In June 2024, in Limerick, John Moran became Ireland’s first directly elected mayor.
It wasn’t just a new role – it was a political experiment. Powers were being decentralised for the first time in more than a century. Moran, a high-profile former secretary general of the Department of Finance and a former banker, ran as an Independent and outflanked the political establishment.
And from the start, it wasn’t smooth sailing. Conflicts with councillors, clashes with senior officials, high-profile disputes.
So, just what is going on?
For the past three months, Alan English has conducted more than 40 interviews and spoken to dozens of other people involved, including the key protagonists.
Ahead of a landmark three-part investigation to be published this week on The Currency, English joins Ian Kehoe in the studio to discuss the key issues, the central characters, and why he was reluctant to take on the project initially.
In this episode of The Tech Agenda, PwC Ireland fintech leader Nicola Sheridan and blockchain expert Lory Kehoe talk to Ian Kehoe about the growing momentum behind tokenisation – the process of turning real-world assets into digital tokens.
From shares and investment funds to real estate, infrastructure and even artwork, tokenisation allows ownership to be represented digitally and transferred almost instantly. Supporters say the technology could make markets faster, cheaper and more transparent while reducing the friction that still slows global finance.
Sheridan and Kehoe argue that tokenisation could also open investment opportunities to a much wider audience. By allowing assets to be fractionalised into smaller pieces, everything from office buildings to whiskey barrels could be owned by hundreds or even thousands of investors rather than a handful of institutions. They talk about how it works, the importance of regulation and the opportunities for Ireland. The Tech Agenda with Ian Kehoe podcast series is sponsored by PwC.
Roy Keane continues to have a hold over Ireland. Dave Hannigan’s new book ‘We Need to Talk About Roy’ looks at how Ireland shaped Keane and how Keane changed Ireland. He talks to Dion Fanning about the Keane he observed growing up in Cork at the same time and the man he became.
A letter to Tony O’Reilly changed Kingsley Aikins’s life. His new book on networking looks at how human connection is fundamental to how we live well. He talks to Dion Fanning about the power of human connection, what we lost during lockdowns and his experience working for Tony O’Reilly.
The west of Ireland has proven itself a rich stage for Colin Barrett with the author winning international acclaim for his stories. Now writing his second novel, he talks to Michael Cogley about "getting into the skin" of his characters, movie rights, and why he feels "lucky" to be part of the Irish writing tradition.
Are Irish CEOs moving fast enough on AI?
PwC’s latest Irish CEO survey suggests ambition is not the problem. Almost half of business leaders are entering new sectors. More than two-thirds plan international investments in the year ahead — well above the global average.
But when it comes to artificial intelligence, the returns remain early. Just 17 per cent of Irish CEOs report revenue gains from AI. Only 23 per cent report cost reductions. Meanwhile, global companies that have embedded AI at scale are two to three times more likely to report meaningful financial returns.
The divide is opening.
In this episode of The Tech Agenda, Ian Kehoe speaks to Amy Ball, Reinvention Leader at PwC Ireland, and Kieran Little, partner at Strategy&, PwC Ireland, about what “tech-driven reinvention” actually means – and why pilots and experimentation are no longer enough.
Ball and Little discuss Ireland’s lower risk appetite, the execution gap between strategy and scale, the governance challenge boards are now demanding answers on, and why this may be “a time for big bets”.
Every March, St Patrick’s Day transforms Dublin — but few people know the man helping to turn a single parade into one of Ireland’s biggest cultural and economic events.
Richard Tierney is the CEO of St Patrick’s Festival, the organisation behind Ireland’s national celebration. In thispodcast with Ian Kehoe, Tierney explains how the festival has evolved into a multi-day, citywide programme — with free daytime events, night-time culture and thousands of participants — while still carrying the weight of national identity at home and abroad.
Coming from a background in live entertainment and major commercial deals, Tierney was brought in with a clear brief: make the festival financially sustainable without losing its cultural soul.
What drives Paul Murphy? Maybe not what you think. In this podcast, the People Before Profit TD talks to Dion Fanning about losing his father, why the left must not narrowly focus on class, and why it is important that he doesn’t care what people think.
James Joyce considered it the most Irish thing we had. It has been here for a thousand years and endured many dramas but there are many mysteries about the Book of Kells. Victoria Whitworth talks to Dion Fanning about what she has come to believe about the Book of Kells’s creation and why Irish monks might have nothing to do with it.
Donough Holohan is Director of Performance at the French football club St-Etienne. But he spent 13 years at Manchester City, most recently as Head of Physical Performance. He talks to Dion Fanning about the challenges of working for Pep Guardiola, why he is sometimes a salesman and his dream to work in Ireland.
When Ronaldo was cleared to play at the World Cup despite his sending off in Dublin, it told something of the modern FIFA and what it prioritises. Dion Fanning talks to Jonathan Wilson about his book on the history of the World Cup and why the tournament may be in jeopardy.
