Mná na hÉireann

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

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

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

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

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