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The start of the year, as in then, dawned full of hope and vim for a new government after the election in November 2024. Now, at the end of the year, we examine where the hope and plans ended up. The last twelve months hasn’t progressed like that and some might say that in general things have regressed a bit. But what has the political year really been like. 

Joining the podcast to discuss the year that was are Paul Hosford and Louise Burne.

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Dunnes Stores is one of the most famous brands in the country with one in every five shopping euros spent in one of their outlets. But what of the family behind the brand? Many people would have been familiar with the late Ben Dunne, a larger than life character, but what lay behind the character and what of the other big personalities in the family, from Ben Snr down. 

Matt Cooper has written Dynasty: Scandals, Triumph, Turmoil and Succession at the heart of Dunnes Stores. Matt is this week’s guest on the podcast.

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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This week, after 14 years in office, Michael D Higgins left Áras an Uachtaran for the last time and Catherine Connolly was sworn in as the 10th President of Ireland. 

In her inauguration speech, she said that the president should be “a unifying presence—a steady hand, but also a catalyst for change”. 

Irish Examiner deputy political editor Paul Hosford joins the podcast to give us the details as Ms Connolly aims to hit the ground running as she takes the reins.  

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DJ Carey has been sentenced to five and a half years in prison for defrauding at least ten people out of various sums on money on the false premise that he was suffering from cancer. Carey was hurling’s first superstar whose exploits on the pitch thrilled the whole country. How did it all go wrong? What prompted him to head down the dark alley that led to imprisonment for the most grievous kind of deception? Eimear Ni Bhraonain’s new book The Dodger gives insight and detail in response to those questions. Eimear is today’s guest on the podcast.

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Political communication was brought to a fine art by Terry Prone, her late husband Tom Savage and their mentor Bunny Carr. Their work was done and felt behind the scenes of successive governments and among numerous politicians. Now Terry is telling all in her memoir from the political years, which includes a whole raft of narratives about how some major figures in Irish politics coped at times of crisis and challenges.   

Her book is entitled “I’m glad you asked me that”, a phrase she insists she has never, nor ever would, tell a client to issue. Terry Prone is this week’s guest on the podcast.

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