Who are the Healy-Raes? Do they represent all that is wrong with Irish politics or are they smarter and better at their job than most? A new documentary charts their journey from the time after the last election when Michael Healy-Rae became a minister to the astonishing days when he resigned from government. Dion Fanning talks to filmmaker Jerry Kennelly.
We all know people who proselytise about the benefits of sea swimming but Chris Ballard went further. In his new book The Plunge, he ended up researching the world of ice swimming , then taking the research a step further, becoming an ice swimmer himself. He talks to Dion Fanning about the science and the joy, as well as the pain.
Donal Casey has written a book which tells his life story but it does a lot more too. In today’s podcast he talks to Dion Fanning about working with Rory McIlroy, celebrity, how to help the next generation and what a lifetime in management told him about Saipan.
John S Doyle and his wife found an unremarkable site in Sligo and from it, over the course of a lifetime, planted trees, watched a wood grow and an orchard take shape. Doyle was also a journalist in Dublin during that time, a founder of In Dublin magazine and the possessor of one of the most identifiable voices on Irish radio. He speaks to Dion Fanning about his career and his memoir of the Sligo transformation.
Jason Corcoran wanted to be a foreign correspondent. He moved to Moscow in 2006 and found a place alive with possibility. Even then, you had to ignore certain realities. But after the annexation of Crimea, Putin’s Russia changed. Soon Corcoran and his family would have to choose exile, like a million Russians. He talks to Dion Fanning about his new book and why he can’t return to Russia.
When Jeffrey Donaldson was found guilty of all charges in a Newry Crown Court, it brought to an end one of the most appalling cases in recent history. Donaldson had pleaded not guilty but a jury found that he had committed multiple sex offences, including rape, against two women when they were children. In today’s podcast, a founding member of the DUP, Wallace Thompson, talks to Dion Fanning about the horrific case and what, if anything, Donaldson’s conviction means for unionism.
It is a topic that affects every household, every saver and every investor. But the relationship between inflation, risk and long-term financial planning is often misunderstood. For much of the decade following the global financial crisis, inflation seemed like a problem of the past – interest rates remained exceptionally low, cash deposits felt safe, and many people became accustomed to an environment where a rising cost of living wasn’t a major concern. But in recent years, we have been reminded that inflation never truly disappears. It can quietly erode purchasing power, it can diminish the value of savings, and it can significantly damage long-term financial outcomes. To unpack the issues around inflation, Ian Kehoe is joined in studio by Paul Callan, an investment strategist with the global wealth management firm Quilter Cheviot.
This interview is a marketing communication and is for general information only. It is not personal advice or a recommendation to invest. The value of investments can go down as well as up, and you may not get back what you invest. Past performance is not a reliable guide to future results. Quilter Cheviot Europe Limited is authorised and regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.
This podcast is partner content and has been produced in association with Quilter Cheviot.
Pope Leo spoke forcefully about the war in Iran and earned Donald Trump’s displeasure. His biographer Fr Michael Collins talks to Dion Fanning about what motivates a man his friends consider bland and the issues and intellectual obsessions that drive him.
What next for Sinn Féin? Since the by-election in Dublin Central and Galway West, the party has been scrutinised. Where does it stand on immigration? Is it moving away from the other left wing parties? Eoin Ó Broin talks to Dion Fanning and makes a case for the progressives.
Once We Were Punks tells the story of The Sons of Southern Ulster, a band made up of a group of friends from Bailieboro Co Cavan who form a band many decades after its first iteration disbanded. Film-maker Frank Shouldice talks to Dion Fanning about this story of life and loss.
Shane Ross’s new book takes a long view of the RTÉ crisis of 2023, identifying tensions and tussles that existed before RTÉ even launched in 1961. But what could have been done differently and how will RTÉ adapt to a changing world with a diminished reputation? Ross talks to Dion Fanning on today’s podcast.
