Newstalk Daily

The space race didn’t end with Apollo. It just changed rivals. This Space Week, the podcast dives into the new contest playing out far above our heads — between the United States and China.  Billions are being poured into rockets, satellites and lunar missions, but behind the dazzling science is a darker reality: allegations of spying, stolen technology and military ambitions that could decid...

Ask anyone in Ireland about the Freemasons and you’ll probably hear the same three words: secrecy, symbols and myth. The so-called “secret society” has long been blamed for everything from pulling political strings to controlling world banks. But how much of that is reality – and how much is conspiracy theory?  On today’s podcast, Ciara Doherty is joined by David J. Butler, Provincial Grand L...

Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu unveiled a sweeping 20-point plan they say could end the war in Gaza after two years of devastation. The centrepiece is a ceasefire and reconstruction programme — but it comes with a surprise twist. The so-called “Board of Peace” that would oversee Gaza’s future is chaired by Trump himself and joined by none...

The threats are no longer abstract. In recent weeks, Tánaiste Simon Harris and his family were targeted with bomb hoaxes, kidnap threats and explicit intimidation that forced Gardaí and Interpol to step in. Across the Atlantic, Americans watched live as conservative activist Charlie Kirk was gunned down while carrying out his work in Utah. And four years ago this month, British MP Sir David Amess...

The Taoiseach has poured cold water on the idea of a border poll by 2030, but the debate about when — and how — such a vote might happen isn’t going away. In the early flurry of commentary on the presidential election, some even suggested it could fall within the term of the next occupant of Áras an Uachtaráin. Yet the truth is murkier: few people know the rules, and the Good Friday Agreement’s la...

Comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension from his late-night slot on American network ABC sparked outrage, boycotts, and furious claims of censorship. His return lasy week, however, pulled in a huge audience — more than six million live viewers and 26 million more online — and reignited a national debate about who really controls America’s television networks.  At the heart of this row are the powe...

Guinness is back in the spotlight - not for what’s in the glass, but for the family saga now streaming on Netflix. House of Guinness tells the story of the so-called Royal Family of Stout, beginning with the death of Sir Benjamin Lee Guinness and the fortunes — and misfortunes — of his heirs. But how much of what we’re binge-watching is rooted in truth, and how much has been dramatised for televis...

The NFL comes to Dublin this weekend, but this event is about more than helmets and touchdowns. When the Pittsburgh Steelers face the Minnesota Vikings at Croke Park on Sunday, it won’t just be a game. It will be an American export loaded with politics, power, and money.   The NFL has long been linked with the US military, its pageantry often doubling as unashamed Pentagon-backed propaganda....

The line-up is set and the race for the Áras is officially on. The three contenders – Catherine Connolly, Heather Humphreys and Jim Gavin – now face a month of high-stakes campaigning before voters make their choice on Friday 24 October.  In today’s podcast, Ciara Doherty gets you fully briefed on what to expect. First, Gerard Howlin, political advisor and Irish Times columnist, casts his eye...

It’s been more than a quarter of a century since Ireland’s primary school curriculum was last overhauled. Now, from next year, a new syllabus will be phased in across every primary and special school in the country.  For the first time, 5th and 6th class pupils will learn about sexual orientation - a topic absent from the current curriculum. Puberty education will begin earlier, reflecting th...

Ireland has always had a reputation for raising a glass — but something is changing. More and more of us are saying “not tonight,” as drinking habits shift across the country.  On today’s podcast, Ciara Doherty is rejoined by Susan Hayes Culleton, the Positive Economist and host of Taking Stock. Together, they explore why alcohol consumption is falling, how Gen Z is rewriting nightlife with s...

Every September, more than a million people step out to celebrate Culture Night — an evening that transforms Ireland into a giant stage for music, theatre, dance, and visual art. From its modest beginnings in Dublin 20 years ago, it now stretches across 1,700 locations nationwide. But with so much creative energy packed into a single evening, the obvious question is: why stop there? In today's pod...

As Europe sharpens sanctions on Israel and the Dáil returns to debate the Occupied Territories Bill, the political and emotional stakes have never been higher. At the heart of the argument lies not just goods traded from Israeli settlements, but the more complex question of services — the banking, tourism, technology and logistics networks that underpin the settlement economy and tie Ireland’s con...

How many Orangemen live in the Republic of Ireland today? It’s a question thrust into political debate with the news that Fine Gael’s presidential candidate Heather Humphreys has personal and family links to the Orange Order. Humphreys, a Presbyterian from Monaghan, has attended Orange events, while reports suggest her husband Eric was a member in the past. In today's podcast, Ciara Doherty speaks...

This week, a case that gripped Britain for nearly two years reached its conclusion. Constance Marten — the aristocrat who vanished with her partner, Mark Gordon, and was later found guilty of manslaughter by gross negligence — was sentenced.  Both Marten and Gordon were given 14 years in prison over the death of their daughter Victoria. Gordon will serve a further four years on extended licen...

Everyone is talking about The Traitors — the hit reality TV series where deception is currency and trust is constantly under threat. But what happens when lying moves from the gameshow roundtable to a Garda interview room? In real life, spotting deception isn’t a parlour trick. It can mean the difference between conviction and acquittal.  In today’s podcast, Ciara Doherty is joined by former...

They’re big, they’re bold, and they’ve crash-landed in Cork. The Asian hornet - an uninvited tourist with a sting in its tail - officially arrived in Ireland this summer. Picture it: beach-ball nests hidden in your local sycamore, buzzing with thousands of honeybee-hungry invaders. The National Parks and Wildlife Service has already registered 24 verified sightings.  But hornets are just the...

Enoch Burke has become one of the most talked-about figures in Ireland’s courts - a teacher turned serial litigant whose refusal to accept rulings has made headlines from Wilson’s Hospital School to Mountjoy Prison.  And the saga shows no sign of slowing. At a High Court hearing just last week, Mr Justice David Nolan ordered Burke to pay a total of €225,000 in fines for repeatedly breaching a...

A Banksy mural appeared outside London’s Royal Courts of Justice this week, depicting a judge in full wig, striking down a protester with his gavel. It arrived just days after almost 900 people were arrested at a demonstration supporting Palestine Action, the group proscribed by the UK government in July as a terrorist organisation.  The scale of the crackdown is extraordinary. On 7 September...

The presidential race has kicked up a gear and, this week, the contest takes centre stage. Fianna Fáil is preparing to unveil its candidate for the Áras, while Fine Gael rallies around Heather Humphreys at the party’s think-in in Mullingar. But the real twist comes from Sinn Féin: Mary Lou McDonald’s withdrawal from consideration yesterday, leaving the party without a runner and creating an openin...

Donald Trump’s second term as U.S. President has been marked by mass firings, loyalty displays, and the use of federal power in ways that critics say cross the line into authoritarianism. In recent weeks, Trump has floated the idea of a third term, deployed the National Guard at home, and overseen ICE raids that historian Daniel Geary describes as efforts to “suppress democracy.”  Geary, the...

How much does it really cost to build or rebuild a home in Ireland? The answer might shock you. On today’s podcast, Ciara Doherty is joined by quantity surveyor Claire Irwin – a familiar face from RTÉ’s Room to Improve – to break down the numbers behind the country’s housing crisis.  Claire explains why building a standard 150-square-metre home can now set you back at least €500,000, and why...

Every year, thousands of children in Ireland are reported missing. Most are found, but a troubling number remain unaccounted for. In today’s Newstalk Daily, Ciara Doherty addresses the reality behind the country’s missing children - from homes, streets, and state care systems - and examines why some cases go unnoticed for years.  The podcast explores the heartbreaking cases of a boy from Dona...

Irish flags have appeared on streets across Dublin in recent weeks - not for football, not for celebration, but as part of an anti-immigrant campaign. From Ballyfermot to Coolock, lines of tricolours have been strung up, leaving some locals feeling intimidated and unwelcome.  In today’s podcast, Ciara Doherty asks what’s really going on. She speaks to Mick Clifford of the Irish Examiner about...

Three of the world’s most controversial leaders are meeting in Beijing this week - North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, Russia’s Vladimir Putin, and China’s Xi Jinping. But behind the pomp of China’s Victory Day parade lies a far darker story, and the stakes for global politics couldn’t be higher.  In today’s podcast, Ciara Doherty talks to Robert E. Kelly, professor of international relations at Pusan...