Brendan O'Connor

Brendan O'Connor

Brendan O'Connor has all you need for the weekend with time to pause and reflect on the week just gone. Featuring a selection of human interest, consumer and lifestyle stories, as well as keeping you up to date on the news stories that matter. Listen live Saturday and Sunday at 11am - 1pm on RTÉ Radio 1.

Episodes

The Watch List

April 20, 2025 • 10 mins
The Watch List with freelance culture journalist Zara Hederman and freelance entertainment journalist Brian Lloyd.
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"Don't always trust your gut"!

April 20, 2025 • 9 mins
Nobel Laureate psychologist, Daniel Kahneman, was a pioneer of behavioural economics and among the most influential thinkers of recent decades. Professor Pete Lunn, head of the ESRI’s Behavioural Research Unit, profiled Kahneman for The Brendan O’Connor Show.
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"For a year, I couldn't leave Skibbereen"

April 20, 2025 • 30 mins
Acclaimed sports writer, Eamonn Sweeney, talks about the panic attacks and dread that overtook him some years ago, and about his gradual recovery. His book "The Last Ditch" also tells the story of the 2024 All Ireland Championships, and the place of the GAA in Irish society.
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The Newspaper Panel

April 20, 2025 • 53 mins
Joining Brendan to dissect the Sunday papers are Tanya Ward, Chief Executive of the Children’s Rights Alliance; Shona Murray, Europe Correspondent, Euronews; Mick Clifford, Special Correspondent, The Irish Examiner; and Larry Donnelly, Law Lecturer at the University of Galway.
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“They’re like smoothies on steroids!”

April 19, 2025 • 8 mins
Chef and Instagrammer Alannah Sheehan explains why certain ‘sophisticated smoothies’ like Erewhon smoothies have been going viral recently and why celebrities like Sabrina Carpenter & Hailey Bieber have been making their own versions. She has recipes to make your homemade smoothie extra!
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“Hoover your mattress and tackle your stinky wheelie bin this Easter”

April 19, 2025 • 7 mins
Denise O’Donoghue, the self-declared ‘Hacks Hack’ from the Irish Examiner offers hacks and tips for some of the Spring Cleaning jobs you might tackle this bank holiday weekend.
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MARK LITTLE - “Trump is running the Oval Office like a reality TV show”

April 19, 2025 • 26 mins
Tech entrepreneur and former Washington Correspondent Mark Little is fresh off a plane from America with his observations on what he sees as a consolidation of the MAGA hardcore and why he thinks US President Donald Trump might be stuck in a nostalgic 1980s mindset of boosting the US economy by manufacturing more stuff.
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Rita Ann Higgins – A poem for Easter

April 19, 2025 • 2 mins
Poet Rita Ann Higgins remembers Easters of old in her brand new poem ‘The Gold Flake Gang’.
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How to get the most from your GP appointment

April 19, 2025 • 9 mins
GP appointments can be hard to get, they can be short and you may have to pay for them. GP Dr Brendan O’Shea gives advice on how to plan ahead, what/who to bring and how to maximise your doctor appointment.
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Claire Keegan - “Why do I like pigs? How long have you got?!”

April 19, 2025 • 35 mins
Acclaimed author of ‘Small Things Like These’ and ‘Foster’, Claire Keegan, joined Brendan to talk about her childhood, the beauty of pigs, fame and she also chose five songs that have meant something special to her throughout her life.
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The Watch List

April 13, 2025 • 10 mins
Film Critic for the Business Post John Maguire and Entertainment Journalist and Broadcaster Sarina Bellissimo give Brendan their recommendations for the best T.V. and films to watch for the week ahead.
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“Elon Musk insulted my country – it's unforgiveable” - Chris Hadfield

April 13, 2025 • 35 mins
Brendan’s guest for My Life in Five Songs this week is astronaut, pilot, and author Chris Hadfield, whose music choices included Christy Moore, Brandi Carlisle, Neil Young, The Kingston Trio, and Elton John.
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The Newspaper Panel

April 13, 2025 • 53 mins
Joining Brendan to dissect the Sunday papers are Jennifer Bray, Political Editor, Sunday Times, Peter Brown, Managing Director of Baggot Investment Partners, Gary Murphy, Professor of Politics at DCU and Shana Cohen, Executive Director of TASC.
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The Magic of Moroccan Food

April 12, 2025 • 7 mins
Chef Rory O’Connell takes Brendan on a culinary voyage through the flavourful beauty and variety of Moroccan food from zingy fresh sardines to the simplicity of mint tea and deliciously spicy and zesty salads.
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“There is a certain kind of Irish lad who is made to be a best man” - Peter McGann

April 12, 2025 • 8 mins
With wedding season starting, actor and comedian Peter McGann joins Brendan to talk about what makes a great best man speech, what to avoid and how to survive if it all goes wrong.
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“Neurotics get a hard time - it’s not fair!” - Katriona O’Sullivan

April 12, 2025 • 29 mins
What IS personality? Are you born with your personality or is it shaped by experience? Can we change our personalities? Dr Katriona O’Sullivan, from Maynooth University’s Psychology Department, takes Brendan on a whistlestop tour of some of the thinking behind personality, and some of the main models.
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Summer Holidays Made Simple

April 12, 2025 • 14 mins
Now that summer holidays are just on the horizon, Brendan is joined by Irish Independent travel editor Pól O’Conghaile and Irish Daily Mail travel editor, Linda Maher to get their expert advice on the best destinations to book and how to prepare for those upcoming trips.
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“Now I feel no-one else is controlling me anymore” - Ciara Mangan

April 12, 2025 • 31 mins
In the week when the Court of Appeal upheld an eight-year prison sentence for Shane Noonan, for the 2013 rape of his work colleague, Ciara Mangan, Ciara speaks to Brendan. Ciara talked through how the rape unfolded, its aftermath, and her long journey through the criminal justice system. Today, Ciara runs an organisation called Beyond Surviving.
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The Watch List

April 6, 2025 • 16 mins
Podcaster and Presenter Fionnuala Jones and Donald Clarke, Chief Film Correspondent with the Irish Times give Brendan their recommendations for the best T.V. and films to watch for the week ahead.
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Blocky and beloved – Minecraft!

April 6, 2025 • 11 mins
Geek Ireland Editor Olivia Fahy takes us into the world of creating, building, and making friends that has made Minecraft the bestselling videogame of all time.
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