Ready To Be Real by Síle Seoige

Topics covered: Online safety, childhood, parenting, smartphones, social media, gaming, Roblox, algorithms, manipulation, digital autonomy, grooming, sextortion, exploitation, CSAM, pornography, harmful content, suicide, sharenting, digital literacy, boundaries, notifications, screen time, peer pressure, parental responsibility, online reporting.

CONTENT WARNING: This episode includes discussions of child sexual abuse material, sexual exploitation, grooming, sextortion, pornography, suicide and other disturbing subjects. It is intended for adult listeners and is not suitable for children.

My guest in this episode is Mick Moran, CEO of Hotline.ie, Ireland's national reporting centre for suspected illegal online content, particularly child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
He spent 34 years in An Garda Síochána before joining Hotline.ie.
Recorded during the summer of 2026, this is a frank and, at times, deeply unsettling conversation about the online world we're living in and what it means for our children.

A significant part of our conversation focuses on parenting. When should children get their first smartphone? Are we putting them at a disadvantage by delaying access? How can we prepare them for what they might encounter online before they ever have a device of their own?

This isn't about judging parents or pretending there are easy answers. As a mother of two young children, I'm very aware that many of these decisions are ahead of me too.

Resources and support

Hotline.ie - Irish Internet Hotline

Ireland's national reporting centre where members of the public can securely, anonymously and confidentially report suspected illegal online content, especially child sexual abuse material.
https://hotline.ie

CyberSafeKids

An Irish charity providing research, education and practical online safety resources for children, parents and schools.
https://www.cybersafekids.ie

Smartphone Free Childhood Ireland

A parent-led movement supporting families and school communities who want to delay children's access to smartphones and social media.
https://smartphonefree.ie

Webwise

Ireland's online safety awareness centre, offering information and educational resources on social media, gaming, cyberbullying, privacy and digital wellbeing.
https://www.webwise.ie

ISPCC / Childline
Confidential support for children and young people, including those affected by harmful online experiences.
https://www.ispcc.ie
https://www.childline.ie
Childline: 1800 66 66 66 (24-hour support).

National Parents Council
Advice, education and support for parents, including guidance on children's online safety and wellbeing.
https://www.npc.ie

Irish Safer Internet Centre

Hotline.ie is a member of the Irish Safer Internet Centre alongside Webwise, ISPCC Childline and the National Parents Council. Together, these organisations provide reporting services, education, guidance and support to help children and families navigate the internet more safely.

https://hotline.ie/safer-internet-centre/

The 4 Cs of online risk

Mick refers to the CO:RE 4 Cs framework, which identifies four broad categories of online risk to children:

Content - Exposure to potentially harmful or inappropriate online material.
Contact - Harmful interactions with others online, including grooming and unwanted contact.
Conduct - Harmful online behaviour involving children, including cyberbullying, harassment and harmful peer interactions.
Contract - Commercial and transactional risks, including scams, fraud, data exploitation and manipulative marketing.

Books mentioned :

The Anxious Generation - Jonathan Haidt
Explores the impact of smartphones, social media and changes in childhood on young people's mental health and development.

The Amazing Generation - Jonathan Haidt and Catherine Price
A companion book aimed at children aged approximately 9-12, encouraging healthier relationships with technology and more freedom, connection and adventure in the real world.
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In this week's Real Take, Majella O'Donnell shares her personal experience of the ten weeks she spent as an inpatient in St John of God Hospital in 2024, when she became seriously unwell with depression.
She speaks about the fear and vulnerability she experienced, and she also discusses medication, treatment and the practical tools she learned during her time in hospital, including recognising anxiety, understanding her body's fight-or-flight response and finding ways to support herself.

This is just one part of a much wider conversation.
In the full episode....Majella O'Donnell: Completely Herself, we also explore her childhood, her first marriage, motherhood, meeting Daniel and their life together, and how she continues to manage her mental health today.

Support and resources

If you're struggling with your mental health, please reach out. You don't have to face it alone. Your GP is a good place to start, and the following organisations offer support in Ireland.

Aware
Support and information for people experiencing depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder, and for their loved ones.
Freephone: 1800 80 48 48
Available daily, 10am–10pm
www.aware.ie

Samaritans
Confidential, non-judgemental emotional support, available 24 hours a day.
Freephone: 116 123
www.samaritans.ie

Text About It
Free, confidential text support, available 24/7.
Text HELLO to 50808
www.textaboutit.ie

Pieta
Support for people experiencing suicidal thoughts or self-harm, and those affected by suicide.
24-hour crisis helpline: 1800 247 247
Text HELP to 51444 (standard message rates apply)
www.pieta.ie

HSE Mental Health Services
Information about mental health difficulties, treatment options and accessing support.
www2.hse.ie/mental-health/

If you need urgent help :
Contact your GP or out-of-hours GP service. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 112 or 999 or attend your nearest Emergency Department.

A note about medication and treatment :
Majella shares her own experience of psychiatric care, including changes to medication during her hospital stay. This conversation reflects her personal experience and is not intended as medical advice. Please speak to your GP or treating clinician before making any changes to prescribed medication.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Topics covered: Childhood, family, fear and safety, motherhood, relationships, depression, psychiatric care, medication, ADHD, breast cancer, ​mental health​, identity​, vulnerability, recovery, love, marriage and life with Daniel.

My guest in this episode is mental health advocate and TV personality Majella O’Donnell, in what is her very first podcast conversation.

Majella is a mother of two and grandmother of four, and she has been married to singer Daniel O’Donnell for almost 24 years.

In this conversation, Majella speaks with extraordinary honesty about her life and, in particular, her experience of living with depression.
She reflects on her childhood and ​in particular her relationship with her father, describing an upbringing in which she lived with fear and, as she now understands it, in an almost constant state of fight or flight.

We talk about motherhood and the times she struggled, relationships, her cancer diagnosis, and the love, humour and independence at the heart of her marriage to Daniel.

At the centre of our conversation is the severe depression Majella experienced and the ten weeks she spent as an inpatient in St John of God Hospital​ in 2024.
She describes what it felt like when depression took away her ability to function and make even the simplest decisions and what led her to seek professional help.
Majella also speaks openly about medication and the process, under medical care, of changing treatment and eventually finding a combination that worked for her.
One of the striking things about her experience is that depression didn't only appear when life was difficult. She talks about becoming unwell at a time when she was happy, loved and grateful for the life she had​...a powerful reminder that mental illness doesn't always have an obvious explanation.

Today, Majella is in a much better place. She has a greater understanding of herself and what she needs to protect her mental health, and she is using her own experience to encourage more honest conversations about depression.

This is a deeply personal conversation about childhood, fear, love, illness, identity, getting help and finding your way back to yourself.
And above all, it's Majella​...completely herself.

A note on this episode​ :
Majella discusses her personal experience of antidepressant medication. This is one person's lived experience and should not be taken as medical advice. If you have questions or concerns about your own medication or treatment, please speak to your GP, psychiatrist or another appropriately qualified healthcare professional. Do not stop or change prescribed medication without medical guidance.

Support and resources​ :

If anything discussed in this episode affects you, support is available.

Samaritans Ireland
Freephone 116 123, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Email: jo@samaritans.ie
Confidential, non-judgemental emotional support for anyone who is struggling to cope.

Text About It
Free-text HELLO to 50808, 24 hours a day.
A free, anonymous text service for anyone experiencing a mental health or emotional crisis.

Pieta
Freephone 1800 247 247, 24 hours a day.
Text HELP to 51444. Standard message rates may apply.
Support for people experiencing suicidal thoughts or self-harm, and for those bereaved by suicide.

Aware
Freephone 1800 80 48 48, seven days a week, 10am-10pm.
Information and support for people experiencing depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder and other mood-related difficulties, as well as family and friends.

HSE ​- Your Mental Health
For information on mental health services and supports in Ireland, contact the Your Mental Health information line on 1800 111 888 or speak to your GP.

If you or someone else is in immediate danger or needs emergency medical assistance, call 112 or 999 or go to your nearest Emergency Department.

Please reach out. You don't have to struggle alone.
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In this short extract from my conversation with eco-builder and author Harrison Gardner, he talks about the systems we rely on every day, why convenience so often wins, and the value of having a backup when the systems we take for granted, don't work as expected.

The full conversation,​ Harrison Gardner: How Prepared Are You?, is available now wherever you get your podcasts.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Topics covered : Housing, shelter, self-building, self-sufficiency, security, agency, sustainability, consumerism, capitalism, convenience, our reliance on systems, power cuts, extreme weather, energy, practical skills, DIY, community, climate change, preparedness​ and taking back control.

Harrison Gardner is an eco-builder, author and broadcaster who lives in Co. Clare with his wife Erin and their two daughters, Inari (6) and Islita (3).
Having spent more than 15 years designing and building conventional, sustainable and off-grid homes around the world, Harrison's work now centre​s on helping people develop the skills and confidence to become more capable and self-sufficient.
He is the co-founder of Common Knowledge, a non-profit social enterprise based in the Burren that teaches practical skills for sustainable living, from building and DIY to growing food, making furniture and mending clothes.

His latest book, ​Heat, Shelter, Water, Food: How to Be Ready for the Unexpected, looks at the basic systems we rely on every day and asks a simple but increasingly important question: what happens when those systems stop working?

From storms and power cuts to food and water security, this conversation is ultimately about knowledge, skills and agency, and why becoming a little more capable can help us feel a lot more secure.
Harrison also authored ​Build Your Own and ​Our Homes and presents ​RTÉ's Build Your Own Home.

Find out more about Harrison and his work:
​HARRISON GARDNER

And if this conversation resonated with you, you might also enjoy these episodes from the Ready to Be Real archive:

Mark Boyle: The Moneyless Man
Kenneth Keavey of Green Earth Organics: The True Cost of Cheap Food
Raeeka Yassaie: Climate in Crisis

You'll find all three in the Ready to Be Real archive wherever you get your podcasts.
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