The Niall Boylan Podcast (They Told Me To Shut Up)

Niall takes your calls on the controversial decision by An Coimisiún Pleanála to grant permanent planning permission for Ireland’s first medically supervised drug injection facility at Merchant’s Quay in Dublin.

The centre, which first opened in December 2024 under a temporary licence, allows drug users to inject substances obtained elsewhere using sterile equipment under medical supervision. According to reports submitted as part of the planning process, more than 10,700 visits were made to the facility in just ten months, with staff responding to 179 non-fatal overdoses, many requiring oxygen or naloxone treatment.

Supporters say the facility is saving lives, reducing public drug use, cutting down on discarded needles, and easing pressure on emergency services. Critics argue the State is normalising illegal drug use and question whether communities should be expected to accept injection centres in residential areas, especially near schools and local businesses.

At the time the facility was proposed, there were fierce objections from local residents and business owners who feared anti-social behaviour and damage to the area. Others argue we have already lost the war on drugs and that supervised injecting is simply a realistic form of harm reduction.

But where do you stand?

Would you want a medically supervised injection centre in your own area?

Are these facilities compassionate healthcare, or are we sending the wrong message about drug use?

And as more centres are expected to open around the country, is this the future of addiction policy in Ireland?

Niall hears from callers on both sides of one of the most divisive social issues facing Ireland today.

On this episode of The Niall Boylan Podcast, Niall is joined by broadcaster and commentator Nick Delahanty to discuss the growing controversy surrounding salaries at RTÉ and whether pay transparency should become the norm in Ireland.

Following fresh controversy at RTÉ, a proposal has now been made that the names and salaries of all staff earning more than €100,000 should be publicly disclosed. The debate was discussed on Prime Time and has reignited wider questions about secrecy around wages in both the public and private sectors.

Supporters of salary transparency argue that publishing wages would expose unfair pay gaps, stop favouritism and prevent situations where employees doing the same job are paid vastly different salaries. Critics however say a person’s income is private and that publishing salaries could create resentment, workplace tension and unnecessary public scrutiny.

Niall and Nick debate whether public servants funded by taxpayers should automatically have their salaries disclosed, and whether the same rules should apply to private companies. Has the culture of secrecy around pay allowed inequality to flourish? Or are we moving towards a society where privacy no longer exists?

As always, listeners join the conversation with strong opinions on fairness, transparency, jealousy in the workplace and whether people really want to know what their colleagues earn.

On this episode of The Niall Boylan Podcast, Niall discusses the latest controversy surrounding RTÉ as fresh revelations emerge over pay discrepancies and allegations that some presenters were allegedly miscategorised as producers. With questions once again being raised about transparency, accountability and how licence fee money is being spent, many people are asking whether the national broadcaster has learned anything from the scandals of recent years.

Adding fuel to the debate are reports that Director General Kevin Bakhurst is eager to retain Patrick Kielty on an even higher salary, despite continued falls in viewing figures for The Late Late Show. Critics argue that RTÉ is out of touch with the public, while supporters insist Ireland still needs a strong public service broadcaster.

When challenged by Sinn Féin on the issue, Taoiseach Micheál Martin responded by asking: “Do we want public service broadcasting? Do we want the national broadcaster or not?”

That’s the question Niall puts to listeners today. Has RTÉ lost the trust of the Irish public? Is it still value for money? Or despite the controversies, do we still need a national broadcaster in Ireland?

As always, listeners share strong opinions, heated debate and personal views on whether RTÉ can ever rebuild public confidence.

A devastated listener contacted the show after her husband admitted he no longer wants children, despite the couple spending more than ten years together and always talking about starting a family someday.

Now aged 35, she says she feels time is running out. After years of putting careers, finances and busy schedules first, she recently suggested it was finally time to stop using contraception and try for a baby. But instead of excitement, her 42 year old husband shocked her by saying he now believes they are too old to become parents and that having a child would completely disrupt the life they have built together.

She says she understands the pressure of modern life, demanding jobs and financial worries, but believes sacrifices can be made for something as important as becoming parents. She told Niall she feels heartbroken, betrayed and terrified she may lose her chance to ever become a mother.

Things became even more complicated when a close friend advised her to secretly stop using contraception without telling her husband, insisting that once he sees a baby on the way he would eventually come around and accept it.

But is secretly getting pregnant a desperate act from a woman afraid of losing her dream of motherhood, or is it a complete betrayal of trust within a marriage?

On this episode, Niall asks listeners where they stand on one of the most emotionally divisive relationship dilemmas imaginable. If a couple always planned to have children, is it unfair for one partner to suddenly change their mind later in life? And if your biological clock was ticking, how far would you go to have the family you always dreamed of?

Journalist Laura Perrins joins Niall to discuss the news that King Charles III has accepted an invitation for an official state visit to Ireland following a meeting at Buckingham Palace with Irish President Catherine Connolly.

If the visit goes ahead, it will mark only the second official state visit by a British monarch to Ireland since independence, following the historic visit of Queen Elizabeth II in 2011. Her four day trip was viewed by many as a hugely symbolic moment in Anglo Irish relations, particularly when she visited the Garden of Remembrance and honoured those who fought for Irish freedom. Her speech at Dublin Castle, where she opened with a few words in Irish, was praised around the world as a gesture of reconciliation and mutual respect.

But not everyone welcomed that visit, and many republicans still strongly oppose any royal visit to Ireland. For some, the British monarchy remains a painful reminder of centuries of British rule, the Troubles, Bloody Sunday and the suffering experienced during Ireland’s struggle for independence. Critics argue that while relations between the two countries may have improved politically, history cannot simply be brushed aside.

Others, however, believe a visit by King Charles would be another important step forward in modern relations between Ireland and Great Britain. Supporters say both countries have changed enormously in recent decades and point to the Good Friday Agreement, growing cooperation, trade, tourism and peace in Northern Ireland as proof that reconciliation matters. They argue that respectful diplomacy between neighbours is vital, even when the shared history is difficult and emotional.

So, would you line the streets to welcome King Charles on an official visit to Ireland, or do you believe some wounds from the past can never truly heal?

On this episode of The Niall Boylan Podcast, Niall talks to callers about whether politicians in Ireland are staying in power for far too long and if it’s time to radically change the political system.

The debate comes after Taoiseach Micheál Martin warned that Ireland “needs to avoid” the political chaos currently unfolding in the UK, saying Britain is potentially “on the cusp” of having its seventh Prime Minister in just ten years. Speaking after the Fianna Fáil Ard Fheis, Martin argued that political instability leads to “a lack of focus and lack of delivery in government”, insisting politicians should concentrate less on leadership speculation and more on the issues affecting ordinary people and their families.

But not everybody agrees.

Many people believe the real problem in Ireland is the exact opposite, that career politicians stay in office for decades, become disconnected from everyday life, and spend too much time protecting their own positions rather than delivering meaningful change. Micheál Martin himself is now the longest-serving Fianna Fáil leader since Éamon de Valera and will be 69 by the next general election.

Some are now calling for dramatic reform, including reducing political terms from five years to just two. Supporters argue that two years should be more than enough time for politicians to prove themselves before facing the voters again. They say shorter terms would keep politicians accountable, stop complacency, and force governments to actually deliver results instead of making promises they never keep.

Others warn that constant elections would create instability, endless campaigning, and governments too afraid to make difficult long-term decisions.

Would shorter political terms improve democracy or completely destabilise the country? Are Irish politicians in power too long, or do experienced leaders provide stability in uncertain times?

Niall hears passionate opinions from callers on both sides of the debate.

On this episode of The Niall Boylan Podcast, Niall is joined by media producer AJ Walshe to discuss a deeply personal and emotional email sent in by a listener facing a life-changing decision.

The man, now in his 40s, has been married for 15 years and is the father of three young children, all under the age of 10. He says he has known he was gay since his teenage years, but growing up in a different time, with the pressure to live a “normal” traditional life, he chose marriage and family instead.

Over the years, he admits he secretly experimented with a number of brief relationships and hook-ups with men, all completely unknown to his wife. He says he genuinely loves his wife as a person and as the mother of his children, but he no longer feels sexually attracted to her and admits he has never truly been “in love” with her in that way.

Now, after years of living what he describes as “a nightmare of a lie”, he says he feels he can’t continue pretending any longer. Some of his gay friends have encouraged him to “bite the bullet” and finally come out, saying he deserves to live honestly and openly. But his brother, the only family member who knows the truth, has urged him to stay silent until the children are adults, warning that coming out now could destroy his family and completely break the heart of a wife who “idolises” him.

Niall and AJ debate the heartbreaking dilemma. Is it fair to continue living a lie for the sake of protecting his family? Or is it more cruel to hide the truth from the woman he married? Should he come out now and risk tearing his family apart, or keep the secret buried until the children are older?

It’s a raw and emotional conversation about love, guilt, sexuality, honesty, family, and whether living authentically is worth the pain it may cause to the people closest to you.

In this special edition of The Niall Boylan Podcast, Niall is joined by his good friend, Director of Elections Sarah Ryan, Barrister-at-Law, for a lively chat and roundup of the biggest stories making headlines this week.

From Bertie Ahern’s controversial comments on immigration, to the Government considering payments for Ukrainians to voluntarily leave Ireland, the pair debate the issues everyone is talking about.

They also discuss the outrage over unisex toilets in an Irish school, Michael O’Leary’s call to ban alcohol in airports before flights, Ireland’s Eurovision boycott over Israel’s participation, and the political earthquake in Britain after Nigel Farage’s Reform UK made massive gains in the local elections.

Plus, Leo Varadkar sparks debate after speaking publicly about religion and faith in a surprising opinion piece many are calling his “finding God” moment.

Expect strong opinions, honest debate and plenty of laughs as Niall and Sarah break down the stories that got the country talking this week.

Niall discusses the growing controversy surrounding character references in criminal cases following reports that former TD Jim Glennon provided a character reference for convicted sex offender Daniel Ramamoorthy.

The case has sparked outrage online and reignited a heated debate about whether judges should continue to consider personal references when sentencing serious offenders. Critics argue that character references create a two tier justice system where people with influence, powerful friends, political connections or professional status are treated differently to ordinary members of the public.

Many are asking how somebody convicted of a serious sexual offence can still benefit from glowing testimonials about their “good character”, particularly when victims are left to deal with the lifelong consequences of the crime. Some believe once a person is convicted of a serious offence, previous reputation should become irrelevant in the eyes of the court.

Others, however, argue that character references are an important part of the justice system. They say judges should hear the full picture about a person’s life, background and previous conduct before deciding on sentencing. Supporters also argue that everyone deserves fair representation in court, regardless of the crime they committed.

So should character references in criminal cases be abolished altogether?

Or should judges continue to consider whether a crime was out of character before deciding punishment?

Niall talks to Stephen Delaney and Cormac Lucey about one of the biggest political and economic questions facing the island of Ireland, should there finally be a border poll on a United Ireland?

It has now been 28 years since the Good Friday Agreement, yet there has still been no referendum on Irish unity and no clear roadmap towards a 32 county republic. While support for reunification continues to grow in some quarters, others warn that the emotional argument for unity is very different from the economic reality.

The North of Ireland has been financially supported by the UK Treasury for decades, with billions spent every year to sustain public services and infrastructure. So if a United Ireland became reality tomorrow, could the Republic actually afford it? Would Irish taxpayers accept higher taxes, cuts to services or major economic adjustments in order to reunify the country?

Cormac Lucey examines the hard economic questions surrounding Irish unity, from public spending and healthcare to pensions, welfare and taxation. Meanwhile Stephen Delaney discusses the political and cultural arguments, and whether the dream of a United Ireland should outweigh the potential financial cost.

Would you vote yes or no in a border poll?

Should Ireland be united no matter the price, or is the economic risk simply too great?