The Women's Podcast

Margaret Atwood is a literary legend and you can imagine how excited we were to have her on The Women’s Podcast for the third time. As author of The Handmaid’s Tale - and many other award winning novels - she brought us the world of Gilead and started a powerful global conversation about women which still resonates today at a time when Donald Trump is the leader of the free world and reproductive rights continue to be restricted in America. Along with Bernadine Evaristo she has just won the Booker prize for The Testaments, a sequel to the Handmaid’s Tale. She talked to Kathy Sheridan about misogyny, feminism, parenting and the climate crisis. We hope you enjoy.

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In what was a momentous week for Northern Ireland, The Women’s Podcast travelled to Belfast for our first podcast recording in that beautiful city.It was the week abortion was decriminalised in the North after a long grassroots struggle by feminist activists. So what happens next?Panellists including Alliance for Choice activist Danielle Roberts, performer Kellie Turtle and Alliance party Assembly member Paula Bradshaw discussed the conversation that will happen in the North over the five month consultation period before abortion services are introduced next March.And we were joined in the Belfast Mac by our special guest Amanda Palmer, who told our audience about her own experiences of abortion and sang the song you didn’t hear on The Late Late Show – Voicemail for Jill.

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In this episode, Kathy Sheridan talks to women and organisations who have benefited from the Mná na hÉireann Women of Ireland fund which was set up to increase the economic mobility of women across the country. We also mark the end of Breast Cancer Awareness Month by talking to one survivor of the illness who now volunteers educating women and girls in how to detect early signs of the illness. Ger Collins (46), tells Róisín Ingle how she was so grateful for the help she received, following a diagnosis of breast cancer, she is now sharing her experiences with teachers and transition-year students with Breast Cancer Ireland. We also have details of a competition to win a great hamper to celebrate the launch of Family Unplugged by Peter Cosgrove. Listen for more details.

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Barefoot Pilgrimage is a new book by Andrea Corr, the musician, songwriter and actress who was the lead singer of pop group The Corrs with her three siblings Sharon, Caroline and Jim. The memoir is a love letter to her late parents Jean and Gerry and a meditation on life, grief and hope. Corr came in to The Women’s Podcast studio and talked to Roisin Ingle about the memoir, her career, religion, feminism, bodily autonomy, family, loss and the joy and release of expressing herself through words.

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The BBC broadcaster Emma Barnett was the first person in the UK to announce she was menstruating on live TV news. Now she has written a call-to-arms manifesto on why we need to destroy the ludicrous stigma around periods. In the second part of our True Blood series, Emma talks to Kathy about the history of the taboo of periods, the stories women shared with her for the book and the new wave of activism dedicated to normalising menstruation. Emma also talks about being diagnosed with endometriosis just three years ago and why an inability to talk about periods contributes to so many people suffering from the debilitating disorder in silence.

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In the first of a two-part series, we explore why we find periods so hard to talk about and what can be done to help break the stigma that still exists around them. For today’s show, Kathy is joined by Labour councillor Deirdre Kingston, Niamh Dunne, a youth ambassador for Plan International Ireland, and by Claire Hunt of Homeless Period Ireland, to discuss first periods, taboos, period poverty and lots more.

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In today's podcast, journalist and founder of the Positive Birth Movement, Milli Hill, talks to Jennifer Ryan about her book Give Birth Like a Feminist. She says pregnant people need to realise that they have choices when it comes to giving birth and the power imbalance between health professionals and those giving birth needs to be redressed. Also in this episode, Róisín Ingle chats to Susan Jane White about her new cook book, Clever Batch.

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In today's podcast, Kathy and Róisín revel in the joys of WAGatha Christie; Tanya Sweeney speaks candidly about postnatal depression; and Irish Times journalist Jack Power reviews 'Consent: Everything a Guy Needs to Know about Sex, Love and Consent', Inti Chavez Perez's sexual health and relationships guidebook aimed at boys and young men.

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Flo Perry is a writer and illustrator, who has managed to make a career out of her passion for drawing breasts and penchant for quizzing people on their sex lives at parties. In her book 'How to Have Feminist Sex', she explores everything from faking it, to consent; from stress, to kink; and how losing your virginity isn't so different to eating your first chocolate croissant. In today’s podcast she talks to Róisín about the book and her mission to get more people talking openly about what they do and don't want from every romantic encounter.

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Last night The Irish Times, in association with Green & Black’s Chocolate, brought Oh My God What A Complete Aisling authors Sarah Breen & Emer McLysaght to The Docklands in Cork for a live recording of the Women’s Podcast.Róisín sat down with Sarah and Emer to discuss their third novel 'Once, Twice, Three Times an Aisling', their plans for the fourth book, what it’s like to write with your best friend and the rip-roaring success of the Aisling series as a whole.In today’s podcast, we bring you the recording of the event.Thanks to our sponsor Green and Blacks, to everyone in Irish Times Sales for helping organise the event and to the Docklands in Cork for hosting.

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