In The News

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 as presenter of the RTÉ radio phone-in show after 27 years in the hot seat.The 69-year-old broadcaster, whose contract was due to expire this summer, said he was “deeply privileged and eternally grateful” to have worked for so long presenting the programme. He also said he hoped Liveline had “made people feel heard”. Over nearly three decades, Duffy presided over Ireland’s court of public opinion, while his tagline, ‘talk to Joe’, could be seen as either an invitation or a threat.His weekday radio slot gave a platform to issues that were sometimes ignored by the rest of the media. And some of the most unintentionally hilarious, totally unplanned, moments on Irish radio also emerged through the Liveline phone lines. What legacy does Duffy leave behind and who has the experience, and kudos, to fill his shoes?Today, on In The News, Joe Duffy is leaving but who will replace him?Irish Times radio columnist Mick Heaney discusses the history of Liveline, Duffy’s career and the names already in the mix for the much-coveted afternoon slot.Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by John Casey.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 UK. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 holiday lets in Gaeltacht areas, is displacing native Irish speakers from their home counties.As a result, many fluent Irish speakers, who seek to bring up their families fully immersed in the Irish language and return home to their native town lands or villages, are unable to find a place to live.Census data in recent years continues to how the language is in decline – the number of daily Irish speakers dropped from 36% to 33% between 2016 and 2022.And now, the housing crisis in the Gaeltacht is creating a linguistic and cultural crisis.Campaigners have repeatedly warned that without a national language, Ireland will lose a unique part of its heritage. As the familiar Irish proverb warns – Tír gan teanga, tír gan anam.Dr Lorcan Sirr, senior lecturer in housing at the Technological University Dublin, discusses how Airbnb landlords and holiday homeowners are squeezing native speakers out of Gaeltacht areas.And physiotherapist and Gaeltacht housing campaigner Adhna Ní Bhraonáin describes the real-life implications for native Irish speakers who cannot find a place to life.Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"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 of a snazzy screen and three psychics floating in a tank. Now Gardaí want to use AI technology to do the same - well, kind of the same. Proponents of the technology say it will help avert criminality driven by online disinformation, like the 2023 Dublin riot. The new capability raises questions about civil liberties and the limits of AI surveillance in the hands of State authorities. Conor Gallagher explains why Gardaí want this tool and how it might be used. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 gunpoint and stealing jewellery worth millions of euros during Paris Fashion Week in 2016. The billionaire business woman will be in court tomorrow to give evidence. Saskya Vandoorne, a senior producer for CNN based in the network’s Paris bureau, explains how the trial has unfolded so far and how the group planned their €10 million heist. Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 will he be? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 it is causing damage – not just to the look of the piece but also to its stability and that has prompted Dublin City Council to take action. Every day this week “Molly minders” were at the statue with one job – to stop tourists climbing up to touch her.The metal statue made by sculptor Jeanne Rynhart in 1988 shows all the signs of constant friction – the patina has rubbed off her breasts leaving them gleaming in the sunshine, a contrast to the dull finish on the rest of the near life-size figures.But that’s been obvious for at least a decade, what hasn’t been so visible is the damage people clambering up on Molly is doing to the structure of the piece and increase her stability is now in place.Irish Times Dublin editor Olivia Kelly explains why Dublin City Council has moved to protect the statue and what will happen next.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

India has conducted what it has described as “precision strikes” in neighbouring Pakistan and Pakistani-controlled Kashmir, days after it blamed Islamabad for a deadly attack on the Indian side of the contested region that killed 26 people.At least 26 civilians were killed and 46 injured by the Indian strikes, according to Pakistani officials.The Indian government claimed that nine non-military targets had been hit, in what it called “Operation Sindoor”.The military operation by India represents yet another bloody chapter in the decades-long simmering conflict over Kashmir, often called the Switzerland of India because of its lakes, forests and snow-capped mountains.The contested nature of the territory means that Kashmir is one of the most militarised zones in the world.To understand what happened this week – and why – it’s necessary to look back to 1947 when Pakistan and India became independent from Britain and when both claimed Kashmir.Shashank Joshi, defence Eeditor with The Economist magazine, explains the background and explores the fears of further hostilities in one of the world’s most dangerous flashpoints.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the early hours of Monday morning, a drone carrying a pipe bomb, a viable explosive device, crashed beside a family's home in North County Dublin. But who was controlling the drone and who or what was the intended target? Irish Times security and crime editor Conor Lally reports. Presented by Sorcha Pollak, produced by Suzanne Brennan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chad now hosts 1.3 million forcibly displaced people, according to the UNHCR, despite itself being one of the world’s poorest countries. More than half of these refugees are Sudanese, mostly women and children, who have fled the fighting between rival militaries which erupted in April 2023.It has been called “the forgotten war” because of the lack of media coverage and global attention particularly on the plight of the refugees who live in sprawling refugee camps.The reasons why so few journalists have gone to the African country to report on the war and the massive displacement of Sundanese people include the difficulty in getting there and safety issues.Two Irish Times journalists, writer Patrick Freyne and videographer Chris Maddaloni, travelled to East Chad in April to report from the refugee camps there.Their trip was supported by the Simon Cumbers Media Fund.They tell In the News about what they saw and heard and explore why the world has turned its back on this war.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Note: This episode was originally published in August 2023. In July 2023, four relatives attended a family lunch at the home of Erin Patterson, a mother of two from Leongatha in Australia. Within days of the lunch, three of the guests were dead, with a fourth left fighting for his life in hospital. A beef wellington that was served for lunch on the day is suspected to have contained poisonous death cap mushrooms. But why were they in there? A court in Australia must now decipher whether it was simply a tragic accident or if there was something more sinister at play. Patterson's trial opened last week in Victoria, Australia and is expected to last six weeks. She is facing three murder charges and one of attempted murder. In 2023, following Patterson’s arrest, Bernice Harrison spoke to John Ferguson, a journalist with The Australian who outlined the details of the case; while retired homicide investigator Charlie Bezzina, who has worked on some of Australia’s most high-profile cases explained the challenges for police in a case such as this. Produced by Suzanne Brennan. Presented by Bernice Harrison. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Monday, the unthinkable happened: Spain and Portugal experienced an electricity blackout. Just after midday the lights went out, wifi went down, trains stopped, airports closed, ATMs froze and everyday life for millions of citizens ground to a halt. Both countries quickly ruled out the possibility that the outage was caused by a cyberattack. Human error was also discounted. Critics of Spain’s ambitious green energy policy were quick to lay the blame on renewables. Nuclear power proponents suggested the outage was the inevitable result of moving away from nuclear.Power started to be restored on Monday evening, and by Tuesday morning the Spanish government reported that more than 90 per cent of supply had returned, with a similar percentage restored in Portugal.The costs are now being counted; the CEOE employers’ association estimating the economic cost at about €1.6 billion. Self-employed workers may have lost as much as €1.3 billion, according to the ATA workers’ association.But what caused the blackout? And how is it possible that days later the authorities still don’t know for sure?Contributor to The Irish Times Guy Hedgecoe was on a train in Madrid when the blackout began. He tells In the News what happened next and explores the reasons and reactions to the unprecedented outage that has shaken confidence in the energy supply.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For Kneecap’s growing fan base, the band’s support of Palestine as they performed at the Coachella music festival in California last month didn’t raise a ripple of surprise.The Belfast-based rappers who sing mostly in Irish have been consistent in their vocal opposition to Israel’s response to the October 7th Hamas attack.But an American backlash coincided with UK police investigations into comments made by members of the group during concerts.One appeared to be shouting “up Hamas, up Hizbullah”.Footage from another concert appeared to show one of the group shouting “the only good Tory is a dead Tory” and “Kill your local MP”.Kneecap have since apologised to the families of two murdered British MPs. But they also insist the controversy has been manufactured in retaliation against their pro-Palestine stance and to distract from the real story of what's happening in Gaza.Media columnist Hugh Linehan looks at the controversies surrounding Kneecap, how they have responded and whether they are right to argue this is not a story worth covering.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon. This episode was edited on May 1, 2025 to remove a reference to Kneecap concerts being cancelled. None of the group's US concerts has been cancelled.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Since taking over the Department of Justice, Jim O'Callaghan has embarked on a firmer, more hardline approach to immigration in this country.New legislation brought forward by the Minister this week and approved by Government, will speed up the time it takes to process an application for asylum, reducing the entire process from years to just a matter of months.However, the number of people seeking asylum in Ireland have already dropped considerably when compared with this time last year.A total of 3,021 asylum applications were made between January and March 2025, compared to 5,162 during the first three months of 2024, a drop of more than 40 per cent.Why have the numbers seeking international protection in this countries fallen and is this decrease reflected across Europe?And how much do the Government’s immigration policies, such increased deportation orders and the expansion of its ‘safe list’ of countries, actually impact whether or not people come to Ireland seeking safety?Immigration lawyer Cathal Malone discusses the drop in numbers and whether Government policies are responsible for this change.Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Suzanne Brennan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Monday, a jury of seven women and five men was sworn in for the trial of Richard Satchwell at Dublin’s Central Criminal Court.The 58-year-old is accused of murdering his wife Tina Satchwell, at their home in Youghal Co. Cork in March 2017. The trial is expected to take six weeks.Gardaí initially treated Ms Satchwell’s disappearance as a Missing Person’s Case, but it was upgraded to a murder inquiry when gardaí found human remains buried under the floor in the couple’s home on Grattan Street in October 2023. Mr Satchwell has pleaded not guilty to the murder of his wife.Who is Richard Satchwell, how did he meet his wife and what happened when Tina went missing in 2017?Irish Times southern correspondent Barry Roche discusses the story of the Satchwell couple and the search that followed Tina Satchwell’s disappearance.Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Nuria Zyden travelled from her home in Dublin to a conference in Sarajevo she became aware that two Chinese men were following her. They were on her plane and they travelled to the hotel where she was staying. The conference was the World Uyghur Congress and she was there to represent the Irish Uyghur Cultural Association which she had founded in 2024 as a way to bring Irish Uyghurs together.She was not entirely surprised.Zyden is a Uyghur, a Turkic Muslim from Xinjiang – a minority that has been subjected to massive surveillance and repression by the Chinese government over the past decade.The mother of three who has lived in Ireland since 2009 and is an Irish citizen, gets calls from the security services in China complaining about her political activities and suggesting she work with them.Her contact with her elderly mother in China is, she says, severely curtailed and monitored by the authorities.Moving away to live and work in Dublin has not protected her from the reach of the Chinese Communist Party.She explains how this impacts on her life and her determination to give a voice to the millions of Uyghurs in China who cannot defend themselves.Irish Times journalist Colm Keena with his colleagues at the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists has been investigating how the Chinese government monitors its citizens abroad for a major new report called China Targets.He explains how Irish citizen Naria Zyden became the victim of transnational repression.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On April 16th, the Supreme Court in London ruled unanimously that “the terms ‘woman’ and ‘sex’ in the Equality Act 2010 refer to a biological woman and biological sex”.The ruling came in response to a legal dispute between the activist group For Women Scotland and the Scottish government over whether trans people with gender recognition certificates (GRC) identifying their gender as female were considered as having the sex of a woman.For Women Scotland had argued that the sex-based protections in the Act should only apply to people born female and that sex is “immutable biological state”.The judgment, which ran to more than 80 pages, found that “the concept of sex is binary” – there is a female and a male.It went on to say that the legislation gives transgender people “protection, not only against discrimination through the protected characteristic of gender reassignment, but also against direct discrimination, indirect discrimination and harassment in substance in their acquired gender”.The judgment has come as a blow to the transgender community, particularly to trans women who fear it will marginalise them further.Irish Times London correspondent Mark Paul explains the ruling and its implications.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Aideen Finnegan and John Casey.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Have you ever wondered what your recourse would be if you were hit by someone riding an e-bike? 48 year-old Karl Leonard assumed Gardaí would prosecute the man who left him with a catastrophic leg injury, after he was knocked down in Swords last year. But after officers failed to pursue the case, Leonard took the rider to the criminal courts as a private citizen - and won. This episode contains graphic details of injury and surgery which some listeners may find distressing.Karl's story originally featured in this Irish Times article by legal affairs correspondent Mary Carolan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Irish Times contributor and former religious affairs correspondent Patsy McGarry discusses the contenders for the job and how the Vatican conclave’s decision-making process will work.Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last Tuesday in Conor McGregor’s Black Forge Inn, the Irish Far Right were out in force. It was a celebration after a day showing US broadcaster Tucker Carlson around. He had arrived in Ireland to interview McGregor.But all is not what it seemed: the Irish far right are divided with splits and divisions multiplying since last year’s local and general elections.But why? What has happened to their common goals and political ambitions? McGregor has pledged to contest the upcoming presidential elections on an anti-immigration platform so is he, with his fortune and global recognition, a unifying force or a divisive one?Conor Gallagher, Irish Times crime and security correspondent explains.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

While walking through Dublin city, journalist Quentin Fottrell was scammed.A pleasant sounding, nicely dressed man stopped him and started chatting. Didn’t Quentin remember him? After all, the man said, he had worked on his house some years ago. Not wanting to be rude and a little embarrassed at forgetting a face, Quentin continued the chat which slowly turned to the fact that the man had forgotten his wallet and needed some help to get home. It was only when he had walked away, €40 lighter, that Quentin realised he had been scammed.He wrote about the experience in The Irish Times and his article elicited multiple replies from men who had also been scammed by the same man in Dublin city centre.Donal Cronin was one such reader. Although he is a communications expert and deeply knowledgable in the psychology behind persuasion, he too fell victim to the smooth-talking scammer. He took a photograph of the man while they were chatting and Quentin was able to confirm it was the same confidence trickster.This episode was first published in January 2025Quentin and Donal came into studio to explain how the scam worked and how they feel now having being duped.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Most of China’s roughly 10 million Catholics attend officially sanctioned churches but a substantial minority belong to the so-called “underground church”, attending masses in unapproved venues and private homes.Under Pope Francis, the Vatican entered into an agreement with China in 2018 aimed at ending the division between the two Catholic communities by regularising the appointment of bishops.But the agreement, which was renewed last October for four years, has drawn criticism from some Catholics who fear it cedes too much influence to the Communist Party.Irish Times Beijing correspondent Denis Staunton explains the controversy and why Catholicism is growing in China.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon and John Casey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Your 2007 Facebook posts, videos of your children or maybe your voice on Instagram stories. Everything you have ever publicly posted on Facebook and Instagram will now be used to train Meta's artificial intelligence model, Llama. Notifications will start appearing in your social media feed asking whether you want to opt out of the practice which was paused last year on foot of a request from the Data Protection Commissioner. Meta says its AI will improve the service it provides its EU users but campaigners have concerns around privacy and bias. Meanwhile, a group of Irish authors have launched legal action against the company over allegations that pirated versions of their work were used to train Llama. Irish Times business and technology journalist Ciara O'Brien explain it means for your historical uploads and how you can choose to opt out.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Aideen Finnegan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

While ADHD diagnoses among Irish children have risen significantly in recent years, growing numbers of adults are now opting for an assessment for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.ADHD Ireland, a charity supporting those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, says there had been a “tsunami” of demand in recent years that is “overwhelming” services. And in the last budget, the Government announced funding for four new adult ADHD teams.But what does an adult diagnosis of ADHD – a common neuro-developmental disorder which makes it harder to concentrate and manage time – mean for a person’s life?Why are more adults choosing to be assessed for the disorder? And does a diagnosis have a positive impact on a person’s life?For Mairéad Deevy, a Waterford-based barrister, her ADHD diagnosis seven years ago brought a “sense of relief”.“There was probably a sense of hopefulness that things would improve,” Ms Deevy told the In The News podcast. “For me, and I think for a lot of people, when they get the ADHD diagnosis, other symptoms of anxiety and depression very much go into the background. It’s an important piece of an overall diagnostic picture.Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Unsuspecting Irish shoppers are being duped by scammers who have figured out a fiendish way to win your trust. Consumer Affairs correspondent Conor Pope explains what the scam is, how it works and how to avoid it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

David Joyce, 38, was killed with a single shot by British police officers at Milton Keynes railway station on April 1st.But who was he and what do we know about his life in the lead up to that tragic day?Irish Times London correspondent Mark Paul visited Milton Keynes to explore what happened at the train station and how Joyce lived and died.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gardaí have made a renewed appeal on the 20th anniversary of the murder of art student Emer O’Loughlin in Co Clare.Detectives believe that a man they want to speak to in connection with the killing in Ballybornagh, Tubber, is still alive.But where is John Griffin, and why were so many mistakes made when the charred remains of the young woman were found in a burnt out caravan in 2005?While Griffin, who left his clothes on a cliff edge in a failed attempt to make gardaí believe he had killed himself, will have changed greatly in 20 years, it is likely that he still has his very distinctive tattoo – an Eye of Horus symbol on the front of his neck.Crime and security correspondent Conor Lally traces back the details of the death of this vibrant young woman and why so many mistakes were made in finding her killer.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Aideen Finnegan and John Casey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rory McIlroy will tee off on Thursday at 6.12pm Irish time on the first day of the Masters in Georgia.It is the first major tournament of the golf season and this year the news focus will be firmly on the man from Northern Ireland. It’s his 17th Masters and he’s known not so much for how he plays in Georgia but for the way he keeps falling short.While he is a consistent winner of other tournaments, building a golfing fortune estimated to be north of €250 million, and is only second to Tiger Woods in earning power off the course, one prize eludes him – the Masters in Augusta.He has finished in the top 10 seven times but has never won it. Commentators say he chokes, that the fault is not physical but mental. He has, in his interviews, been very open about his inability to seal the deal, to get so close to winning.The stakes are high; if he does finally win, he will complete the career grand slam, something only five other golfers have ever done.Irish Times sportswriter Malachy Clerkin has watched McIlroy’s career from the start and he says that he is in the best form of his life, playing like a man who could win the Masters.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Shortly before 10am, on Thursday, March 20th, Kerry farmer Michael Gaine walked into a Centra store in Kenmare to buy phone credit. The 56-year-old farmer was reportedly seen later that day in the tourist town but his trip to Centra was the last confirmed public sighting of him.Nearly three weeks later, the sheep farmer is still missing. Gardaí are increasingly concerned he may have been the victim of foul-play. However, the county-wide search remains a missing person inquiry rather than a murder investigation.Cork-based journalist Liam Coates discusses the investigation into the Kerry farmer’s disappearance.Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Suzanne Brennan and John Casey.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Global markets plunged again on Monday after Donald Trump showed no signs of pulling back from his sweeping tariff plan. All the major stock exchanges across Europe, the US and Asia were affected by the drop in prices, from tech to retail and manufacturing.European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen warned US tariffs were having a “massive impact” on the global economy, while Goldman Sachs raised the odds of a US recession to 45 per cent.And while stock prices don’t mean much to many people, behind the figures, there’s real damage being caused to the economy – in Ireland and around the globe.But when will we start to feel the impact of this financial chaos?How is Europe responding to Trump’s 20 per cent tariff on EU goods and how has China reacted to the rising tariff threats coming from the White House?And is there any indication the plunging stock markets will prompt the Trump administration to rethink its approach to trade?Today, on In The News, how worried should we be about the toll of Trump’s tariffs?Irish Times economics writer Cliff Taylor and China correspondent Denis Staunton discuss the global implications of Trump’s tariff agenda.Presented by Sorcha Pollak, produced by Declan Conlon.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A reader wrote to Trish Murphy’s Tell Me About It column looking for advice for a problem that she says is driving her crazy and taking over her life. In the past two years, she has been invited to eight weddings, eight hen parties and now baby showers too.Her main issue is the expense - her spending on average for a hen party and wedding tips €3,000 and she is trying to save for a house. And as a single person she finds the cost really difficult.And her friends are constantly trying to fix her up with a partner – which is more annoying than helpful.But why doesn’t she simply say no. Can her friend group handle the truth? And why are Irish weddings so extravagant?Is the ability to say ‘no’ a part of our Irish character? Why are we so reluctant to speak plainly?Murphy is a psychotherapist and she tells In the News how she answered the reader and why weddings are such a flashpoint for friendships.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship starts this weekend.It’s one of the biggest competitions in all of Irish sport. The All-Ireland football final has traditionally been among the top five most-watched TV broadcasts of the year. But last year, the hurling final outstripped it by almost 150,000 viewers.That’s because GAA football has had a problem that has been growing for more than 10 years; even its most ardent fans say the game has become boring.Too defensive, too slow, too much hand passing, not enough flair.Former Dublin manager Jim Gavin was called in to fix football, to come up with a new set of rules that would revitalise the game before it was too late. And he did. So are they working?Irish Times sports writer Malachy Clerkin explains why the greatest shake-up in the history of GAA football was so direly needed and how he sees them working.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last week, a Brazilian man who rented out properties across rural Ireland under false pretences and used them as brothels, was jailed for nine years.Ilamar Rodrigues Ribeiro, who pleaded guilty to brothel keeping, possession of child pornography, and money laundering, was linked to rental properties in counties Longford, Kildare, Cavan, Wexford, Roscommon, Leitrim and Carlow.The case highlighted how the sex industry continues to thrive throughout Ireland, while also shining a light on the State’s 2017 legislation which made the purchase of sex illegal, but not the sale.The legislation was designed to shift the legal burden towards those who buy sex rather than the sellers, aiming to protect those most at risk within the sex industry. But has this worked?A long-awaited review of the legislation, which was finally published last week, acknowledged that the demand for sexual services has not decreased in recent years.Why is enforcing this legislation so difficult and do those within the sex industry feel more protected by this law?Irish Times reporter Órla Ryan discuses the review of Ireland’s contentious sex-work legislation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last night US president Donald Trump announced tariffs on imports from dozens of countries, including Ireland and the European Union as a whole, launching a potential trade war on a global scale.Irish Times political editor Pat Leahy messaged In the News with some analysis of the significance of the moves announced by Trump and how the Irish government may respond. But first, we listen back to the main points from Trump's address. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Two Irish citizens living in Berlin have been issued with deportation orders and instructed to leave Germany before April 21st after facing charges over alleged actions at pro-Palestinian protests.Lawyers for their case have raised concerns that the deportation orders undermine civil liberties for EU citizens living in Germany, as neither have been convicted of any criminal offences in the German courts.Bert Murray (31) and Shane O’Brien (29) have been attending protests in support of Palestinians since the Israel-Hamas conflict began in October 2023.On this episode of In the News Bert Murray talks about her case and Irish Times columnist Una Mullally explains the background to the story. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As sea levels rise and extreme floods become more frequent, increasing numbers of Irish homeowners are struggling to secure insurance for their properties. Midleton resident Caroline Leahy, who's home was affected by Storm Babet in October 2023, is one of them. In this episode, she talks to Sorcha Pollak about living in constant fear of the next disaster and why the Government response falls short of what is needed to help those impacted. Later on, Environment and Science editor Kevin O’Sullivan on how climate change is impacting the situation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Verona Murphy made history last December when she became the first female Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann. After just months into that role, she has become the first to face a vote of no confidence.So what does this mean for Murphy? How might her background and experience help her navigate this political storm? And what else do we know about the politician who first made a name for herself in the haulage industry?Political correspondent Harry McGee traces her career and outlines the challenges facing her.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On March 15th the US military carried out air strikes against the Iran backed Houthis in Yemen. It was an operation that should have been top secret, its planning known only to key Trump administration officials. But it wasn’t.Through an astonishing breach in national security, the editor of the Atlantic magazine Jeffrey Goldberg was invited into a group chat on Signal where US vice-president JD Vance, secretary of defence Pete Hegseth, and national security adviser Mike Waltz, among others were sharing highly-classified information in advance of the military strike.President Donald Trump responded to this astonishing leak, not by initiating a round of firings, but with a robust deny and deflect strategy.Scott Lucas, Professor of International Politics at the UCD Clinton Institute explains how this Signal leak happened and how the story unfolded this week.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Garron Noone is one of the country's most popular social media stars, with a combined 3.5 million followers on Tiktok and Instagram. Usually he's gently poking fun at badly made cups of tea or ranking his favourite ice creams, but last week he veered off brand and ended up at the centre of an international culture war. After making comments about Ireland's immigration crisis, he drew support from the likes of right-wing commentator Katie Hopkins and misogynist influencer Tristan Tate. He's since explained his points were not well communicated and he's dismayed by the attention from the far right. But Irish Times media columnist Hugh Linehan says Noone's comments have thrown fresh light on the language and toxic discourse that surrounds discussions of immigration. This episode contains strong language.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Aideen Finnegan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Irish Times education editor Carl O’Brien discusses how a Dublin school investigated claims that the alleged GAA catfish is among its staff.Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On March 2nd, two men – one Israeli and one Palestinian – stood on the stage of the Academy Awards in LA and accepted an Oscar for their documentary ‘No Other Land’. Basel Adra and Yuval Abraham spent four years filming Israel’s forced displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank region. Their documentary was recorded before the war in Gaza, but highlights a reality that Palestinian communities have faced for decades. Life in the West Bank has become significantly more dangerous since Israel launched its Iron Wall operation just days after a the January ceasefire took hold in Gaza. What is the aim and justification of Israel’s Iron Wall operation? And with settler violence on the rise, is Israel working towards a formal annexation of the region?Hanno Hauenstein, a Berlin-based journalist, discusses his years reporting reporting rom the West Bank for the Israeli-Palestinian +972 Magazine.Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Declan Conlon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The biggest shake-up to the primary school syllabus in more than two decades is on the way. It will overhaul the way most subjects are taught, even add new ones, but changes to one subject is proving the most controversial: sex education.It will replace the Stay Safe programme first introduced in the 1980s and as soon as the Department of Education announced it was working on a new approach and opened up a period of public consultation, one subject emerged as the most contentious – gender identities.Gender identity issues are not on the new primary school curriculum – something that has angered those on one side of this polarising culture war, while reassuring those on the other.Irish Times education editor Carl O’Brien explains why the curriculum is changing and how it became caught up in this most contentious debate.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The new Netflix show "Adolescence" has touched a nerve. In its first four days alone, it pulled in 24 million views. The fictionalised account of a 13 year old boy who murders his female classmate shines a light on a growing problem; the dangerous impact misogynist influencers are having on young men. If you've been preoccupied by the show and how you can take action on it, this episode is for you. Originally published in January 2025, Dr Darragh McCashin from the School of Psychology at DCU outlines the best way to speak to the young people in your life about influencers like Andrew Tate. The complete resource for parents and teachers can be accessed for free here.Presented by Aideen Finnegan. Produced by John Casey.Why we can't look away from this hypnotic Netflix hit, writes Laura Slattery in today's Irish Times. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Only a few Irish eyes were smiling when Conor McGregor appeared alongside Donald Trump in the Oval Office on St Patrick's Day. The former UFC star, who is appealing a civil jury's finding that he was responsible for raping Nikita Hand, has long been a darling of the American far right. McGregor used the opportunity to spread disinformation about Ireland on the world stage, falsely alleging that Dublin is unsafe because of the high numbers of asylum seekers. But how did the ex-MMA star go from tweeting "f**k politics" in 2015 and being pro-lockdown in 2020 to teasing his ambitions to run for president this year? Crime and security correspondent Conor Gallagher outlines the vague and shifting politics of Conor McGregor and how he's been quietly working moving into politics behind the scenes.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Aideen Finnegan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Tuesday gardaí seized cocaine valued at more than €10 million when they stopped a truck on the M9 in Co Kilkenny.Intelligence led to the truck being stopped and finding no drugs in their initial search of the vehicle, they took it to be scanned, soon finding a hidden compartment packed with 152kg of drugs.As well as seizing the truck, they searched two business premises and a residential address in Co Waterford.A man in his 60s was arrested and taken in for questioning. He has been a target of the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (DOCB) for some time.Gardaí believe the suspect has links to the Dublin-based gang that is sometimes referred to in media reports as “The Family”. It has surpassed the Kinahan cartel’s Irish operation as the biggest drugs network in the Republic.Drugs with a street value of over €10m is regarded as a major seizure, but what impact will it have on the drugs trade in Ireland? Is The Family using the Kinehan playbook in its importation and distribution operation? And will losing such a valuable consignment damage the crime group?Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Over the past two years, the pharmaceutical industry has quietly waged a massive lobbying campaign to try to block proposed EU regulations for the sector.Big Pharma companies have invested particular time and energy into lobbying the Irish Government, urging the State to push back against reforms to speed up the roll-out of new medicines across the EU, particularly to smaller and poorer countries.Correspondence now shows pharmaceutical companies are “disappointed and concerned” by the lack of support the Government has shown the sector in its push back against proposed European Union reforms.Irish Times acting Europe correspondent Jack Power joins In The News to discuss his investigation into pharma firms’ attempts to prevent further regulation of the sector and the implications of these changes for pharmaceutical companies' presence on Irish soil.Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Suzanne Brennan and Declan Conlon.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The High Court is set to hear revealing details on the workings of one of Ireland’s most high profile companies: Web Summit.In a civil trial that is set to last nine weeks, the three former friends who founded the tech events company – Paddy Cosgrave, David Kelly and Daire Hickey – will lay out their grievances against each other.Cosgrave, the better known of the three, has a majority stake in the company with a whopping 81 per cent, Hickey has 7 per cent and Kelly 12 per cent.There are five individual cases to be heard in a civil trial that is expected to last around nine weeks.Catherine Sanz, author of Drama Drives Interest: The Web Summit Story explains the background while Irish Times business reporter Ian Curren tells what dirty laundry might be aired.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cooke used pseudonyms including Carrie Jade Williams Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Manchester United used to dominate the Premier League.During Alex Ferguson’s reign as manager, the team won 13 league titles – a record that’s unlikely to be beaten.Since he stepped down in the 2012-2013 season it’s been a trying time for Man U’s loyal fans who have looked on as successive managers made poor choices and owners wasted eye-watering sums.To understand just why the team’s glory days are a distant memory look beyond what happens on the pitch and take a closer look at how the owners – the American Glazer family who are the majority shareholders, and Jim Ratcliffe who bought 25 per cent of the club – are doing their business.Irish Times sports columnist Ken Early lays out the club’s problems.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Listen to the highlights of Taoiseach Micheal Martin's press event with US president Donald Trump in Washington DC earlier today. The two leaders jointly took questions for almost an hour. We've edited that down to 20 minutes of key exchanges and remarks. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.