- 18
- Episodes
- 20
- Ratings
- 2026
- First episode
About Mná na hÉireann
Mná na hÉireann - Women of Ireland. Celebrating Irish women at home and abroad. Journalist and Presenter Ciara Riordan interviews one Irish woman per episode on the Mná na hÉireann podcast. Each guest will talk about three defining moments, what they learned from them, and what being an Irish woman means to them. You will hear Irish women from every walk of life, living across the globe. And there is a bit of fun at the end with the rapid fire question round - Taytos or King crisps, Lyons or Barrys tea... which one do you prefer?! www.mnanaheireann.ie www.ciarariordan.com
- Publisher
- Ciara Riordan
- Category
- society & culture
- Language
- en
- Explicit
- No
- First episode
- 17 Mar 2026
- Latest episode
- 7 Jul 2026
Latest episodes
18 episodes in the feed.
7 Jul 2026
Mná na hÉireann - Aishling Ennis
Women of Ireland. This podcast celebrates Irish women at home and abroad. Journalist Ciara Riordan interviews one inspiring Irish woman per episode and finds out their three defining moments. This Irish woman is a force to be reckoned with! Aishling Ennis leads ‘Slack’ across the UK & Ireland at Salesforce, helping organisations rethink how work gets donein the age of AI. What is slack you may ask – it is a cloud-based communication and collaboration platform designed for workplaces. Aishling is from Dublin, lives in London. She holds a degree from DCU(Dublin city university) in Communication and Media studies and has a master’sin business management from UCD’s Michael Smurfit Graduate Business school. She previously volunteered in several orgaisations including the Irish Redcross, Junior Achievement Ireland and 100 minds social enterprise. Over nearly a decade at Salesforce, she’s built a reputation for combining commercial leadership with a people-first mindset. She is passionate about women in sales, leadership and business. www.mnanaheireann.ie www.ciarariordan.com
30 Jun 2026
Mná na hÉireann - Janet Newenham
Celebrating Irish women at home and abroad. Women of Ireland. BBC Journalist Ciara Riordan interviewing one inspiring Irish woman about their three defining moments and more! Janet Newenham is an award-winning travel journalist, content creator and entrepreneur. From Cork, based in Bali, Indonesia for the last 10 years, Janet hastravelled to more than 140 countries including North Korea in March 2025 andIraq in 2023. She is the founder of “Janet’s Journeys” - a travel company thatbrings women to the far-flung corners of the earth, from Afghanistan toAntarctica. This Irish woman has built up a huge following on social media too! www.mnanaheireann.ie www.ciarariordan.com
23 Jun 2026
Mná na hÉireann - Dr. Jan Cosgrave
Mná na hÉireann Podcast with BBC journalist Ciara Riordan. Women of Ireland. Celebrating Irish women at home and abroad. Three defining moments and more. This week's guest is Dr Jan Cosgrave. Born in Dublin, grew up in Maynooth, based in London, Jan is clinical psychologist and the CEO and co-founder of Neurotype, a venture-backed AI platform that helps clinicians cut the time it takes to write autism and ADHD diagnostic reports from several hours to under 45 minutes. Jan's mission is rooted in the frontline. Having worked in NHS neurodevelopmental assessment services, she saw first-hand the human cost of diagnostic waiting lists. She holds a PhD from Oxford and a Clinical Doctorate from UCL, and was a Fulbright Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania. Jan was recently invited to speak as one of three Irish founders on the "Building the Future" panel at the Embassy of Ireland in London, hosted by Digital Irish. She is a venture partner with The Tech Bros, the world's first all-female, all-technical accelerator, where she champions the next generation of women building in deep tech. She is also a regular voice on the ethics of AI in healthcare, having recently appeared at London Tech Week, and is passionate about what responsible, clinician-led technology can do for people who have waited too long to be understood. www.mnanaheireann.ie www.ciarariordan.com
17 Jun 2026
Mná na hÉireann - Hilary McGann
Mná na hÉireann podcast with BBC journalist Ciara Riordan. Women of Ireland. Celebrating Irish women at home and abroad. This week’s guest Hilary McGann is from Limerick and now based in Boston. Hilary is a journalist, content creator and fellow podcaster who has built a loyal audience through her Instagram platform NewsbyHil, where she breaks down complex news stories and global events in a clear and engaging way. (She is also on TikTok!). After studying Journalism and New Media at the University of Limerick, Hilary worked in media in Ireland before spending several years as a producer at CNN in London. She is also the host of the podcast Booked In, where she interviews bestselling non-fiction authors. On this week’s episode of Mná na hÉireann, Hilary shares her three defining moments, reflects on her journey from Limerick to Boston, and talks about building a career in journalism in a rapidly changing media landscape.
9 Jun 2026
Mná na hÉireann - Imelda Phillips
Mná na hÉireann podcast with BBC journalist Ciara Riordan. Women of Ireland. Celebrating Irish women at home and abroad. This week’s guest is former Irish international long jumper Imelda Phillips. Originally from Cork and now living in Swansea, Wales, Imelda has spent more than 15 years working in high-performance sport, supporting athletes through some of the most significant moments of their careers from balancing dual careers and overcoming injury to preparing for retirement and life beyond elite competition. Drawing on her own experience as an international athlete, Imelda founded Arete Sport, a consultancy dedicated to helping athletes, teams and organisations thrive. She also serves as Athlete Engagement Manager at Switch the Play Foundation, the UK’s only charity dedicated to supporting elite athletes as they transition out of sport. Imelda holds both a BSc and MSc in Sport & Exercise Science, is a qualified Performance Lifestyle Advisor, and has specialist training in safeguarding and mental health. She is currently taking part in the Fearless Women in Sport Leadership Programme, run by the Women’s Sport Collective — a global community supporting women across all levels of sport. A proud Irish woman, wife, mother and dog lover, Imelda is happiest outdoors, watching sport, or being thoroughly outnumbered by her two golden retrievers. www.mnanaheireann.ie www.ciarariordan.com
2 Jun 2026
Mná na hÉireann - Sasha Hamrogue
Mná na hÉireann podcast with BBC journalist Ciara Riordan. Women of Ireland. Celebrating Irish women at home and abroad. This week’s guest Sasha Hamrogue was born in America to Irish parents and lives in Kildare. Sasha is an accomplished digital director and powerhouse in the Irish media landscape. She serves as the Digital Director at Onic, overseeing digital strategy and growth for seven Onic radio stations, the Onic Originals podcast network and talkSPORT Ireland. The seven primary radio stations within the Onic network that she oversees as digital director are: FM104 in Dublin, Dublin's Q102, Cork's 96FM, C103, Live95 in Limerick, Louth and Meath’s LMFM, and U105 based in Belfast and serves Northern Ireland. Not only that she is also an accomplished writer, having written for The Guardian, the Irish Independent, Rolling Stone and more. Passionate about building digital communities, Sasha is also founder of the 'Mamas Working 9-5 and Beyond' an online group supporting women balancing work and home life. And she’s also the former co-host of the Grief Encounters podcast. www.mnanaheireann.ie www.ciarariordan.com
26 May 2026
Mná na hÉireann - Carina Roseingrave
Mná na hÉireann - Celebrating Irish women at home and abroad. BBC Journalist and presenter Ciara Riordan interviews one Irish woman per episode. Three defining moments, what being an Irish woman means to them, Irish women they look up to, best advice they got from an Irish woman, their favourite Irish saying, and a quick-fire at the end Taytos or King crisps, Lyons or Barrys tea. Carina Roseingrave is a full-time farmer, entrepreneur, who was recently named the Department of Agriculture’s WomanFarmer Ambassador for the International Year of the Woman Farmer. Carina farms at the foothills of the Burren, alongside her brother Gerry, where they run a thriving mixed farm with dairy, beef and pedigree suckler cattle. When Covid and the pandemic hit, she ventured into growing an egg business - Burren View Farm eggs. She credits the ACORNS programme which helps early-stage female entrepreneurs living in rural Ireland for supporting her and providing her with the assistance she needed to start running her farm like a business. Carina also stars in the new film ‘Voices of IrishFarmers: A love story’. She was a member of the Clare team that won the All-Ireland Junior Camogie Championship in 2008, scoring a goal in the final. She was a Camogie All Stars "Young Player of the Year" award winner in the same year. She is from Co. Clare and lives in Co. Clare. www.mnanaheireann.ie www.ciarariordan.com
19 May 2026
Mná na hÉireann - Donna Gartland
Mná na hÉireann - Women of Ireland: This podcast celebrates Irish women at home and abroad. BBC Journalist and presenter Ciara Riordan interviews one Irish woman per episode. Three defining moments, what being an Irish woman means to them, Irish women they look up to, best advice they got from an Irish woman, their favourite Irish saying, and a quick-fire at the end Taytos or King crisps, Lyons or Barrys tea. This week's guest is Donna Gartland, CEO of Dublin's Energy Agency – Codema. Codema is a not-for-profit social enterprise and was established in 1997. Its mission is to accelerate the low-carbon transition in an innovative and inclusive way. Her journey to CEO was not a straight line - she tried art college first, then did an Arts Degree at UCD, then qualified as an electricianbefore returning to college to study engineering at TU Dublin. She then moved to Denmark to complete a master’sdegree in Energy planning and management. She returned to Dublin and started as an intern at Codema before working her way up to CEO. She has won several awards for her leadership and is currently shortlisted for the EU Women in Energy Award 2026, with the winner decided by public vote in June. She is from Dublin, and lives in Dublin. www.mnanaheireann.ie www.ciarariordan.com
12 May 2026
Mná na hÉireann - Kiera Dignam
Mná na hÉireann - Celebrating Irish women at home and abroad. BBC Journalist and presenter Ciara Riordan interviews one Irish woman per episode. Three defining moments, what being an Irish woman means to them, Irish women they look up to, best advice they got from an Irish woman, their favourite Irish saying, and a quick-fire at the end Taytos or King crisps, Lyons or Barrys tea. This week's guest Kiera Dignam is a female vocalist and songwriter who has performed on stages since the age of 13. She has performed in Ireland’s top musical venues and accompanied some of the biggest names in the Irish music industry such as Christy Dignam (her dad), Imelda May, Paul Casey and Damian Dempsey. Her debut album “Nepo baby” which was released in late2023 went straight to number 2 in the charts and led to sell out shows. Kiera is from Dublin and lives in Dublin. www.mnanaheireann.ie www.ciarariordan.com
5 May 2026
Mná na hÉireann - Kathy McLoughlin
Mna na hEireann - Women of Ireland. Celebrating Irish women at home and abroad. BBC Journalist and presenter Ciara Riordan interviews one Irish woman per episode. Three defining moments, what being an Irish woman means to them, Irish women they look up to, best advice they got from an Irish woman, their favourite Irish saying, and a quickfire at the end Taytos or King crisps, Lyons or Barrys tea. This week's guest Kathy McLoughlin is an Irish educator who career has been defined by resilience, international experience, and a deep commitment to literacy. She taught English and religion at secondary school level in Ireland before spending two years in the UK, and then moving to Sudan where she lived for twelve years working across primary and secondary school settings before the war broke out in April 2023 and she and her family had to escape. She is from Mayo and lives in Mayo. www.mnanaheireann.ie www.ciarariordan.com
28 Apr 2026
Mná na hÉireann - Julie Ryan
Celebrating Irish women at home and abroad. This week’s guest Julie Ryan is an acclaimed Irish film and television producer. Julie produced The Young Offenders movie, which ran for 24 weeks in cinemas, and became the fastest Irish film to surpass €1 million at the box office. It inspired the successful RTE and BBC series now in its fifth season. She then founded MK1 Studios, a female-led company and one of Ireland’s leading production companies. Her work expands outside of Ireland with co-productions such as Channel 4’s Vardy v Rooney: A Courtroom Drama, starring Michael Sheen, the Sky Original film Finding You, starring Vanessa Redgrave… and she also worked on the true crime drama Maxine, landing at No.1 on Netflix in the UK and Ireland. Wow she has done a lot! She is from Cork and lives in Wicklow. For more information visit: www.mnanaheireann.ie Founder and host: Ciara Riordan - www.ciarariordan.com
21 Apr 2026
Mná na hÉireann - Stacey Grant-Canham
Celebrating Irish women at home and abroad. BBC Journalist Ciara Riordan interviews the founder of Black & Beech, a feminist fashion brand built on the belief that clothes aren’t neutral, and neither is business. Stacey Grant-Canham is originally from Limerick and is based in Cardiff. She has spent the past decade building a brand worn by over 40,000 people who see fashion as a form of expression, resistance and solidarity. Black & Beech produces its collections in women-ownedfactories across Portugal, and works with heritage makers in the UK, with screen printing or embroidery done locally in Cardiff. The brand has donated over £25,000 to feminist causes, including abortion access, domestic violence support and migrant women’s advocacy. Inspiring women. Inspiring Irish women. Women of Ireland. Mna na hEireann. We all have a story to tell. For more information: www.mnanaheireann.ie www.ciarariordan.com
13 Apr 2026
Mná na hÉireann podcast trailer
Hello and welcome to the Mna to hEireann podcast. The podcast that celebrates Irish women at home and abroad. Each week, BBC journalist Ciara Riordan will interview one Irish woman who will tell us about the three defining moments that shaped who she is today, what Mna na hEireann means to her, and we’ll hear about all the wisdom she has gathered along the way. And there is some fun at the end with a rapid fire round - Tayto or King crisps, Lyons or Barrys tea - which one do you prefer?! www.mnanaheireann.ie www.ciarariordan.com
13 Apr 2026
Mná na hÉireann - Dearbhail Ormond
Celebrating Irish women at home and abroad. Dearbhail Ormond is the founder and CEO of frendo, a digital health platform building the data and care infrastructure layer for endometriosis and chronic women’s health. She was diagnosed with Stage 4 endometriosis after nearly two decades of misdiagnoses, years marked by pain, confusion, and repeatedly trying to explain symptoms that weren’t being understood. Dearbhail is from Dublin and lives in London. Website: www.mnanaheireann.ie Founder and Host: Ciara Riordan - www.ciarariordan.com
13 Apr 2026
Mná na hÉireann - Claudia Redmond
Celebrating Irish women at home and abroad. A fabulous colleague of mine at the BBC, she has worked for the UK’s top media companies for the past 30 years. Claudia Redmond has a master’s graduate from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama at the university of London. Claudia is also a theatre reviewer, and writes for the Irish post. Born in London to Irish parents, she grew up in Albert road in Cork City. Website: www.mnanaheireann.ie Founder and Host: Ciara Riordan - www.ciarariordan.com
13 Apr 2026
Mná na hÉireann - Joanne Sweeney
Celebrating Irish women at home and abroad. An AI superstar - Joanne Sweeney is a global digital communications expert, AI educator, and hosts her own podcast called the AI Six Podcast. A Harvard Kennedy School graduate in AI and Public Policy, this Irish woman trains leaders across government, policing, EU institutions and the media. Joanne has become a leading voice in AI literacy and digital transformation. She has written four books including the AI Playbook. From Donegal and lives in Galway. Website: www.mnanaheireann.ie Founder and Host: Ciara Riordan - www.ciarariordan.com
13 Apr 2026
Mná na hÉireann - Edel Howlin
Celebrating Irish women at home and abroad. Edel Howlin is a seasoned communications professional, who set up her own company ‘Untapped Communications’ 5 years ago. I met Edel when we both worked at Newstalk radio a long time ago! She specialises in helping nonprofits and women-owned businesses thrive. Edel has her own podcast called The Mediocre Gardener. Edel is from Kildare and lives in Pennsylvania in the US. Website: www.mnanaheireann.ie Founder and Host: Ciara Riordan - www.ciarariordan.com
17 Mar 2026
Mná na hÉireann - Naoimh Riordan
Celebrating Irish women at home and abroad. My very first guest... she’s a Ted Ed Educator, an-award winning stem advocate and trainer, an esteemed primary school teacher, and all around funny and charismatic woman, it’s my SISTER Naoimh Riordan! From Cork, lives in Cork and loves Cork ;) Website: www.mnanaheireann.ie Founder and Host: Ciara Riordan - www.ciarariordan.com
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