes are going to fall. Joining Mick to discuss these issues and take a punt at shaping the next government are the Irish Examiner's political editor Danny McConnell and political correspondent Juno McEnroe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Something is happening in this election, but do we know what it is?Mick Clifford asks Professor Gary Murphy of DCU to put in context the changes that appear to be taking place in our politics as Sinn Fein rises in the polls.Gary also puts this election in historical context, comparing it to the couple of similarly major shifts that have taken place in Irish politics since the foundation of the state. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are we there yet? As the general election campaign enters its final, crucial week the podcast hears from public affairs consultant and Irish Independent columnist Gerard Howlin. In a previous career Gerard was an advisor to successive Fianna Fail governments and he gives an insight into what it is like to be in the eye of the storm during a campaign.He also assesses why the climate change agenda has not featured prominently in the campaign and looks into his crystal ball to see the composition of the next government. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're into the third week of the general election campaign, a crucial period for all those vying for your votes as people are now supposedly beginning to make up their minds. It's a busy week with debates, the last of the manifestos being launched and the requisite campaign controversy. Joining Mick to take the temperature of the campaign and assess who is most likely to make up the next government is Irish Examiner columnist and political commentator Alison O'Connor. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hitting the halfway stage in the general election campaign and the early sorting out between the various sides has been completed. Opinion polls have been published and parsed, and the first leaders' debate between Leo Varadkar and Micheal Martin has come and gone. So where does the campaign stand at this stage? Irish Examiner Political Editor Danny McConnell joined Mick to assess the current state of play. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The election campaign is now well underway and we have already had two opinion polls and a couple of controversies. A slew of policy papers have been launched, but not much in the way of costing. So what kind of condition are the parties in now heading into the second week? And what impact will the TV debates and manifesto launches over the coming week have on the parties? Mick was joined by Irish Examiner Political Editor Danny McConnell to run the rule over the campaign so far. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The starting gun has sounded on the general election campaign. All parties are out of the blocks with promises and pledges but what should this election really be about? The economy is booming but many problems remain, many people feel they are being left behind. One man who has strong opinions on what the election should be about is Dr Sean Healy, director of Social Justice Ireland. He believes the fruits of the boom should be spent by creating a society that is more equal and focused on tackling the long term issues that threaten life as we know it. He spoke to Mick for this week's podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is the past ever behind us? This week a major furore was kicked up over a planned commemoration for members of the Royal Irish Constabulary and the Dublin Metropolitan Police, both of which had operated in Ireland prior to Independence in 1922. The controversy ultimately prompted the government to cancel the commemoration.But what did the reaction to the proposal say about how society in the Republic of Ireland remembers the past and particularly the years of violent upheaval that led to the establishment of the state? Were the RIC as bad as they were painted on social media as the controversy raged? Should the police forces, made up largely of Irish recruits, be commemorated at all? What does all this say about the difficult centenary years the state is now facing into? And how much of the controversy was driven by uninformed comment and anger purveyed on social media?To explore these questions about then and now, Mick was joined by Dr Mary McAuliffe, historian and lecturer in gender studies in UCD. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Christmas is a time of year to spend with family and friends but what of those who exist beyond the warm, fuzzy glow that permeates much of society during the season of goodwill?Alice Leahy has been working with people whom she categorises as Outsiders for over forty years. The Alice Leahy Trust provides a service for people who are without homes that primarily focuses on a personal touch and assistance with basic personal and medical needs. The drop-in centre she and her staff run in Dublin is a haven for many who either sleep on the streets or are obliged to leave overnight accommodation once the morning arrives.Alice talks to the Mick Clifford podcast this week about her philosophy of how everybody in society should be catered for according to their needs and how her life has been enriched through encounters with people who are often rendered invisible to much of society. She also opines on how much, or how little, has changed since she first established Trust in 1975. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Diarmuid Higgins got a call out of the blue last April telling him that an allegation of sexual abuse had been made against him as part of the garda investigation into Scouting Ireland. The Gardai have been conducting a criminal investigation into allegations of abuse in the scouting body since last year. Among the allegations are a large number that date back decades.Mr Higgins was told a former scout had alleged that he had been abused by Mr Higgins and others on a scouting camp in 1978. The only problem was Mr Higgins had never been in the scouts at any stage of his life. He had never been on a scouting camp. He had never been in any troop. So how could somebody have targeted him in this manner? Why did the gardai contact him and tell him that he must make a statement on the matter? And what impact has all of this had on his life?Mick Clifford talked to Diarmuid Higgins who related some shocking details of what has befallen him. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ray O'Rourke is a native of Co Mayo who began work in London fifty years ago as a labourer and is today the chief executive and major shareholding on the UK's largest civil engineering company, Laing O'Rourke. He spoke to Mick Clifford about the effect that Brexit is having on business and his hopes and expectations of how Brexit will work out once the general election is over and a new parliament sitting.He also spoke of the importance of the relationship between Ireland and the UK and how that relationship will be vital to the trade negotiations between the EU and UK which will put a final shape on Brexit.Rory Godson is a native of Dublin who owns and runs Powerscourt, a strategic communications company in the City of London. He is also the chair of the British chapter of the Ireland Fund, which provides assistance to worthy causes in Ireland and among the Irish community abroad. He spoke about how Irish people and businesses in the UK were faring under the shadow of Brexit and who exactly will be picking up the tab after the general election and Brexit are out of the way. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ian Bailey is a wanted man. The French authorities have requested the Irish government to extradite him for the murder of Sophie Toscan Du Planter in December 1996. In May of this year a Paris court convicted him in absentia of murder and sentenced him to twenty five years in prison.The Irish DPP has repeatedly declined to bring charges against Mr Bailey on the basis of insufficient evidence. An analysis of the case in the DPP’s office, compiled in 2001, was highly critical of the garda investigation of the murder.So as things stand Mr Bailey is currently living in a form of suspension as he awaits a knock on the door, arrest and dispatch to the High Court for an extradition hearing. The period of turbulent in his life has also, he says, seen his creative side blossom. He has published a collection of poetry, I’m In A John Wayne State Of Mind, which deals to a great extent with the tribulations of his life. Mick Clifford met Ian Bailey at his home in West Cork. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Immigration has entered the political arena again this week with comments from Wexford by-election candidate Verona Murphy about asylum seekers. She suggested that some might need to be "reprogrammed" and that children as young as three could be manipulated by ISIS. Ms Murphy subsequently apologised for the comments.But are attitudes to immigrants, which for so long were perceived as being broadly welcoming, actually changing? And is the system of Direct Provision the best or most humane way to process asylum seekers, particularly in light of protests in various towns about proposed centres in recent months? This week Mick Clifford spoke to the chief executive of the Immigrant Council of Ireland, Brian Killoran, who offered some unique insights into immigration, the plight of asylum seekers and the efforts of a small group within society to portray immigrants in the most negative light possible. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Journalist and broadcaster Alison O'Connor talks to Mick Clifford in this week's podcast about two stories that have dominated the news agenda for the last week and will continue to do so in one form or another long into the future.One element of the fall-out from the sentencing of two boys for the murder of Anna Kriegel that requires detailed analysis is the responsibility of parents to have hard, even awkward conversations with their teenage children about sex. With pornography available at the touch of a phone button, are teenage boys and girls being given a view of sex that is completely at odds with the real world and relationships. Alison talks about why parents are duty bound to have the hard conversations with their children.The other story that dominated the week was that of immigration following a storm in the Dail over a question raised by independent TD Noel Grealish. Are attitudes towards immigrants changing in this country and are some politicians prepared to exploit any changes for electoral gain? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Figures released this week by the Health Research Board point to a major increase in demand for drug treatment services. In particular treatment for cocaine abuse has rocketed in recent years. Much of this is being attributed to the economic recovery and corresponding so-called recreational drug use. The demand for treatment for the abuse of other drugs, particularly opiates and cannabis, is also increasing.So does all of this point towards a major drug problem in the country? And if so why and what exactly can be done about it? In this week's podcast we spoke to Michael Guerin, a senior therapist with the Cuan Mhuire treatment group. Michael has vast experience in the area and some very interesting insights into where exactly we are, how we got here, and how best to address what he believes to be a major health, social and economic problem. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Paul Murphy has been one of the most high profile TDs in the Dail over the last five years, during which time he and five of his party colleagues were tried and acquitted of the false imprisonment of former Tanaiste Joan Burton during a water charge protest in 2014.The socialist TD who has set up the new political entity Rise, talks to Mick Clifford about what he calls the new green deal, the fragmentation of the left and why he would not be interested in pursuing his aims in a coalition with an "establishment" party.He also sets out why he felt a new organisation was necessary at a time when climate justice is near the top of the political agenda. And why he has no regrets about the incident that led to his trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week the podcast interviews Cork boxer Gary Spike O'Sullivan and his trainer, Packie Collins about the upcoming documentary The Prizefighter, based on Spike's shot at the world middleweight title last year. The Prizefighter was written and directed by acclaimed film maker Terry McMahon and provides a unique insight into Spike's journey which was driven by the dream of buying a home for his family. The Prizefighter has received rave reviews in the film festival circuit and was backed by Virgin Media, which will be screening it on TV in the coming months. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The role of the whistleblower in exposing wrongdoing and corruption has come to the fore in recent years. The most prominent case was that of former garda sergeant, Maurice McCabe, but right across society, in the health service, public sector and the corporate world the whistleblower has been active, particularly since the introduction of the Protected Disclosure Act in 2014. Today Mick Clifford talks to John Devitt, chief executive of the anti-corruption agency, Transparency International Ireland about the role of the whistleblower in society, the protections in place for reporting wrongdoing and whether anything really changes when somebody comes forward. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last November David McDonald, an assistant chief officer in the prison service, made serious allegations of malpractice about what has gone on in the state's prisons. These included the illegal surveillance of prison officers and the manner in which deaths in custody were mishandled within the service.An inquiry ordered by the Minister for Justice found that most of his allegations had substance. Since he blew the whistle, ACO McDonald has, he claims, been targeted for ill treatment by management in the service. He talks to Mick Clifford about working in an elite unit of the prison service, why he decided to blow the whistle and why he feels that the prison service requires major reform. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A young couple died in a fire tragedy in 2002 but it would be fifteen years and another fire later before it was discovered that the building in which they died had serious defects.Louise Wall and Mick O'Farrell were found dead in their apartment in the newly built Verdemont complex in west Dublin by Louise's brother Shane. Questions were asked about how safe the building was but these questions, including some from the jury of a coroner's court, were never fully answered.In 2017 another fire resulted in the discovery of major fire safety defects in the construction. Louise's mother Margaret Wall and Margaret's husband Richard Brady spoke to the podcast about the tragedy, their sense of injustice and the further tragedy of Shane's death that they attribute to the trauma he suffered after discovering his sister's body.They also talk about whether there would be a different reaction to a fatal fire today in light of all we now know about building practices from the Celtic Tiger years. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The environmental group Extinction Rebellion have lost faith in the willingness of government and or the capacity of conventional governments to tackle climate change. On October 7 the Irish chapter of the group intends to bring the centre of Dublin to a standstill for a week as part of a campaign of civil disobedience in capital cities across the world. The group is demanding immediate action to eliminate carbon emissions and, as they see it, tell the public the truth about a planet in the grip of devastating climate change. Paul McCormack Cooney, a member of Extinction Rebellion, spoke to the podcast about the group's philosophy, tactics, attitude to democracy and why he, a middle aged father of two, got involved in a rebellion. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gerard Mannix Flynn is a survivor of Ireland's industrial school system, a renowned performing artist and writer, and, for the last decade, a Dublin City councillor.Next month his autobiographical film Land Without God goes on release. The film comes twenty years after his groundbreaking theatrical production, James X.He spoke to the podcast about his early life, his struggles with and recovery from addiction, and his politics. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ken Mayers and Tarak Kauff arrived in Ireland from the USA last March intent on a brief visit to support friends protesting against the US military using Shannon Airport. They were arrested and now face a trial for criminal damage. Their passports have been confiscated and they are confined to this country until their trial. They spoke to the Mick Clifford podcast about lives of activism, their families back home and how they have survived since arriving in the country. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Mick Clifford Podcast 06/09/2019Mr Brexit Goes To Westminister.In a tumultuous week in UK politics, in which the government lost control of its Brexit agenda, we profile Boris Johnson. From Oxford scholarship boy to journalist who invented stories about ludicrous laws and mores in Europe, on to Mayor of London and finally to the job that he had coveted since childhood.In his first full week in Westminister, he managed to lose crucial votes, his working majority and over twenty long standing party MPs. Is the only way up from here? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.