Discover how your local government works with this week's superb guest speaker, Richard Kelly, as he talks to Fiona Mc about local government reform. Richard has a Master's in Government and Public Policy, has expert knowledge on the public sector, as well as a very keen interest in the economic and social aspects of society in Ireland. Local government is his passion, and his civic mind is very evidential throughout the podcast.

Hear exactly how local government impacts on your daily life, the historical changes brought to local government, what is working, what is not and hear Fiona Mc's experience and frustrations as a sitting councillor, working within Kildare County Council, on behalf of her constituents. An inciteful, interesting and informative podcast which educates throughout - not to be missed!

Today's episode explores drug addiction and the shocking trends and statistics surrounding drugs in Ireland. The state's response to drugs will also be examined and trashing out the issues with Fiona Mc this week is historian, singer, songwriter, radio presenter and lecturer Mick O'Brien.

Mick eloquently describes his story of addiction and how it impacted his life and the lives of those around him. He details his 28 year recovery journey excellently, beginning in 6th class in primary school at the age of eleven. He discusses the pain of social isolation and his understanding of its impact in various communities throughout Ireland. The absence of connectedness among communities, in conjunction with widespread poverty and the economic downturn also feature throughout the discussion - catch up now!

Today's top guest and leading sportsperson, Grace Clifford, shines a light (and a very interesting perspective!) on women in sport. Grace is currently the captain of the Kildare Senior Ladies Football team, from Eadestown, and has played in school, club and county for many years.

Here she charts the many advantages that sport brings to the lives of all, however, she also discusses the struggles she has faced in terms of funding, support and even pitch availability. As a role model to many young women in sport, this podcast with Grace is a must listen, especially for those currently on the rise in their respective sports or those who are striving to improve conditions in their own clubs. Grace expertly describes the journey that she has taken to get to the top of her field and lists the many sacrifices that she has made along the way. Don't miss this!

2fm DJ, TV panellist and self-care advocate Keith Walsh joins Fiona Mc today to share his experience of self-care and counselling when managing your own mental health.

Keith superbly breaks down the complexities of mental health throughout the podcast into very accessible information and advocates exactly why men, at some point in their lives, may experience the need to speak out, seek help and take stock of where their mental health is at. He acknowledges the need to recognise vulnerability as a normal human trait and explains how he continues to live a hectic life while balancing his own personal needs, and the needs of his family. Catch up now!

If you affected by the issues raised in the podcast, help can be found at the following link www.lukedevlin.ie

Top guest and environmental activist, Cormac Nugent, joins Fiona Mc today to share his wealth of knowledge on climate change, climate breakdown, Extinction Rebellion, eco-anxiety, along with a host of information on what we can do for climate change in our homes and communities.

Cormac superbly breaks down the complexities of climate change throughout the podcast into very accessible bites of information covering, fossil fuels, radiation, greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide, global warming, and its subsequent change to the more current term, climate change. He then charts what must be done in order to achieve sustainability. Catch up now!

Dr. Tom Clonan (DIT lecturer in Journalism, Political Communication and Public Affairs, Security Analyst for the Journal.ie, Author, former teacher and defence forces Captain) speaks to Fiona Mc in this episode to detail, firstly, his love and admiration for the defence forces. It was this love and pride in his military service that led to Dr. Clonan’s completion of a Master’s in 1995 to make him a “better soldier, a better officer and hungry to build the force.” This led to a PHD where Dr. Clonan wanted to hear the experiences of female officers in the defence forces. Listen here to the trigger for his study as he discusses the impact his grandmother, the matriarch, had on his formative years which subsequently built his views on women in society.

Through his research for the aforementioned PHD, which began as an equality audit, Dr. Tom Clonan discovered a darker side of deep inequality within the defence forces as witnessed by the women he spoke to. He was compelled to speak out on their behalf and give a voice to their plight.

He excellently details the isolation and dejection he ultimately felt as a whistleblower, he describes the character assassination he had to endure personally and in an academic realm and eloquently speaks about the bewilderment and deep uncertainty he felt at the time following harassment directed at both him and a family member.

Thankfully, when concluding, Dr. Clonan also reveals with pride that following subsequent work by a study review group, the defence forces have “transformed themselves in terms of equality and diversity.” Catch this and more in this episode.

Join Fiona Mc in this episode as she hears the facts from two residents who have been involved with a voluntary housing association (approved housing body)in Kildare since 1993. The residents take you on a detailed journey from 1993 to the present day and highlight the misinformation and "inadvertent errors" made along the way.

Despite recent developments, the key issues remain the same; the Ceann Comhairle has admitted to corporate governance issues, he did not keep a register of members as required by company law and did not notify the company’s members of AGM’s. Questions remain unanswered and this issue is set to run and run so watch this space.

"The net effect of not inviting members to the AGM means that the proposal to buy out your homes could never go to the board, be discussed or voted upon. It is sad example of when lapses in governance impact on actual people. I will certainly be pursuing it at local level." - Fiona Mcloughlin Healy

Fiona Mc hears a harrowing and raw account of domestic violence from a survivor of abuse and also gets to grips with the services available for women in Ireland today.

If you have been affected by the details contained in the above, help is available at the following link: www.teachtearmainn.ie

For advice or further information on emergency services contact:

www.teachtearmainn.ie/contact-us

Straight Talking with Fiona Mc takes you on a journey through the most current and engaging topics which are being discussed around the country today.

"I want to use this platform to do a deep-dive into the lives of my constituents, and those further afield, and really understand the issues that are truly important, and see them from different viewpoints." - Fiona McLoughlin Healy

Catch Episode 1 Now - Fiona Mc hears a harrowing and raw account of domestic violence from a survivor of abuse and also gets to grips with the services available for women in Ireland today.