The Women's Podcast

Melissa Rice is what you might describe as an unexpected addict. Growing up in a happy family in Kirkby, on the outskirts of Liverpool, Rice excelled in school and later qualified as a primary school teacher. Discovering alcohol in her early teens, she used it as a form of escapism, a route to confidence and sociability. But by the time she had reached her early twenties, her relationship with alcohol began to unravel every aspect of her life, including her teaching career, her friendships and her family. Now three years sober, the former primary school teacher turned author is sharing her story. In her new book Sobering: Lessons learnt the hard way on drinking, thinking and quitting, she describes her journey to rock bottom, “hitting every shameful branch along the way” and the long difficult road to recovery. Written with the expert help of rehab and addiction specialists, the book offers invaluable advice and an insight into the powerful hold that addiction can take over someone’s life. In today’s episode, Rice speaks to Róisín Ingle about the crucial role mental health plays in addiction issues, the abortion she had at nineteen and how it has shaped her journey since and why she still needs to take her recovery one day at a time.

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The murder of 33-year-old Sarah Everard in London prompted thousands of women to share stories about fearing for their personal safety and the modifications they make to their behaviour in order to feel safe. That collective trauma has spilled out on social media and elsewhere all over the world. On Tuesday, a socially distanced peaceful 'Reclaim the Streets' protest organised by ROSA was held in Dublin. Others are planned for Cork, Limerick and Galway today. In the latest issue of The Irish Times, the results of a survey carried out by Transport Infrastructure Ireland were published. It found that large numbers of Irish women fear for their safety using public transport, cycling or walking alone. The 'Travelling in a Woman’s Shoes' report also found that women felt “heavily responsible” for their own safety when travelling and there was “little focus” in society generally on the role men can play in ensuring their safety. The fact that women are fearful is not shocking to women, but it seems like the penny is still dropping on this issue for many men. On today’s podcast Róisín speaks to our three guests about how society can help women feel safer in the world.Guests: Founder of the Everyday Sexism project and author of books including Girl Up and Men Who Hate Women, Laura Bates, Ruth Coppinger, a former Solidarity TD and founding member of ROSA, a movement for reproductive justice in Ireland, and 22-year-old NUI Galway student Anna Golden, who is a member of Plan International’s Irish and Global Youth Advisory Panel.

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Acts of Desperation is the darkly funny debut novel from Waterford writer Megan Nolan. Set in Dublin, it tells the story of an intense love affair between the narrator and her boyfriend Ciaran, a half-Danish poet. Their dysfunctional relationship plays out over the pages and lends itself to the question: why do women stay with toxic men? Nolan began writing the book while in Athens in 2016 and completed it three years later. In today’s episode, she speaks to Roisin Ingle about her bookish childhood in the sunny south east, her short stint in Trinity college and the positive reaction to her first venture into fiction writing. We’ll be discussing Acts of Desperation in our next episode of the book club, which will be out next month.

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The disappearance of Sarah Everard in London and the subsequent discovery of a body in woodland by police searching for her, has got many of us talking about the everyday fear that women experience when it comes to being alone in public. Ms Everard, a 33-year-old marketing executive, went missing after leaving a friend’s house in Clapham, south London, at about 9pm on March 3rd. The Met Police announced on Wednesday that a diplomatic protection officer held in relation to her disappearance had been arrested on suspicion of murder. On today’s podcast, Róisín and Kathy discuss why, 40 years after the original Reclaim the Night marches, women are still scared and whether things would be different if men felt as frightened every time they went for a walk alone.Also in this episode, Kathy speaks to Aoife McLysaght, professor of genetics at TCD, Holly Cairns, Social Democrat TD for Cork South-West and Dr Gabrielle Colleran, vice president of the Irish Hospital Consultants Association, about this week’s grim anniversary marking one year since Ireland first entered a coronavirus-induced lockdown. We ask: would things have been any better if more women had been in charge?Plus: Patrick Freyne makes a guest appearance on the Women’s Podcast, reading his highly entertaining take on that Oprah interview with Meghan and Harry.

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Last Thursday, the Irish Times Women’s Podcast hosted an evening of storytelling to mark International Women’s Day. Guests on the night were invited to share their stories of overcoming a challenge, in front of our virtual audience on Zoom and Facebook. In today’s episode, you’ll hear a selection of highlights from the event, including a brilliant story of using creativity to work around academic challenges from senator Lynn Ruane and a moving tale about reclaiming the joy of sea swimming from trans woman and activist Aoife Martin. Journalist Brianna Parkins spoke lovingly about her hard-working mum Lorraine and activist Ailbhe Smyth spoke about the severe depression and anorexia she endured as a young woman in the early 1970s. You can watch back the event in full on The Women’s Podcast Facebook page here: https://fb.watch/45I8OGwTe-/Later on, Irish soprano Celine Byrne joins Roisin Ingle to speak about her brand new live-stream concert La bohème, which is taking place on Saturday 13th of March live from the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre. The opera singer speaks to Ingle about a tough year personally and professionally, her journey into music and the excitement of returning to the stage.

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China is facing mounting global criticism over its treatment of the mostly Muslim Uighur population in the north-western region of Xinjiang. Rights groups say China has detained more than a million Uighurs over the past few years in what the state says are "re-education camps". However there is evidence that Uighurs in these camps are being used as forced labour, that families are being separated and that women are being subjected to human rights violations including rape, forced marriage, torture and forced sterilisation. Countries including the US, the Netherlands and Canada have accused China of genocide and crimes against humanity, while more than 50 Irish faith leaders have signed a statement condemning the persecution of the Uighurs and other Muslims in China. But activists say the international community must take action to end what they say is the biggest concentration camp system since World War II. In today’s podcast, Róisín talks to Yara Alagha, a parliamentary researcher in Seanad Éireann for the Civil Engagement Group, and to American Uighur and activist, Aydin Anwar, about the horrendous situation for Uighurs in the formerly independent Republic of East Turkistan and what the international community can do to help.

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Trish Kearney was one of the six Irish swimmers who charged former swim coach George Gibney with sexual abuse offences in 1992. Known in her younger days as Patricia McCahill, the Olympic hopeful was abused by Gibney from the age of thirteen. The abuse lasted over seven years. The case against Gibney was subsequently dropped following an appeal, but his crimes were later outed by journalist Johnny Watterson in a piece for the Sunday Tribune. Now nearly thirty years on, he remains a free man, who has never stood trial for his actions. In her memoir Above Water, Trish writes about the child she once was, growing up in a happy family who nurtured her talent and passion for swimming. She details the years of abuse suffered at the hands of her coach, a man trusted by her family and the wider community. In today’s episode, she speaks to Róisín Ingle about her stolen youth, coming to terms with the past and finding peace and happiness along the way.

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Luvvie Ajayi Jones wants you to be a fear-fighting troublemaker. We're all afraid of something: of hearing the word 'no', of being different, of being 'too much', or not enough. In her new book, The Fear-Fighter Manual, the award-winning author, podcaster and TED talker, shows us how to embrace fear and get past it to live our best lives. In today's podcast Luvvie talks to Róisín about why we should all strive to be professional troublemakers.

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Have you ever wondered why you remember some things and not others? Or why, even though you might share an experience with someone, their memory of it differs to yours? Psychiatrist Veronica O'Keane has spent 38 years working in neuroscience and psychiatry with patients whose ability to make sense of the world is impaired. In her book, The Rag and Bone Shop: How We Make Memories and Memories Make Us, she draws on that experience to explain why the way we memorise some things and forget others, is driven by our emotions. On today's podcast Róisín speaks to professor O’Keane about how we make memories and how they shape what we know and how we feel. She also talks about the importance of collective memory of the past and why she believes the deletion of the audio recordings of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes is a devastating loss for that reason.

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In the last twelve months, almost half of young people between the ages of 18 and 24 have witnessed or experienced racism. This shocking statistic is part of new research by The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, who have recently launched their All Against Racism campaign. Featuring interviews with eleven people from different ethnic backgrounds, the campaign aims to explore racism in Ireland and challenge the individual and societal attitudes that allow it to continue. In today’s episode, Róisín Ingle is joined by Teresa Buczkowska and Raihana Zeroug who both feature in the awareness drive. Buczkowska, a Polish migrant woman living in Ireland since 2005, works as an integration officer in the Immigrant Council of Ireland. Zeroug is a young student of Politics and Sociology at UCD who has been involved with sport and racism initiatives through Sport Against Racism Ireland. Together they discuss the importance of listening to different perspectives and experiences, the need for diversity in leadership and the issues surrounding direct provision.

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