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

In this episode, Niall speaks to Cllr Albert Deasey and restaurateur Paul Treyvaud about executive pay at RTÉ and whether salaries at the taxpayer-funded broadcaster should be capped at €100,000.
RTÉ is once again seeking additional public funding after the current multiannual package, worth approximately €725 million, runs out. At the same time, its latest annual report reveals that nine of the organisation’s ten highest earners are members of management, with total remuneration packages approaching or exceeding €300,000.
Director General Kevin Bakhurst topped the table with total remuneration of €339,538, including pension contributions and allowances. He was followed by Deputy Director General Adrian Lynch on €293,627, Chief Technology Officer Richard Waghorn on €291,160, Director of News and Current Affairs Deirdre McCarthy on €285,063, presenter Claire Byrne on €280,000, former Chief Financial Officer Mari Hurley on €276,344, Director of Video Steve Carson on €276,282, former Director of Human Resources Eimear Cusack on €274,721, Commercial Director Gavin Deans on €269,055 and Director of Audio Patricia Monahan, also on €269,055.
Mr Bakhurst is also awaiting government approval for a recommended €20,000 salary increase, a proposal that remains under review by the Department of Public Expenditure.
Nobody is suggesting that salaries across the private sector should be capped. However, should different rules apply to an organisation that relies heavily on taxpayers, continues to seek additional financial support and repeatedly says it cannot make ends meet?
Niall asks whether all salaries at RTÉ should be capped at €100,000. Would such a limit finally force the broadcaster to live within its means, or would it prevent RTÉ from recruiting and retaining experienced executives, journalists and broadcasters?
Is €100,000 more than enough for anyone working at a publicly funded broadcaster, or is executive pay simply the unavoidable cost of attracting high-quality staff?

In this episode, Niall speaks to callers about a deeply personal email from a male listener who has discovered that his wife cheated on him during a weekend away with friends.
He became suspicious after one of her friends posted a photograph from a bar on Instagram. In the background, his wife could be seen wrapped around another man. The photograph was quickly deleted, but not before one of his friends took a screenshot and sent it to him.
When confronted, his wife broke down and admitted that she had slept with the man. She says she was extremely drunk, deeply regrets what happened and is pleading with her husband to forgive her.
The couple have two young children and a great deal at stake, but he is devastated and does not know whether he can ever trust her again.
Niall asks callers whether a one-night stand should automatically end a marriage. Can trust ever be properly rebuilt after infidelity, or will suspicion and resentment always remain? Does being drunk explain what happened, or is it simply an excuse? Should the welfare of the children influence his decision, or would staying together in a broken relationship only make matters worse?
Would you give a cheating partner a second chance, or is infidelity something a relationship can never truly recover from?

In this episode, Niall speaks to Larissa Nolan, Communications Officer with Aontú, about the Irish Medical Council’s pursuit of doctors over public comments and professional opinions they expressed during the Covid pandemic.
A number of doctors have faced fitness-to-practise inquiries or misconduct allegations after questioning lockdowns, mask mandates, PCR testing, Covid vaccines and other Government policies. The controversy raises serious questions about professional freedom, civil liberties and whether doctors should be punished for expressing views that challenged the official position at the time.
Aontú has called for these Medical Council proceedings to be paused until Ireland’s official review of the pandemic response has been completed. Party leader Peadar Tóibín highlighted the case of Dr Patrick Morrissey and argued that the State itself has major questions to answer before doctors are judged. He pointed to prolonged lockdowns, school closures, the treatment of nursing-home residents, people dying in isolation, the impact on young people and families experiencing domestic violence, and the absence of a comprehensive vaccine injury compensation scheme.
Aontú councillor Peter O’Donoghue has also argued that doctors who acted in good faith and expressed different professional opinions now face the possible destruction of their careers before the Government’s own decisions have been fully examined.
If doctors are being held accountable for what they said during the pandemic, should politicians also face a disciplinary court over decisions they made that may have caused serious harm?
Should elected representatives be judged for lockdowns, school closures, healthcare restrictions and vaccine policies that may now be viewed differently with the benefit of hindsight, or is accountability at the ballot box enough?
Niall discusses the issue with Larissa Nolan from Aontú.

In this episode, Niall speaks to social commentator and podcaster Elaine Mullally about age discrimination in the workplace and whether workers over 50 are being unfairly overlooked.
Approximately 80% of workers over the age of 50 say they have experienced or witnessed age discrimination, including being denied interviews, passed over for promotions or subjected to stereotypes about their energy, adaptability and ability to learn new skills.
Ireland is currently close to full employment, yet many older workers say that losing a job after the age of 50 can leave them struggling to find another opportunity, regardless of their experience or qualifications.
If a candidate over 50 and a fit 25-year-old applied for the same position, and both had the necessary skills, who would you hire?
Supporters of the older candidate argue that experience, maturity, reliability and workplace knowledge should count for more. Others believe younger applicants may be more energetic, adaptable and motivated to build a long-term career.
Are employers making sensible business decisions, or are they dismissing valuable workers simply because of their age?

Niall speaks to Irish Daily Mail journalist Ken Murray about the newspaper’s front page revelation that more than 16,000 people arrived at Dublin Airport without passports or valid travel documents between 2020 and 2025.
Figures obtained from the Department of Justice show that 16,307 undocumented passengers arrived during that period, with a record 4,968 arriving in 2022 alone. The total does not include arrivals at Cork, Shannon or Knock airports, meaning the true nationwide figure could be considerably higher.
How are passengers boarding international flights with passports, only to arrive in Ireland without them? Are documents being deliberately destroyed during flights to conceal identities, nationalities or travel routes? Why has the Government not required airlines to retain secure copies of passengers’ documents before departure?
Niall and Ken also examine Ireland’s failure to enforce deportation orders. Between 2020 and 2025, 9,142 orders were signed, but only 969 deportations were carried out. Does the State know how many of those ordered to leave remain in Ireland, and why is there such an enormous gap between issuing an order and enforcing it?
Has Ireland become a soft touch with what is effectively an open border crisis? Can the Government regain control of the immigration system, or will the financial cost, political division and social unrest continue to grow?