22 year old Evan Fitzgerald, identified later as a ‘vulnerable young man’, died at his own hand outside a Carlow shopping centre last June. He was on bail at the time for firearms offences.

He and two friends had been arrested in March 2024 in a Garda sting after they had attempted to purchase weapons on the dark web – it turned out the ‘sellers’ were Gardai, and the guns were disabled.

They were released on bail after a court appearance in which Gardai never revealed the sting operation that had led to their arrest. In an unprecedented move, Judge Desmond Zaidan later spoke out to correct the record on what transpired in that court appearance.

In the aftermath of Mr Fitzgerald’s death, a number of politicians have called for an inquiry into how the sting operation was conducted, Garda statements in court, and leaks suggesting he had a ‘manifesto’ at the time of his death, which turned out to be untrue.

Irish Examiner special correspondent Mick Clifford has been covering this case, and he’s the guest on today’s episode.

Mick Clifford: Fatal aftermath of Garda sting raises grave questions about policing failure

Evan Fitzgerald case: Senior garda praises firearms probe

Justice minister found out from Labour TD that gardaí had supplied Carlow shooting gun

Carlow shooting 'shouldn't have happened, but none of us know the true story', says gun shop owner

Evan Fitzgerald: Garda sources say 'we don’t have hindsight' when protecting the public

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In April, a Cork-based Ukrainian influencer called Rendy Vlad with over a million followers hit the headlines after a video he took of a young woman’s medical emergency in Cork was removed by TikTok. The video was filmed using Meta’s smart glasses, technology which has been sparking privacy concerns for quite some time.

Since then the Irish Examiner’s Emer Walsh has been following the activities of the MTU student closely – and people filmed by him in their workplaces have begun to speak out about their experiences. Emer is the guest on today’s podcast.

Influencer filming Cork City shop staff with smart glasses sparks 'incident'

Woman filmed at Cork workplace by influencer using smart glasses calls for tougher privacy laws

Cork influencer's Meta glasses video of young woman's medical emergency removed by TikTok

Harassment by online influencers requires legal change

The Deirdre O’Shaughnessy Podcast: Concerns grow around surveillance and technology’s impact on women

Margaret E Ward: Tech-enabled stalking and AI abuse are fuelling violence against women

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Last Monday Taoiseach Micheál Martin reopened the half century old debate about nuclear power, saying Ireland’s reliance on imported energy must come to an end. Speaking to the Irish Examiner’s Louise Burne in Armenia, the Taoiseach said “we should explore all avenues” to ensure energy sovereignty, including renewables and examining strides in technology around nuclear.

The Fianna Fáil TD for Cork East, James O’Connor, has now drafted legislation that would legalise nuclear energy.

But would it have any chance of passing a Dáil where so many TDs have objected to solar farms and windfarms in their own back yards – and is it really necessary?

Environmental journalist John Gibbons wrote about this issue for the Irish Examiner recently and he is the guest on today’s podcast.

John Gibbons: I've changed my mind on nuclear power — we don't need it any more

Taoiseach: We should 'seriously examine' nuclear power

Surplus renewable energy used to heat immersion tanks of older people

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Katriona O’Sullivan’s remarkable memoir Poor saw her become a household name. But her new book, Hungry: A Memoir of my Body is her story told through a different lens, one of sexual abuse, disordered eating, diet culture, and the search for sexual pleasure.

In this interview, recorded at St Luke’s in front of a live audience as part of the Cork World Book Festival, Katriona talks candidly about the abuse she suffered as a child, how she grew apart from her body through repeated abuse and sexualisation, and how she learned to find pleasure in it as an adult. And, how she’d like to become a brand ambassador for Triton – listen to find out why.

In Pictures: Powerful stuff from Katriona O’Sullivan at St Luke’s for Cork World Book Fest

Jennifer Horgan: Middle-class kids learn selfishness early — it's no wonder they won't change the world

Culture That Made Me: Katriona O’Sullivan, author of Poor, picks her touchstones

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The West Cork woman whose partner somehow knew where she was at all times... the Cork city retail worker whose interaction with a customer went viral even though she didn’t know he was filming.

These two cases recently reported in the Irish Examiner are just the tip of the iceberg of a new era of surveillance and control of women, aided and abetted, often deliberately, by Big Tech.

As ‘technofascism’ becomes mainstream and companies with misogynistic and white supremacist leaders take increasing control of major elements of our daily lives, journalist and consultant Margaret E Ward is the guest on today’s episode of The Deirdre O’Shaughnessy podcast.

Read Margaret’s column in Saturday’s Irish Examiner.

Woman filmed at Cork workplace by influencer using smart glasses calls for tougher privacy laws

West Cork Beacon sees surge in women tracked by partners using hidden devices

Marion McKeone: JD Vance needs all his Machiavellian instincts to avoid becoming Trump's whipping boy

Palantir sees first billion dollars in quarterly sales amid US spending cuts

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Tom Corkery was from Coachford in County Cork – an accountant who had done well in England after a lifetime of hard work, he was looking forward to retirement. Sue, his wife, had been a paediatric nurse.

Both in their sixties, they were planning a retirement of travel and adventure when in January 2024 while out walking a friend’s dog on a country lane, they were hit by a BMW SUV travelling at 87mph, or 140km.

“My mum was 68. My dad was 61. I think they were described as elderly in some of the press coverage - far from it. You know, my mum would be furious at being described as elderly. She was that kind of person, she was so full of life,” says Claire.

Witnesses had seen Scott Gunn travelling at high speed on the narrow country road in icy conditions on the coldest week of the year.

Despite all the evidence he pleaded not guilty and so Claire and her brother were forced to sit through his trial.

Claire Corkery joins Deirdre on the podcast today to tell her parents’ story – and highlight the dangers of speeding. Her story is one of shock, grief, injustice and finding a new purpose.

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38 year old Siobhán Kearney was killed by her husband Brian in 2006 as she was planning to leave their marriage.

Siobhán, a chef, hotelier and mother of one, had been planning to leave Brian Kearney and was keeping a record of his controlling and abusive behaviour on the advice of her solicitor.

Although Kearney tried to make her death look like suicide, he was convicted of her murder and has failed in his appeals. He’s currently serving a life sentence in Wheatfield Prison, but has been granted two days a year to meet with his family in a neutral venue, and could be eligible for parole.

Siobhan’s sister Deirdre McLaughlin says a life sentence should mean life – and her family having to describe their pain every time he applies for parole is deeply unfair.

“There's no parole... we can't go on parole and go meet my sister, Siobhan; he's taken her. She's gone. She's six feet under the ground in Redford Cemetery.”

‘I don’t believe someone who has done something like that should ever be released’

If you have been affected by the issues raised in this episode please see www.womensaid.ie.

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From Ballincollig to Mahon Point, with 27 stops, the Luas Cork route has finally been unveiled. Homes, gardens, sports clubs and pubs will all be impacted – but the almost 100 year wait for reinstatement of Cork’s trams might be about to come to an end.

Where are the stops going to be? Which locations are controversial? How long is it all going to take, and how much will it cost?

Reporter Donal O’Keeffe has all the details on today’s episode of the Deirdre O’Shaughnessy Podcast.

New Luas Cork route unveiled with 27 stops as public consultation opens until June

'Couple of hundred' gardens face compulsory purchase orders in 'worst-case scenario' for Cork Luas

Cork Luas: Schools and sports clubs face compulsory purchase orders as preferred route revealed

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