Shows / In The News
In The News
In The News is a daily podcast from The Irish Times that takes a close look at the stories that matter, in Ireland and around the world. Presented by Bernice Harrison and Aideen Finnegan.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
- In The News
Why is a Russian ‘shadow fleet’ sailing around Ireland?
Earlier this month, a tanker laden with thousands of tonnes of crude oil, which had set off from a Russian port on the Baltic Sea, sailed down the west coast…
- In The News
What is life really like in the West Bank?
In March of this year, the eyes of the world turned towards the occupied West Bank when the film ‘No Other Land’, which tells the story of Israel’s forced…
- In The News
Joe Grogan inquest: How a millionaire farmer died the day after he was married
An inquest doesn’t typically hear questions about the consummation of a relationship or the validity of a marriage certificate, and it’s not usual for there to…
- In The News
Afghan data leak: Panic, a press gag and a secret relocation scheme
After the US and the Taliban signed a peace deal that saw all international troops leaving Afghanistan by May 2021, Britain promised to relocate those Afghans…
- In The News
Bonus: will Tipperary or Cork triumph in this weekend's All Ireland hurling final?
The All-Ireland senior men's hurling final takes place on Sunday. To mark the occasion, The Irish Times sports department takes over our podcast feed to bring…
- In The News
Jeffrey Epstein Files: why Donald Trump's biggest supporters are turning on him
Donald Trump once said that he would "probably" release documents relating to the life and crimes of late billionaire and notorious sexual abuser Jeffrey…
- In The News
Why are so many schools struggling to find teachers?
In the last academic year, hundreds of schools around the country have been affected by the ongoing teacher shortage. It’s a crisis which has left almost 1900…
- In The News
Are supermarkets ripping off Irish shoppers?
Opposition parties including the Social Democrats and Sinn Féin have been criticising the Government over its record on the cost of living, and especially the…
- In The News
The Salt Path: How a blockbuster memoir strayed from the truth
The Salt Path, a memoir published in 2018, told an inspirational story; how Raynor Winn and her husband Moth lost their home following an unwise investment…
- In The News
‘It was like a scene from an action movie’: How Ireland’s biggest drug bust unfolded
The seizure of the MV Matthew, with its massive consignment of drugs, off the Irish coast in September 2023 was as daring as it was skilful. After days of a…
- In The News
Walk this way: Is Dublin’s car-free plan working?
Parliament Street, the short, wide road that has Dublin’s quays at one end and City Hall at the other was, up to last week, clogged with traffic. Not any more…
- In The News
How the Texas floods sparked a political blame game
Last week, a catastrophic flood tore through central Texas, killing more than a hundred people, including over two dozen children attending a Christian girls’…
- In The News
What really happens on a Leaving Cert holiday?
The 2025 Leaving Cert exams are finally a thing of the past and 18-year-olds have begun their annual pilgrimage to party hotspots across southern Europe to…
- In The News
The Occupied Territories Bill: Why it became a major political challenge for Government
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- In The News
How Gaza became the most dangerous place in the world for journalists
At least 184 journalists and media workers have been killed in Gaza since October 2023, according to Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a non-profit…
- In The News
How Japan fell in love with Irish culture
Taoiseach Micheál Martin wraps up his four-day visit to Japan today with a visit to Hiroshima where he will lay a wreath at the cenotaph commemorating those…
- In The News
George Gibney: why did it take decades for the alleged sexual abuser to face new charges?
George Gibney was arrested on Tuesday in Florida after a Garda request was made to the US State Department to extradite him to Ireland to face charges relating…
- In The News
Carlow shooting: could Evan Fitzgerald's death have been avoided?
Last month, a 22-year-old man named Evan Fitzgerald walked into the busy Fairgreen shopping centre in Carlow and opened fire. He then turned his weapon on…
- In The News
The project to recover 'seven centuries of Irish history'
On June 30th 1922, a massive explosion ripped through Dublin’s Four Courts, after the Irish Free state national army opened fire on anti-treaty republicans…
- In The News
Could you really go to jail for watching a ‘dodgy box’?
Two court cases this month will have signalled to those supplying so-called ‘dodgy boxes’ that there is a high penalty to be paid. A man who appeared before…
- In The News
What you need to know about new rules for renters - and landlords
Renters and landlords alike are confused about exactly how the forthcoming changes to rules governing tenancies will affect them. In what circumstances can…
- In The News
Iran-US relations: What is behind the hostility between the two countries?
A new chapter in the fractious relationship between Iran and the US began this week with America’s bombing of three Iranian nuclear-development sites; Iran’s…
- In The News
Why Ireland football legend Damien Duff walked out on his team
Last weekend, former Ireland international and premier league star Damien Duff sent shock waves through Irish football when he announced he was resigning as…
- In The News
Boston rape case: How the trial of a Dublin firefighter unfolded
In the early hours of March 15th 2024, a woman walked into a hospital in the city of Boston and reported she had been raped. The following day, Dublin…
- In The News
Tattle Life: How a gossip website ended up in court
Tattle Life is a gossip site that many will have never heard of until a landmark defamation trial in Belfast this month. Donna and Neil Sands bought a…
- In The News
Israel needs Trump’s ‘bunker buster’ but will US enter the war?
Since Israel launched air strikes on Iran last Friday, the two states have traded missiles with mounting casualties on both sides. Iranian military leaders…
- In The News
Why winning €250 million isn't all its cracked up to be
Someone in Ireland has just won €250 million. It's the biggest ever lottery win in Europe and it means the winner's life will never be the same again. But…
- In The News
Will the Tuam excavation finally bring closure to families?
On Monday, preparatory works began at the former site of the mother and baby institution in Tuam, Co Galway in advance of the long-awaited excavation to…
- In The News
Minnesota shootings and mass protests - has Trump’s divisive politics reached boiling point?
On Sunday night, 57-year-old Vance Boelter was arrested and charged with murder following the largest manhunt in the history of the US state of Minnesota. Mr…
- In The News
Erin Patterson on trial: Latest in mushroom poisoning murder case
On her last gruelling day on the stand in the murder trial that has gripped Australia, Erin Patterson faced three succinct questions from the prosecutor. She…
- In The News
'A war that’s been planned for a decade' - why Israel has attacked Iran and what happens next
Israel has launched widescale strikes against Iran, saying it targeted nuclear facilities, ballistic missile factories and military commanders, raising the…
- In The News
Valerie’s Law: Closing a loophole that lets spouse killers keep parental rights
Valerie French Kilroy was the mother of three very young boys, an occupational therapist and a much-loved sister and friend. In June 2019 she was murdered by…
- In The News
Is Conor McGregor really the only person who wants to be President of Ireland?
The election for the next President of Ireland must take place before November 11th. It’s June, so where is the list of Áras hopefuls? As of now two…
- In The News
Water cannons and body-worn cameras: How the Gardaí has changed under Drew Harris
Garda Commissioner Drew Harris had much to show the media at an event at Garda HQ on Monday. New riot gear, a massive water canon, smart body-worn cameras…
- In The News
Will new rent rules help or hurt tenants - or fix the housing crisis?
The Government will bring its latest housing fix to Cabinet today when it presents new rules on rent levels for approval. Aimed at boosting supply – by…
- In The News
His name was Neville Kearns: Why five men are naming their abuser
On Sunday, April 7th, 2024 there was a fatal road traffic crash in Churchtown, a suburb in south dublin. It happened early in the morning when a pensioner…
- In The News
Death in Connemara: who was Sunny Jacobs?
Sonia ‘Sunny’ Jacobs was 76 when she died on Tuesday morning in a house fire in Connemara. Her tragic death made headlines far beyond Galway and Ireland…
- In The News
'Fear, distrust and embarrassment': why children's healthcare in Ireland is in crisis
Children operated on when there was no need; industrial springs being used instead of approved medical devices; a doctor diverting children to his own private…
- In The News
Petrol bombs and drive-bys: Why Limerick’s gangland violence is back
In the early hours of May 8th, two masked men in a stolen Audi staged a drive-by shooting, firing nine shots indiscriminately at houses on Limerick's Hyde…
- In The News
Who is the American drifter questioned over Michael Gaine’s murder?
Kerry farmer Michael Gaine’s disappearance on March 20th was first treated as a missing person’s case. Soon though, it was upgraded to a murder investigation…
- In The News
Richard Satchwell: why did it take eight years for the killer to face justice?
From the moment he reported her missing in 2017, Richard Satchwell stuck to his story that his wife Tina had run off. His many media appeals begged her to come…
- In The News
He killed Shane O'Farrell. Why was he out on bail?
Shane O’Farrell was 23 when he was the victim of a hit-and-run near his home in Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan. A law graduate, he had just submitted his master’s…
- In The News
From missing person to murder investigation: The case of Fiona Pender
Nearly thirty years ago, in August 1996, 25-year-old Fiona Pender disappeared and was never seen again. Detectives have always believed Ms Pender, who was…
- In The News
Why is Ireland so far off its climate targets?
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has published its latest projections for the 2030 climate targets and it’s bad news for Ireland. The Irish State has…
- In The News
Is this year's Leaving Certificate unfair?
Five years ago, and three months into the 2020 global pandemic, the Leaving Cert was cancelled. The Department of Education announced in May 2020 that students…
- In The News
Why everything still costs so much - and there could be worse to come
Butter is becoming a luxury item. Rents have reached an all time high – just two examples of prices that seem to be constantly on the move upwards. Good news…
- In The News
Was the truth about Joe Biden’s health deliberately hidden from American voters?
Former US president Joe Biden’s announcement on Sunday that he has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer paused the avalanche of damning…
- In The News
Investigation: The links between lawyers in Ireland and Putin’s soft-power agency
A new investigation drawing on thousands of internal emails and documents reveals the activities of Pravfond, a Russian organisation established in 2012 with…
- In The News
Richard Satchwell: Murder trial has reached its fourth week - what have we learned so far?
The trial of Richard Satchwell, who has pleaded not guilty to murdering his wife Tina at their home in Youghal, Co Cork in March 2017, has now entered its…
- In The News
Gaza's dire situation: Israel intensifies attacks and allows 'basic food' in as famine fears grow
On Monday morning, Israel’s Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu posted a video on his Telegram account pledging to take control of all of Gaza. “We are going to…
- In The News
Michael Gaine: a gruesome discovery and a man arrested
Kerry farmer Michael Gaine disappeared in March. In April Gardaí upgraded the search to a murder inquiry, despite not finding a body. Now, following a macabre…
- In The News
Marriage equality a decade on: ‘Things have gone backwards’
Ten years ago this week, on May 23rd, 2015, the people of Ireland voted to legalise same-sex marriage. Writing in The Irish Times the day after the referendum…
- In The News
Joe Duffy is leaving Liveline, but who will replace him?
From the end of June, the people of Ireland will no longer be able to pick up the phone and talk to Joe. Last week, Joe Duffy announced he was leaving his role…
- In The News
Keir Starmer's migration crackdown: why Britain is still struggling to 'take back control'
Mark Paul on why UK prime minister Keir Starmer evoked the arguments for Brexit - which he had opposed - when announcing a new crackdown on migration into the…
- In The News
Could Ireland's housing crisis kill the Irish language?
Members of Gaeltacht community groups and Irish language campaigners have issued a stark warning. They say the lack of housing, and oversupply of short-term…
- In The News
Can AI help Gardaí detect future crimes?
"The future can be seen" was the tagline of 2002 dystopian cop thriller Minority Report, in which Tom Cruise prevented crimes yet to take place with the help…
- In The News
Kim Kardashian robbery trial: How the 'grandpa gang' carried out a €10 million heist
A group of men dubbed the “grandpa gang” are among 10 suspects on trial in Paris on charges of robbing reality TV star and entrepreneur Kim Kardashian at…
- In The News
What kind of pope will Leo XIV be?
US-born Robert Prevost, who worked in Peru for two decades and became a citizen there before becoming a cardinal, is now Pope Leo XIV. But what sort of pope…
- In The News
Molly's minders: why the famous Dublin statue is being protected from tourists
For years tourists have been told it’s a tradition in Dublin to rub Molly Malone’s breasts – “for luck”. Something that’s news to residents of the capital. And…
- In The News
India's conflict with Pakistan, explained
India has conducted what it has described as “precision strikes” in neighbouring Pakistan and Pakistani-controlled Kashmir, days after it blamed Islamabad for…