Róisín Meets...

Min Jin Lee is a Korean-American writer whose work frequently deals with Korean American topics. Her latest novel is Pachinko, a page-turning saga about four generations of a poor Korean immigrant family as they fight to control their destiny in 20th-century Japan, exiled from a home they never knew. She talks to Róisín Ingle about the book, which was almost 30 years in the making, what Japan is like for Koreans today and why she is still happy to call herself an American citizen, despite Trump.

Since her early 20s, journalist Caroline Foran has been dealing with a sometimes crippling anxiety. Her book 'Owning It: Your Bullshit Free Guide to Living With Anxiety' explores exactly what anxiety is, its triggers and the various treatments - from CBT, acupuncture, diet and the often debated role of medication. She tells Róisín Ingle how she learned to cope with her anxiety, what worked for her and why it's not always a bad thing.

26-year-old playwright Eva O'Connor talks to Róisín Ingle about her new play, Maz and Bricks, currently running at the Project Arts Theatre in Dublin before heading to the Belltable in Limerick next week. It tells the story of two very different young people who meet and become friends over the course of a day in Dublin, Maz on her way to a ‘Repeal the 8th’ demonstration and Bricks, played by Stephen Jones, to meet the mother of his young daughter. You can catch Eva O’Connor and Stephen Jones in Maz and Bricks until this Saturday, 13th May at the Project Arts theatre in Dublin and at the Belltable in Limerick from 17-20th May.

RTÉ presenter and author of three books, Rachael English, talks to Róisín Ingle about accidentally writing a novel reflecting the news headlines of the day. English’s voice will be familiar of thousands of people who tune into Morning Ireland every day, but she has many strings to her bow and has just published her third novel, The American Girl. It tells the story of 17-year-old Rose Moroney from Boston, who is smart, spirited and pregnant. She wants to marry her boyfriend but her parents have other ideas and ship her off to their home country of Ireland, to a Mother and Baby home where Rose is expected to give up her baby. This podcast was recorded a couple of weeks ago, as the controversy was starting to erupt over the Sisters of Charity’s ownership of the new National Maternity hospital and just a few months after the horrors of what happened at the Tuam mother and baby home hit headlines.

Irish singer and composer Sue Rynhart plays three songs off her new album 'Signals' and chats to Róisín Ingle about what inspired her new material. Sue is joined in studio by Dan Bodwell on Double Bass and Eamon Sweeney playing the 17th century Theorboed guitar. If you like what you hear, then you can catch Sue Rynhart tonight, Friday 28th April for the launch of her album Signals at Fumbally Stables in Dublin. Sue is also performing at Tower Records in Dublin this Saturday April 29th and at the Drogheda Arts Festival in Beaulieu House on bank holiday Monday. You can find out more about Sue’s upcoming gigs on suerynhart.com

“I could have died and I’m not thinking about that, but I did think about it and I was really down about it,” says Irish singer Mary Coughlan on the latest Róisín Meets podcast. Not long after her 60th birthday last year, Coughlan began keeping a diary cataloguing the symptoms she was experiencing as a result of severe chest pain that forced her to cancel a number of shows. She tells Róisín Ingle how, after being misdiagnosed with lung problems and leaving one hospital with “ninety Solpadeine” and anxiety medication, she was told by a consultant that she had multiple blockages in two of her arteries and would have to have stents fitted to her heart. Also on the podcast, Coughlan speaks about working on her mental health with the psychiatrist Ivor Browne, making peace with the past and her plans for a “huge musical extravaganza” with the theatre company Brokentalkers. Mary Coughlan performs live in concert on Saturday, 13th May 2017 at Vicar Street in Dublin. Tickets are on sale now.

Giovanna Fletcher is a best-selling British author, actor, blogger and vlogger. She joined Róisín Ingle for a chat during a recent trip to Dublin on the promotion trail for her latest book on motherhood – Happy Mum, Happy Baby. It’s not your typical parenting book – it’s a really honest account of the ups and downs of being a mother with chapters dedicated to the realities of miscarriage, breastfeeding and the pressure to lose weight after having a baby. They also spoke about loads of other things, including her very lovely husband, the musician Tom Fletcher, who she met when she was just 13.

Kevin Rowland tells Róisín Ingle why he's grateful for Dexy's Midnight Runners' biggest hit, Come On Eileen, but you shouldn’t expect to hear him play it any time soon. Nearly thirty-five years on, Come On Eileen still gets played on the radio, but Rowland said he rarely hears it unless somebody is trying to provoke him. In a wide-ranging discussion he speaks about his former career as a hairdresser, his parents who came from county Mayo and the time he spent there as a child, why he is not bothered that he is not rich, and said he feels, “more at peace these days than I ever have.”

MEN WANTED: The Game needs you to explore the act of buying sex. On this week's podcast, Róisín Ingle talks to two of the women behind a radical piece of theatre, The Game. Grace Dyas and Lauren Larkin aim to portray the realities of prostitution through their stage piece, which was devised with the help of former prostitutes including Rachel Moran and Mia deFaoite, as well as some women who are still involved in sex work. They tell Róisín Ingle what the show is all about and why they felt it was important to tell this story. Five male volunteers are needed to take part each night and they've put the call out for willing participants for their upcoming Irish shows. If you're interested in taking part email WENEEDMEN2017@gmail,com

Showband legend Dickie Rock talks to Róisín Ingle about infidelity, forgiveness and his enduring addiction to performing.

Irish playwright Enda Walsh talks to Róisín Ingle about indulging in a moment of "oddity" while working with David Bowie, having Roddy Doyle for a schoolteacher and falling in love with Cork and its language. The Dubliner was back home from London where he now lives, to oversee the run of his play Arlington recently at the Abbey, his first production on the theatre's main stage. Róisín Meets is a weekly podcast presented by Róisín Ingle and produced by Jennifer Ryan.

There's spoken word and new music in the latest episode of Róisín Meets, with young artists Natalya O'Flaherty and Katie Laffan. Both are taking part in the St Patrick's Festival's Young Blood: The Beats and Voices of Our Generation concert at the National Concert Hall in Dublin next Saturday 18th March and the talented Dubliners popped in to see Róisín ahead of that show, along with organiser Aoife Woodlock of Other Voices fame. 16-year-old Natalya impressed with the keen observations on modern life in her piece, The Irony of Entitlement, which she performed in studio, while Katie picked up her guitar and gave a rousing rendition of her song Tastemaker. You can find more information on the St Patrick's Festival here: http://www.stpatricksfestival.ie/

Irish writer John Boyne has published his tenth novel for adults, The Heart’s Invisible Furies. He joined Róisín Ingle to talk about writing that book in the months leading up to the marriage referendum and why that was a dark time for him. He spoke about his most famous book, The Boy in Striped Pyjamas, which sold nine million copies worldwide and was made into a film, and why he never minds answering questions about it ten years after it propelled him to literary super-stardom. Boyne also talked about why he makes sure to write strong, independent female characters in his books and about life after the breakdown of his 11 year relationship last year.

It has been eight years since Valerie Francis released her debut album Dynamo Slow, which earned her a Choice Music Prize nomination. She is back with new material and plans to release her much anticipated follow-up record by the end of this year. On this week's podcast, Valerie gave us a sneak preview of what's to come playing three songs live during the episode. She also spoke about her musical influences, the realities of making money from music and THAT surreal Kanye West shout-out. You can catch Valerie at the RHA's Hennessey Lost Fridays, next Friday March 3rd.

He may not have found love on First Dates Ireland recently, but Paddy Smyth did win the hearts of the nation. The 28-year-old trended on Twitter during, and after, the show and has since begun presenting a slot on TV3’s 6 o’clock show. Paddy was already a star before all this though, having amassed a huge Snapchat following documenting his day-to-day life living with Cerebral Palsy with his now signature candour and humour. On this podcast, Paddy told Róisín Ingle about his 'almost famous' moment, making it down to the last twenty for Big Brother during its heyday on Channel 4. He also spoke about dating with a disability, why it's important to highlight the fun aspects of being disabled, and why no gay teenager should ever come out to their parents the way he did. For more #DisabledLife follow Paddy @paddyysmyth

The first person prosecuted and acquitted under Irish assisted suicide laws, Gail O'Rorke, talks to Róisín Ingle about why she has no regrets about trying to help her friend Bernadette Forde die as she wished. Ms Forde suffered from Primary-Progressive Multiple Sclerosis, meaning her health was never going to get any better. Gail O'Rorke was her cleaner, but became her best friend and carer in the years before her death. When Ms Forde's health had deteriorated to a point that she felt she could no longer go on, O'Rorke made a failed attempt to arrange for them to travel to Dignitas in Switzerland where she could take her own life. In 2011, Bernadette Forde successfully procured a lethal drug over the internet and died in her home. In this podcast, Gail O'Rorke talks to Roisin Ingle about her friend's death and why despite the ordeal she went through in the aftermath, that she would do it all over again. Crime or Compassion?: One Woman’s Story of a Loving Friendship That Knew No Bounds, by Gail O’Rorke,

Author of 20 bestselling books, including A Village Affair and The Rector’s Wife, Joanna Trollope joined Róisín Ingle for the Róisín Meets podcast this week. Joanna spoke candidly about the literary snobbery she has been on the receiving end of in the past, and why it doesn't bother her. She also talked about why, at the age of 73, she has no intention of quitting writing and how there are big advantages to finding success later in life. Also on the podcast, Joanna spoke about growing up in the Cotswolds, wanting to look like Jane Fonda and her friend, the late Maeve Binchy.

Martha Wainwright says her new album, Goodnight City, is a farewell to her youth, marking the end of one era and the beginning of another. On this week's Róisín Meets, she told Róisín Ingle why turning 40 has been great and how becoming a mother has softened her - but only a bit. She talked about the late Leonard Cohen, who was big influence in her life, and how he was classy to the very end. Also on the podcast, Wainwright said the death of their mother seven years ago had a profound effect on her and her older brother Rufus, and has brought them closer than they have ever been. As well as the chat, Wainwright also played three songs for the podcast - including one dedicated to Donald Trump...

Last year, Irish activist Brendan Fay led the first LGBT group permitted to march under a banner at the 255-year-old St. Patrick's Day parade in his adoptive home of New York City after a 25-year battle. This week, we bring you the chat he had with Róisín Ingle at the Transatlantic Connections Conference in Bundoran, Donegal recently. Brendan spoke about how it felt to march with pride in the 2016 parade in New York, what it was like to lose his job as a teacher at a Catholic high school for taking part in the 1991 parade, and what is to be done about Trump.

How do you stop yourself from getting stressed by the news? Can you go on a news blackout? Mindfulness expert Padraig O'Morain says that's okay, to a point, but we can't shut the world out just because we don't like it. Stay informed, but just don't wallow in the really bad stuff for too long, he told the Róisín Meets podcast this week. He also discussed Donald Trump's narcissism, how some Irish politicians could do with a dose of mindfulness and gave tips on how to start the New Year in a positive space.