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

Is Irish Tourism in Trouble? Paul Treyvaud on Prices, Hotels and the Real Visitor Numbers
Ireland’s tourism industry has still not clearly returned to the levels we were seeing before the pandemic, and despite signs of a recovery during 2026, questions remain about how healthy the sector really is.
In this episode, Niall is joined by restaurateur and podcaster Paul Treyvaud to ask a simple question: why are tourist numbers still not where many people expected them to be, and do the official statistics actually tell the full story?
In 2025, overseas visitor numbers fell by around 3%, while tourist spending dropped by approximately 9%. More recent figures suggest a significant improvement during 2026, but Paul is asked whether that recovery is being felt on the ground by restaurants, hotels, pubs and other businesses that depend heavily on tourism.
Niall also questions whether some of the traditional indicators we use to measure tourism can give a misleading picture.
Hotel occupancy may appear strong, but a number of hotels and accommodation centres are being used for IPAS and emergency accommodation. That means fewer bedrooms are available to ordinary tourists, potentially increasing occupancy rates in the remaining hotels while also contributing to higher prices.
Dublin Airport is also busier than ever, but packed terminals do not necessarily mean Ireland is experiencing a tourism boom. Many passengers are Irish people travelling abroad, business travellers or passengers connecting through the airport rather than spending their holidays in Ireland.
So what is actually happening?
Has Ireland simply become too expensive for tourists? Are hotel rooms, restaurant prices, car hire, attractions and the overall cost of a holiday making Ireland increasingly difficult to justify compared with destinations such as Spain, Portugal, Italy or Greece?
Is the shortage of available hotel accommodation damaging the industry? Have high prices reached the point where even tourists who can afford to visit Ireland no longer believe they are receiving value for money?
And what about the experience on the ground? Are restaurants, pubs and tourism businesses seeing fewer overseas visitors than the official numbers would suggest, or could the industry actually be performing better than the headlines imply?
Paul Treyvaud gives Niall his perspective as somebody working directly in hospitality and tourism, and explains whether he believes the statistics match what businesses are seeing every day.
Ultimately, Niall asks whether Ireland still offers tourists good value for money, and if we don’t, how long can we expect visitors to keep paying premium prices when there are cheaper alternatives just a short flight away?

Blood Is Thicker Than Water: But Should Family Loyalty Have Limits?
We all know the saying, “Blood is thicker than water”, the idea that family comes first and that, no matter what happens, you stand by your own. But should that loyalty ever have limits?
In this episode, Niall is joined by Karl Deeter to debate just how far family loyalty should go, especially when someone you love has done something seriously wrong.
If your brother committed a violent assault, would you still stand beside him, defend him and support him through the consequences? Or would you tell him that what he did was unacceptable and that he now has to face the consequences alone?
What if your son or daughter was caught dealing drugs? Would your instinct as a parent be to bail them out, pay for a solicitor and do everything possible to protect them, or could constantly rescuing them actually make the situation worse?
There is also a difference between supporting somebody and defending their behaviour. Can you love a family member while still condemning what they have done? Can refusing to protect them sometimes be the most responsible thing a parent, sibling or relative can do?
The conversation also looks at families where the problem is not one dramatic incident, but years of lying, stealing, manipulation, addiction, broken promises or treating other people badly. How many chances should somebody receive simply because they are related to you? And at what point does loyalty stop being compassion and become enabling?
For some people, family represents unconditional love, security and the people who will still be there when everyone else has disappeared. For others, the deepest betrayals, longest grudges and most damaging relationships they have ever experienced have come from within their own family.
Niall and Karl ask whether relatives sometimes receive a free pass for behaviour we would never tolerate from a friend, colleague or partner, and whether walking away from a toxic family relationship can ever be justified.
So, is blood really thicker than water? Should family always come first, regardless of what somebody has done, or are there some actions that even family loyalty cannot excuse?
Niall Boylan discusses it with Karl Deeter.

IS THE GOVERNMENT AT WAR WITH THE TRADITIONAL FAMILY?
Niall talks to journalists David Quinn and Brenda Power about the Government’s National Strategy for Women and Girls and what it says about gender roles, marriage, motherhood, careers and the traditional family.
The strategy challenges what it describes as patriarchal norms, including the traditional expectation of men as breadwinners and women as carers, and argues that gender stereotypes can restrict the opportunities available to both women and men. It has also sparked controversy over attitudes towards the so called “Tradwife”, women who consciously choose to place marriage, children and the home at the centre of their lives.
David Quinn argues that the strategy goes much further than simply giving women greater choice. He believes it is based on an ideology that treats differences between men and women largely as products of social conditioning and places too much emphasis on paid employment and career progression while undervaluing motherhood, caring and life in the home.
In his article for Gript Media, David argues that Government policy is attempting to replace one set of traditional expectations with another. He points to countries such as Sweden, where decades of policies aimed at reducing traditional gender differences have not eliminated differences in career choices, working patterns or earnings between men and women. His argument is that Government should value professional and domestic life equally and allow women and men to choose the balance that suits them without attempting to engineer a particular outcome.
But is criticism of traditional gender roles justified? Can expectations surrounding husbands, wives and family life sometimes restrict women’s choices? And when campaigners link traditional gender stereotypes with wider issues such as inequality and domestic violence, are they addressing a genuine problem or unfairly portraying traditional relationships as harmful?
Niall, David Quinn and Brenda Power debate whether modern Government policy is genuinely expanding women’s choices, or whether the traditional wife, stay at home mother and conventional family are increasingly being treated as something society needs to move away from.
Do you see anything wrong with the traditional concept of the family? And if a woman freely chooses to become a “Tradwife”, should Government have any opinion on that choice at all?

Niall talks to Eddie Punch, former European election candidate for Independent Ireland, about Revenue’s growing crackdown on Ireland’s black economy and asks whether ordinary people should be reporting neighbours, tradespeople and local businesses they suspect of working cash in hand.
Revenue has pursued more than €10.5 million from suspected black market activity over the past 18 months, targeting sectors including construction, takeaways, beauty businesses, landlords and other cash based operators. Last year Revenue examined almost 13,000 suspected cases, intervening in around 8,000 and collecting €8.3 million.
But perhaps one of the biggest changes is coming from the public themselves. Tip offs about suspected black market activity jumped from 930 in 2024 to 1,743 in 2025, while Revenue is also examining social media for evidence of people operating cash in hand businesses and potentially avoiding tax.
Supporters of the crackdown argue that legitimate businesses simply cannot compete with someone who avoids VAT, PRSI, income tax, insurance and other costs while offering the same service for cash. Businesses in the beauty and construction industries say the shadow economy creates an unfair playing field for those who follow the rules.
But is there another side to it?
For generations, people have paid a builder, painter, cleaner, hairdresser or handyman a few euro in cash. Some argue that the black economy keeps money circulating locally, gives people struggling with the cost of living a chance to earn extra income and allows customers to get work done at prices they can actually afford.
So where do you draw the line between someone making a few extra quid and deliberate tax evasion?
And most importantly, would you actually report somebody to Revenue for working cash in hand, or would you say it’s none of your business?
Niall and Eddie Punch debate whether Ireland needs an even tougher crackdown on the black economy, or whether the cash economy is far more important to ordinary people than Government would like to admit.

On this week’s Not Suitable for Broadcast, Niall is joined by his former producer AJ Walsh for a fast moving mix of politics, money, family life, housing and a remarkable story of determination.
They begin with Donald Trump’s expected visit to Ireland and the political backlash already surrounding it. With protests being planned and some politicians saying the US President is not welcome, Niall and AJ ask whether personal hostility towards Trump risks getting in the way of Ireland’s economic interests, particularly given the importance of American investment and jobs. They also debate whether Ireland should roll out the red carpet for an elected US President, regardless of what individual politicians think of him.
Then it is on to children, chores and pocket money. Should kids be paid for tidying bedrooms, washing dishes and taking out the bins, or should helping around the house simply be part of family life? Niall and AJ look at whether paying for chores teaches the value of work and money, or risks creating a generation that expects payment for every contribution.
Energy bills are also under the spotlight after ESB chief executive Paddy Hayes received a €92,000 pay increase, bringing his salary to €410,000, while hundreds of thousands of households are struggling with electricity arrears. Is such a pay rise justified, and should the Government be doing more to reduce energy costs for ordinary households?
The pair also tackle the idea of compulsory voting. Would forcing eligible citizens to take part in elections strengthen democracy and improve turnout, or should the right to vote always include the right to stay at home? They discuss the Australian model, spoiled ballots, fines and whether politicians should be earning people’s votes rather than compelling them to participate.
Housing comes next, with the controversial Dunsink development plan proposing 18,500 homes for more than 46,000 people. But with the wider project dependent on major water and sewage infrastructure costing a combined €7.3 billion, Niall and AJ ask whether the homes are realistically deliverable, whether local services could cope and whether residents are raising legitimate concerns or standing in the way of badly needed housing.
They also debate whether school uniforms should finally be abolished, as parents face growing back to school costs. Are uniforms an outdated and expensive restriction on individuality, or do they still help create equality between children from different financial backgrounds?
And finally, the show ends on an extraordinary story. At the age of 97, Betty Bromage has broken her own record as the world’s oldest female wing walker, completing another daring flight after suffering a stroke last year, all while raising money for the stroke unit at Cheltenham General Hospital.
Politics, arguments, laughs and absolutely no filter. This is Not Suitable for Broadcast with Niall Boylan and AJ Walsh.