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 Watchlist

January 11, 2026 • 10 mins
Writer, Henrietta McKervey and TV and Radio Producer Eoin Sweeney talked Brendan through the hits and misses from the big and small screen this week.
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The Technology coming for us all in 2026!

January 11, 2026 • 8 mins
Elaine Burke, host of the ‘For Tech’s Sake’ podcast on why we’ll all be talking to our computers in 2026 and how AI will infiltrate all spheres of life this year.
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“I was a rugby player, an actor and a goth” - Jason O’Mara

January 11, 2026 • 28 mins
Actor Jason O’Mara has just moved home to Dublin after over 20 years in L.A. He’s acted in DC’s Batman, Band of Brothers, Life on Mars, The Good Wife, The Lincoln Lawyer and will be in RTE’s These Sacred Vows next month. He chose five songs to represent his life ranging from Simon & Garfunkel to The Jesus and Mary Chain to Max Richter.
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The Newspaper Panel

January 11, 2026 • 55 mins
Joining Brendan this week are: Eamon Ryan, former government Minister and Chair of the European Housing Advisory Board,Prof Brigid Laffan, Emeritus Professor at the European University Institute, Mary Regan, Political editor of the Irish and Sunday Independent and Dan O’Brien, Chief Economist at the Institute of International and European Affairs.
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Darina Allen - “I have become a spice nerd!”

January 10, 2026 • 10 mins
Chef Darina Allen talks to Brendan about her favourite curries for these cold winter evenings, her inspiring travels to India and Sri-Lanka in search of new recipes and why using fresh spices is a game changer.
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“Adolescence lasts til age 32 in the brain” - Prof Brendan Kelly

January 10, 2026 • 24 mins
Brendan Kelly, Professor of Psychiatry at Trinity College Dublin, joins Brendan to explain how the brain develops over the decades and why 32 is a crucial age for the brain’s re-wiring.
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Gavin Friday - “With Bowie suddenly I had someone who understood me”

January 10, 2026 • 8 mins
Musician Gavin Friday joins Brendan on the 10th anniversary of David Bowie’s death to talk about what Bowie meant to him as a teenager growing up in Dublin, having dinner with his hero (and not seeing eye to eye!) and his enduring influence.
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Radiator masterclass with architect Róisín Murphy

January 10, 2026 • 8 mins
Architect Róisín Murphy wades in on the Great Radiator Debate with her views on how to run a radiator, the cost benefits of turning the radiator down a degree or two, where to best position a radiator and much more.
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“The Iran protests feel different this time”

January 10, 2026 • 12 mins
Channel 4 News’ Foreign Correspondent Páraic O’Brien talks to Brendan about the potential collapse of the regime in Iran.
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Chris de Burgh & Paul Howard on their friendship

January 10, 2026 • 29 mins
Singer-songwriter Chris De Burgh and Ross-O'Carroll-Kelly creator Paul Howard joined Brendan to talk about becoming friends later in life, wine-related escapades and the importance of banter and laughter.
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The Watchlist

January 4, 2026 • 13 mins
Previewing the very best of the big and small screen this week – including Traitors, Dancing with the Stars and soap mash-up ‘Corrie-dale’ – are Director of the Dublin International Film Festival, Grainne Humphries; and host of the Extravision podcast, Andy McCarroll.
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“How do you match your personality type to your relationship with money?” - how to save in 2026

January 4, 2026 • 12 mins
Joining Dearbhail to talk through some top tips for taking control of your money in 2026 is Financial Advisor and CEO of Fairstone Ireland, Paul Merriman.
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“The Trad Wife thing has very little to do with what real women did 50 years ago” Nollaig na mBan in 2026

January 4, 2026 • 26 mins
Joining Dearbhail to discuss the modern meaning and relevance of Nollaig na mBan (“women’s Christmas”) are activist and founder of Topical Popical, Andrea Horan; interfaith minister, singer and theologian, Rev Dr Noirin Ni Riain; and novelist and author of ‘This is How You Remember It’, Catherine Prasifska.
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The Newspaper Panel

January 4, 2026 • 55 mins
Joining Dearbhail to parse through the Sunday newspapers are former Fine Gael government minister, Josepha Madigan; Professor of US and International Politics at UCD’s Clinton Institute, Scott Lucas; Publisher of TheBriefing.ie, Liz Carolan; and Political Editor with the Irish Times, Pat Leahy.
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“A perfect day for a fry” Kevin Dundon’s Irish Fry masterclass

January 3, 2026 • 10 mins
The differences between the Full Irish and the Ulster Fry, and the little nuances that make a fry special.
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“We take to the streets: rabid supporters of the New Year party” Enda Wyley’s poems for New Year.

January 3, 2026 • 10 mins
Poet Enda Wyley pick outs poems to ring in the New Year, and get us through the cold winter months – blending humour, optimism and wonder at the natural world.
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“We lost trust... during Covid we saw an increase in free-birthing” Prof Shane Higgins – Outgoing Master of Holles St Hospital

January 3, 2026 • 26 mins
“We lost trust... during Covid we saw an increase in free-birthing” Prof Shane Higgins – Outgoing Master of Holles St Hospital
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The Creepy Cookie Theory: Conor Pope’s hacks for cheaper travel

January 3, 2026 • 9 mins
Are cookies watching your online holiday booking habits and costing you more? Is 2am on a Wednesday the best time to book a flight online? Conor Pope of The Irish Times talks Dearbhail through hacks and myths for cheaper holidays.
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“It’s like a conversation interrupted in mid-sentence" - Garry Hynes

January 3, 2026 • 30 mins
Founder and Artistic Director of Druid Theatre company, Garry Hynes joins Dearbhail to talk about the songs of her life, the death of her beloved wife, Martha O’Neill and the 50th Anniversary of the Galway-based theatre company which she founded, Druid. The conversation co-incides with the publication of ‘Druid Theatre: Fifty Years’.
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US attacks Venezuela, captures President Maduro.

January 3, 2026 • 14 mins
Following dramatic strikes in Venezuela, US President Donald Trump announced the capture of Venezuelan President, Nicholas Maduro. Chief Diplomatic Correspondent with The New York Times, Steven Erlanger; and Sky News Washington Correspondent, David Blevins bring Dearbhail up to speed on this breaking story.
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