Show Notes
This week on Fianna Fáil: In Our Own Words, Senator Teresa Costello, herself a breast cancer survivor, marks World Cancer Day with an open and honest discussion alongside her friend Nicola Guirenne and Aisling Hurley, CEO of Breast Cancer Ireland. Teresa and Nicola speak candidly about their shared journey through treatment, how their cancer diagnosis has impacted their lives and living with the ongoing fear of recurrence. Aisling highlights the importance of the triple assessment, particularly for younger women. She notes that 24% of women diagnosed with breast cancer are now under the age of 50 and that the disease can be more aggressive in younger patients. The conversation also explores World Cancer Day, advances in imaging, the growing role of AI in detecting early-stage breast cancer sooner while stressing that skilled radiographers and clinicians remain central to care.
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.