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

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, 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 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..

In this episode, Niall speaks to economist and Irish Sunday Times columnist Cormac Lucey about the growing divide between working in Ireland’s public and private sectors.
Recent figures indicate that, during one working year, Gardaí took an average of approximately 18 sick days each, HSE employees, including nurses and doctors, averaged about 15 days, while teachers averaged roughly eight days. The figures are recorded differently across the various public services, so direct comparisons must be treated with caution, but they still raise questions about absenteeism, sick pay and accountability.
In many private sector workplaces, repeated absences would be closely examined and could eventually place an employee’s job at risk. Private employees currently have a statutory entitlement to only five paid sick days, paid at 70% of normal earnings and capped at €110 per day. Public servants generally have far more extensive sick leave arrangements, with some schemes allowing lengthy periods on full and half pay.
Cormac argues that this is only one part of a much wider difference between the two sectors. In his latest column, he says public sector workers benefit not only from superior sick pay, but also from greater job security, stronger pension arrangements and a substantial earnings premium.
Drawing on new CSO figures, Cormac points out that public administration and defence experienced the lowest level of job destruction across the economy between 2020 and early 2026. By comparison, workers in accommodation, food, entertainment, agriculture, construction and other private industries faced much higher rates of job loss and replacement. The CSO recorded more than 113,000 jobs being destroyed across the economy during the first quarter of 2026 alone.
Cormac’s central argument is that public sector pay cannot be judged by salary alone. A permanent employee with an extremely low risk of redundancy, a more generous attendance regime and a pension supported by future taxpayers may have a far more valuable overall package than a private employee earning the same headline wage.
Supporters of public servants will argue that Gardaí, nurses, doctors and teachers perform difficult and essential jobs, frequently under pressure, and that higher absence rates can reflect stressful, dangerous or physically demanding working conditions.
Critics say the system is too protected, too costly and largely insulated from the realities faced by workers whose businesses can close, whose jobs can disappear and whose pensions depend on what they personally manage to save.
So who really has the easier working life in Ireland? Are public servants properly rewarded for essential work, or have better pay, pensions, sick leave and job security created two very different classes of employee?
Niall discusses it with Cormac Lucey.

In this episode, Niall speaks to businessman and commentator Paul Treyvaud after new figures revealed that the State collected a record €5.9 billion in environment related taxes during 2025.
According to the Central Statistics Office, the amount collected increased by 7% in just one year, with ordinary households paying the largest share. Families contributed almost €3.5 billion, representing 59% of the entire environmental tax take.
Energy taxes accounted for €3.9 billion, or almost two thirds of the total. These include taxes and levies connected to petrol, diesel, home heating fuels, electricity and carbon emissions. Carbon tax receipts alone increased by 10% to almost €1.2 billion, while the Public Service Obligation levy on electricity consumers rose sharply.
A further €1.9 billion was collected through transport related taxes, including motor tax and Vehicle Registration Tax. By comparison, taxes directly associated with pollution and resources, including the plastic bag and landfill levies, raised just €30 million.
Supporters argue that environmental taxes are necessary to reduce emissions, encourage people to make cleaner choices and help finance Ireland’s transition towards renewable energy. They say tackling climate change will inevitably cost money, but failing to act could carry an even greater economic and environmental cost.
Critics argue that the system has become less about protecting the environment and more about generating revenue. They say families cannot simply stop heating their homes, driving to work or buying food, and that environmental charges imposed on farmers and businesses are often passed directly to customers through higher prices.
Niall asks Paul whether these taxes are genuinely changing behaviour and reducing emissions, or whether green policies have become a convenient way for the Government to take billions from households without increasing income tax or VAT.
Are environmental taxes a necessary investment in the future, or is Ireland’s €5.9 billion environmental tax bill simply another enormous rip off?
Call the show and have your say.