We're back for a one-off episode! Rachel and Ben were matched on First Dates and enjoyed the process so much that rather than dating each other, they decided to make a podcast about it. They chat about why they applied, what was going through their heads on the date and where they both are now.

You can find Ben's Bridgerton podcast here.

You can follow him on Twitter here.

It's safe to say that we've all stared at screens a lot more this year than any other year. Getting used to Zoom, Teams or even Skype hasn't been easy and our spines are definitely suffering because of it. Ciara has been working remotely for 4 years though so she's well used to it. She joins Rachel to chat about what those 4 years have been like, the advice she's been dishing out all year the those of us trying to get used to working from home and why she made the decision to move to Offaly in the middle of a pandemic.

Follow Ciara on Twitter.

Become a DTP patron.

Coming home for Christmas is something that Irish people love to do. There was plenty of controversy over an Irish Times article where some people said they would be coming home and not obeying the restrictions around isolating. Others have made the difficult decision not to come home at all. Darragh McKenna is one of those people. He joins Rachel to discuss what it's been like to be in Sweden throughout COVID, the decision not to come home to Ireland for Christmas and how it's been to watch Ireland from afar.

Follow Darragh on Twitter.

Become a DTP patron.

This is not goodbye forever, but it's goodbye for now.

Thanks for everything.

Going to college is one of the most exciting parts of your life. It's a time where you can drink too much, meet new people and still manage to emerge with some qualification. COVID has of course changed all that with an increased focus on remote learning and lot more time spent looking at screens. So how are students coping and responding? Joining Rachel is a panel of students; Danny, a first year student in UCC, Michael a final year student in GMIT and Katie, a mature student in UCD to discuss their experiences and what it's been like to do college through COVID.

Become a DTP patron.

It's a bit of an understatement to say "2020 has been a year". But it's especially been a year in Irish politics. An election that nobody really won, COVID and GolfGate are just some of the things that have plagued the political landscape. So who better to give his take on the year that's (almost) been than Group Political Correspondent for Communicorp, Seán Defoe. 

Follow Seán on Twitter.

Become a DTP patron.

Content Warning: This podcast contains descriptions of child sexual abuse and rape. It may not be suitable for all listeners.

In 2020, Túsla ruled that Mick Finnegan's allegations of sexual abuse by a member of St John's Ambulance were "founded" when he was a teenager. Mick was groomed, abused and raped as a teenager by someone in power and by someone he trusted. That abuse has left deep scars, both physically and mentally. Mick joins Rachel to discuss what happened to him, how he was failed, how he has begun to heal and how he has learnt to forgive his abuser.

Jack Power's article can be found here.

The documentary on Mick can be found here.

Follow Mick on Twitter.

Become a DTP patron.

If you have been affected by any of the topics raised in this podcast, there are services available to you.

Dublin Rape Crisis Centre: 1800 778 888

One In Four: 01 662 4070

Childline: 1800 66 66 66

Crisis Text Line: 50808

Rape Crisis Network Ireland: 091 56 36 76

A topic that isn't easy to talk about is sexual health and in particular, sexually transmitted infections. The symptoms aren't pretty and sometimes they're not even detectable. That's exactly what happened to Jason Doyle when he was diagnosed with syphilis. Since then Jason has been working in community testing and is determined to make STIs less of a taboo subject as well as making information about them freely available. He joins Rachel to discuss his own experience as well as the development of his app iKnow. 

Find out more about iKnow here.

Become a DTP patron.

Content Warning: This episode contains extensive discussion about eating disorders and anorexia, it may not be suitable for everyone. 

Eating disorders aren't easy to talk about. In fact according to the Butterfly Foundation, only between 5-15% of those suffering from an eating disorder will seek help with 85% reporting that treatment is hard to access. Aoife Mawn is one of those who did. She joins Rachel to discuss her eating disorder and battle with anorexia, why she doesn't believe you can be 100% recovered and how it took her a long, long time to realise she had a problem at all.

If you have been affected by any of the topics raised in this podcast please contact the Bodywhys Helpline on (01) 2107906 or head to their website.

CONTENT WARNING: This podcasts contains discussion around suicide and attempted suicide. It may not be suitable for all listeners. 

Oran Sludden has been through a lot for a 21-year-old. Described as a GAA prodigy when playing for his club, Oran suffered three cruciate injuries that kept him out of action for months. The isolation of the recovery sent him into a downward spiral, resulting in a dependency on alcohol and gambling. After two suicide attempts, Oran checked himself into a mental health facility in Derry and has been using 2020 to recover. He joins Rachel on the podcast to discuss his experience, chat about his recovery and setting up Project Hope and Beyond and the incredible power of opening up.  

If you have been affected by any of the topics discussed in this podcast, please reach out to the following services;

Crisis Volunteers:

Samaritans:

116 123

Pieta House:

1800 247 247

Become a DTP patron.

Project Hope & Beyond

Oran's piece with the42.ie