Show Notes
What does the Right to be Forgotten mean for cancer survivors and their families? In this episode of In Our Own Words: Fianna Fáil, cancer survivor and advocate Lydia Whelan shares her powerful personal story and explains why this landmark legislation matters. She is joined by Minister Catherine Ardagh TD, who first introduced the Right to be Forgotten Bill in 2022 and Minister Robert Troy TD, who worked alongside her to bring the legislation through to enactment. Together, they discuss how the new law removes barriers for cancer survivors seeking mortgage protection insurance by reducing the remission period from seven years to five years and increasing the mortgage protection threshold from €500,000 to €650,000. This is a conversation about resilience, lived experience and delivering meaningful change that gives cancer survivors greater certainty and a fairer opportunity to move forward with their lives.
More from Fianna Fáil: In Our Own Words
In this episode of In Our Own Words: Fianna Fáil, Maria Buckley, President of the Fianna Fáil Women’s Network sits down with Senator Margaret Murphy O’Mahony and Dr Louise Collins an endometriosis researcher and patient. Senator O'Mahony and Dr Collins recall 40 years of pain and Louise shares her experience as a researcher at UCC and a patient. They talk about what it means to be listened to, the gaps in care, and what they hope changes for the next generation. As Louise puts it, “It shouldn’t about surviving, it should be about thriving.”
In this insightful episode of In Our Own Words, Fianna Fáil, Deputy Erin McGreehan TD sits down with Chelsea Farrell to discuss her personal journey living with PMOS and endometriosis, highlighting years of pain, misdiagnosis, and the struggle to be heard by the healthcare system. Former Miss Ireland and now working as a midwife and passionate advocate, Chelsea also discusses how education, improved healthcare pathways, and societal understanding can transform women’s lives. Erin also discusses her own experience of Endometriosis as a teenager and young woman and the effects the condition has on her personal life. The conversation underscores the urgent need for multidisciplinary care, better awareness in schools, and recognition of women’s bodies beyond fertility.
Michael Darragh Maccauley, eight times an All Ireland winner with Dublin, joins John Lahart to talk about lung fibrosis and what it has meant for his family. His father, aunt, sister and brother have all been diagnosed. He speaks openly about the long road of the condition and the toll it takes on patients and the people who love them. Maureen O'Donnell of the Irish Lung Fibrosis Association also joins the conversation about the supports patients need in Budget 2027.
In this episode of In Our Own Words, Fianna Fáil, Senator Mary Fitzpatrick interviews Robert Watt, CEO of the Dublin City Taskforce, about focused efforts to revitalise Dublin’s city centre, particularly the Dublin 1 area. They discuss tackling vacancy, dereliction, and underused properties with an emphasis on converting upper floors into residential units, increasing city centre living, and enhancing safety through “eyes on the street.” The conversation also covers plans for major sites like the Carlton site and the GPO cultural meanwhile use, promising a new cultural and residential vibrancy for the area.
Brian Rohan the co-founder of Embrace Farm joins Minister Niall Collins TD to discuss farm safety on In Our Own Words: Fianna Fáil. In this farming series episode, recorded at the Ploughing Championships the importance of farm safety and mental health in the agricultural community is highlighted. Brian whose father Liam died in a farming accident talks about his organisation’s role in supporting farm families through bereavement and serious accidents. The high number of farm accidents in Ireland each year, the challenge of reaching every farmer with safety education, and the need for community support and personal responsibility are also discussed along with the government’s commitment to funding and partnering with various organisations to improve farm safety.