The Women's Podcast

It’s hard to believe the last time Wallis Bird was on the podcast was nearly five years ago in 2019. Since then, the Berlin-based musician has released two more albums, the latest of which, Visions of Venus, was released last month. It’s a creative collaboration with the German classical quintet Spark, and together they are showcasing 1000 years of female composers from Clara Schumann to Kate Bush, Enya to Hildegard von Bingen. In this wide-ranging conversation with Róisín Ingle, Bird talks about the women at the centre of this ambitious album and what their music means to her. She also shares the details of her ongoing renovation project, turning a derelict farmhouse in rural Germany into a house for herself and five others, and she talks about the grief and shock at losing her best friend suddenly last December. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last November, Pastiche, a pop singer-songwriter from Malahide in Co Dublin was diagnosed with endometriosis, more than a decade after her first symptoms of the condition developed. While the diagnosis itself came as a relief, the 26-year-old was told she may face difficulties when trying to conceive later on. This ultimately led to her decision to freeze her eggs, as a sort of "insurance policy” for her fertility. In this conversation with Kathy Sheridan, Pastiche talks about the egg freezing process, what she wishes she knew going into it and how she’s used her music to share her personal story. We also hear from Edwina Oakes, chairperson of the Irish Fertility Counsellors Association, who discusses the reasons behind the rising numbers of women freezing their eggs and explains who she typically sees going forward for the procedure. Pastiche’s new song Forfeit Control is out now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does narcissism in mothers look like? According to psychotherapists Helen Villiers and Katie McKenna, the narcissistic mother can be “extremely critical, condescending, oppressive and very judgmental”, with devastating impacts for the entire family. They can also use covert or insidious tactics: taking on a victim role or using guilt tripping or stonewalling to get their way. In this episode, Villiers and McKenna join Róisín Ingle to discuss the main traits of maternal narcissism, how it can impact families and how to heal the emotional scars that come with being a child of narcissistic parents. Their new book You’re Not the Problem: The impact of narcissism and emotional abuse and how to heal is out now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Róisín Ingle talks to debut author Rebecca Ivory about her new collection of short stories Free Therapy. The book takes its name from the second story in the collection, but the theme of therapy is there throughout; Ivory’s own therapist even gets a mention in the acknowledgements. The collection takes us into the lives of people who “keep making the same mistakes over and over again”, but for a variety of reasons are unable to change. It’s about unfulfilling jobs, unfulfilling men, desire and connection and has also been endorsed by Sally Rooney. In this conversation, Ivory talks about finding the confidence to pursue her creative dreams, how her family and working-class background shaped her and how she juggles working full time and writing her first novel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Simone Gannon is a content creator, digital marketing expert and the new beauty writer at the Irish Times. Since the beginning of the new year, she’s been entertaining us with her weekly beauty column, where she experiments with the latest trends, imparts her wisdom on all things skincare and makeup and shares her favourite beauty buys. In this episode, Gannon speaks to Róisín Ingle about how to look after your skin at any age, the must have items for the ultimate skin care routine and the beauty products she purchases time and time again. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

March is Endometriosis Awareness Month, so in this episode, we want to highlight the experience of two women living with the condition. Dearbhail Ormond is an entrepreneur and mother of one, with stage four endometriosis, who waited a staggering 18 years to get a diagnosis after seeing more than 20 doctors. Ormond tells Aideen Finnegan about her struggle to find answers to her pain and how it ultimately led her to found ‘frendo app’, a platform for tracking symptoms and to provide support to others navigating the condition. We also hear from Johanna Huber, a physiotherapist and yoga teacher based in Co Cork, who also spent many years being misdiagnosed. Huber discusses the surgeries she underwent to treat her pain, how she helps other women ease their symptoms through movement and relaxation and why she eventually sought medical treatment abroad. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s World Poetry Day today, so what better way to celebrate it than with one of our favourite poets and friend of the show, Jan Brierton. In this episode, Brierton, a self-described ‘accidental’ poet, joins Róisín Ingle to talk about her new book, Everybody Is A Poem. It’s s beautiful collection covering themes of love, loss, menopause, midlife, the mental load, self-acceptance, and much more. Brierton talks about the real-life events which inspired her latest batch of poetry and recites a couple of her favourites. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tilly Cripwell, a 22 year-old musician, who regularly performs beside the Molly Malone statue in Dublin, is on a mission to stop people from inappropriately touching the sculpture’s breasts. In this episode, Cripwell tells Róisín Ingle how she’s launched the ‘Leave Molly mAlone’ campaign with the aim of stopping this “misogynistic” tradition and to protest against the mockery and objectification of the city’s beloved statue. Later on, we’ll also be hearing about another worthy campaign, called ‘Leave our Leave’, run by the Irish Cancer Society. It focuses on the 60 women each year in Ireland, who receive a cancer diagnosis during or just after their pregnancy, who are not able to defer their maternity leave during this period. That’s despite men being able to defer their paternity leave following a diagnosis. To understand why this is the case and how it directly impacts women, Kathy Sheridan speaks to cancer survivor Emma McGuinness and CEO of the Irish cancer society Averil Power. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This International Women’s Day, we are turning our attention to the plight of Palestinian women and children. So far, more than 30,000 people have been killed in the ongoing conflict in Gaza, the majority of which have been women and children. The UN and Human Rights Watch have called it a “war on women”, with an average of 63 women killed every single day, mostly in their own homes. There are also around 50,000 pregnant women in Gaza, with 180 per day giving birth in unimaginable conditions. To talk about the current situation in Palestine and the difficulties of getting aid to those who need it most, Róisín Ingle is joined by Fikr Shalltoot, a Gazan woman and director with Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP). We also hear from MayKay Geraghty, musician and member of the Irish Artists for Palestine collective, who, on March 15th, will release a stunning cover of Sinead O’Connors ‘Black Boys on Mopeds’, to raise much needed funds for the Lajee Centre in the Aida refugee camp in the West Bank. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On International Women’s Day this year, March 8th, the Irish public will be asked to vote in two upcoming referendums. The first referendum concerns the definition of family as outlined in the Irish Constitution and proposes expanding the definition to recognise durable relationships. The second referendum proposes the removal of the reference to women’s duties in the home, instead replacing it with language recognising care within the family. To explore all sides of the arguments on the yes and no side, Róisín Ingle is joined by former barrister and journalist Laura Perrins and visual artist Aideen Barry. Irish Times political correspondent Jennifer Bray is also here to set out what voters are being asked, what the changes will mean and what concerns have been raised regarding the amendments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Kathy Sheridan is joined by British author and journalist Sarah Gristwood, who has just released her new book, Secret Voices: A Year of Women’s Diaries. It’s a captivating collection of diary entries from women, looking back over four centuries, to discover how their experience of everyday life has changed down the years and also how it hasn’t. It includes entries from some remarkable women like Virginia Woolf, Oprah Winfrey, Anne Frank, Louisa May Alcott and even Queen Victoria. In this conversation, Gristwood talks about the inspiration behind the collection, the common themes that pop up throughout like anger, frustration and lust and what these intimate musings have taught her about the variety and richness of the female experience. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Being a perfectionist may sound like a good thing, but don’t let the name fool you. A perfectionist’s life is far from perfect. If you are one, or you know one well, you’ll likely know of the debilitating effects that can come with a perfectionist’s constant quest for excellence. So why does it manifest and who is more likely to struggle with it? To explore this world of impossibly high standards. Kathy Sheridan is joined by clinical hypnotherapist Fiona Brennan and author and writer Edel Coffey. Brennan explains what causes perfectionism, why more women than men are likely to suffer from it and the ways we can overcome it, while Coffey shares her personal experience of being a perfectionist, how it has affected different aspects of her life and the joy of finally letting go. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today’s episode, we’re dusting off our ‘cúpla focal’ and talking about the joys of Gaeilge with two Irish language innovators, Mollie Guidera, aka Múinteoir Mollie and comedian Áine Gallagher. But, don’t worry, you don’t need to have any Irish to enjoy this conversation. Guidera, an online Irish teacher tells Róisin Ingle how she discovered her passion for teaching at the age of seven, showing her American cousins how to speak a few Irish words over Thanksgiving dinner. We also hear how despite getting kicked out of Irish college in her very first year, her love for the language never faltered. Gallagher, who brings Irish into her comedy routines explains how a new year's resolution to speak it everyday set her on path to become ‘Ireland’s only guerrilla Irish language enthusiast’. The pair talk about their passion for our native tongue, what can be done to improve the way it’s taught in schools and why they're on a mission to make Gaeilge great again. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today’s episode, we’re dusting off our ‘cúpla focal’ and talking about the joys of Gaeilge with two Irish language innovators, Mollie Guidera, aka Múinteoir Mollie and comedian Áine Gallagher. But, don’t worry, you don’t need to have any Irish to enjoy this conversation. Guidera, an online Irish teacher tells Róisin Ingle how she discovered her passion for teaching at the age of seven, showing her American cousins how to speak a few Irish words over Thanksgiving dinner. We also hear how despite getting kicked out of Irish college in her very first year, her love for the language never faltered. Gallagher, who brings Irish into her comedy routines explains how a new year's resolution to speak it everyday set her on path to become ‘Ireland’s only guerrilla Irish language enthusiast’. The pair talk about their passion for our native tongue, what can be done to improve the way it’s taught in schools and why they're on a mission to make Gaeilge great again. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Kathy Sheridan is joined by British academic and author Clair Wills. In her new book Missing Persons, Or My Grandmother’s Secrets, Wills brings the reader on an intimate journey through her family history and lays bare the brutal treatment of Ireland’s unmarried mothers. The wheels were set in motion for this book in the early 90s, when Wills learned of her long lost cousin Mary, born in Bessborough mother and baby home in Cork in the 1950s. Bessborough was only a few miles down the road from where Wills had spent idyllic childhood summers on her grandmother Molly’s farm. In this episode, she talks to Kathy Sheridan about the inherent shame and guilt that reinforced this culture of secret keeping in Ireland, the challenges of piecing together her family history and why, despite initial reservations, she felt compelled to tell their story. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Breakdown is the debut novel from author and former English teacher Cathy Sweeney. It tells the story of a disillusioned mother, living in a leafy suburb in Dublin, who leaves her house one morning and never returns. In this episode, Sweeney tells Róisín Ingle how she came to write Breakdown and reflects on the stories women still don’t openly tell about themselves even in modern liberal Ireland. In this wide ranging conversation, Sweeney also talks about her childhood spent moving from place to place, how becoming a mother at 18 shaped her life and why she’s turning her attention to Oscar Wilde for her next writing project. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we are joined by two young black-Irish women who have excelled in their respective fields of law and medicine, despite plenty of obstacles along the way. Trainee solicitor Inny Ekeolu and second year medical student Aghogho Okpara talk to Róisín Ingle about their career ambitions, tackling imposter syndrome and the importance of representation. They also speak about changes they’d like to see in their industries and how they ignored those who told them to “aim lower”. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we are joined by two young black-Irish women who have excelled in their respective fields of law and medicine, despite plenty of obstacles along the way. Trainee solicitor Inny Ekeolu and second year medical student Aghogho Okpara talk to Róisín Ingle about their career ambitions, tackling imposter syndrome and the importance of representation. They also speak about changes they’d like to see in their industries and how they ignored those who told them to “aim lower”. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

All singing, all dancing duo Honey and Lemon are bringing their new show Double Act to the Project Arts Theatre on January 18th. It’s a whistle-stop tour of the history of women in entertainment. Think French & Saunders, The Cheeky Girls and Thelma & Louise. Honey and Lemon consists of Millie Daniel-Dempsey and Amy Robyn Lyster, two multidisciplinary entertainers who experiment with dance, voice and film to blur the boundaries of contemporary dance. In this episode, the pair speak to Róisín Ingle about the inspiration behind the show, their work as artists in residence at the Civic Theatre Tallaght and how movement can do wonders for the mind and body. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, as we ease into the rhythm of a brand new year, we are taking the opportunity to bring you some highlights from your favourite episodes of The Women’s Podcast in 2023. You’ll hear Marian Keyes sharing some learnings on life as she celebrated her 60th birthday, author and academic Katriona O’Sullivan on how a chance encounter transformed her life, plus columnist Caitlin Moran on the worrying rise of Andrew Tate. There’s also a snippet from our interview with Sinéad O’Connor recorded during the promotion of her memoir Rememberings, plus a lesson on botox from journalist and broadcaster Sali Hughes. If there is a subject you’d like us to cover on the podcast in 2024, please get in touch with us thewomenspodcast@irishtimes.com or DM us on Twitter or Instagram at @itwomenspodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.