The Women's Podcast

Theatre maker Doireann Coady talks to Kathy about her show, I’m Not Here, running at the Project Arts Centre in Dublin next weekend. The piece is a duet with her brother Donal, but he is, in fact, not here. Donal died by suicide almost ten years ago, but we hear his voice in the show through recordings that Doireann's father discovered years after his death. She talks to Kathy about the show, about how we talk about suicide in Ireland, and why her audience has nothing to fear.

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Saudi woman Rahaf Mohammed captured the world’s attention recently when she barricaded herself in a Thai hotel room after fleeing abuse in her own country. Using social media, she communicated with the outside world from her hotel room, she is now safe in Canada. Egyptian-American journalist and activist Mona Eltahawy played no small part in her escape, translating her Arabic tweets into English and using her contacts to bring attention to Rahaf's plight. On today's show Eltahawy speaks to Kathy from Canada about Rahaf and the oppression of women in Saudi Arabia's guardianship system.Later, co-producer Jennifer Ryan talks to Kathy about Eileen Twomey, the 84-year-old Donnybrook resident who is fulfilling a lifelong ambition holding her first ever art exhibition at her Dublin home this weekend.Plus: Róisín tells Kathy why she has gotten into Opera later and they talk about the Gillette ad that caused a stir this week.

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Dr Jo Murphy-Lawless, a sociologist at the school of nursing and midwifery at Trinity College Dublin, speaks to Róisín about what's wrong with Ireland's maternity services. She talks about her experience teaching trainee midwives and the challenges they face, and also about strengthened legislation around the reporting of maternal deaths, which it's hoped will become law by March 2019. Dr Murphy-Lawless is part of the Elephant Collective, a group which has campaigned for the new laws and which has brought a travelling exhibition to the Wexford Arts Centre commemorating women including Savita Halappanavar, Sally Rowlette and Bimbo Onanuga - it runs until February 12th.

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Abortion became legal in Ireland on New Year's day. On today's show, Róisín finds out everything a person facing an unplanned pregnancy needs to know about accessing abortion services in Ireland. She talks to Helen Deely, Sexual Health and Crisis Pregnancy Programme Lead at the HSE, about its information and support service MyOptions.Plus: Jennifer Ryan visits the 'Blazing a Trail' exhibition at EPIC: The Irish Emigration Museum, celebrating 21 Irish diaspora women who blazed a trail in sport, science, the arts and more. She speaks to the exhibition's curator, historian in residence at EPIC, Dr Angela Byrne.Online: www.myoptions.ieFreephone: 1800 828 010

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Irish author Emilie Pine chats to Kathy about her collection of highly personal essays, Notes to Self, published by Tramp Press. The book deals with the taboo topics we're not supposed to talk about like alcoholism, infertility and rape. Emilie tells Kathy the background to some of the essays, what she has learned from writing them and why her mantra for 2019 is: being strategic, but also reflecting.

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Before we get back into the studio after our Christmas break, we're reposting this episode from earlier this year - Monday 28th May to be exact. Health Minister Simon Harris came into studio two days after the result of the referendum to repeal the Eighth Amendment and was joined by Together for Yes co-founder Ailbhe Smyth, Róisín Ingle and on the line by Marian Keyes.

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2018 brought us the referendum to repeal the 8th amendment, it saw Vicky Phelan blow the CervicalCheck scandal wide open and the Irish Women’s Hockey Team had us all roaring at the telly as they played their hearts out against the Dutch in the World Cup Final in London. On New Year’s eve, Kathy is joined by journalists Alison O’Connor, Kitty Holland and Jennifer O’Connell to take a look back at the year that was.

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Irish Times journalist Rosita Boland reads an article she wrote about Elizabeth O’Kelly, the little-known Irish philanthropist who, it was revealed last October, left €30 million to charity in her will. In the piece published in the Irish Times on Saturday 22 December, Rosita reports on Elizabeth O’Kelly’s past, revealing a life of privilege and tragedy, generosity and anonymity.You can read that article here: https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/people/elizabeth-o-kelly-the-irish-orphan-who-gave-away-30m-1.3734135

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On today's show, we bring you thoughts about Christmas from some of the women who have appeared on the podcast in the past. They include stories by the writer Ruth Fitzmaurice and Rose of Repeal Brianna Parkins, which you'll find in the Irish Times Christmas Eve Magazine and on irishtimes.comHappy Christmas y'all!

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Róisín reconvened the Women’s Podcast Book Club recently to give Michelle Obama's memoir Becoming the once over. It's hardly a spoiler to say that Irish Times journalists Bernice Harrison and Niamh Towey, and Róisín's mother Ann Ingle all enjoyed the book. Find out why on today's show. Plus: Róisín and Kathy tackle the thorny issue of emotional labour at Christmas.

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