Interview | Business Post

‘It’s almost like you’re hosting a dinner party, so that mix of guests is really important’

Angela Scanlon on how she’s much happier with the current series of her Saturday night chat show, why she’s a nightmare to watch TV with and how when she had the biggest job of her career, she was miserable

Simon Harris: ‘There’s too much of a focus on the traditional pathways into third-level education’

In a wide-ranging interview, the Minister for Further and Higher Education discusses his plans for third-level, including equal access, student accommodation and fees, as well as his own political ambitions

‘Art cannot tame Shane for the same reason that no one has ever tamed a Tasmanian devil’

London’s Andipa gallery is used to exhibiting artists such as Banksy, Hirst, Picasso and Renoir; added to that list now is work by Shane MacGowan who talks to Marion McKeone about life and his limited-edition book of artwork, lyrics and essays

Five Degrees of Change

‘Here was a bunch of people who had a huge incentive to get offsetting right. What they came up with was a mess’ – Andrew Murphy

Our latest guest on the Business Post’s Five Degrees of Change energy and environment podcast, Andrew Murphy of the Environmental Coalition on Standards, suggests five policy and personal changes for a greener world, such as including aviation and shipping in national climate targets and revising our idea of what ‘toasty’ feels like

‘Seeing addiction and alcoholism through Shiv has been really eye-opening for me’ – Róisín Gallagher

Belfast actor Róisín Gallagher is due to hit Irish televisions screens in a break-out role as a recovering alcoholic in The Dry, a new comedy-drama that has already wowed audiences on BritBox for its honest portrayal of alcoholism

‘I thought I’ll try writing a book. Everyone thinks they have a book in them, right?’ – Michael Ball

Musical theatre star Michael Ball had some time to spare during the pandemic and put his theatrical experience to good use when he wrote The Empire, which charts the fate of a grand theatre in post-World War One London

My Story So Far

‘Managers must be prepared to get into the trenches and lead by example’ - Colin Barry, Brite Mobility

Colin Barry, founder of Brite Mobility, says communicating goals, targets and strategies in a face-to-face environment is key to a team’s success

‘Am I part of the problem by writing about police as though they are the good guys?’ – Ian Rankin

Bestselling crime novelist Ian Rankin discusses police corruption, why Britain is becoming a ‘basket case’ and the real-life confrontation on the streets of Edinburgh that inspired a key scene in his 24th Rebus novel

‘Nobody would notice the publication of Ulysses if it was published tomorrow’ – John Banville

The novelist reflects on life and death, woke culture and ‘craft’ verses ‘art’ novels and wonders whether anyone will buy his new book. The Booker prize winner also also questions the emergence of the youth vote for Sinn Féin

Brian Gleeson: ‘I always wanted the learning experience of going back to theatre’

After working with some of the greatest film directors in cinematic history, the scion of Irish thespian royalty is now going back to his roots by appearing in Tom Murphy’s A Whistle in the Dark at the Abbey

Maggie O’Farrell: ‘The best book you’ll write is the one shouting the loudest, tugging your sleeve’

The Irish-born author, who has followed up her acclaimed 2020 novel Hamnet with another absorbing foray into historical fiction set in the 1500s, insists that outside opinion never influences what she writes

Justine Stafford: ‘When you work online, it can start to feel like something you can’t escape’

The Meath-born comedian and internet personality can capture the quirks of rural Irish life like few other comics of her generation, but knows the intrinsic dangers of becoming too deeply immersed in her work

Emma Donoghue interview: ‘I’m interested in the things that cage people, it makes better stories’

Isolation and seclusion are the recurring themes of the acclaimed Dublin-born author’s new novel Haven, a fictional imagining of the discovery of Skellig Michael by seventh-century monks

Emmet Kirwan: ‘It may be an Irish thing, but all the good plays are really about family’

As he adjusts to the demands of first-time fatherhood, the actor and writer’s new spoken-word verse play Accents premieres at the Dublin Fringe Festival

Dáithí Ó Sé: ‘I can't wait for the day we have a trans Rose on stage’

The presenter of one of RTE’s most enduring institutions says he’s delighted to see the programme moving with the times

Walk the line: Louise Kennedy on falling in love with writing after years as a chef

The acclaimed Trespasses author spent 30 years in the food industry before a chance invitation led to her a new career

Gemma Dunleavy: ‘Preserving and carrying on their stories reminds people of the past, the folklore’

Dublin songwriter and performer Gemma Dunleavy always returns to Sheriff Street and its close-knit community as the primary inspiration for her work

Dervla McTiernan: ‘More injustice happens when rubbish evidence is presented to court’

Dervla McTiernan ended up as a crime writer almost by accident when her legal practice was struggling during the last recession, and so she left for Australia ‘on a wing and a prayer'

What’s eating Paddy Cosgrave? Three days with the ‘anti-establishment’ entrepreneur

The Web Summit founder has developed a reputation as an online activist who has been successful in using Twitter to make his views known. But is it ego or ethics that drives him to continuously needle those in power? The Business Post followed him to Collision to find out

Clare Smyth on her new cookbook, expanding to Australia and being named the world’s best female chef

“Some women weren’t too happy I accepted it, but the most important thing is having a voice,” Smyth tells the Business Post as she prepares to launch a new book which traces her journey to three Michelin stars