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

Niall takes your calls on the controversial decision by An Coimisiún Pleanála to grant permanent planning permission for Ireland’s first medically supervised drug injection facility at Merchant’s Quay in Dublin.
The centre, which first opened in December 2024 under a temporary licence, allows drug users to inject substances obtained elsewhere using sterile equipment under medical supervision. According to reports submitted as part of the planning process, more than 10,700 visits were made to the facility in just ten months, with staff responding to 179 non-fatal overdoses, many requiring oxygen or naloxone treatment.
Supporters say the facility is saving lives, reducing public drug use, cutting down on discarded needles, and easing pressure on emergency services. Critics argue the State is normalising illegal drug use and question whether communities should be expected to accept injection centres in residential areas, especially near schools and local businesses.
At the time the facility was proposed, there were fierce objections from local residents and business owners who feared anti-social behaviour and damage to the area. Others argue we have already lost the war on drugs and that supervised injecting is simply a realistic form of harm reduction.
But where do you stand?
Would you want a medically supervised injection centre in your own area?
Are these facilities compassionate healthcare, or are we sending the wrong message about drug use?
And as more centres are expected to open around the country, is this the future of addiction policy in Ireland?
Niall hears from callers on both sides of one of the most divisive social issues facing Ireland today.

Niall is joined by legendary broadcaster George Hook for a fiery and thought-provoking discussion about whether Ireland was actually a better place decades ago, or whether nostalgia is blinding people to the harsh realities of the past.
The debate exploded online this week after a viral post claimed people romanticising Ireland of the 1950s were forgetting what life was really like. At the time, divorce and homosexuality were illegal, marital rape was not recognised in law, the Magdalene Laundries were operating at their peak, child abuse scandals within the Catholic Church were hidden, babies were being sold abroad, poverty was widespread and emigration was forcing generations of Irish people to leave the country.
But others argue modern Ireland is far from the success story politicians and media outlets claim it is. Critics say the country has lost its identity and sense of community, crime is spiralling, housing has become unaffordable, healthcare is collapsing under pressure and traditional values around marriage, family and gender have been completely dismantled.
Niall and George debate whether Ireland today is genuinely more progressive and happier, or whether we have traded stability, morality and community spirit for a society driven by consumerism, division and political correctness.
Was Ireland too oppressive in the past, or has modern Ireland gone too far in the opposite direction?
Were the 1980s and 1990s the sweet spot before social media, mass immigration and culture wars changed everything?
And if you had the choice, would you rather raise a family in Ireland then or now?
Expect strong opinions, sharp debate and plenty of uncomfortable truths in this explosive episode.

On this episode of The Niall Boylan Podcast, Niall is joined by broadcaster and commentator Nick Delahanty to discuss the growing controversy surrounding salaries at RTÉ and whether pay transparency should become the norm in Ireland.
Following fresh controversy at RTÉ, a proposal has now been made that the names and salaries of all staff earning more than €100,000 should be publicly disclosed. The debate was discussed on Prime Time and has reignited wider questions about secrecy around wages in both the public and private sectors.
Supporters of salary transparency argue that publishing wages would expose unfair pay gaps, stop favouritism and prevent situations where employees doing the same job are paid vastly different salaries. Critics however say a person’s income is private and that publishing salaries could create resentment, workplace tension and unnecessary public scrutiny.
Niall and Nick debate whether public servants funded by taxpayers should automatically have their salaries disclosed, and whether the same rules should apply to private companies. Has the culture of secrecy around pay allowed inequality to flourish? Or are we moving towards a society where privacy no longer exists?
As always, listeners join the conversation with strong opinions on fairness, transparency, jealousy in the workplace and whether people really want to know what their colleagues earn.

On this episode of The Niall Boylan Podcast, Niall discusses the latest controversy surrounding RTÉ as fresh revelations emerge over pay discrepancies and allegations that some presenters were allegedly miscategorised as producers. With questions once again being raised about transparency, accountability and how licence fee money is being spent, many people are asking whether the national broadcaster has learned anything from the scandals of recent years.
Adding fuel to the debate are reports that Director General Kevin Bakhurst is eager to retain Patrick Kielty on an even higher salary, despite continued falls in viewing figures for The Late Late Show. Critics argue that RTÉ is out of touch with the public, while supporters insist Ireland still needs a strong public service broadcaster.
When challenged by Sinn Féin on the issue, Taoiseach Micheál Martin responded by asking: “Do we want public service broadcasting? Do we want the national broadcaster or not?”
That’s the question Niall puts to listeners today. Has RTÉ lost the trust of the Irish public? Is it still value for money? Or despite the controversies, do we still need a national broadcaster in Ireland?
As always, listeners share strong opinions, heated debate and personal views on whether RTÉ can ever rebuild public confidence.

A devastated listener contacted the show after her husband admitted he no longer wants children, despite the couple spending more than ten years together and always talking about starting a family someday.
Now aged 35, she says she feels time is running out. After years of putting careers, finances and busy schedules first, she recently suggested it was finally time to stop using contraception and try for a baby. But instead of excitement, her 42 year old husband shocked her by saying he now believes they are too old to become parents and that having a child would completely disrupt the life they have built together.
She says she understands the pressure of modern life, demanding jobs and financial worries, but believes sacrifices can be made for something as important as becoming parents. She told Niall she feels heartbroken, betrayed and terrified she may lose her chance to ever become a mother.
Things became even more complicated when a close friend advised her to secretly stop using contraception without telling her husband, insisting that once he sees a baby on the way he would eventually come around and accept it.
But is secretly getting pregnant a desperate act from a woman afraid of losing her dream of motherhood, or is it a complete betrayal of trust within a marriage?
On this episode, Niall asks listeners where they stand on one of the most emotionally divisive relationship dilemmas imaginable. If a couple always planned to have children, is it unfair for one partner to suddenly change their mind later in life? And if your biological clock was ticking, how far would you go to have the family you always dreamed of?