In previous years, by the time we reached this point in the summer season, you'd probably have been jetting off on a holiday booked many months ago. But recent surveys suggest that 2026 holidaymakers are holding out for a bargain. 

Regardless of which school you fall into, Irish Independent travel editor Pól Ó Conghaile has plenty of suggestions for how you can make the most of your holiday budget.

From mini bars and boat tours to musical rickshaws in NYC, Pól tells Money Talks host Katie Byrne how to avoid some common travel rip-offs.

The content of this podcast is for information purposes and does not constitute investment advice or recommendation of any investment product

Host: Katie Byrne | Guest: Pól Ó Conghaile

Money Talks is part of the Trust Project. You can see our ethics policies at independent.ie/ourjournalism

In previous years, by the time we reached this point in the summer season, you'd probably have been jetting off on a holiday booked many months ago. But recent surveys suggest that 2026 holidaymakers are holding out for a bargain.&nbsp;
Regardless of which school you fall into, Irish Independent travel editor Pól Ó Conghaile has plenty of suggestions for how you can make the most of your holiday budget.
From mini bars and boat tours to musical rickshaws in NYC, Pól tells Money Talks host Katie Byrne how to avoid some common travel rip-offs.
The content of this podcast is for information purposes and does not constitute investment advice or recommendation of any investment product
Host: Katie Byrne | Guest: Pól Ó Conghaile
Money Talks is part of the Trust Project. You can see our ethics policies at <a href="https://www.independent.ie/service/our-journalism/a/98708550.html">independent.ie/ourjournalism</a>

This is Money Talks  - a podcast from the Irish Independent hosted by Katie Byrne, focused on our relationship with money - from the first time we discovered it right up to how we spend it today. 

Each week, you’ll hear anecdotes, advice, and eyebrow-raising admissions from Katie's guests as they delve into their finances and how it impacts their lives – the good, the bad, and the ugly.

So, if that sounds like a show worth investing in, you can follow Money Talks  wherever you get your podcasts... new episodes land on Wednesdays.

Money Talks

Destination anywhere – Pól Ó Conghaile on making the most of your holiday budget

Regular listeners to Money Talks will know that the show has always focused on the personal side of personal finance. Now we’re really putting our money where our mouth is with our new Money Makeover series.

­

Financial expert Cian Carolan joins Katie Byrne to apply the actionable advice from Money Talks to real-life circumstances faced by our listeners.

­

Today, he focuses on a couple with very different saving styles – and a looming time crisis on their pension pot.

­

The content of this podcast is for information purposes and does not constitute investment advice or recommendation of any investment product.

­

Host: Katie Byrne | Guest: Cian Carolan

Regular listeners to Money Talks will know that the show has always focused on the personal side of personal finance. Now we’re really putting our money where our mouth is with our new Money Makeover series.
­
Financial expert Cian Carolan joins Katie Byrne to apply the actionable advice from Money Talks to real-life circumstances faced by our listeners.
­
Today, he focuses on a couple with very different saving styles – and a looming time crisis on their pension pot.
­
The content of this podcast is for information purposes and does not constitute investment advice or recommendation of any investment product.
­
Host: Katie Byrne | Guest: Cian Carolan

Money Makeover: €160k income, six holidays... no pension?

In any given year, the prelude to the budget is dominated by familiar talking points: VAT rates, cigarettes and childcare. But conversations around Budget 2027 are bucking the trend, somewhat, as anticipation builds around a new scheme for Irish investors.


So will it be the gamechanger that Simon Harris is promising? How will it actually work? And, most importantly, what will it mean for your pocket?


To unpack all these questions and more, Katie Byrne is joined by Eoin McGee, who's spoken to international economists and the Tánaiste himself about how the framework could – and should – work.

The content of this podcast is for information purposes and does not constitute investment advice or recommendation of any investment product.

Host: Katie Byrne | Guest:Eoin McGee

In any given year, the prelude to the budget is dominated by familiar talking points: VAT rates, cigarettes and childcare. But conversations around Budget 2027 are bucking the trend, somewhat, as anticipation builds around a new scheme for Irish investors. 
 
So will it be the gamechanger that Simon Harris is promising? How will it actually work? And, most importantly, what will it mean for your pocket? 
 
To unpack all these questions and more, Katie Byrne is joined by Eoin McGee, who's spoken to international economists and the Tánaiste himself about how the framework could – and should – work.
The content of this podcast is for information purposes and does not constitute investment advice or recommendation of any investment product. 
 
Host:&nbsp;Katie Byrne |&nbsp;Guest: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/eoin_mcgee/?hl=en" target="_blank" title="https://www.instagram.com/eoin_mcgee/?hl=en">Eoin McGee</a>

‘We've one shot to get it right’ – Eoin McGee unpacks Simon Harris’s new investment scheme

‘Work/life balance’ is a phrase that gets thrown about a lot – but what does it really mean? And how far would you be willing to go to achieve that balance in reality?

­

In this episode of Money Talks, Katie Byrne is joined by Anne Sheeran, a ‘de-influencer’ who put her money where her mouth is by taking a pay cut that allowed her to work a four-day week.

­

Sheeran shares updates on her lifestyle and the challenges posed by her schedule on her TikTok and Instagram accounts.

­

She tells Katie why she'd choose a four-day work week over a luxury seven-day trip with her family.

­

The content of this podcast is for information purposes and does not constitute investment advice or recommendation of any investment product.

‘Work/life balance’ is a phrase that gets thrown about a lot – but what does it really mean? And how far would you be willing to go to achieve that balance in reality?
­
In this episode of Money Talks, Katie Byrne is joined by Anne Sheeran, a ‘de-influencer’ who put her money where her mouth is by taking a pay cut that allowed her to work a four-day week.
­
Sheeran shares updates on her lifestyle and the challenges posed by her schedule on her <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@anne.sheeran" target="_blank" title="https://www.tiktok.com/@anne.sheeran">TikTok</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/anne.sheeran/?hl=en" target="_blank" title="https://www.instagram.com/anne.sheeran/?hl=en">Instagram</a> accounts.
­
She tells Katie why she'd choose a four-day work week over a luxury seven-day trip with her family.
­
The content of this podcast is for information purposes and does not constitute investment advice or recommendation of any investment product.

Destination anywhere – Pól Ó Conghaile on making the most of your holiday budget

In 1 playlist(s)

Money Talks

Social links

Recent clips