Unfortunately nothing light to report in this week's news about Palestine, including the disappointing news regarding visas for some children planning to come to Ireland to play GAA. We discuss that, as well as the troubling imagery of bonfires in the North and the Irish presidential race finally starting up, among other things.

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I first became aware of today’s guest when I saw a clip of her speaking in the Seanad last week. The clip began with Senator Nicole Ryan, who was elected to the Seanad in February, saying that sometimes people forget that before people become politicians they’re people with lives who have experiences that shape how they see the world, and it was her personal experience which led her to put forward the amendment that was being discussed that day. The proposed amendment was to the existing Domestic Violence Bill, and it suggested that the presence of children in cases of domestic violence should be considered an aggravating factor when it came to sentencing. She outlined her own experience in the Seanad, and I immediately wanted to know more. Thankfully, she found time to speak to me this week, and today I’m bringing you that conversation.

CW: domestic violence, drug related death and pregnancy loss

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This week's entertainment episode is a beefy one via lots going on and James O'Hagan and I having a lot to say on it! We discuss the vibes in live music right now from Oasis to Lana Del Rey, Lena Dunham and the discourse around her body and the end of Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom's relationship... among other things.

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This week Carl Kinsella and I discuss the updates from Gaza, the classfiication of Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation, the tragic death of Diogo Jota, housing protests and some good news from Ryanair (?!).

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You don't need to have read Nussaibah Younis' excellent book Fundamentally: A Novel to enjoy this chat with her - she is charming, funny and super smart. However, the book, the story of a heartbroken young academic who takes a job in Iraq attempting to deradicalise ISIS brides (a job Nussaibah has done herself), is great.

The books I referred to during this interview were Fashion Babylon, Hotel Babylon and Air Babylon by Imogen Edwards-Jones.

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Emer McLysaght is back this week to catch us up on the week's entertainment stories. We discuss Glastonbury, how much we love Lewis Capaldi, why we can't stomach the Bezos wedding and Dua Lipa splitting the G.

You can see the Martin's Life video we mentioned here.

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It's beefy one this week as Carl Kinsella and I discuss the political conversation coming out of Glastonbury, the latest from Gaza, Momdani's victory in the New York Mayoral Democratic Primary, yet more record numbers of people in emergency accomodation and why 'natural' contraceptive tracking apps might not be the way to go.

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I was honoured to be asked by Senator Lynn Ruane to interview Dr. Mohammed Mustafa in Trinity College this week. Dr. Mo, as he's known, is an emergency medicine doctor who spent two stints working in Gaza over the last eighteen months. Horrified by what he saw, and feeling deeply conntected to it via his Palestinian heritage, he has dedicated his time since to doing everything he can to get medical aid into the region.

I'm delighted to bring a recording of this conversation to you as this week's Friday episode. The more people who hear from Dr. Mo, the better.

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