In The News

The Special Criminal Court has been hearing astonishing evidence in the trial of Gerard "The Monk" Hutch and two other men for their involvement in the murder of David Byrne at Dublin's Regency Hotel in 2016. Secret recordings made by Gardaí of Mr Hutch and alleged accomplice Jonathan Dowdall, who has already pleaded guilty to his involvement in the murder, is at the centre of the case. But it is...

As the permacrisis rumbles on, Christmas is rolling around again and this year’s challenge is the cost of… everything, really. With inflation at a 40 year high, the gifts we give, the socialising we do, the supermarket trolleys we fill and the energy bills we pay will be a huge source of stress. While Conor Pope is co-host of In The News, he’s also The Irish Times' Consumer Affairs Correspondent a...

What was agreed at Cop27 and will it make a difference to the climate crisis? Environment and Science editor Kevin O'Sullivan explains what happened at the two week summit which was held in Egypt earlier this month. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“He is still fervently supported by a segment of the republican voter who is predominantly male, largely white and non-college educated.” The return of Donald Trump, as a potential presidential candidate, heralds the next big battle in American politics. While he has fallen out of favour with conservative Republicans in political circles, the 76 year-old is still supported by considerable numbers...

When the RTE Documentary Blackrock Boys aired nearly two weeks ago, it sent shockwaves through the country. Detailing sexual abuse at the Dublin school, it has prompted even more abuse survivors to come forward with allegations against the Spiritan priests. With most of the alleged perpetrators now dead, attention is turning to how victims can get answers, justice, closure and healing. Religious A...

After a 12 year lead-in time dogged by corruption scandal, human rights abuses and subversion of the football calendar, World Cup 2022 is finally about to get underway in Qatar. But can the Persian Gulf state overcome its critics and pull off a controversy-free tournament? How will authorities in the conservative muslim country react to boozy football fans and LGBTQ+ supporters? And the big questi...

Yesterday we learned of the death of Vicky Phelan, the outspoken campaigner whose own mishandled case led to reform of the cervical cancer detection system and a national conversation about the rights of patients in the health system. Simon Carswell and Jen Hogan talk to Aideen Finnegan about Vicky's story, her formidable legacy and her love for her family. Vicky Phelan is survived by husband Jim...

In contrast with his son Daniel Kinahan, little has been known about the activities of Christy Kinahan snr, the founder of the Kinahan drug cartel. Irish Times reporters Colm Keena and Conor Lally have now discovered that, along with his partner and three young children, Mr Kinahan snr has been attempting to build a new life for himself in Africa. These efforts involved an attempt to establish him...

In his new book Grace: President Obama and Ten Days in the Battle for America, speech writer Cody Keenan gives readers an intimate portrayal of life inside the White House during some of the most critical moments in American history. In this episode, he talks to Sorcha Pollak about those ten years spent working alongside one of the most important and recognised people on earth, the long days and n...

For years, the tech sector has been Ireland’s golden goose. Multi-national companies like Facebook and Google are worth billions of euro to the Irish economy every year. With job cuts and a freeze on hiring across the sector, are the good times coming to an end? Or at least stalling? Business and Technology journalist Ciara O’Brien and Economics Correspondent Eoin Burke Kennedy talk to Conor Pope...

Kanye West has arguably suffered one of the most spectacular downfalls in contemporary culture. Brands like Adidas, Balenciaga and JP Morgan have severed ties with the 45 year-old after an anti-Semitic tirade in October. With his music and fashion empire lying in ruins, Irish Times columnist Finn McRedmond argues the ‘tortured genius’ trope allowed him to get away with his outrageous behaviour for...

Having bought Twitter, Elon Musk is moving rapidly to change the troubled social media platform, both for its hundreds of millions of users and for its endangered employees. But will Musk make Twitter better or worse? Can he redeem what most observers are calling a terrible business deal? And if Twitter fails, what next for social networking? Aideen Finnegan talks to Laura Slattery and Hugh Lineha...

Originating in west Africa the Black Axe gang has quickly become one of the most successful groups in Irish organised crime. In the Republic, the gang has stolen or laundered €64 million, mainly through romance scams and invoice frauds. The Irish cell of Black Axe launders money by using a rapidly growing network of money mules in Ireland. Money mules’ accounts are used to take receipt of, and the...

Have you ever wondered why pubs and nightclubs in Ireland have a very strict closing time, whereas the rest of Europe has a more relaxed approach to how their public houses operate. It comes down to our centuries-old licensing laws, which Justice Minister Helen McEntee last week promised, would finally be reformed. In this episode, historian Diarmaid Ferriter talks to Conor Pope about the antiquat...

The families of Corporal Morrow, Private Burke and Private Murphy watch on as Ireland's best criminal defence barrister tries to get Michael McAleavy acquitted at his court martial for murder in 1983. Part three of three. Researched and reported by Conor Gallagher and Sorcha Pollak. Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Declan Conlon. Artwork by Paul Scott. Reconstruction voiced by Peter Heenan....

Among soldiers who have served in Lebanon, no incident is more notorious than the 1982 killings of Corporal Gregory Morrow, Private Peter Burke and Private Thomas Murphy at Tibnin Bridge, a checkpoint near the Israeli border. In today's episode, it's January 1983 and the investigation has stalled. Detective Tom Connolly and his colleagues fly out to Lebanon to help. Part two of three. Researched a...

Since the 1970s, Irish soldiers have served as UN peacekeepers in south Lebanon, a region where complex conflicts ebb and flow. 47 Irish soldiers have died there in the line of duty. But among soldiers who have served in Lebanon, no incident is more notorious than the 1982 killings of Corporal Gregory Morrow, Private Peter Burke and Private Thomas Murphy at Tibnin Bridge, a checkpoint near the Isr...

With just two weeks to go until the 2022 midterm elections, all eyes are on Pennsylvania and the two nominees vying for the Senate seat, Republican celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz and Democrat John Fetterman. Whoever wins could have a huge impact on which party controls the chamber from next January. If the Republicans win it would spell disaster for President Biden’s ability to enact his agenda, with...

This month marks ten years since Savita Halappanavar died at Galway University Hospital. At seventeen weeks pregnant, she had presented to the hospital complaining of back pain, only to be told she was actively miscarrying. One week after she was admitted to hospital, she died from sepsis after her request for an abortion was denied on legal grounds. Protests and vigils were held across Ireland, r...

After just 45 days on the job, UK prime minister Liz Truss has resigned. The proximate cause of her political demise was her mishandling of the economy in the weeks since she took power. But to find the real cause of the constant chaos in British politics, we need to look further back, says Irish Times news editor Mark Hennessy. Plus: How and by whom will Truss be replaced? Hosted on Acast. See ac...

China’s Communist Party is holding its National Congress this week. The highly choreographed event sets out the party’s plans for the country over the next five years. But there are turbulent times ahead, as they continue their zero-Covid approach and face into a major property crisis. With President Xi Jinping now set for a third term in office, what will it mean for the country and for...

There are lots of reasons why team sports are a great activity for children to be involved in. They offer kids a chance to improve fitness, make new friends and learn how to be part of a team. But, on many teams across the country, coaches are leaving less able children on the sidelines, because they value winning above everything else. Irish Times parenting columnist Jen Hogan talks to Conor...

***Please note this episode discusses sexual assault and violence which some listeners may find distressing*** German prosecutors have filed new sexual assault charges against the man who's already under investigation for the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. Christian Brückner is accused of raping Irish woman Hazel Behan, who was 20 at the time of the attack in Portugal in 2004. The other indict...

Iranian authorities are using increasingly violent force to suppress the female-led protests that are rocking the religious regime. Zahra Gholamvand is a research fellow at Trinity College Dublin who left Iran in 2010 after the failure of the Green Movement and violent crackdown on protest. She explains what life is like for women under the watch of Iran's morality police and why this time she bel...

Ten lives have been lost and many more irrevocably changed by the tragic events that took place last Friday in the small village of Creeslough, County Donegal. Kitty Holland is there, meeting the people of the area. She talks to producer Aideen Finnegan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.