The Mick Clifford Podcast

Have you ever fantasised about the phone call to tell you a long lost and forgotten great aunt has just died and left you a forture? Maeve Mullin is a genealogist whose work includes tracking down the beneficiaries of Wills who could be the lucky recipient of such a phone call. Her work in Findersinternational brings her in contact with a treasure trove of human stories about love and loss and the lost and lonely and the odd recipient of that phone call. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 1976 the Cork-Dublin mail train was robbed setting off a series of events that led to a major miscarriage of justice. Osgur Breatnach was one of three men convicted and later cleared of the robbery. Another was Nicky Kelly, whose case came to international prominence when he went on a hunger strike prior to being released from prison and ultimately pardoned.For the last forty five years Breatnach has been pursuing the government to hold an inquiry into the whole matter. His cause has received support from civic society, politicians, lawyers and one retired judge. He spoke to the podcast about developments in the campaign and his own struggles to lead a normal life and the traumatic events that transformed his life. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the Taliban exerts control on Afghanistan and women’s basic rights come under attack again we speak to a woman from another part of the Islamic world who was subjected to a forced marriage. Dalal Alshohaib met the man she was told would be her husband when she was 18 and was forced to marry him a year later in her native Saudi Arabia. She managed to eventually get out of the marriage and now lives in Ireland where she is estranged from her family back home. Her story is one of struggle and ultimately triumph. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bryan McDonald is an Irish journalist working for the Russian online newspaper, Russia Today. From his home in the city of Sochi on the Black Sea he spoke to the podcast about how the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban is being viewed in his adopted country. He also spoke about what he says are misplaced western views about Russia, the very black economy there, how free or otherwise the media really is and how he ended up many miles from his native Co Carlow. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change this week has provided a wake up call for the world at large. We can no longer continue to live as we have, particularly those of us who inhabit the wealthier countries. A huge reduction in carbon emissions will be necessary to stave off the worst aspects of the changing climate. But what exactly will this mean for all of us over the coming years? How must we change our lives in order to keep our climate? What moral responsibilities are now on our collective shoulders? Environmental scientist and writer Cara Augustenborg addresses these issues and explains why she believes a better society is possible if we are all willing to do our bit. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vera Regan is Professor of Sociolinguistics in UCD and she listens to people professionally to find out and analyse why they speak as they do. How much does your language say about you, where you came from and where you aspire to go? Why do we use the words we use and why do some of us use words that others avoid? And where do you insert, like, the word like, not to mind the often annoying word, so. Sit back and listen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In July 1921 a truce was called in the War of Independence bringing to an end a conflict that was to shape the future of this island. The truce also ended a unity of purpose among Irish nationalists that had flourished since the Rising in 1916, to be replaced by a politics that was to last in one form or another for the following century.But what was it like for the man and woman in the street in Ireland when war came to an end? How did the combatants feel about it? And was there any way that what was to follow could have been avoided? Dr John Borgonovo, from UCC’s school of history, tells it like it was. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Two documentaries on the murder of Frenchwoman Sophie Toscan du Plantier in West Cork in 1996 have recently been released. Ian Bailey, who was the chief suspect for the murder in its aftermath is a central figure in both productions. This week, he spoke to the podcast about how the documentaries have awoken interest in the case, their impact on him and how his life has altered significantly in recent months. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Twenty years after journalist Susan McKay wrote a book about Northern Protestants, she once more takes the temperature of the tradition right across society in the north with her new book, Northern Protestants: On Shifting Ground. The publication comes at a time when the ground is indeed shifting, with the fall-out from Brexit and an increasing number of people wondering whether the march towards a united Ireland is now gathering pace. Susan talks about how many within the statelet are now looking south with a different attitude despite the rhetoric that appears to be the staple of political leadership within the unionist tradition. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rebecca and Pat were told that their unborn baby had a fatal foetal abnormality and proceeded to have a termination as a result. Three weeks later they discovered that the information they received was completely incorrect. Their baby was perfectly normal. On Wednesday they settled a High Court action with those involved in the catastrophic error. The couple are this week’s guests on the Podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.