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

After more than a decade of grants, tax incentives, subsidised home chargers and investment in public charging infrastructure, has Ireland’s electric vehicle revolution actually delivered?
Since 2010, successive governments have spent hundreds of millions of euro encouraging motorists to abandon petrol and diesel. Buyers can currently receive a grant of up to €3,500 towards an eligible new electric car, while a recent €10 million scrappage scheme offered qualifying motorists total support of up to €8,500.
Yet the latest CSO snapshot shows that fully electric cars represented only 3.4% of Ireland’s private car fleet in 2025, up from 2.6% the previous year. That leaves more than 96% of cars on Irish roads still powered by something other than electricity.
There are signs that the market is beginning to accelerate. Almost one in four new private cars licensed during the first five months of 2026 was fully electric, with new EV registrations rising by 52% compared with the same period last year.
But new sales tell only part of the story. For many motorists, electric cars remain too expensive, especially when compared with affordable second-hand petrol and diesel vehicles. Drivers also continue to raise concerns about range, battery deterioration, depreciation, repair costs and the availability and speed of public chargers.
Home charging can make an EV cheaper to run, but that is not an option for everyone. Apartment dwellers, renters and people without a private driveway may be forced to depend on public charging, where prices can substantially reduce the savings compared with petrol or diesel.
There are also growing concerns about whether Ireland’s electricity grid and charging network are ready for hundreds of thousands of additional electric vehicles. Recent reports have highlighted pressure on parts of the grid and delays in delivering the infrastructure required for a much larger electric fleet.
In this episode, Niall opens the phone lines and asks listeners whether they have made the switch.
Do you own an electric car, and has it saved you money, or do you regret buying it? Are high purchase prices, limited range and slow or expensive public charging still putting you off?
Should taxpayers continue subsidising electric vehicles, or are the grants mainly benefiting people who could already afford to buy a new car?
With fully electric vehicles still accounting for such a small proportion of the national fleet, is Ireland’s electric car experiment beginning to work, or has it become an expensive failure that ordinary motorists simply do not trust?

The “Save Europe Act” is a controversial citizens’ campaign launched by Dutch political commentator Eva Vlaardingerbroek and Austrian activist Martin Sellner. It calls for a halt to inward migration from non-Western countries, tougher enforcement of Europe’s borders, faster deportations of people living illegally in Europe and an EU-wide policy of “remigration” for migrants considered unwilling or unable to integrate. The campaign also argues that individual European nations should have greater powers to preserve their cultural and national identity.
In this episode, Niall speaks to journalist John McGuirk of The Statement about the proposals and the growing political support behind them.
John does not agree with every aspect of the proposed act, but believes it raises questions that Europe’s political establishment can no longer simply dismiss. Has uncontrolled migration placed unsustainable pressure on housing, public services, social cohesion and national identity, or would the measures proposed under the Save Europe Act undermine basic individual rights?
They discuss calls for mass deportations or remigration, a complete halt to non-Western migration and stronger powers for EU member states to decide who enters their countries and under what conditions.
Are these measures now necessary to secure Europe’s borders and protect its national cultures, or does the Save Europe Act go too far? Where should the line be drawn between a country’s right to control immigration and the rights of individuals already living within its borders?
Do you support the Save Europe Act, oppose it completely, or believe Europe needs tougher immigration controls without adopting every proposal contained within it?

In this episode, Niall speaks to television presenter and animal advocate Andrea Hayes, known to viewers for her compassionate coverage on Animal A&E, Dog Tales and Coming Home for Christmas.
They discuss a heartbreaking email from a listener whose eight-year-old Labrador, Barney, suddenly snapped at her two-year-old son and badly cut his hand. Although the dog had never shown aggression before, the woman’s husband now believes Barney must be put to sleep because the risk to their child is simply too great.
With friends, family and a rescue centre unwilling to take the dog, the family feels they have run out of options. Andrea considers what may cause a previously gentle dog to bite, whether Barney should first be examined for pain or illness, and whether safely rehoming him is realistic.
Should one frightening incident cost a beloved family pet his life, or must the safety of a young child come before everything else?

In this episode, Niall speaks to journalist Laura Perrins about Simon Harris’s proposed tax cuts and asks whether Irish workers should really be celebrating.
The Government is planning a €1.5 billion tax package for Budget 2027, which could see the point at which workers begin paying the 40% income tax rate rise from €44,000 to €46,000. For some workers, that could mean an extra €400 in their pocket over the course of a year.
But Laura argues that once fiscal drag is taken into account, much of the package is not a genuine tax cut at all. The Department of Finance estimates that more than €1.1 billion will be needed simply to prevent workers from being dragged into higher tax brackets as wages rise. That leaves only a relatively small amount as a real reduction in taxation.
Ireland’s middle-income workers already carry one of the heaviest tax burdens in the OECD. The highest 10% of earners pay approximately 40% of all income tax and 60% of Universal Social Charge contributions, while many workers face marginal tax rates of up to 52%. For around four in ten workers, the Government can take more from overtime, bonuses and pay increases than the worker actually keeps.
At the same time, public spending continues to rise dramatically. Total Government expenditure is expected to reach approximately €125 billion next year, compared with less than €70 billion in 2017. Budget 2027 is expected to include an additional €7 billion in public spending alongside the €1.5 billion tax package.
The Irish Fiscal Advisory Council has also warned that spending is increasing faster than the sustainable growth rate of the economy, with overruns becoming increasingly common and the State remaining heavily dependent on potentially volatile corporation tax receipts.
With corporation tax revenues reaching €32.9 billion last year, some will question why ordinary workers are still surrendering such a large proportion of every pay rise, bonus and extra hour worked.
Is Simon Harris delivering a meaningful tax cut for the squeezed middle, or is the Government simply taking slightly less while inflation, fiscal drag and rising living costs continue to erode household incomes?
Are Irish workers being offered genuine relief, or should they be demanding far more?

In this episode of Don’t Call Me Darling, Niall and Karen Boylan sit down for an honest, funny and occasionally uncomfortable chat about marriage, death, relationships and the strange habits couples develop over time.
They begin with funerals, from the famous dancing pallbearers seen online to the very different traditions of an Irish wake. Why do Irish people stand beside an open coffin and say things like, “He looks so peaceful,” or, “I never saw her looking so well”? Niall and Karen also ask whether couples should discuss their own funeral wishes, including whether they want to be buried, cremated or laid to rest beside each other for eternity.
They also discuss budget airlines, hidden charges and why a cheap flight suddenly costs three times the advertised price once you add a seat, a bag and the privilege of sitting beside your own husband or wife.
Marriage counselling is also up for debate. Does it actually work, or is needing a third party to explain how to love, trust and communicate a sign that the relationship is already in serious trouble?
Niall and Karen also discuss the husband who does not want children, but may have forgotten to mention that fairly important detail to his wife. Can a marriage survive when two people want completely different futures, and should something as serious as having children ever be left until after the wedding?
They also take a look at the old junk gathering dust in attics across the country. Could that forgotten ornament, battered toy, old record or box of family clutter actually be worth a fortune, and how much valuable treasure is being thrown into skips every year?
And finally, have couples become far too comfortable around each other? From leaving the bathroom door open to cutting toenails in the sitting room, Niall and Karen ask whether complete comfort is a sign of true love or the fastest way to kill romance.
Expect plenty of laughter, disagreement, personal confessions and the kind of conversations every married couple has, but usually only behind closed doors.
Real marriage, real stories, real laughs and real truths..