“I don’t think Martin McGuinness and Gerry Adams had any appetite for violence at all”
In his book, Stakeknife’s Dirty War, the former H-Block prisoner, Richard O’Rawe, provides the inside story on Freddie Scappaticci. In an interview with Dion Fanning, he explores the many lives of Scappaticci, his own experience as a prisoner during the hunger strikes, and his views on Martin McGuinness and Gerry Adams as they pursued peace, viewed as “treachery in a pristine sense” by many republicans.
“We are trying to improve turnaround time, so that a patient gets results quicker and gets their minds put at ease quicker”
Deciphex, the virtual diagnostics company led by academic turned entrepreneur Donal O'Shea, is applying Artificial Intelligence algorithms to pathology, a discipline that hasn't changed much in its physicality over the last century. In this podcast, he talks to Rosanna Cooney about speeding up the diagnostic process and presenting pathologists with an alternate career path.
“The way he defuses that is by saying this country has a history of exporting people, it’s about time we use that.”
In this podcast Jonathan Wilson talks to Dion Fanning about his new book on Jack and Bobby Charlton. In his post playing career Jack became a huge figure, while Bobby became an emblem of the glory and tragedy of Manchester United. He was an old fashioned figure, to whom, as Wilson says in this podcast, the career of George Best could almost seem like a personal rebuke. But he also became a wealthy man.
“Why do we not want chefs taking up permanent residency but we do want architects?”
WeHaveChefs is constructing a fast-track corridor between the kitchens of south-east Asia and the restaurants of Ireland to plug the gaping hole that Covid-19 left in the hospitality industry. In this podcast, Paddy Lynn, the business's co-founder, talks to Rosanna Cooney about streamlining the process and what the government can do to help the industry survive.
“Rose saw things in blinkered terms – you were either marginalised or part of the establishment”
Sean O'Driscoll has written an extraordinarily detailed book on the life of Rose Dugdale. Heiress, Rebel, Vigilante, Bomber is centred around the many interviews Dugdale did with the author, who speaks to Dion Fanning about her contradictions, earning her trust and being savaged on Liveline for the book.
“The general philosophy of the Dutch is that we share our streets”
Adriaan Palm, the ambassador of the Netherlands to Ireland, says that almost every meeting he has with Irish officials and citizens throws up questions on his country’s ability to adopt cycling and other sustainable transport options. In this far-reaching interview on Dutch-Irish economic relations, he reveals that environmental issues have taken over from corporation tax and Brexit at the top of the diplomatic agenda and discusses investment from the Netherlands in Ireland, including the new €200 million cheese joint venture between Glanbia Co-op and Royal A-Ware in Co Kilkenny.
“We are witnessing climate policy failure in real time and it’s been a disappointment from start to finish.”
Thomas Hubert and Stephen Kinsella talk to Dion Fanning about the deal reached within the government about reduction in emissions from the agriculture sector and why without leadership the same problems will return.
“The idea that consumers have to repeatedly share their most sensitive information, often through insecure channels, to prove their identity, is archaic.”
Cork company Valid8Me has developed reusable identity software that it claims allows financial institutions and professional services firms to onboard new customers in a cheaper and quicker way than anyone else in the market. Grant Thornton believes in the product, and the accountancy firm has just taken a majority stake in the company for €12.5 million. In this podcast with Ian Kehoe, co-founder and CEO Patrick Horgan explains how the deal came about and outlines his plan to expand in the UK and the US. He also talks about the business of compliance, know-your-customer regulations and the company’s “atypical” journey.
“The real problem for Britain has nothing to do with Brexit, it’s this constant low productivity.”
In his book Chums, Simon Kuper explored the link between Oxford University and the elite that has ruled in the UK, primarily in the Conservative Party. That elite, through Boris Johnson, Dominic Cummings and other, also created Brexit. In this podcast, Kuper talks to Dion Fanning about the contenders for the leadership, Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss, two products of Oxford and two nostalgists for the glory days of Margaret Thatcher.
“I think the biggest takeaway from Tokyo is that when you get out of that scarcity mindset, a lot of curiosity and creative positive thinking is possible”
Prosperity is a devil's bargain. You get higher wages. But your rent goes up, your commute gets longer, and your traditional culture gets replaced by an insipid global one.
According to Joe McReynolds, this is why Tokyo deserves our attention. In a podcast with Sean Keyes, the urban studies expert and author of Emergent Tokyo explains how it is a rich, growing city with high wages and low unemployment, and seemingly immune from many of prosperity's unpleasant side effects - rents in Tokyo are about 40 per cent lower than in Dublin. McReynolds also explains how the city has managed to preserve its culture and old ways of life.
“The word ‘nationalist’ has certain connotations. I would certainly say that Abe was a patriot. He wanted Japan to be a normal country.”
The assassination of Shinzo Abe has stunned Japan. The week since his death has led to an examination of his legacy as well as more reflection on the shocking nature of his killing. Gearoid Reidy is an Irish journalist who is a columnist for Bloomberg based in Japan. He talked in this podcast to Dion Fanning about the legacy of Shinzo Abe, both culturally and economically and how his life and death were wrapped up in his family history.