The Indo Daily

In September 1956, a schoolboy in County Down made a shocking discovery after peering into a hen house and locking eyes with a child.
Those eyes belonged to seven-year-old Kevin Halfpenny – better known ever since as ‘the hen house boy’.
Robbed of social interaction, Kevin seemed to have learned his behaviour from the chickens around him. His widowed mother Margaret Halfpenny was arrested and pleaded guilty to neglect.
70 years later, we revisit a tragically human story that became overwhelmed by folklore.
Host: Olivia Peden
Guest: Kurtis Reid
This episode of The Indo Daily is brought to you by our sister podcast The BelTel.
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He was the man who presided over one of the country’s most turbulent events, when Ireland’s Celtic Tiger came crashing down. Now, a new book chronicling the political life of Brian Cowen has hit the shelves. Cowen's time as taoiseach was defined by the banking crash, the recession and the financial crisis that transformed the country. So, what led to the Offaly man's political rise? What light does this book shed on his time in Leinster house? And how will history remember the man who handled the bailout? On today’s Indo Daily, Tessa Fleming is joined by the Irish Independent’s Ireland editor, Fionnán Sheahan, to discuss Gary Murphy’s new book, Brian Cowen: Anatomy of a Taoiseach, and the crisis that defined his tenure. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ed Sheeran has built his career on being one of music's most likeable stars. But after rapper Macklemore was dropped from his US tour over pro-Palestinian comments, the singer is facing a backlash from fans, fellow artists and even members of his own touring team.
As support acts pull out and questions grow over free speech, politics and celebrity responsibility, Kevin Doyle is joined on the Indo Daily by the Irish Independent’s Dave Hanratty to examine whether this may be the biggest controversy of Sheeran's career and what it means for his carefully crafted image.
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Donald Trump may be back in the White House following his newsworthy trip to Dublin and Doonbeg, but his spirited call for a united Ireland continues to provoke intrigue.
Micheál Martin may have moved to play down the "overreaction" but the subject will surely be on the agenda when the Taoiseach treks to Manchester for his first meeting with new UK prime minister Andy Burnham later this week.
So, how will both leaders tackle Trump's green-tinted vision? And why was Sinn Féin slow to embrace the scenario?
On this episode of The Indo Daily, host Fionnán Sheahan is joined by Irish Independent political correspondent Cónal Thomas, and by The Guardian chief reporter Daniel Boffey to assess the chaos Donald Trump has left in his wake, and just how much of a clean-up job the Taoiseach has on his hands.
The Indo Daily is part of the Trust Project. You can view our ethics policies at independent.ie/ourjournalism


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Westlife are back in Dublin for a record-breaking 13-night residency at the 3Arena, 25 years after they first became Ireland's biggest musical export.
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From Sligo schoolboys to global chart stars, the band's story is one of extraordinary success, personal setbacks and remarkable longevity.
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Today on The Indo Daily, Fionnán Sheehan speaks to Aoife Rooney, features writer with the Irish Independent, and Eddie Rowley, showbiz editor with the Sunday World, to look at how Westlife survived boyband burnout, Brian McFadden's departure, bankruptcy, changing musical tastes and the collapse of the boyband era itself.
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Why are they still filling arenas in 2026 when so many of their rivals have faded away?
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