The Mick Clifford Podcast

After their son Niall took his own life John and Johanna O’Hara went looking for answers as to what had driven him to despair. They were to discover that Niall, a student in Maynooth University, had been arrested on a minor public order incident the night before he died. They also found out that there had been an earlier incident some weeks previously. Niall had never been “a moment’s trouble” so they are convinced that his death was directly attributable to what happened on those nights. Their experience in trying to piece together what afflicted their son has left them deeply disillusioned with An Garda Siochana. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A TALE OF TWO MAYORS: Gabriel Doherty.Tomas MacCurtain and Terence MacSwiney both served as lord mayors of Cork in 1920. Both tenures in office were very short as Mac Curtain was murdered in his home two months after taking the mayoral chain and MacSwiney, his successor, died in Brixton Prison at the end of a 74 day hunger strike.Historian Garbriel Doherty sketches out the lives and deaths of these two close friends, their respective roles in the War of Independence and how each of them is regarded within Cork and beyond. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How good is the system in this country in catering for parents of new born children? Can and should the state and employers do more? Do women get a raw deal from the existing system? Do we need a cultural shift in attitudes towards parental leave and parental equality.Irish Examiner political correspondent and relatively new mother Elaine Loughlin talks to the podcast about her experience and her research in the area. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How does it feel to get up every day and face into fighting for your children’s rights? That’s the lot of thousands of parents of children with a disability. The law is there to protect all children, including those with a disability, but repeatedly the state and its agencies fail to observe it. One of the biggest issues for these parents is finding a school for their children. Miriam Kenny, chairperson of Involve Autism is this week’s guest on the podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Independent TD Catherine Connolly has had a varied background that includes working as clinical psychologist and a barrister before she arrived in politics. Last July she was elected the first female Leas Ceann Comhairle of the Dail. She talks about her new role, how she doesn’t enjoy being a politician, her time in the Labour party and how anger brought her into politics. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

John O’Brien spent thirty eight years in An Garda Siochana at a time when the state and policing went through transformational change. From chasing paramilitaries along the border to putting together cases against gangland crime figures he accumulated huge experience, all of which he retells in his new memoir A Question Of Honour. The retired detective chief superintendent is also a keen student of the interface of politics and policing and offers some strong opinions on where it works and where it doesn’t. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Next Tuesday sees the election for the next US president in a contest that many believe to be the most important in decades. Can Donald Trump, against the odds, succeed in getting four more years? Or will the American people, through their extraordinary method of electing a president, prefer a safe pair of hands in Joe Biden?Mick was joined by Professor Bob Schmuhl of Notre Dame University to discuss the two contestants, their respective records and who will be the last man standing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Right wing extremism is growing in Ireland, according to the annual report from the EU crime agency, Europol. This is the first time that this country has featured in the EU body’s monitoring of right wing extremism.So is this ideology, which has been gaining traction around the world, not least in the United States, a threat to the current political landscape? And who are these right wing extremists who have come to the attention of Europol and the gardai in this country. Dr Natasha Dromey who lectures in UCC and is an expert on terrorism spoke to this week’s podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There was plenty of spending but very little corresponding cheer in Budget 2021, mainly because of the pandemic that has impacted on all our lives.But are there any reasons to be cheerful and have the Ministers for Finance and Public Expenditure spent wisely and covered all bases?Economist Jim Power and Irish Examiner Political Correspondent Danny McConnell joined Mick to discuss this and other elements of Budget 2021. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Earlier this week the government passed the milestone of 100 days in office. An unprecedented coalition has been governing through unprecedented times and it has been something of a baptism of fire full of controversies, the odd scandal and the continuing threat that the virus poses to public health and society.Taoiseach Micheal Martin is the podcast’s guest this week to look back over what has been achieved and what could have been done better. He also sets out the current state of the relationship between his government and NPHET. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.