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Femsplaining: Irish Cultural Capture with Laoise de Brún
Host: Róisín Michaux
Guest: Laoise de Brún
Episode Overview
In this episode of Peaked, Róisín Michaux speaks with Irish activist and commentator Laoise de Brún, 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 Brún 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 RTÉ 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’s 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
• The founding and strategy of The Countess
• NGO influence on gender identity policy in Irish schools
• Media framing in RTÉ and The Irish Times
• The legal case involving teacher Enoch Burke
• Gender identity legislation and the Irish Gender Recognition Act (2015)
• The Cass Review and youth gender medicine
• Ireland’s historical culture of social respectability
• European institutions and policy influence
• Political dynamics within Ireland and the role of parties such as Aontú
About the Guest
Laoise de Brún is an Irish feminist activist, former broadcast journalist, and founder of The Countess, a grassroots women’s advocacy organization launched in 2020.
Her work focuses on women’s rights, gender identity legislation, immigration policy, and institutional accountability in Ireland.
🔗 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.
🔗 ICCL
https://www.iccl.ie
Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC)
The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission is Ireland’s statutory equality body established in 2014 to monitor equality legislation and human rights protections.
🔗 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’s requested pronouns at Wilson’s 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.
🔗 Reuters — Explanation of the Case
https://www.reuters.com/fact-check/irish-teacher-enoch-burkes-arrest-ordered-contempt-not-over-pronoun-use-2025-11-27/
🔗 Wilson’s Hospital School
https://www.whs.ie
Mountjoy Prison
The Dublin prison where Burke has been repeatedly detained for contempt of court.
🔗 Mountjoy Prison
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountjoy_Prison
Laws and Legal Frameworks Referenced
Gender Recognition Act 2015 (Ireland)
Ireland’s Gender Recognition Act allows adults to legally change their gender through a self-declaration process.
🔗 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.
🔗 High Court Judgment
https://www.bailii.org/ie/cases/IEHC/2007/H470.html
🔗 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.
🔗 Final Report
https://cass.independent-review.uk/home/publications/final-report/
🔗 Review Website
https://cass.independent-review.uk
Media Organizations Referenced
RTÉ
Ireland’s national public broadcaster.
🔗 RTÉ
https://www.rte.ie
The Irish Times
Ireland’s newspaper of record referenced during the discussion about media narratives.
🔗 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.
🔗 Petra De Sutter — Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petra_De_Sutter
🔗 Brussels Times — AI quotes controversy
https://www.brusselstimes.com/1909581/ugent-chancellor-petra-de-sutter-caught-using-ai-in-opening-speech
🔗 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’Malley
Irish psychotherapist and founder of Genspect, mentioned in relation to an earlier podcast appearance by Laoise de Brún.
🔗 Genspect
https://genspect.org
Helen Joyce
Journalist and author of Trans: When Ideology Meets Reality, referenced as a prominent commentator in gender identity debates.
🔗 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.
🔗 Leo Varadkar
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Varadkar
Books Referenced
Derek Scally — The Best Catholics in the World
A historical study examining the relationship between Ireland and the Catholic Church.
🔗 Book Page
https://www.sandstonepress.com/book/the-best-catholics-in-the-world/
Peig Sayers — Peig
Memoir of Irish storyteller Peig Sayers, widely known as a classic Irish-language text.
🔗 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.
🔗 A&L Goodbody
https://www.algoodbody.com
Guest Resources
🔗 The Countess
https://thecountess.ie
🔗 The Countess Campaigns and Publications
https://thecountess.ie/about-us/
Guest — Socials
👤 Laoise de Brún
🔗 X / Twitter
https://x.com/LaoiseDeBrun
🔗 LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/laoise-de-br%C3%BAn-97a488202/
🔗 Organization Website
https://thecountess.ie
Host — Róisín Michaux
🔗 Podcast / Substack
https://peaked.substack.com
🔗 X (Twitter)
https://x.com/RoisinMichaux
🔗 Apple Podcasts — Peaked
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peaked/id1734814641
Listen & Subscribe
🎧 Peaked explores European politics, institutions, and cultural debates shaping policy across the continent.
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