Claim OwnershipBrendan O'Connor
Subscribed: 10,599Played: 795,363
Subscribe
© 2026 RTÉ Radio 1
Description
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.
550 Episodes
Reverse
Joining Brendan to discuss the Sunday papers are Ellen Coyne, Political Correspondent at the Irish Times; Gerard Howlin, former government adviser and Public Affairs Consultant; Susanne Rogers, with Social Justice Ireland and Dan Mulhall, Former Irish Ambassador to Washington. Security Analyst Declan Power joins by phone.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Artist Dorothy Cross tells Brendan about her Cork childhood, competitive swimming, the thrill of having her art first exhibited by the Tate in London, turning 70 and the joys of the sea. She picked five songs that meant something special to her throughout her life.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Joining Brendan to discuss the best TV and films coming this week are Grainne Humphries, Festival Director of the Dublin International Film Festival and Eoin Sweeney, TV and radio producer. Previews include Niall Breslin’s new documentary ‘All That Remains’ as well as movies like Jessie Buckley’s ‘The Bride’ and ‘Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man’.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Novelist and video game critic for The Guardian, Sarah Maria Griffin explains to Brendan how she has rediscovered the 30-year-old Nintendo game recently as a mother and has a new appreciation for it.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
1First-time author Clíodhna O’Sullivan has written a romantasy novel, ‘Her Hidden Fire’ which has been chosen as a Good Morning America Bookclub pick for March 2026. She talked to Brendan about her father’s alcoholism, her mother’s mental health problems, the duties of the eldest daughter, and how fantasy novels were always an escape.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oscar winner and award-winning writer Neil Jordan tells Brendan about his first foray into science-fiction with ‘The Library of Traumatic Memory’. As an Academy member, he also discusses casting his vote for this year’s Oscars, Jessie Buckley’s chance of taking home Best Actress, and why he was always wary of Harvey Weinstein.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, who has recently returned from the US, gives his take on the fall of the Iranian regime as the war enters its second week.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Pól O’Conghaile, Travel Editor of the Irish Independent, joins Brendan with his pick of the prettiest places to visit in Ireland.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Where is JD Vance? Is Rubio the coming man? One week into the US-Israel war on Iran, Brendan speaks to host of The Rest is Politics US, and President Trump’s former White House Communications Director, Anthony Scaramucci.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
TV Chef & Asia Market MD, Eva Pau, has easy recipes for delicious stir fry recipes such as simple fried rice, black pepper beef and a veggie stir fry. She also talks through the best equipment to use when stir frying. A new series of ‘Eva Pau’s Asian Kitchen’ started this week on RTÉ Television.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Joining Brendan to discuss the Sunday papers, are publisher at TheBriefing.ie, Liz Carolan; research professor at the ESRI, Alan Barrett; Sunday Independent and Irish Daily Mail columnist, Brenda Power; Irish Times Political Editor, Pat Leahy; and professor of US and International Politics at UCD’s Clinton Institute, Scott Lucas.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Award winning novelist, Colum McCann joins Brendan to discuss the songs that have formed the soundtrack to his life, including Ray Charles’ ‘Hit the Road, Jack’ and Colm Mac Con Iomaire’s ‘The Minbar of Saladin’. He also tracks his literary childhood, his 9/11 novel and his attempt to emulate Jack Kerouac by cycling across America.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Joining Brendan to discuss the best TV and films coming this week, are Business Post film critic, John Maguire and Irish Times arts journalist, Nadine O’Regan. Their choices include ‘Vladamir’, ‘DTF St Louis’ and ‘The Testament of Ann Lee’.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Culture journalist, Zara Hederman joins Brendan to discuss a growing controversy in the latest season of ‘Love is Blind’, a dating show r. After one participant met his fiancée, he told her he was used to dating “who work out all the time”, sparking a furore of commentary about the intersection of physical attraction, misogyny and body shaming.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Actor Colin Farrell and campaigner Emma Fogarty join Brendan to discuss their deep friendship, their campaigning work on EB (known as ‘butterfly skin’) and their new documentary ‘The Slightest Touch’ which premieres at the Dublin International Film Festival this weekend.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Writer Ann Ingle, and her daughter, Irish Times journalist and Co-host of the Women’s Podcast, Róisín Ingle join Brendan to discuss the changing nature of sex, the cultural highs and lows of their year, and how our parents’ choice of partner impacts our own.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dietician Sarah Keogh joins Brendan to discuss how much protein we really need, and the impact of eating too much or too little and gives her verdict on protein powders and bars.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Following joint US/Israeli strikes on Iran overnight, Iranian-American journalist Borzou Daragahi joins Brendan with the latest updates, as the impact of the attacks becomes clear and the Iranian leadership vows retaliation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
From salsa to tzatziki, and hummus to pesto, Chef Alannah Sheehan gives Brendan a how-to guide to making dips that are quick, simple and super tasty.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Joining Brendan to discuss the Sunday newspapers are Adam Harris, Founder and CEO of AsIAm; Brigid Laffan, Emeritus Professor at the European University Institute; Harry McGee, Political Correspondent with the Irish Times and Hazel Chu, Dublin City Councillor and Green Party Deputy Leader.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Download from Google Play
Download from App Store
United States
Good grief o connor must have the goods on rte she's never off it 🤡
O connor giving airtime / employment to the usual hacks and government lackies ... how depressing
I wonder does the allocation of €750 million of taxpayers money to biased rte the political wing of fg ff colour their Sunday panel discussions 😂💰#biasedrte
No programme on Bloody Sunday from this prick...
This is excellent. Heard it yesterday on the show and just had another listen. Some great stuff in here.
Plenty of rational, younger people see through Meghan as well as the older generations.