The Women's Podcast
The Irish Times
300 episodes
A female take on Ireland and the world. Hosted by Róisín Ingle, the show is packed full of feminism, humour, health, politics, sex, storytelling, relationships and more. The podcast is produced by Suzanne Brennan.
More about the show
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Episodes page 1 of 6
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Joanne McNally on Jimmy Fallon / Dr Shefali on raising conscious children
In today’s episode, Róisín Ingle is joined by clinical psychologist, parenting expert and bestselling author Dr Shefali to talk about raising children in the algorithm era. Dr Shefali’s work regularly appears on the…
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Girls is back / Roisin Kiberd on botox, beauty and blending in
In her new book of essays, The Most Normal Woman, writer Roisin Kiberd examines society’s obsession with beauty and the lengths people go to to keep up appearances. Kiberd argues that many of the things we do in…
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The ‘Cornell 7’ case / Dearbhla Mescal live from Electric Picnic
In today’s episode, we’re bringing you highlights from a conversation with writer and poet Dearbhla Mescal that was recorded live at this year’s Electric Picnic. Mescal joined Róisin Ingle on stage at the Wild Words…
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Louise O’Neill on heartbreak, healing and starting again
Author Louise O’Neill was 37-years old, when her five-year relationship came to an end in January 2023. Suddenly, the future she had imagined for herself with marriage, children and a home by the sea in Wicklow,…
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Bonus Episode: Caitríona Balfe on Sense & Sensibility
The new adaptation of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility opened in Irish cinemas last weekend. The period drama tells the story of two sisters - Elinor and Marianne Dashwood - as they navigate relationships, love and…
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Nikita Hand: Not the Perfect Victim
In December 2024, MMA fighter and businessman Conor McGregor was found liable by a civil High Court jury for sexually assaulting Nikita Hand in a Dublin hotel in December 2018. In the years since, Hand has lived…
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Drummer Seeks Musicians: Listen to Róisín Ingle's new podcast series about U2
Today we're sharing the opening episode of a three-part series by Róisín Ingle that tells the untold origin story of U2. We hope you enjoy it. The full series can be found on irishtimes.com, or wherever you get your…
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Denise Chaila / New podcast reveal
This week on The Women’s Podcast, Róisín Ingle meets award-winning rapper, singer, poet and spoken-word artist Denise Chaila. After a meteoric rise that saw her win the Choice Music Prize and become one of the most…
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Mary McAleese vs The GAA / Justine Megan
Today’s guest is a woman who has managed to combine two worlds that you don’t exactly put together every day: the law and stand-up comedy. Justine Megan is a solicitor, comedian and performer, and she’s bringing her…
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Kyla Cobbler on love, laughter and living the dream
In 2021, comedian Kyla Cobbler performed her first ever stand-up gig at an open mic night in Barcelona. Five years on, the Cork woman has become the second ever Irish comedian to headline Dublin's 3Arena, bringing her…
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Miss You: The Dublin Fringe show inspired by Ireland’s missing women
Dublin's Fringe Festival is just around the corner and over the next couple of weeks we’ll be highlighting some brilliant shows by women that feature in this year's programme. In today’s episode we’re joined by…
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Vicki Notaro on anxiety, creativity and being childfree / TikTok Joyriders
'Anywhere but Here' is the new novel from Irish author and former journalist Vicki Notaro. The book follows three friends in their 40s who take a trip to Donegal for some much-needed soul searching. In this episode…
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The rise of 'pervert glasses' / Making sense of Matrescence
Later this month, The Women’s Podcast will be recording a live episode at Electric Picnic in Co Laois, with Róisín Ingle in conversation with special guest Dearbhla Mescal. You can catch us in the Mindfield area on…
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Ailín Kennedy: ADHD in Irish Women
ADHD coach Ailín Kennedy was 32 years old when she was diagnosed with the condition. Having struggled for years with her mental health Kennedy went to therapy, attended her GP and was referred to psychiatrists, but…
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Best of The Women's Podcast: Grieving an estranged parent
This episode was originally published in February 2026. In today’s episode, we’re covering a topic that isn’t often spoken about, but is estimated to affect around one in four families: family estrangement. It’s a…
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Best of The Women's Podcast: Joanne McNally
Joanne McNally on midlife, monogamy and making history at the 3Arena This episode was originally published in March 2026. In today’s episode, Róisín Ingle is joined by the brilliant Joanne McNally. The comedian and…
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Louise Brangan: Inside Ireland’s Magdalene Laundries
Throughout the 20th century in Ireland, thousands of women and girls were sent to work in Magdalene Laundries all across the country. By 1951, for every 100,000 women in Ireland, 70 were locked away in a laundry,…
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Author Lily King on the unexpected success of ‘Heart the Lover’
Back in March, The Women’s Podcast book club read Heart the Lover by American author Lily King. The story which tells of a complicated love triangle between college students Jordan, Yash and Sam, was adored by each of…
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MEP Maria Walsh on becoming a single mother by choice
Fine Gael MEP Maria Walsh always wanted to become a mother and spent years hoping she’d meet the right person to start a family with. By 2024 however, Walsh was done waiting and she decided to embark upon solo…
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Katriona O'Sullivan / Oklahoma!
In this episode, psychologist & bestselling author Katriona O’Sullivan joins Kathy Sheridan to discuss her new memoir Hungry: A Biography of My Body. The book follows on from her award-winning debut Poor, this time…
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Bonus episode: Claire Keegan Q&A
Earlier this month, author Claire Keegan joined The Women’s Podcast bookclub for a live event at Chapters Bookstore in Dublin to discuss her favourite summer reading recommendations. In today’s bonus episode, we’re…
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'Gwynocide' / Love in the age of AI / Maggie O'Farrell
In today’s episode, best-selling author Maggie O’Farrell joins Róisín Ingle to discuss her new book Land. Set in the 1800s - in the aftermath of the Irish famine - the novel tells the story of a father and his…
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The Book Club: Summer reading recommendations with Claire Keegan
Last week the Women’s Podcast book club gathered for a live event in Chapters Bookstore in Dublin to discuss what books they’ll be packing with them on their summer holidays. Celebrated author Claire Keegan was the…
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Festival women / Sally Hayden on love during wartime
Summer is finally upon us and that means festival season is officially here. In today’s episode, we meet a pair of women behind two of Ireland’s most exciting festivals, Beyond the Pale and Kaleidoscope. Jenny Jennings…
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Ailbhe Smyth: Life lessons on turning 80
Academic, activist and friend of the show Ailbhe Smyth is turning 80 this Friday 29th May. To mark the occasion and to celebrate all her achievements, we invited Smyth back on the Women’s Podcast to share her life…
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Surge in women seeking help for cocaine addiction / Emer McLysaght & Sarah Breen
Almost three years on from their final Aisling book, writers and besties Emer McLysaght and Sarah Breen are back with a brand new novel, Our Deadly Summer. It’s a heartfelt and hilarious tale about friendship, young…
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Jan Carson on the Troubles, trauma and faith
In today’s episode, Róisín Ingle is joined by award-winning Northern Irish writer Jan Carson, who has just released her ninth book, Few and Far Between. Set on a fictional archipelago in Lough Neagh, the novel blends…
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The decline in marriage rates, Met Gala moments, Jan Brierton
Fifty-year-old mother of two and stylist Jan Brierton became an accidental poet during the pandemic and has since become a regular on The Women’s Podcast. Her bestselling collections, What Day Is It? and Everybody is a…
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Free travel for domestic abuse victims / Women of Iran
While the war in the Middle East dominates the daily headlines - from peace talks to the price of oil - far less attention is given to the lived experiences of ordinary Iranians. These are the people who are living…
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The women of the 1926 census / Walking the Camino
This May, 13 members of the Sea of Change choir will spend five days walking a Camino in Portugal. The choir, which is based in Dublin, is made up of cancer survivors and supporters. Formed in 2018, they have performed…
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The Book Club: A Beautiful Loan by Mary Costello
This month the book club is reading A Beautiful Loan by Mary Costello, as chosen by bookclubber Niamh Towey. The novel follows Anna Hughes, who , from the vantage of middle age, examines her life and the choices she…
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Caroline Foran on anxiety, self-compassion and ASMR
Bestselling author and podcaster Caroline Foran is back with her fourth book, Everything I Wish I’d Known about Anxiety. The book is for anyone struggling with anxiety who is unsure how or where to begin the healing…
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Women in space / Louise O’Neill on fame, fate and turning 40
Author Louise O’Neill is back with her sixth novel, Whatever Happened to Madeline Stone? It’s a gripping page‑turner about the dark side of the entertainment industry, focusing on child star twins Madeline and Chelsea,…
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Martina and Ammi Burke arrest / Learning to drive later in life
What is it like learning to drive in your 50s? In today’s episode, we hear from journalist June Shannon who passed her driving test at the age of 54. For years, Shannon avoided driving due to anxiety, having failed a…
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Northern Ireland’s alarming femicide rate / Exposing a global ‘rape academy’
In 2024, the mass‑rape trial of Dominique Pelicot - who was tried alongside 50 other French men - shocked the world. The father of three was found guilty of drugging and raping his wife, Gisèle, over a ten‑year period,…
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Fact to fiction: Jen Bray and Tanya Sweeney on becoming novelists
For journalists Tanya Sweeney and Jen Bray, 2026 has been a very exciting year so far. In January, Sweeney published her debut novel, Esther is Now Following You, while Bray published her debut crime thriller, The Lies…
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Joanne McNally on midlife, monogamy and making history at the 3Arena
In today’s episode, Róisín Ingle is joined by the brilliant Joanne McNally. The comedian and podcaster dropped by the studio to talk about her newly announced date at Dublin’s 3Arena and how she’s made history as the…
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The digital war on women (and how to fight back)
This Sunday 8th March is International Women’s Day and to mark the occasion, The Women’s Podcast hosted a live podcast recording at Chapters Bookstore in Dublin this week. On the night, Róisín Ingle was joined by DCU…
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The Book Club: Heart the Lover by Lily King
This month on The Women’s Podcast Book Club, Bernice Harrison, Niamh Towey, Róisín Ingle, and Ann Ingle are discussing Heart the Lover by American author Lily King. The story follows ‘Jordan’, a bright, ambitious…
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Is Wuthering Heights any good? / The Irish Times Debate
This week, the grand final of the Irish Times Debate will take place in Dublin, where teams will debate the motion: This house believes the United Nations has had its day. The debating competition was founded in 1960…
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U2’s new feminist EP / Inside America’s Next Top Model
When America’s Next Top Model arrived on our screens in 2003, it was an instant hit with viewers around the world. The reality TV competition, hosted by supermodel Tyra Banks, saw young aspiring models compete for the…
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The Epstein files / Grieving an estranged parent
In today’s episode, we’re covering a topic that isn’t often spoken about, but is estimated to affect around one in four families: family estrangement. It’s a subject that writer and Irish Times contributor Laura…
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Is Lucy Letby innocent? / The challenges facing lone migrant parents
Last month, Action Aid Ireland published a new report highlighting the challenges that lone migrant parents, mainly women, experience when they leave state accommodation. Many face discrimination, unaffordable rents…
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Motherhood over 40 / Who was Brigid?
This Sunday 1st February is St Brigid’s Day and to celebrate the occasion we’re learning all about Brigid - the woman, the myth, the legend - from author and writer Kim Curran. Curran has just published her new book…
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The Book Club: Flesh by David Szalay
This month on The Women’s Podcast Book Club, Bernice Harrison, Niamh Towey, Róisín Ingle, and Ann Ingle are discussing Flesh by David Szalay. The book follows the life of István - an emotionally detached Hungarian man…
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Beckham family feud / The inside story of Ozempic
Although Ozempic and other weight-loss drugs may seem like a relatively new phenomenon, their origins actually stretch back to the mid 1980s. Back then, scientists were searching for an alternative treatment for…
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The women against Iran’s regime
In late December, merchants and shopkeepers in Iran took to the streets to protest against the dire economic situation in the country. Since then, thousands more Iranians have joined the protests, snowballing it into a…
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AI 'nudification' technology / How Ireland has changed for women
Over the past thirty years in Ireland, the lives of women have changed unrecognisably. Unparalleled advances in legislation have allowed for divorce, abortion and marriage equality. The economy has gone from boom to…
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Suzie Miller: Prima Facie
Prima Facie, the award-winning one-woman play written by Australian playwright Suzie Miller, is coming to the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin later this month. It follows the story of Tessa Ensler, a highly successful…
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Domestic Violence, Molly Malone’s breasts, Skortgate & Catherine Connolly: The Women’s Podcast reviews 2025
2025 was the year Ireland elected its third female President, but only three women were appointed Ministers in the new Cabinet. Down one on the previous government. It was the year the hit Netflix show Adolescence had…
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Shows are listed from Apple Podcasts' charts and directory, and Podcast Index where it is used. Every show and episode belongs to its publisher and plays from the publisher's own feed; this site hosts none of them. Explicit shows are for adult profiles only, and children’s profiles hear only children’s shows. More about this list.