The Niall Boylan Podcast (They Told Me To Shut Up)

On today’s show, Niall talks to social commentator Karl Deeter, Stephen Delaney and callers about the growing controversy surrounding the Ireland vs Israel football match due to take place in the Aviva Stadium this October.
Minister for Sport Patrick O’Donovan and Minister of State Charlie McConalogue have both confirmed they will not attend the match because of the ongoing war in Gaza, reigniting calls from campaigners for Ireland to boycott the fixture altogether. Some believe Ireland should refuse to play, even if it means forfeiting the game or risking disqualification from the competition, arguing that taking part sends the wrong message during a humanitarian crisis.
Others say sport and politics should never mix and that punishing Irish players and supporters would achieve absolutely nothing. They argue the Irish team should fulfil the fixture as planned and leave international conflicts to politicians and diplomats.
Do you think Ireland should boycott the match in protest?
Would forfeiting the game be a powerful statement or a pointless gesture?
Do you believe most Irish people strongly support Palestine enough to back a boycott?
Or should the game go ahead as planned and politics stay out of sport?
The debate got heated as callers clashed over whether Ireland has a moral obligation to act or whether football is being dragged into politics yet again. Listen back now.

On today’s show, Niall talks to callers about the latest Census figures which are expected to show that almost 1 million people in Ireland now identify as having a disability, a figure that works out at close to 1 in 4 people in the country.
The numbers have sparked a huge debate online, with many people asking why Ireland’s disability figures appear significantly higher than countries such as the United States and well above World Health Organisation estimates. Some believe the definition of disability has expanded so broadly that it now includes conditions that would once never have qualified for disability supports, while others argue society is simply becoming more open and understanding of hidden illnesses, mental health conditions and neurological disorders.
Niall and callers discuss whether Ireland is genuinely becoming a less healthy society or whether the way we define disability has fundamentally changed over the years. The conversation also turned to the controversial issue of addiction, after questions were raised about alcoholism and substance dependency being recognised in some circumstances as illnesses or disabilities where they seriously impair physical or mental functioning.
Do you think drug addiction or alcoholism should entitle somebody to disability supports?
Are too many people now being classified as disabled?
Or are we finally recognising conditions that were ignored for generations?
As always, opinions were divided and callers didn’t hold back. Listen back now.

Journalist Laura Perrins joins Niall Boylan to talk about, or more accurately give out about, Ireland’s controversial Deposit Return Scheme. What was supposed to be a simple environmental initiative has instead left many consumers frustrated, with complaints about long queues, broken machines, extra charges on shopping bills and people storing bags of sticky cans and bottles in their homes waiting to cash them in.
This week, Peadar Tóibín called on the bosses of the scheme to appear before an Oireachtas Committee, saying it is “time to reform or end this beset scheme.” Laura argues the public were sold a green dream that has turned into an overcomplicated nuisance, while others insist the scheme is finally forcing people to recycle properly and think about waste.
Should we accept inconvenience in the name of the environment, or is this just another badly thought out money racket that punishes ordinary shoppers? Do you bother returning your cans and bottles, or do you just throw them into the recycling bin like before? Niall hears from callers who are divided between supporting the idea and wanting the whole thing scrapped.

A worried mother contacted Niall Boylan after a massive family argument erupted over their 16 year old daughter wanting to stay overnight at her boyfriend’s house for the first time. The mother says she is terrified at the idea and believes 16 is far too young for sleepovers with a boyfriend, especially overnight and out of her sight. Her biggest fear is that her daughter could end up pregnant at such a young age and she says once certain decisions are made, there is no going back.
But her husband says she is overreacting and living in the past. He argues their daughter is 16, not 6, and says forbidding her from going will only encourage sneaking around, secrecy and lies. He believes teenagers today are more mature, more educated and that parents need to build trust instead of trying to control every move they make.
The debate sparked huge reactions from callers, with some insisting strict boundaries are part of good parenting, while others argued overprotective parents simply push teenagers into rebellion.
So where do you stand on the dilemma?
At what age should teenagers be allowed stay overnight with a boyfriend or girlfriend?
Would you allow your 16 year old daughter or son to stay in their partner’s house?
And do strict parents protect teenagers, or do they just make them better liars?
Niall hears passionate opinions from callers on one of the parenting debates guaranteed to divide households across Ireland.

Niall talks to Paul Lawless about the Government’s plans to implement the new EU Migration and Asylum Pact, which comes into effect on June 12 and promises faster processing of asylum applications across the EU. Supporters believe the pact could finally bring more order and efficiency to Europe’s immigration system, while critics fear Ireland is surrendering control of its own borders and immigration policies to Brussels.
Aontú argues the real problem lies at the border with Northern Ireland, claiming most illegal immigrants are entering the Republic through the North, and says the only solution is stronger border controls down the Irish Sea. Niall and Paul debate whether Ireland has already lost control of immigration, why public frustration continues to grow, and whether the Government is capable of handling the crisis. They also discuss the pressure immigration is putting on housing, healthcare and public services, and ask whether ordinary concerns about immigration are too often dismissed or ignored by political leaders and the media.