Charlie Bird talks to the heroic and inspirational mother from Donegal, Kathleen Sharkey.

Radio DJ and Author Gareth O'Callaghan keeps an inspirational podcast diary of his life after his diagnosis of the rare disease Multiple System Atrophy.

After the news of Mary O Rourke's passing - tributes started to pour in, with many remembering her strength and courage.

Taoiseach Simon Harris led the tributes in a statement, saying: “Mary was a force to be reckoned with, both in terms of political nous and in terms of being a magnetic personality that drew people in. She had a wicked sense of humour and a fantastic turn of phrase.

Her son Aengus said Mary was the “ultimate public representative”, saying she would go “beyond the call of duty” for anyone, but particularly those who were marginalised or disadvantaged.

It was described as the "end of an era" by her nephew, Conor Linehan Spoke with RTÉ’s Morning Ireland last week. Conor son of former Tánaiste Brian Linehan Sr, said Ms O'Rourke was the "last of the line" in that family.

President Michael D Higgins echoed these words, saying that Mary O’Rourke had a “shrewd and magnetic approach to politics and politicians”.

“The warmth of her personality was reflected in the wide appreciation held for Mary amongst both the public and her fellow members of the Oireachtas, and was respected in her continuing and wide-ranging engagement with so many parts of public life in the years following her political career.”

Mary came from a strong political family, with five of its members having served in the Dáil. She herself was first elected to the Dáil in 1982 as a Fianna Fáil TD, where she remained for a quarter of a century until 2002 and again from 2007 to 2011.

Beyond her political career, she maintained a high profile, appearing on many Irish TV and radio programs and became affectionately known as ‘Mammy O’Rourke’.

In 1987, Mary was appointed Minister for Education by Charles Haughey. When Mary O'Rourke and her brother, Brian Lenihan, became the first brother and sister in Irish history to serve in the same cabinet.

Mary went on to become a bestselling author of Just Mary which is a political memoir and another book published Mary shares the letters of her life...

In her book Mary looks back over her life in the form of 20 letters to people who have made an impression on her - from her childhood growing up in Athlone to her college days in Maynooth, to those who supported and mentored her during her political career, the friends who have sustained her in good times and bad and family members who mean the most.

What emerges is a thoughtful meditation on the universal themes in life that touch us all – love, loss, facing adversity and the passing of time among them.

Emily Hourican is a journalist and author and has written features for the Sunday Independent for over fifteen years, as well as Image magazine, Conde Nast Traveler and Woman and Home. She was also editor of The Dubliner Magazine.

Author of five novels, The Glorious Guinness Girls, The Privileged, White Villa, The Blamed and The Outsider, and one book of non-fiction, How To Really Be A Mother.

Emily's first novel, The Privileged, was published in 2016, became an instant bestseller, and was short-listed for the Best Popular Fiction Award at the 2016 Irish Book Awards.

Emily is an articulate, entertaining and an experienced public speaker. She has regularly appeared on radio and TV, and teaches occasional creative writing classes.

Charlie Bird gets top tips on how to keep safe and healthy from HSE advisor Professor Martin Cormican.

Prof Martin Cormican, bacteriologist at NUI Galway and national lead for antimicrobial resistance at the HSE

Prof Cormican says he was often asked, should we be worried? “He says, you should always be careful. Worry doesn’t make you any safer. It’s about how we balance fear. Some people have taken a level of precaution that doesn’t materially reduce their risk yet it harms their lives.

He was referring to people who were so afraid to leave their houses, shut down their lives and stopped taking exercise and gained weight.

Prof Cormican says that communication about the threat of Covid-19 and the variants over the last two years has been as much about “managing fear as managing the spread of infection during the times of uncertainty”.

Former president, Mary Robinson is the most consequential Irish woman of the 20th century

Mary Robinson was the first woman to achieve this position in the history of the state . She is the former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and currently Chair of The Elders and has always been a passionate advocate for gender equality, women’s participation in peace-building, human dignity and climate justice.

Mary was elected Irish President in 1990 and served for seven years as a principled and transformative leader who continued to fight for equality and women’s rights throughout her time in office.

A firm believer in dialogue and reconciliation, she broke taboos by being the first Irish head of state to make official visits to Britain, as well as regularly visiting Northern Ireland.

She was the first head of state to visit Somalia following the crisis there in 1992, and brought global media attention to the suffering of Rwandans as the first Head of State to visit the country just after the 1994 genocide.

Charlie Bird interviewed Mary Robinson on the 3oth anniversary of her inauguration.

The Elders which Mary Chairs are an independent group of global leaders working together for peace, justice and human rights. Nelson Mandela brought a selected group of leaders together as Elders, and he did so in the belief that together we are stronger, that change happens when people collectively take action to make our world a better place. Part of the wisdom of the Elders is to remind the world that we actually have universal values that are accepted by every government in the world and yet they are not being implemented Mary Says'

As UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (1997-2002), Mary Robinson integrated human rights into the United Nations system and became renowned as an outspoken voice dedicated to investigating and exposing human rights abuses across the world.

As an academic, legislator and barrister, Mary Robinson has always sought to use law as an instrument for social change, arguing landmark cases before the European Court of Human Rights as well as in the Irish courts and the European Court in Luxembourg.

Eoghan Corry talks to Anne Rizzo

Anne Rizzo is International Relations Officer with Age Friendly Ireland(AFI) she is also regional Programme Manager with AFI, supporting 8 local Age Friendly Programmes in the West of Ireland, part of a municipality led national programme, operating across all 31 local authority areas in Ireland. Spanning a 20 year career in local government, Anne is a champion of integrated care services with a vision of promoting independent living and building sustainable environments. She has worked with stakeholders across the public, NGO and private sectors, engaging with a variety of organisations, where she has accumulated extensive knowledge of the issues affecting older people and how to plan for demographic change. Her role sees her representing Age Friendly Ireland at an international level, showcasing Ireland as an example of Age Friendly best practice and providing advice and support to countries wishing to become Age Friendly. Anne has excellent interpersonal communication, mediation and facilitation skills. She is an excellent presenter, and has delivered presentations at world conferences and conventions.

Gary Cooke meets professional caddie, author and Irish Times contributor Colin Byrne.

Colin has worked with some giant names in golf including the likes of Ernie Els, Retief Goosen and Darren Clarke and a 4 year spell with Rafa Cabrera Bello.

In this best of we hear excerpts from Mike’s interviews with President Michael D. Higgins, Denis O’Brien, John McColgan, Ryan Tubridy and Marty Morrisey.

Liam Ó Maonlaí meets Séamus Grealey.