{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Femsplaining: Irish Cultural Capture with Laoise de Br\u00fan","description":"\ud83c\udf99\ufe0f Peaked \u2014 Episode 5 Femsplaining: Irish Cultural Capture with Laoise de Br\u00fan Host: R\u00f3is\u00edn Michaux Guest: Laoise de Br\u00fan     Episode Overview In this episode of Peaked, R\u00f3is\u00edn Michaux speaks with Irish activist and commentator Laoise de Br\u00fan, founder of The Countess, about the changing cultural and political landscape in Ireland and Europe. The conversation is a deep exploration of how gender identity ideology entered Irish institutions. De Br\u00fan explains the origins of The Countess, a grassroots feminist organisation she founded in 2020, and describes how activists attempt to influence policy in a media environment dominated by outlets such as RT\u00c9 and The Irish Times. A significant part of the discussion focuses on gender identity policy in schools, NGO influence on guidance documents, and the legal controversy surrounding teacher Enoch Burke, who has repeatedly been imprisoned for contempt of court in a dispute with his school over pronoun use. The conversation also explores Ireland\u2019s historical culture of respectability, referencing Catholic social norms and institutions such as Magdalene Laundries, and draws parallels with contemporary ideological pressures within politics, academia, and public administration.     Key Topics Discussed \u2022 The founding and strategy of The Countess \u2022 NGO influence on gender identity policy in Irish schools \u2022 Media framing in RT\u00c9 and The Irish Times \u2022 The legal case involving teacher Enoch Burke \u2022 Gender identity legislation and the Irish Gender Recognition Act (2015) \u2022 The Cass Review and youth gender medicine \u2022 Ireland\u2019s historical culture of social respectability \u2022 European institutions and policy influence \u2022 Political dynamics within Ireland and the role of parties such as Aont\u00fa     About the Guest Laoise de Br\u00fan is an Irish feminist activist, former broadcast journalist, and founder of The Countess, a grassroots women\u2019s advocacy organization launched in 2020. Her work focuses on women\u2019s rights, gender identity legislation, immigration policy, and institutional accountability in Ireland. \ud83d\udd17 The Countess https:\/\/thecountess.ie     Institutional Context The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) The Irish Council for Civil Liberties is a major Irish human rights NGO involved in policy advocacy related to civil liberties, equality legislation, and legal reform. \ud83d\udd17 ICCL https:\/\/www.iccl.ie     Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission is Ireland\u2019s statutory equality body established in 2014 to monitor equality legislation and human rights protections. \ud83d\udd17 IHREC https:\/\/www.ihrec.ie     Major Stories Referenced The Enoch Burke Case Irish teacher Enoch Burke became the focus of a major legal dispute after refusing to use a student\u2019s requested pronouns at Wilson\u2019s Hospital School in County Westmeath. Burke has been jailed multiple times for contempt of court after repeatedly returning to the school despite an injunction banning him from doing so. \ud83d\udd17 Reuters \u2014 Explanation of the Case https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/fact-check\/irish-teacher-enoch-burkes-arrest-ordered-contempt-not-over-pronoun-use-2025-11-27\/ \ud83d\udd17 Wilson\u2019s Hospital School https:\/\/www.whs.ie     Mountjoy Prison The Dublin prison where Burke has been repeatedly detained for contempt of court. \ud83d\udd17 Mountjoy Prison https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mountjoy_Prison     Laws and Legal Frameworks Referenced Gender Recognition Act 2015 (Ireland) Ireland\u2019s Gender Recognition Act allows adults to legally change their gender through a self-declaration process. \ud83d\udd17 Irish Statute Book https:\/\/www.irishstatutebook.ie\/eli\/2015\/act\/25\/enacted\/en\/html     Lydia Foy Gender Recognition Case The Irish legal case brought by Dr. Lydia Foy helped establish pressure for gender recognition legislation in Ireland. \ud83d\udd17 High Court Judgment https:\/\/www.bailii.org\/ie\/cases\/IEHC\/2007\/H470.html \ud83d\udd17 Case Background https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Lydia_Foy     Research and Reports Mentioned The Cass Review The Cass Review is an independent review of gender identity services for children and young people in England led by pediatrician Dr. Hilary Cass, published in 2024. \ud83d\udd17 Final Report https:\/\/cass.independent-review.uk\/home\/publications\/final-report\/ \ud83d\udd17 Review Website https:\/\/cass.independent-review.uk     Media Organizations Referenced RT\u00c9 Ireland\u2019s national public broadcaster. \ud83d\udd17 RT\u00c9 https:\/\/www.rte.ie     The Irish Times Ireland\u2019s newspaper of record referenced during the discussion about media narratives. \ud83d\udd17 The Irish Times https:\/\/www.irishtimes.com     Individuals Referenced Petra De Sutter Belgian politician and former Deputy Prime Minister of Belgium, referenced during discussion of Belgian political culture and institutional dynamics. \ud83d\udd17 Petra De Sutter \u2014 Wikipedia https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Petra_De_Sutter \ud83d\udd17 Brussels Times \u2014 AI quotes controversy https:\/\/www.brusselstimes.com\/1909581\/ugent-chancellor-petra-de-sutter-caught-using-ai-in-opening-speech \ud83d\udd17 Anadolu Agency coverage of the same incident https:\/\/www.aa.com.tr\/en\/europe\/belgian-rector-turns-down-honor-after-using-ai-generated-fake-quotes-in-speech\/3794175     Stella O\u2019Malley Irish psychotherapist and founder of Genspect, mentioned in relation to an earlier podcast appearance by Laoise de Br\u00fan. \ud83d\udd17 Genspect https:\/\/genspect.org     Helen Joyce Journalist and author of Trans: When Ideology Meets Reality, referenced as a prominent commentator in gender identity debates. \ud83d\udd17 Helen Joyce https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Helen_Joyce     Leo Varadkar Former Taoiseach (Prime Minister) of Ireland, referenced in discussion about political identity and Irish political culture. \ud83d\udd17 Leo Varadkar https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Leo_Varadkar     Books Referenced Derek Scally \u2014 The Best Catholics in the World A historical study examining the relationship between Ireland and the Catholic Church. \ud83d\udd17 Book Page https:\/\/www.sandstonepress.com\/book\/the-best-catholics-in-the-world\/     Peig Sayers \u2014 Peig Memoir of Irish storyteller Peig Sayers, widely known as a classic Irish-language text. \ud83d\udd17 Peig Sayers https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Peig_Sayers     Organizations Mentioned A&L Goodbody Major Irish law firm referenced in the discussion about legal guidance attached to policy documents. \ud83d\udd17 A&L Goodbody https:\/\/www.algoodbody.com     Guest Resources \ud83d\udd17 The Countess https:\/\/thecountess.ie \ud83d\udd17 The Countess Campaigns and Publications https:\/\/thecountess.ie\/about-us\/     Guest \u2014 Socials \ud83d\udc64 Laoise de Br\u00fan \ud83d\udd17 X \/ Twitter https:\/\/x.com\/LaoiseDeBrun\ud83d\udd17 LinkedIn https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/laoise-de-br%C3%BAn-97a488202\/ \ud83d\udd17 Organization Website https:\/\/thecountess.ie     Host \u2014 R\u00f3is\u00edn Michaux \ud83d\udd17 Podcast \/ Substack https:\/\/peaked.substack.com \ud83d\udd17 X (Twitter) https:\/\/x.com\/RoisinMichaux \ud83d\udd17 Apple Podcasts \u2014 Peaked https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/peaked\/id1734814641     Listen & Subscribe \ud83c\udfa7 Peaked explores European politics, institutions, and cultural debates shaping policy across the continent. If you enjoy conversations examining how ideas move through media, governments, and international organizations, consider subscribing on Substack or your preferred podcast platform. ","author_name":"Peaked","author_url":"https:\/\/peaked.substack.com\/podcast","html":"