Grey Matters

Twenty years ago, Celia Larkin was a household name. Hers was an immediately identifiable face. And then she walked away. Away from her home, her partner, her career and her fame, making a leap into the beauty industry. When the financial crisis crushed that venture, she decided to even more radically re-jig her life. Celia joins Terry to discuss re-inventing herself, starting fresh, and how fun, excitement and fulfilment can happen at any age.

What happens when the dream of living out your retirement years sailing around the world turns into a nightmare? Terry Prone sits down with regular contributor Valerie Cox to examine the stranded Villa Vie Odyssey cruise ship, the realities of residential cruise ships, and how a €98 travel policy saved Valerie €320,000.

Would you leave your marriage if there were no financial consequences? We surveyed people entering the last third of their lives, and the answer surprised even us: over one in four women said they’d seriously consider divorce, compared to just over one in ten men.

Terry Prone and Fergus Finlay are joined by Valerie Cox to ask why. They discuss temptation, duty, and the real price of doing the laundry.

Loneliness, and a withdrawal from the community organisations that keep older people connected, are among the biggest challenges facing older people in Ireland today, according to author and former TD Liz McManus.

This week Liz joins Fergus to talk about her short story collection Tiny Bruises and a life that has taken in architecture, politics and writing.

Tony Murray and his son Conor join Fergus on this week's episode of Grey Matters to discuss what it means to be an older parent, and a sibling, of an adult with an intellectual disability, and why they believe the State’s approach to housing and care must change.

This week Grey Matters looks at their recent survey findings that 56% of women regularly mind grandchildren, compared with 37.8% of men, while 15.4% of women feel a lot of pressure to help with grandchildren, compared with just 1.4% of men. Returning guest Valerie Cox joins Terry and Fergus to react to the findings and to discuss what they say about the expectations placed on older women in Irish families.

What does ageism look like when you’re trying to find a new job? In this episode, Terry and Fergus are joined by careers expert Sarah Geraghty to explore the barriers older workers can face, from being “ghosted” after sending hundreds of applications to navigating AI screening tools and age-coded language in job adverts. Sarah shares practical advice on making your CV current and evidence-based, using your network to get in front of decision-makers, and recognising the transferable skills that come with experience. The conversation also looks at age bias in the workplace, from missed promotions to exclusion from training.

This week, Terry and Fergus sit down with one of Ireland's best literary agents, Jonathan Williams. They discuss how unpublished writers can get their books on shelves, writing advice and Jonathan's career working with some of the biggest authors in Ireland.

On this week's episode of Grey Matters, Terry and Fergus sit down with Conor Pope on the questions older listeners actually want answered: how to switch health insurance without losing cover, why travel insurers and car-hire firms quietly penalise customers once they pass a certain age, and why taking out travel insurance the moment you book, not the moment you travel, could save you from disaster.

Terry and Fergus are back for Season Two of Grey Matters. This week they discuss Fergus's health diagnosis last spring and reflect on vulnerability, ageing, family, the Irish healthcare system. Fergus opens up about the support of his wife and children, the realities of recovering from major surgery and why, ultimately, he considers himself incredibly lucky.

On this week's episode, Valerie Cox joins Terry and Fergus to debate the older generation's love of cruises. A devoted cruiser for more than 25 years, Valerie explains why small-ship voyages have taken her from Venice and the Greek Islands to Iceland and the Nile, and why she believes they're one of the most relaxing ways to travel. Terry, however, can't understand the appeal. From seasickness and sinking ships to onboard viruses and being surrounded by strangers, she argues there are plenty of reasons to stay firmly on dry land.

Financial planner Eoin McGee joins Terry and Fergus to talk money, ageing, and the moment a lifetime of saving turns into a lifetime of spending. From inheritance tax thresholds and the €3,000 gift exemption, to the risks of equity release loans and the hidden signs of elder financial abuse, Eoin brings 27 years of frontline experience to one of the most avoided conversations in Irish family life: what happens to the pot once you stop filling it.

In this weeks episode of Grey Matters, Terry and Fergus argue that longer lives, better health, and evolving expectations are reshaping attitudes as people approach the traditional retirement age. The podcasters challenge the idea that retirement at 65 remains a natural or desirable milestone for everyone.

In this episode of Grey Matters, Fergus Finlay speaks with human rights lawyer Maeve O'Rourke about the rights of older people in Ireland. Together they explore how care can sometimes become control, why autonomy and dignity matter at every stage of life, and whether some practices in healthcare and residential care would be considered unacceptable if applied to any other group in society. A challenging and thought-provoking conversation about ageing, independence and human rights.

In this week's episode of Grey Matters, Terry and Fergus explore the stories behind the things we keep. From family heirlooms and treasured photographs to everyday objects that carry unexpected meaning, they discuss why possessions become intertwined with memory, identity and grief. They examine what our attachment to certain items says about us, and why letting go can sometimes be just as important as holding on.

In this week's episode of Grey Matters, Terry and Fergus are joined by Cathrina Murphy, Age-Friendly Programme Manager with Fingal County Council, to explore how Ireland is catering for the needs of an ever-increasing population of older people.

This week on Grey Matters, Terry and Fergus are joined again by Dr Diarmuid O’Shea, President of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland and consultant geriatrician, to discuss how we can age well and the obstacles we face in doing so.

In this episode of Grey Matters, Terry Prone and Fergus Finlay discuss how we perceive happiness and how happiness evolves as we age. In a deeply personal episode, the hosts reveal how love and relationships have made the single greatest impact on their own happiness and discuss how the loss of a loved one can change everything.

Longer lives are reshaping relationships in unexpected ways. In this episode of Grey Matters, Terry Prone and Fergus Finlay explore the global rise of “grey divorce”. From retired husband syndrome in Japan to shifting dynamics at home in Ireland, they ask whether longevity is forcing couples to rethink who they want to spend their future with.

On this week's episode Terry is joined by Dr Diarmuid O'Shea President of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland and Consultant Geriatrician, to discuss dementia. With a growing ageing population in Ireland, Grey Matters highlights why awareness and prevention have never been more important.

This week, Terry and Fergus discuss the notion of a “good death” and their opposing views on death and dying. They agree that dignity in death is paramount, but question whether advances in medicine have paradoxically diminished the dignity of dying.

This week, Terry and Fergus challenge the label “the elderly.” Arguing that lazy language fuels stereotypes, calling for respect, better media coverage, and recognition of older people’s diversity and value.

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On this week’s episode, Terry and Fergus explore the reality behind retirement, and the podcast hosts have a clear message:failing to prepare properly for retirement can be a dangerous business. Using the Oscar-nominated Irish short film Retirement Plan as a springboard, Grey Matters examines how people prepare, or fail to prepare, for later life.

This week Fergus sat down with Dr Miriam Stoppard to talk about her latest book Sex, Drugs and Walking Sticks. They discuss how these attitudes can influence people’s relationship to sex as they grow older, and Stoppard says it can lead many to allow their sexual energy to hibernate. However, Dr Stoppard challenges the assumption that sexual desire fades away with age, and she is unequivocal: “We are sexual beings until we

die.”

Why are older performers thriving on UK television while their Irish counterparts seem to disappear from the spotlight?

In this week's episode, Terry and Fergus examine what they see as a striking cultural difference between Ireland and the UK when it comes to age and entertainment.

Teeth are easy to take for granted - until they start to disappear. In this episode, Terry and Fergus explore the surprising role that oral health plays in how we age, from the everyday act of brushing our teeth to the life-changing consequences of losing them.

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