The Mick Clifford Podcast

Journalist and broadcaster Alison O'Connor talks to Mick Clifford in this week's podcast about two stories that have dominated the news agenda for the last week and will continue to do so in one form or another long into the future.One element of the fall-out from the sentencing of two boys for the murder of Anna Kriegel that requires detailed analysis is the responsibility of parents to have hard, even awkward conversations with their teenage children about sex. With pornography available at the touch of a phone button, are teenage boys and girls being given a view of sex that is completely at odds with the real world and relationships. Alison talks about why parents are duty bound to have the hard conversations with their children.The other story that dominated the week was that of immigration following a storm in the Dail over a question raised by independent TD Noel Grealish. Are attitudes towards immigrants changing in this country and are some politicians prepared to exploit any changes for electoral gain? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Figures released this week by the Health Research Board point to a major increase in demand for drug treatment services. In particular treatment for cocaine abuse has rocketed in recent years. Much of this is being attributed to the economic recovery and corresponding so-called recreational drug use. The demand for treatment for the abuse of other drugs, particularly opiates and cannabis, is also increasing.So does all of this point towards a major drug problem in the country? And if so why and what exactly can be done about it? In this week's podcast we spoke to Michael Guerin, a senior therapist with the Cuan Mhuire treatment group. Michael has vast experience in the area and some very interesting insights into where exactly we are, how we got here, and how best to address what he believes to be a major health, social and economic problem. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Paul Murphy has been one of the most high profile TDs in the Dail over the last five years, during which time he and five of his party colleagues were tried and acquitted of the false imprisonment of former Tanaiste Joan Burton during a water charge protest in 2014.The socialist TD who has set up the new political entity Rise, talks to Mick Clifford about what he calls the new green deal, the fragmentation of the left and why he would not be interested in pursuing his aims in a coalition with an "establishment" party.He also sets out why he felt a new organisation was necessary at a time when climate justice is near the top of the political agenda. And why he has no regrets about the incident that led to his trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week the podcast interviews Cork boxer Gary Spike O'Sullivan and his trainer, Packie Collins about the upcoming documentary The Prizefighter, based on Spike's shot at the world middleweight title last year. The Prizefighter was written and directed by acclaimed film maker Terry McMahon and provides a unique insight into Spike's journey which was driven by the dream of buying a home for his family. The Prizefighter has received rave reviews in the film festival circuit and was backed by Virgin Media, which will be screening it on TV in the coming months. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The role of the whistleblower in exposing wrongdoing and corruption has come to the fore in recent years. The most prominent case was that of former garda sergeant, Maurice McCabe, but right across society, in the health service, public sector and the corporate world the whistleblower has been active, particularly since the introduction of the Protected Disclosure Act in 2014. Today Mick Clifford talks to John Devitt, chief executive of the anti-corruption agency, Transparency International Ireland about the role of the whistleblower in society, the protections in place for reporting wrongdoing and whether anything really changes when somebody comes forward. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last November David McDonald, an assistant chief officer in the prison service, made serious allegations of malpractice about what has gone on in the state's prisons. These included the illegal surveillance of prison officers and the manner in which deaths in custody were mishandled within the service.An inquiry ordered by the Minister for Justice found that most of his allegations had substance. Since he blew the whistle, ACO McDonald has, he claims, been targeted for ill treatment by management in the service. He talks to Mick Clifford about working in an elite unit of the prison service, why he decided to blow the whistle and why he feels that the prison service requires major reform. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A young couple died in a fire tragedy in 2002 but it would be fifteen years and another fire later before it was discovered that the building in which they died had serious defects.Louise Wall and Mick O'Farrell were found dead in their apartment in the newly built Verdemont complex in west Dublin by Louise's brother Shane. Questions were asked about how safe the building was but these questions, including some from the jury of a coroner's court, were never fully answered.In 2017 another fire resulted in the discovery of major fire safety defects in the construction. Louise's mother Margaret Wall and Margaret's husband Richard Brady spoke to the podcast about the tragedy, their sense of injustice and the further tragedy of Shane's death that they attribute to the trauma he suffered after discovering his sister's body.They also talk about whether there would be a different reaction to a fatal fire today in light of all we now know about building practices from the Celtic Tiger years. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The environmental group Extinction Rebellion have lost faith in the willingness of government and or the capacity of conventional governments to tackle climate change. On October 7 the Irish chapter of the group intends to bring the centre of Dublin to a standstill for a week as part of a campaign of civil disobedience in capital cities across the world. The group is demanding immediate action to eliminate carbon emissions and, as they see it, tell the public the truth about a planet in the grip of devastating climate change. Paul McCormack Cooney, a member of Extinction Rebellion, spoke to the podcast about the group's philosophy, tactics, attitude to democracy and why he, a middle aged father of two, got involved in a rebellion. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gerard Mannix Flynn is a survivor of Ireland's industrial school system, a renowned performing artist and writer, and, for the last decade, a Dublin City councillor.Next month his autobiographical film Land Without God goes on release. The film comes twenty years after his groundbreaking theatrical production, James X.He spoke to the podcast about his early life, his struggles with and recovery from addiction, and his politics. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ken Mayers and Tarak Kauff arrived in Ireland from the USA last March intent on a brief visit to support friends protesting against the US military using Shannon Airport. They were arrested and now face a trial for criminal damage. Their passports have been confiscated and they are confined to this country until their trial. They spoke to the Mick Clifford podcast about lives of activism, their families back home and how they have survived since arriving in the country. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.