Brendan O'Connor cover art

All Episodes

Brendan O'Connor — 241 episodes

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Title
1

Newspaper Panel

2

"My big ambition? That my wife is happy" - writer, Richard Ford

3

“I’m not worried about Millennials; I’m worried a fear of cringe is ruling Gen Z lives!”

4

Robbie Williams - “I’m taking the weight loss jabs. I didn’t qualify, but I’m a celebrity”

5

"With potatoes cooking in the ground - has this summer been a wake-up call on climate change?"

6

From pink cocaine to ultra strong MDMA - a warning on this year’s casual drug trends

7

“Odyssey Round the A&E”, a new poem by Rita Ann Higgins

8

“He told me ‘word is you’re a flash in the pan’ - that drove me to prove myself” - Phil Coulter

9

A Physio’s Guide to Improving your Balance

10

Homemade Ice Cream for Dummies with Kevin Dundon

11

The Newspaper Panel

12

“Jeremy Irons can hold his own at a seisiún ” - Martin Hayes

13

“Real life horrors are on your phone instantly”

14

“I didn’t think Ferris Bueller would last 40 years” - Matthew Broderick

15

“I think I'll miss being given out to by Brenda Fricker the most!”

16

“Marriage needs conflict” - Prof. Katriona O’Sullivan

17

“People used tea bags and gravy browning to tan their legs!”

18

The ultimate cheeseburger

19

Ellen Keane: “I came back from the Paralympics and my motivation was in the bin”

20

Literary feuds – “She shot to fame in a film that sexualised a young girl”

21

Weinstein survivor, Ashley Judd: “Not all men are violent, but most men are silent”

22

Summer debts: “Dog-sitting can be a great way to get a cheap holiday - if you like dogs!”

23

“You don’t need a free bar two hours before the meal” - Noel Cunningham on hosting a recovering alcoholic

24

Viral Clare businesswoman: “I was born with resting bitch face, and I’m proud of it!”

25

Shane Daniel Byrne - “I like the way songs can change meaning over the years”

26

“Camping is just THE BEST way to explore Ireland”

27

The Watchlist

28

The Newspaper Panel

29

Pat Shortt: “I love grotesque, edgy madness!”

30

“People are watching Netflix while they’re driving along”

31

“There is always violence bubbling under”

32

“You want a waxy spud for a potato salad”

33

Paul Simon’s Graceland at 40

34

The Newspaper Panel

35

The Watchlist

36

“Are bank details on a wedding invite the new norm?”

37

“By the time you’re thirsty you're already 2% dehydrated” - Defeating Dehydration

38

The Newspaper Panel

39

The Watchlist

40

Frances Black - “A Woman’s Heart was the inspiration for the Spice Girls!”

41

“Don’t be afraid of your home” - Getting to Know Your House

42

Discover the Coolcation

43

“I want to make the women of Ireland safer” - Leona Macken

44

Luke Combs at Slane - “Ordinary is the appeal”

45

Sensational Strawberries with Neven Maguire

46

The Watchlist

47

“Crying shows us what really matters to us” - The Power of Crying with Dr Tony Bates

48

“‘The Queue’ at Wimbledon is now a social media sensation in its own right”

49

The Newspaper Panel

50

Your Summer Dilemmas with Dr Richard Hogan

51

Minding Yourself In The Heat with Dr Colm Henry

52

“Breadcrumbing is where the man isn’t giving you the full loaf of bread!”

53

Mary Kennedy - “I’m at an age now where I don’t care what people think of me”

54

Why Buying Refurbished Tech saves money and the planet

55

Darina Allen - "Your oven should never be moody”

56

The Newspaper Panel

57

“Choose Life” - The Trainspotting Soundtrack turns 30

58

How to Pack the Perfect Holiday Suitcase

59

The Watchlist

60

Summer Holiday Book Recommendations “It’s Sinead’s memoir, and she’s reading it – it’s very intimate”

61

Niall Moyna: “Within four hours of this treatment, 18,000 bio-molecules are produced in your body”

62

Enda Walsh: “Bowie told me he was sick – he wanted to leave on his own terms”

63

Cape Verde’s World Cup Heroics: “It’s been a fairytale, but not an overnight success”

64

Shellfish masterclass: “Irish people always think seafood will kill us. But it's very safe now”

65

Newspaper Panel

66

Conversations To Have With Your Parents Before They Die

67

Wedding bells in Madison Square Garden for Taylor Swift?

68

The Watchlist

69

Ann Lane - “People started dying, the Captain told us it was Hantavirus”

70

Enda Wyley – Poems for Summer

71

“Having a son with special needs introduces you to so many everyday heroes” - writer, Ian Rankin

72

Do you need an LED face mask? - Prof Caitriona Ryan

73

“Dot cakes are dopamine baking!”

74

The Watchlist

75

Newspaper Panel

76

Mark Little: ‘Technology doesn’t have a moral compass – WE need to rein it in and to push for that!’

77

The enduring appeal of Nora Ephron

78

The Watchlist

79

Roddy Collins, Mary Coughlan, Kyla Cobbler & more - Advice for the Class of 2026

80

Adam Harris: Why I’m leaving ‘AsIAm’...

81

Daniel Wiffen: “I’ll never replicate the joy of a really tough training session”

82

Financial Cultures: avoiding the social pressure to overspend

83

Sprucing up your packed lunch

84

Newspaper Panel

85

Patrick Freyne -“There’s a beauty in accepting that you’re probably just average”

86

The rise of the Naked Nail

87

The Watchlist

88

Ciara Mageean - “If I’m going to die, I’m going to fit in as much living as possible now”

89

Irish priest and spiritual advisor to Anthropic reacts to U.S. ban on foreign use

90

Salman Rushdie - “It wasn’t true, I never lived in Bono’s back garden!”

91

Stefanie Preissner’s Father’s Day Gift Guide

92

“Porridge with chocolate milk? Yes! Change up the liquids you use!”

93

Elvis Costello: “This is my face – there's nothing I can do about it!”

94

“It felt like a secret world, with music from another planet” - The Pretty in Pink soundtrack at 40

95

The Watchlist

96

The Newspaper Panel

97

Author, Elizabeth Strout: “A marriage can be a lonely place”

98

“After your show aired, the guy I loved, from years back, got in touch...”

99

Masterchef’s Anna Haugh: “Appalling treatment of restaurant staff makes my blood boil”

100

Richard Hogan: “Too many feel their boundaries should never be breached”

101

Greenways: “Cycling is about much more than getting from A to B”

102

The Newspaper Panel

103

“I thought I was the saviour of the planet” - GOT actor, Hannah Murray

104

Does technology mean that our cars are no longer private spaces?

105

The Watchlist

106

“I’m telling his story, because Brian can’t” - Emily O’Reilly

107

“Being an influencer is the loneliest job” - TikToker, Miriam Mullins

108

“Although the U.S. has an awful lot of problems, most Americans will still celebrate the 250th anniversary”

109

"Did I want to be an actor or a movie star? That was the question for me" - Jack Reynor

110

“Lot of lemon juice, lots of lemon zest; delicious”

111

The Watchlist

112

The Newspaper Panel

113

Playwright Deirdre Kinahan - “Living to retire is such a cod. None of us knows what’s coming next”

114

How to holiday with friends without falling out

115

“I was so moved by the experience of hopelessness I shared with these women”

116

“I was a very shy kid and suffered from shyness right up until my 40s”

117

The low down on cholesterol

118

Why brack is not just for Halloween

119

Can a chatbot be a good friend? Two Gen Z guinea pigs find out

120

“When dressing for an event, don’t forget who you are!”

121

The Newspaper Panel

122

The Watchlist

123

Director, John Carney: “I had an almost priestly calling to film-making"

124

Mick Lynch - “People feel Britain needs a radical change right now”

125

“The God I grew up with was all about hell and punishment” - Fr. Iggy O’Donovan

126

What’s your flexibility score? (and why it matters)

127

Salad dressings that don’t skimp on flavour

128

Theo Dorgan: “My Dad buried himself early so that we might live”

129

The irrational optimism of driving a convertible in Ireland

130

The Watchlist

131

Newspaper Panel

132

Maria Walsh MEP: “It takes a village – that’s the image I’m leaning on, as a gay, single mum-to-be"

133

“Thank you isn’t nearly enough” - finding the good Samaritan who saved his life

134

Why we need holidays

135

Bill Nighy: “Now I’m Irish, I’m going to have to rebrand”

136

“Australia’s Martha Stewart” Donna Hay

137

James Kavanagh - “My bully found all manner of creative ways to make my life hell”

138

“‘Yesteryear’ shines another light on the Trad Wife culture war”

139

The Watchlist

140

Newspaper Panel

141

Michael Bublé - “I’m a pretty big deal, you need to see me before I die!”

142

“Teaching Love to medical students allows them to bring their own vulnerabilities to the job”

143

“I’m looking for the woman who saved my life”

144

Dr Richard Hogan - “The birth mothers who’ve come to my clinic have stayed in my soul”

145

Summer Life Hacks

146

Fruiting up your salads!

147

Michael Harding: “The sun gaslights us in Ireland. We’re never sure of it”

148

“The last hurrah, for a golden age of fashion magazines” the enduring appeal of The Devil Wears Prada

149

The Newspaper Panel

150

The Watchlist

151

Katriona O’Sullivan: “I felt like a fat bride, and I still hate the wedding photos”

152

How long will the sunshine last?

153

PJ Gallagher: “You’d never let anyone talk to you, the way you talk to yourself when you’re unwell”

154

From the archive: Manchán Magan kicks-off summer with a naked dew-roll

155

All the tricks you need for an authentic Caribbean BBQ

156

My Life in Five Songs: actor, Eileen Walsh

157

“YouTubers are increasingly invading our TVs”

158

Newspaper Panel

159

The Watchlist

160

Jan Carson - “Maybe the whole of Northern Ireland should have gone to therapy”

161

Theologian: “Trump’s post was blasphemous and utterly un-Christian"

162

Neurologist: “Procrastination is a tug-of-war between parts of your brain”

163

Holidays Of A Lifetime “If you’re dreaming about it, just go”

164

How to Walk, with Karl Henry

165

French classics with an Irish twist

166

The Newspaper Panel

167

Niall Quinn “Football is the answer to a lot of problems in modern Ireland”

168

Apps that make travel easy with Conor Pope

169

The Watchlist

170

“My father thought I was part bird, because I was born without arms”

171

Do you know your love language? Psychologist, Allison Keating explains!

172

What is likely to happen now in the stand-off over the fuel protests?

173

Dermot Bannon “People say they need storage, but what are they storing?!”

174

“You lose 30% of your collagen around perimenopause”

175

Baking this weekend? Chef Una Leonard has some tips!

176

Kathryn Thomas - “I would never have admitted to Botox five years ago”

177

Nóirín Ní Riain – “The modern world badly needs a spiritual transplant”

178

The Watchlist

179

Comedian, Emma Doran - “I’m like a Jack Russell; all bark but really I just want to be up on the couch!”

180

Trisha Lewis - “I love myself now, I didn’t love myself 7 years ago”

181

The Edge on his friend Hal Wilner - “It was our good fortune to know him”

182

Crime writer, Tana French - “Women are socialised to think about predators who see us as prey”

183

European Greenway Holidays “I wouldn’t go on a holiday now that didn’t involve cycling”

184

The Ultimate Chocolate Cake this Easter

185

Newspaper Panel

186

Rita Ann Higgins: “The witch in me wanted to scramble his eggs”

187

Arrest of controversial influencer Clavicular

188

The Watchlist

189

Colm Tóibín: “After Epstein, I wanted to explore why some people feel no guilt”

190

Stefanie Preissner: “I have six hoovers – and a back-up battery.”

191

Was this the week the tide turned against social media giants?

192

Donal O’Shea: “Everything is salted caramel now: it combines salt, fat and sugar.”

193

How to ask for a pay rise

194

The secrets of making great coffee, at home or at work

195

Richie Sadlier: “I was in this pit of self-pity and anger and loss all wrapped into one”

196

The real-life drama surrounding TV show ‘Love Story’

197

Newspaper Panel

198

The Watchlist

199

Dr Richard Hogan: “Guilt & shame have their tentacles in everything”

200

“Troy Parrott is just in flying form right now” - Tony O’Donoghue

201

“This used to be called insider trading!” – the rise of online prediction markets

202

John Banville - “Humble items around the house might bring me to tears”

203

Carrie Crowley on the joys of sea-swimming

204

Darina Allen: “Risotto is the ultimate stand-by dish”

205

“Mam knew she was loved, but I wish I told her more” Édaein O'Connell on grief of losing her mother

206

Ed Guiney “The car queue lasts around 2 hours to the Oscars”

207

The Newspaper Panel

208

Mark Little - “Bro culture is infiltrating politics ...and now war”

209

RTE Sport’s Jacqui Hurley on the most exciting Six Nations in years

210

Mr Motivator - “Every minute I’m sad, I’m missing out on 60 seconds of happiness”

211

Liz Nugent - “I only ever had bad dreams – I’d wake up thinking I’d murdered someone”

212

“Eid has become so commercialised – the price of dates is ridiculous”

213

Restaurant level fish dishes at home

214

“I thought art didn’t exist in Ireland” - artist, Dorothy Cross

215

Pokémon at 30: “I’ve rediscovered it now as an adult and realise it’s a great way of keeping you company”

216

The Newspaper Panel

217

The Watchlist

218

Leo Varadkar: ‘I think the European-Atlantic relationship is changed forever’

219

“I was a bit player in my parents’ drama, a parentified eldest daughter”

220

Ex-Trump advisor, Anthony Scaramucci: “I was in the Epstein Files”

221

Neil Jordan “Everyone knew what Weinstein was”

222

Ireland’s Prettiest Towns and Villages

223

Eva Pau’s Sensational Stir Fries!

224

Colum McCann “With my brain condition - the medicine altered me more than the pain”

225

Love is Blind controversy: Body Shaming or Romantic Honesty?

226

Colin Farrell - “I have enormous feeling around Emma, love for her, anger for her EB, sorrow for things EB has taken from her”

227

“De-escalation is out of the question” Middle East Update

228

Róisín and Ann Ingle on steady eddies, what makes a good sex scene and why we need to talk about death

229

A dietician’s definitive guide to protein

230

Quick and tasty homemade dips with chef, Alannah Sheehan

231

Prof Luke O’Neill - How to get through ‘Sniper’s Alley’ and optimise your health in midlife

232

How AI is changing the face of filmmaking and content creation

233

The Newspaper Panel

234

Dr. Mike Ryan: “My mother took me by the two hands and said ‘don’t you die over there'”

235

Jacqui Hurley previews Ireland v England in Twickenham

236

Dads at the cutting edge - the half zip jumper is now fashion!

237

David Gray “My Dad pulled out his chemo tubes and came and cheered Bowie up”

238

Do you know your smishing from your vishing? - The top scams to watch out for right now

239

The only muffin recipes you’ll ever need with Caryna Camerino

240

Newspaper Panel

241

Painter, Sean Scully: "I wet the bed until I was 20"