Brendan O'Connor

RTÉ

Brendan O'Connor has all you need for the weekend with time to pause and reflect on the week just gone. Featuring a selection of human interest, consumer and lifestyle stories, as well as keeping you up to date on the news stories that matter. Listen live Saturday and Sunday at 11am - 1pm on RTÉ Radio 1.

  • 32 minutes 23 seconds
    Colum McCann “With my brain condition - the medicine altered me more than the pain”
    Award winning novelist, Colum McCann joins Brendan to discuss the songs that have formed the soundtrack to his life, including Ray Charles’ ‘Hit the Road, Jack’ and Colm Mac Con Iomaire’s ‘The Minbar of Saladin’. He also tracks his literary childhood, his 9/11 novel and his attempt to emulate Jack Kerouac by cycling across America.
    1 March 2026, 11:00 am
  • 12 minutes 21 seconds
    The Watchlist
    Joining Brendan to discuss the best TV and films coming this week, are Business Post film critic, John Maguire and Irish Times arts journalist, Nadine O’Regan. Their choices include ‘Vladamir’, ‘DTF St Louis’ and ‘The Testament of Ann Lee’.
    1 March 2026, 11:00 am
  • 7 minutes 9 seconds
    Love is Blind controversy: Body Shaming or Romantic Honesty?
    Culture journalist, Zara Hederman joins Brendan to discuss a growing controversy in the latest season of ‘Love is Blind’, a dating show r. After one participant met his fiancée, he told her he was used to dating “who work out all the time”, sparking a furore of commentary about the intersection of physical attraction, misogyny and body shaming.
    1 March 2026, 11:00 am
  • 54 minutes 34 seconds
    The Newspaper Panel
    Joining Brendan to discuss the Sunday papers, are publisher at TheBriefing.ie, Liz Carolan; research professor at the ESRI, Alan Barrett; Sunday Independent and Irish Daily Mail columnist, Brenda Power; Irish Times Political Editor, Pat Leahy; and professor of US and International Politics at UCD’s Clinton Institute, Scott Lucas.
    1 March 2026, 11:00 am
  • 7 minutes 59 seconds
    Quick and tasty homemade dips with chef, Alannah Sheehan
    From salsa to tzatziki, and hummus to pesto, Chef Alannah Sheehan gives Brendan a how-to guide to making dips that are quick, simple and super tasty.
    28 February 2026, 11:00 am
  • 9 minutes 12 seconds
    A dietician’s definitive guide to protein
    Dietician Sarah Keogh joins Brendan to discuss how much protein we really need, and the impact of eating too much or too little and gives her verdict on protein powders and bars.
    28 February 2026, 11:00 am
  • 29 minutes 53 seconds
    Róisín and Ann Ingle on steady eddies, what makes a good sex scene and why we need to talk about death
    Writer Ann Ingle, and her daughter, Irish Times journalist and Co-host of the Women’s Podcast, Róisín Ingle join Brendan to discuss the changing nature of sex, the cultural highs and lows of their year, and how our parents’ choice of partner impacts our own.
    28 February 2026, 11:00 am
  • 9 minutes 28 seconds
    “De-escalation is out of the question” Middle East Update
    Following joint US/Israeli strikes on Iran overnight, Iranian-American journalist Borzou Daragahi joins Brendan with the latest updates, as the impact of the attacks becomes clear and the Iranian leadership vows retaliation.
    28 February 2026, 11:00 am
  • 36 minutes 45 seconds
    Colin Farrell - “I have enormous feeling around Emma, love for her, anger for her EB, sorrow for things EB has taken from her”
    Actor Colin Farrell and campaigner Emma Fogarty join Brendan to discuss their deep friendship, their campaigning work on EB (known as ‘butterfly skin’) and their new documentary ‘The Slightest Touch’ which premieres at the Dublin International Film Festival this weekend.
    28 February 2026, 11:00 am
  • 9 minutes 24 seconds
    How AI is changing the face of filmmaking and content creation
    Elaine Burke, host of the ‘For Tech Sake’ podcast talks to Brendan about the impact of AI on Hollywood; from this week’s viral video which showed AI versions of Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise in a fight scene to how AI is being used day to day in filmmaking and content creation.
    22 February 2026, 11:00 am
  • 25 minutes 2 seconds
    Prof Luke O’Neill - How to get through ‘Sniper’s Alley’ and optimise your health in midlife
    Luke O’Neill, Professor of Biochemistry and Immunology at Trinity College, talks to Brendan about ‘Sniper’s Alley’ - the period of time around your fifties when you start becoming more susceptible to negative health events. He explains how to bulletproof yourself before you enter Sniper's Alley and has general tips for better health for us all.
    22 February 2026, 11:00 am
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