The Women's Podcast

• Greta Thunberg sets sail for Gaza / Mary Ann Kenny on loss, psychosis and healing

  It was a bright afternoon in April 2015 when Mary Ann Kenny, a university lecturer, received a call that changed her life in an instant. Her husband John, with whom she had two young sons, had collapsed while out jogging and died at the age of 60. Struggling to cope with the sudden loss and the loneliness that engulfed her life in the aftermath, Kenny's grief soon turned to depression, which later progressed into psychotic delusions.In her new memoir, The Episode, Kenny details her descent into psychosis, her hospitalisation, and her journey back to health and happiness. In this episode, she talks to Róisín Ingle about the impact of her husband’s death, the trauma of her psychiatric treatment, and how she has made sense of her mental health crisis.But first, Irish Times reporter Ella Sloane joins us to discuss some of the biggest stories of the week, including Greta Thunberg’s aid mission to Gaza and what new research has revealed about the happiness levels of Irish teenagers.To enter our live book club event, go to Irishtimes.com/events Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• The Macron 'wife shove' / Talking periods with Dr Hazel Wallace

  What do you really know about the menstrual cycle? Can you tell your follicular from your luteal phase? Can masturbation ease period pains and why do so many women get the dreaded ‘period poo’? To answer all these questions and more we’re joined this week by Dr Hazel Wallace, medical doctor, nutritionist, and author of Not Just A Period, a groundbreaking new book that seeks to understand the entire menstrual cycle, not just the few days each month we bleed. In this episode, Dr Wallace tells Róisín Ingle why periods are still so poorly understood, the benefits of tracking each phase of your cycle and when to seek advice from your doctor. She also talks about her own experience with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), her decision to freeze her eggs and why she left the NHS to focus on nutrition and female health. But first, Bernice Harrison is here to discuss some of the biggest stories of the week including the viral shove of French President Emmanuel Macron by his wife Brigette. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• Kit de Waal on identity and belonging / Starving children of Gaza

  This week, we’re joined by the brilliant Kit de Waal novelist, memoirist, and fierce advocate for working-class voices in literature. In conversation with Roisin Ingle, de Waal discusses her powerful new novel The Best of Everything, set in 1970s and 1980s England, which follows the interwoven lives of a single mother, her son, and their neighbours as they navigate grief, love, and survival.Best known for her acclaimed debut My Name is Leon, de Waal also shares insights from her 2022 memoir Without Warning and Only Sometimes, where she recounts her unconventional upbringing as the daughter of a Caribbean father and an Irish Jehovah’s Witness mother. From the fear of a prophesied Armageddon in 1975 to the complexities of faith, identity, and family, the writer reflects on the experiences that shaped her and how they now shape her fiction.This is a moving, sharp, and sometimes darkly funny conversation about resilience, storytelling, and what it means to find your place in the world. Also on today's episode, Niamh Towey joins us to discuss the stories of the week including Gaza, where the UN has said the lives of thousands of children are at risk due to malnutrition. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• Jacqueline Connolly: ‘I didn’t know what coercive control was until my family were killed’

  In 2016, Clodagh Hawe and her three sons, Liam (13), Niall (11) and Ryan (6) were murdered in their Co Cavan home, by their husband and father Alan Hawe, who took his own life shortly after. It was and still is Ireland’s largest murder-suicide and the brutal killings sent shockwaves throughout the country. In her book, Deadly Silence, Clodagh’s younger sister Jacqueline Connolly, gives her account of the circumstances leading up to the mass murder and how her brother-in-law, Hawe, coercively controlled and manipulated her unsuspecting sister. In this episode, Connolly talks to Róisín Ingle about the person Clodagh was, the relationship the pair had growing up and how their bond changed when Hawe entered their lives. She also talks about her family’s painful search for answers in the aftermath of the killings and the critical failures in the initial Garda investigation. But first, Irish Times Opinion editor Jennifer O’Connell is here to discuss some of the biggest stories of the week, including the conviction for sexual assault of actor Gérard Depardieu. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• Down with that ‘skort’ of thing / Celebrating Tina Turner

  Two years ago this month, Tina Turner died at the age of 83 at her home in Switzerland. The global superstar and rock icon had a career spanning more than five decades. Although she retired from performing in her late 60s, one of her final projects was to collaborate on Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, which debuted in London’s West End in 2018. This month the show comes to Dublin’s Bord Gáis Energy Theatre for a two week run and in this episode Róisín Ingle speaks to some of the cast members, Jochebel Ohene MacCarthy who plays the role of Tina Turner and choreographer Simone Mistry Palmer. But first, Irish Times opinion editor Jennifer O’Connoll is here to discuss some of the biggest stories of the week, including the camogie skorts row, the latest from the papal conclave and Prince Harry’s recent security woes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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