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

On today’s episode of The Niall Boylan Podcast, Niall opens the lines on a debate that goes right to the heart of democracy: who should be allowed to vote, and how should they prove it?

The discussion comes as Donald Trump continues to push the proposed SAVE America Act in the United States. The legislation aims to tighten voter registration rules by requiring individuals to provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship, such as a passport or birth certificate, before they can vote. Supporters say it protects election integrity and prevents fraud. Critics argue it could disenfranchise legitimate voters who may not have easy access to those documents.

At the same time, Ireland takes a very different approach.

In Ireland, non Irish citizens can vote in local elections, and British citizens and residents can vote in general elections. Voters are not required to show a passport or birth certificate, and a wide range of identification is accepted at polling stations. To some, this reflects a fair and open democratic system. To others, it raises serious questions about security and national sovereignty.

So Niall is asking listeners:

Should only Irish born citizens be allowed to vote in Irish elections?

Should you have to prove your identity with a passport or birth certificate before casting a vote?

Or is Ireland right to keep the system as it is?

Is stricter voting law about protecting democracy, or restricting it?

📞 Call in and have your say.

On today’s show, Niall speaks to callers about a major High Court ruling that could have serious consequences for thousands of Irish households using so-called “dodgy boxes”.

This week, the High Court ordered Revolut to hand over the names and details of 304 Irish customers and 10 resellers to Sky, as part of an ongoing crackdown on illegal streaming. These devices, which have surged in popularity, give users access to movies, TV shows and live sports for a one-off fee, but are illegal under the Copyright and Related Rights Act 2000.

Up until now, Gardaí have mainly targeted sellers, but have repeatedly warned that users could also face action. With this latest ruling, many are now asking if they could be next. Those identified could face fines of up to €127,000, possible jail time, and even civil action from Sky.

Niall opens the lines to hear directly from listeners.

Are you one of the hundreds of thousands using these services, and will you continue now that there’s a real threat of prosecution? Do you agree with the courts allowing Sky access to personal banking information, or does this cross a line when it comes to privacy?

Join the conversation and have your say.

On today’s show, Niall speaks to Councillor Gavin Pepper and property expert Karl Deeter about a case that has sparked real debate around tenants’ rights and landlords’ powers.

Councillor Pepper highlights the situation of a woman and her children being evicted from their home after the landlord decided to sell the property. While this case predates the new legislation introduced on March 1st, which requires a minimum six-year tenancy for new rental contracts, it raises an important question — should landlords still have the right to evict tenants in order to sell?

Karl Deeter argues that, in some cases, evictions are a necessary part of the housing market. But is that fair on tenants who may have nowhere else to go?

Niall opens the lines to listeners to get their views.

Do you think landlords should be allowed to evict tenants so they can sell a property, or should tenants be given stronger protections?

Get involved in the conversation.

On this episode of The Niall Boylan Podcast, Niall speaks with journalist and founder of the The Iona Institute, David Quinn, about a surprising new report commissioned by the Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference which suggests Ireland is still more religious than many people might think.

The report, Turning the Tide? Recent Religious Trends on the Island of Ireland, examined a wide range of data sources including the European Social Survey, research from Amárach Research, the Central Statistics Office and international studies.

One of the key findings is that Irish Catholics rank toward the higher end of religious practice in Europe. Around 31 percent of Catholics in Ireland say they attend Mass at least once a week, placing Ireland fourth overall in Europe alongside Italy and behind countries such as Poland and Slovakia.

Prayer is also relatively common. About one third of Irish Catholic adults say they pray daily, putting Ireland near the top among Western European countries.

However, the report highlights a major generational gap. Mass attendance among young people fell dramatically between 2002 and 2022, dropping from 41 percent of young Catholics attending weekly to just 7 percent. But interestingly, recent data shows a small rebound. Between 2022 and 2024, weekly Mass attendance among young Catholics rose from 7 percent to 17 percent, suggesting what some observers are calling a possible “quiet revival.”

That’s exactly what David Quinn believes may be happening. He argues that religious belief among young people may be stronger than many assume, even in a modern Ireland that is often seen as increasingly secular and independent minded.

The report also notes that immigration has changed the religious landscape, with the proportion of Catholics in Ireland who were born abroad rising from 6 percent in the early 2000s to 18 percent today. Meanwhile, Northern Ireland remains the most religious part of the island, with around 35 percent of adults attending religious services weekly, far higher than the UK average.

But the picture is complex. Many younger believers still disagree strongly with church teachings, particularly around issues such as sexuality and relationships. Surveys suggest large majorities of young people believe the Church’s views on sexuality and homosexuality are outdated.

So what does this all mean?

Is religion quietly making a comeback in Ireland?

Are young people rediscovering faith in a world that often feels uncertain?

Or is Ireland continuing its long move toward a more secular society?

Niall and David Quinn explore the data, the cultural shifts and what belief looks like in Ireland today.

And Niall wants to hear from you.

Do you consider yourself religious?

Do you believe there is a higher power?

Or has modern Ireland moved beyond religion entirely?

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Ten years ago, Niall had one of the most outrageous and hilarious episodes in the show’s history. A caller rang in with a story that had everyone in stitches — and maybe slightly horrified. She was fed up with what she called the “supermarket runway”: women in lycra wandering the aisles, bending over and allegedly rubbing parts of themselves on the bread, and young men and women strutting around like the grocery store was their personal catwalk, showing off every toned muscle and tight outfit.

Niall and the team couldn’t believe some of the visuals painted by the caller, sparking laughs, disbelief, and a flood of listener reactions. The episode turned into a chaotic, cheeky conversation about fashion, public decency, and why supermarkets suddenly felt more like a gym and less like a place to shop.

Relive the madness, the laughs, and the stories that had listeners calling back with their own supermarket horror tales. It’s a classic mix of comedy, social commentary, and pure chaos — a reminder of why Niall’s show has kept people talking for over a decade.

On this episode, Niall reads a powerful email from a listener who says she feels completely torn about the future of her marriage.

The woman explains that before they got married her husband admitted he once had a gambling problem but promised he had stopped. Ten years later, while planning a family holiday, he told her he was short of money despite earning a good salary. Curious, she checked his phone while he was asleep and discovered that he had spent more than €600 on online gambling in just one month.

When confronted, he said it was only small bets and insisted he could stop anytime. But her friends say he has already had his second chance and blew it. They believe gambling is an addiction that rarely goes away and are urging her to leave while she is still young.

What makes the situation even more painful is her past. She grew up with a father who drank and gambled, often losing the mortgage money and causing constant stress at home. She fears history could repeat itself.

The couple have a four year old child together and she says she still loves her husband, but she is terrified that if the gambling continues it could eventually destroy their family financially and emotionally.

Should she walk away now before things get worse, or should she stay and try to help him get support? Can gamblers truly change, or is it only a matter of time before the problem returns?

Niall opens the phone lines and asks listeners what they would do in her situation.

Niall tackles a major and increasingly heated global debate: our role as consumers and whether we should stop buying ultra-cheap products to help protect the environment and human rights.

From the massive environmental damage caused by single-use plastics to the explosion of ultra-fast fashion and rock-bottom goods from online marketplaces, this episode digs into whether cheap really is too costly. Governments around Europe are already proposing taxes and new laws to curb fast fashion and make companies account for their environmental harm. France’s parliament has moved to regulate and even ban certain ultra-fast fashion marketing and impose eco-scores and fees on low-sustainability products.

At the centre of this debate are brands like Shein and Temu, Chinese-linked online retailers that have reshaped the global market by offering unbelievably low-priced clothes and products. Independent assessments have shown these platforms score extremely low on sustainability and worker protections — in one case, Temu scored zero points on environmental and human-rights performance in an industry ranking.

Critics argue these business models fuel massive waste and environmental harm, with tiny percentages of clothing recycled and huge amounts of polyester and synthetic garments ending up in landfills, shedding microplastic pollution into oceans and ecosystems. Beyond environmental concerns, workforce conditions in supply chains are deeply troubling, with reports pointing to long hours, very low pay, unsafe workplaces and opaque labour practices — issues that make human-rights groups question whether such products should be sold at all.

So here’s the question Niall wants to put to listeners:

👉 Do you care enough about the environment and workers’ rights to stop buying cheap fast fashion and cut out ultra-low-cost Chinese goods like those from Shein and Temu?

Are you willing to pay more and choose ethical brands to support human rights and reduce pollution?

Or will you admit you’re a self-confessed hypocrite — saying it’s awful that we are polluting the world and supporting cheap labour, but still buying cheap products because of the price?

Niall sits down with social commentator Paul Treyvaud to unpack one of the most talked-about political debates in Ireland right now: Should President Donald Trump be given a full Irish welcome — including official engagements with the Oireachtas — when he visits later this year?

The talk began when former Ceann Comhairle Seán Ó Fearghaíl warned the Taoiseach that inviting Trump to address a joint sitting of the Dáil and Seanad would disrespect both Houses of the Oireachtas — a deeply symbolic institution in Irish democracy. That warning has sparked furious debate across the political spectrum.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Ambassador to Ireland has confirmed that President Trump may visit Ireland in September 2026 during the Amgen Irish Open, which will for the first time be hosted at Trump International Golf Links & Hotel in Doonbeg, Co. Clare — a resort owned by Trump’s family trust.

The potential visit is already controversial. Some argue that every American president deserves a traditional Irish welcome, pointing to the long history of close Ireland-U.S. ties and diplomatic goodwill. Others see Trump as a uniquely divisive figure whose record on issues such as immigration, international diplomacy and human rights makes him undeserving of official honours — especially when those honours would involve the Houses of the Oireachtas or state endorsement.

Adding fuel to the fire, sections of the opposition have criticised the Government’s broader stance toward the U.S., accusing the Taoiseach of being too cautious — even “soft-pedalling” criticism of American policy on global conflicts — out of fear of jeopardising relations ahead of high-level meetings.

So we’ll be asking:

Should President Trump receive the same full Irish welcome that previous U.S. presidents have enjoyed?

Or should Ireland draw a line and refuse official honours due to his politics and policies?

Is canceling or downgrading any invitation a legitimate protest, or bad for diplomatic ties?

Hear contrasting viewpoints, historical context, and what this debate says about Irish values, sovereignty and our place on the world stage. Niall and Paul Treyvaud will weigh up the arguments — and then we want you to call in and voice your opinion.

With energy bills on the rise again and households feeling the squeeze, Niall opens the phone lines to hear from listeners on a burning issue: who should get help?

Recent statistics show energy costs continue to climb — thousands of households are now in arrears on electricity and gas bills, with people struggling to keep up as prices stay high after years of global volatility in oil and gas markets. Almost 320,000 people in Ireland were behind on energy bills last winter, and calls are growing for stronger action from Government.

On the petrol and diesel front, prices at the pump remain elevated across Europe, and Ireland is no exception. The average retail price in Ireland is around €1.82 per litre for petrol and about €1.72 per litre for diesel — among the higher levels in the EU.

So how much of that is tax?

The Irish Government levies substantial excise duty — about €0.71 per litre on petrol and €0.62 per litre on diesel.

There’s also 23% VAT added on top of the pump price.

Working backwards roughly, that means the pre-tax wholesale cost of a litre of petrol before excise and VAT is closer to ~€0.77–€0.78 before Government charges.

Against that backdrop, Minister Simon Harris says an increase in the weekly Fuel Allowance will help the roughly 300,000 struggling families currently in arrears on energy bills — but critics argue that this targeted support doesn’t go far enough.

Some callers believe that energy credits should be paid out universally — not just to low-income households — because middle-income families are also facing crippling bills and getting no Government help at all. Others counter that support should be carefully targeted to those most in need to make best use of limited public funds.

📞 Call in and share:

Should the Government expand universal energy credits for everyone?

Or is targeted help — like fuel allowance increases for unemployed and low-income families — the smarter solution?

What would you do if you were in charge of Budget policy?

Tune in for a lively discussion as we cut through the numbers and hear what real people think about energy prices, taxes, and fairness in tough economic times.

Join Niall as he delves into a thought-provoking conversation with social commentator Karl Deeter in this week’s episode of "The Open Mic." They tackle a pressing issue: the recent research revealing that it would cost approximately €60,112 annually to hire someone to perform the myriad tasks of a stay-at-home parent.Years ago, Bertie Ahern proposed a salary for stay-at-home parents—primarily mothers—but the idea faded into obscurity. While many argue that children benefit from having a parent at home, the rising cost of living makes this increasingly difficult for families.Niall invites listeners to weigh in on this contentious topic. Would you support using tax revenue to compensate stay-at-home parents, or do you believe it’s unfair for taxpayers to fund another person's child-rearing? Call in and share your views—let’s hear your thoughts on this mixed bag of opinions!