In The News

Last week, Brazil made history when its supreme court convicted the country's former far right president Jair Bolsonaro, and seven other defendants, of attempting a coup after his failed re-election bid in 2022. Bolsonaro was sentenced to more than 27 years in prison.The verdict brings an end to Brazil's historical leniency in dealing with military men who have tried to overthrow democratically elected governments.Thousands of Brazilians took to the streets to celebrate the sentencing, while the leaders of neighbouring countries like Chile and Colombia paid tribute to the country's democratic institutions.However, some members of the Brazilian congress immediately embarked on efforts to secure an amnesty for Bolsonaro and his co-conspirators.And Brazilian diplomats continue to anxiously await a formal response from the US, where president Donald Trump said he was “very unhappy” with the verdict and US secretary of state Marco Rubio described the trial as a “witch hunt”.Will Trump, who has already imposed 50 per cent tariffs on Brazil, impose further sanctions in response to the conviction?Can Bolsonaro's supporters secure an amnesty for the divisive former leader? And what does this all mean for next year's presidential election in Brazil?Today, on In The News, Brazil's Bolsonaro is facing 27 years in prison, but will he do his jail time?Irish Times South America contributor Tom Hennigan discusses the national and international reaction to the Bolsonaro trial and verdict.Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Declan Conlon and Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As Pope Leo XIV turns 70 we look back at his first months in office, the messages he has been giving to his flock of 1.4 billion Catholics and what they reveal about the direction of his papacy.Since May the Pope has used his Wednesday audience to condemn the actions of Isreal in Gaza and to call for peace in Ukraine. What he has chosen to wear and where to live has signalled a return to tradition – but as Irish Times Europe correspondent Naomi O'Leary explains he's also spoken about the dangers and the promise of AI.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In June 2024 French President Emmanuel Macron took a political gamble – and lost heavily.Hoping to strengthen his centrist alliance he dissolved the National Assembly triggering an election. The result has been chaos – a legislature with no dominant political bloc in power and leading this week to France naming its fourth prime minister in 12 months and riots on the streets of Paris.At the centre of the political chaos is the threat of austerity budgets. France is deep in debt and a succession of Macron-appointment prime ministers have proposed budgets with tax hikes and deep cuts.On Monday, prime minister François Bayrou was ousted by a decisive vote after he proposed a tough budget. By Wednesday, Macron had appointed a replacement, Sébastien Lecornu.The problem for the next government, Lecornu's, is that a budget still needs to be passed and securing the backing of a very divided parliament will be difficult.The world's stage does see not much of French prime ministers because the president, Macron, holds substantial powers over foreign policy and European affairs.So does this open the door to a snap election? And how damaging is this for Macron that his own country is in chaos while he bestrides the stage, positioning himself as a powerful European leader.Naomi O'Leary, Irish Times European correspondent, explains a bleak week in French politics.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At just 18 committed Christian and college drop out Charlie Kirk established Turning Point USA, an organisation with a mission to spread conservative ideals at liberal-leaning US universities.On Wednesday, now aged 31 and a father of two young children, Kirk was once again at a university campus to debate and spread his socially conservative viewpoint.A roof-top sniper shot him dead in what is being viewed as a politically motivated assassination.In those 13 years, the young man had become one of the most influential voices in US politics and well-known media personality.Kirk's ability to galvanise young people to vote Republican, through his rallies, prolific social media posts, daily podcast, TV appearances and website led to Donald Trump crediting him with being one of a handful of people who helped secure his 2024 election win.His murder, captured on camera, has shocked the United States and the reaction from the president and his supporters has been quick and heartfelt.But who was he and how did he become one of Trump's most avid supporters and trusted confidants?Irish Times Washington correspondent Keith Duggan explains.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An escalating series of threats made to Tánaiste Simon Harris in recent weeks went from an online threat to kidnap his children to co-ordinated bomb warnings on his Wicklow home.Politicians say online trolling and verbal abuse now goes with the territory; dealing with it is part of the job.Some have also had to face threats to their families with those against Harris being the latest.It has prompted a debate about the growing security risks faced by our politicians.But what can the Garda do, and typically who makes these threats and why?Irish Times crime and security correspondent Conor Lally explains.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Earlier this year, US president Donald Trump sent shock waves across America's medical and scientific community by appointing Robert F Kennedy jnr, one of America's most prominent vaccine-sceptics, as secretary of health and human services.Since then, the controversial health secretary has caused large upheaval within America's public health system, making appointments and changing vaccine policies which impact the lives of millions of Americans.RFK Jnr has also been widely criticised for firing Susan Monarez, the director of the Centre for Disease Control, the federal agency in charge of protecting the health of Americans.Kennedy claims his new appointments to oversee disease control are committed to “evidence-based medicine” and “gold standard science”.But, scientists and doctors across the US say he is putting Americans' health in danger and undermining public trust in highly safe and effective vaccines.What has been the impact, so far, of a prominent vaccine-sceptic, with no medical background, leading America's health agenda? How far will Trump back him?And what does Kennedy's anti-vaccine approach mean for the future of scientific research in the United States?Today, on In The News, RFK Jnr has vowed to upend American healthcare. But how far will he go?UCD Clinton Institute professor of American Studies Scott Lucas discusses Robert F Kennedy Jr's tightening grip on America's public health system.Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by John Casey and Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom Philips, a fugitive father who spent four years hiding in New Zealand's remote wilderness with his three children was shot dead on Monday by police probing an armed burglary. The children were found unharmed. But why did Philips disappear in the first place, and how did he manage to evade capture for so long? New Zealand journalist Tony Wall tells the story to Bernice Harrison. Produced by Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Could new technology help to finally reveal who killed Sophie Toscan du Plantier? After prime suspect Ian Bailey's death last year, Sophie's uncle Jean-Pierre Gazeau said their family would never get the truth. But now a Garda cold case team has used new technology, called M-Vac, to harvest DNA from items recovered at the West Cork crime scene. We talk to Jared Bradley, the man behind M-Vac, about how it has helped US investigators to crack decades-old cases. But first, Southern correspondent Barry Roche shares what we know about progress in the du Plantier case. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nearly half of everyone watching Irish TV on Sunday evening tuned in for the scheming, lying and game-playing on The Traitors Ireland. It's a hit.RTÉ has joined more than 30 broadcasters worldwide in making a version of the Dutch format which sees players strategising, “killing”, banishing and lying – all to win a cash prize.It is hosted brilliantly with more than hint of theatricality by Cork actor Siobhán McSweeney, who changes her elaborate costumes more often than the contestants change their minds about each other.Just three episodes in and favourite players are emerging but it is impossible to accurately predict the winner.The rules are complicated but the appeal is easy to understand.For Irish Times features writer Patrick Freyne “it's a game of skill and strategy and not just the random weaponisation of groupthink and paranoid pattern recognition that you get in any office, school or newsroom”.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gardaí are attempting to unravel several conflicting witness accounts of what happened to a boy who went missing four years ago and is feared dead.Searches for the child's remains in an area of ground in north Dublin are expected to continue for several more days.The boy spent about a year in state care before returning to his family in 2020, with Tusla confirming it had no contact with the child between 2020 and last week. The case comes one year after it emerged another boy, Kyran Durnin, had not been seen for several years and is now feared dead. Conor Lally and Kitty Holland report on the search for the Dublin boy and the questions that must be answered about how a child once in the care of the State could vanish for years. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Britain's Labour Party returned to Westminster from a summer recess defined by anti-migrant protests, and during which, Nigel Farage's Reform UK dominated the news agenda.British prime minister Keir Starmer resumed business in parliament by announcing a small reshuffle of his Downing Street team. However, the Labour leader is still facing an array of domestic and foreign policy conundrums, most notably Farage's rapidly rising popularity.His right-wing Reform UK party has led Labour in about 90 successive opinion polls, while recent polls show 71 per cent of British voters believe the prime minister is handling the asylum hotel issue badly. Nearly four in ten British voters now cite immigration and asylum as the most important issue facing the country.With Starmer facing calls from Labour Party heavyweights to take a more radical approach to the small boats crisis, and calls led by Farage for Britain to leave the European Convention on Human Rights, the Labour Party is undoubtedly facing a rocky autumn season.What are the main challenges facing Starmer's Government in the coming weeks and how does he propose to overcome them?And how much have Nigel Farage and his Reform UK party benefited from Labour's plummeting support?Today, on In The News, can Keir Starmer claw back control as Nigel Farage soars ahead?Irish Times London correspondent Mark Paul discusses the political perils facing Keir Starmer as the summer recess ends.Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kathleen Folbigg was convicted over the deaths of her four babies in 2003 in a case that shocked Australia.In 2023 a judicial review found that the babies may have died of a genetic condition and having served nearly two decades in prison she was freed.Her case is now regarded as one of Australia's greatest miscarriages of justice.In the second episode on the Katheleen Follbig case, McDermot explains how a scientific breakthrough eventually exonerated the mother of four. Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kathleen Folbigg was convicted over the deaths of her four babies in 2003 in a case that shocked Australia.The first three were treated as cases of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) but when Laura died, the authorities looked to Meadow's Law and arrested the grieving mother.That controversial theory held that “one sudden infant death is a tragedy, two is suspicious and three is murder until proved otherwise”.She always maintained her innocence.In 2023 a judicial review found that the babies may have died of a genetic condition and having served nearly two decades in prison she was freed.Her case is now regarded as one of Australia's greatest miscarriages of justice.In August, the now 58-year-old woman, who was once branded “Australia's worst mother”, was awarded just AUS$2million for 20 years of wrongful imprisonment.The sum was far less than anyone predicted says award-winning investigative journalist Quentin McDermott. He wrote the book on Meadow's Law and made the TV documentary that helped raise questions about the safety of her conviction, leading to the review that freed her.In the first of two episode on the case, McDermot explains how the now discredited legal concept led police to Kathleen Folbigg's door.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brazilian couple Gil Rudge (39) and Natalia Bonadia (36) rented a room in a shared apartment from Eduardo Gonzaga's company, Leevin Ireland.All was fine until their landlord advised them that unless they accepted a third person to share their bedroom their rent would have to double.Janiedson da Silva dos Santos was sharing a house with eight others – students rented a bed, not a room – until Leevin Ireland abruptly issued him with a month's notice. While he was away for a few days, he returned to his rental to find it in disarray and his property gone from his room.Irish Times housing reporter Niamh Towey and Dublin-based Brazilian freelance journalist Alekson Lacerda tell In the News how landlords are exploiting the dire housing situation and how a lack of English and an understanding of tenants' rights mean foreign students are easily exploited.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Despite all the talk over the summer, the names that came and went, the speculation and supposition – there is still only one name confirmed for the presidential race.Catherine Connolly, who launched her candidacy early with the support of Labour, the Soc Dems and others will be on the ballot paper.She will be joined by other presidential hopefuls – that much is certain – but who?Today in The Irish Times Pat Leahy reports that Fianna Fáil may have found its candidate. On today's podcast political correspondent Ellen Coyne looks at GAA legend Jim Gavin's potential candidacy, why Fine Gael picked Heather Humphreys over Sean Kelly, and whether the independents pushing for a place on the ballot have a real shot.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This podcast was first published in June 2025. The use of so-called 'dodgy box' technology to illegally stream television is widespread. Last week Mary Hannigan reported on the impact dodgy boxes are having on Irish sports broadcasters like Clubber, LOITV and GAA+. “I said it before, it's no different to going in to your local shop, picking up a loaf of bread or a bottle of milk and just walking out the door without paying,” said Jimmy Doyle, the founder of Clubber, the subscription platform that streams GAA club games. “It's theft, at the end of the day.”Individuals have been prosecuted for selling dodgy box services. But so far there have been no consequences for those using them. Back in June on In the News Conor Pope reported on whether dodgy box users will ever face the law. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the space of a few short years, generative AI has exploded into our daily lives, impacting the way we learn, work and understand the world around us.Open AI, the American artificial intelligence company cofounded by Sam Altman and Elon Musk in 2015 which runs ChatGPT, claims its non-profit “mission” is to ensure these systems “benefit all of humanity”.And while the launch of ChatGPT has undoubtedly lightened the workload of many, engineer, journalist and AI expert Karen Hao says the AI race for world domination carries a huge human and environmental cost.In 2019, Hao spent three days embedded in the offices of OpenAI and discovered this company, which claims to be transparent and operating “for the good of humanity”, was in fact highly secretive.In her bestselling book ‘Empire of AI: Inside the reckless race for total domination', Hao warns that the world has entered a new and ominous age of empire, where a small handful of companies are writing the future of humanity.Today, on the In The News podcast, how the race for total AI domination is repeating the worst of human history.Karen Hao discusses the severe cost of the seemingly unstoppable growth of OpenAI.Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Aideen Finnegan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For years the Irish Republican Brotherhood – the IRB – was remembered annually in a curious ceremony at Dublin's Mansion House when its self-styled president Billy McGuire conducted a ritual that involved turning a golden harp to reaffirm the sovereignty of Ireland.The existence of an IRB will come as a surprise to historians who consider that the secret-oath-bound society of the same name was disbanded more than 100 years ago.But in recent years, a new cohort has taken over the IRB name, turning it into a growing organisation steeped in the pseudo-legal language of the sovereign citizen movement, which believes citizens are not subject to State laws.This has caused officials in Dublin and nationally to become increasingly nervous about the group's intentions.The leaders of the modern IRB are in large part veterans of the Covid-19 anti-mask and anti-lockdown campaigns, along with property owners who turned to conspiracy theories after losing vast sums during the crash. Its leaders include a prominent Clare businessman, a teacher, a healthcare worker and a life coach.This version of the IRB has a shadow government, a nascent court system and a network of local government bodies. It has also adopted a new time zone, Irish Rising Time, which is 25 minutes slower and based on the time zone used in Dublin until the 1916 rising. It even claims control over Óglaigh na hÉireann.So is this fringe group like those harmless re-enactors who cosplay historical events or does it have the potential to go the way of some sovereign citizen groups in the US and Germany who have escalated their actions to include violence?Irish Times Crime and Security Correspondent Conor Gallagher explains.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The arrest of more than 500 people at a Palestine Action rally in London on August 9th did more than raise the profile of the little-known anti-war action group: it raised questions about the fundamental right of British people to engage in peaceful protest, and exactly what constitutes a terrorist organisation in the eyes of the government.The arrests were on foot of a ban in July under UK terrorism legislation which put the group in the same proscribed category as Islamic State, al-Qaeda, the IRA, the UVF and a long list of banned terror groups.In an essay in the Irish Times last weekend, novelist Sally Rooney made her position clear.In the piece which she says she could not legally publish in a British publication, she writes that she supports Palestine Action – including financially – and “If this makes me a ‘supporter of terror' under UK law, so be it“.The images that emerged of the arrests at the rally included those of elderly men and women with home-made “Stop the Genocide” signs and of people wearing Palestine Action T-shirts and carrying banners.Since then, civil liberties groups have been vocal in what they say is the dangerous route the British government is following, appearing to conflate peaceful protest with terrorism.So what is Palestine Action? Irish Times London correspondent Mark Paul explains.And he describes the scenes inside and outside the court in London on Wednesday when Belfast rapper Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh was in court facing charges of supporting a proscribed organisation by allegedly displaying a flag in support of Hizbullah at a Kneecap gig in London gig last year.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode was originally published in June 2025. Tattle Life is a gossip site that many will have never heard of until a landmark defamation trial in Belfast in June 2025.Donna and Neil Sands bought a defamation case against the site – and won. They were each awarded £150,000 (€176,000) in damages, with the court saying their costs should also be covered.The married couple who live in Northern Ireland said that cruel, untrue and hateful anonymous postings over several years on the site left them fearing for their safety, their businesses and their relationships and impacted on their mental health.Award-winning journalist Aoife Moore knows exactly how the Sands feel. She too has been the victim of an onslaught of online abuse on Tattle Life, with entirely untrue gossip spread about her personal and professional life.She tells In the News how that impacted on her and what the defamation case means for her. And while this is the first successful defamation case against the gossip site, she says it will not be the last.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the 12 months leading up to April 2024, 30,000 Irish citizens who had been living abroad returned to Ireland. A similar number of Irish emigrants returned to Irish shores the previous year, in the 12 months leading up to April 2023.Who are these people, why are they coming home and what do they think of the Ireland they've returned to? Today, on the In the News podcast, we speak to three Irish people who recently returned to Ireland after years of building a life overseas. Are Irish infrastructure and healthcare as bad as we believe when compared with other systems abroad? What is it that pulls people back? And are they back for the long haul, or is reintegration back into Irish society too difficult after a long stint overseas?Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Suzanne Brennan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Rose of Tralee is one of the biggest events in Ireland's cultural calendar.It pumps millions of euro into the local economy and pulls in well over half a million viewers; no mean feat in an age of dwindling linear TV viewership.Almost 30 years of being lampooned as a ‘Lovely Girls' competition thanks to that Father Ted episode has seen its popularity undimmed.Albeit only relatively recently, it has evolved to permit married and transgender women enter the contest.However 29 is still the cut-off age, meaning you are officially too old for Rose of Tralee at the age of 30.The title is bestowed upon a young woman whom the judges think would be a good ‘cultural ambassador' for Ireland for the following year.While the spirit of diversity has been embraced, with women of colour among those to don the sash, is the competition still overly focused on a narrow version of femininity?Last year, the documentary ‘Housewife of the Year' highlighted the eponymous competition which ran from 1969 to 1995.In what seems utterly baffling now, married women were judged on their ability to “budget effectively and prepare a simple meal.”Eventually the competition was scrapped quietly; collapsing under the weight of public opinion which was rebelling against societal norms of the quiet homemaker.But the Rose of Tralee doesn't appear to be in any such jeopardy, and is arguably as popular as ever.Reporter Niamh Browne joins the podcast from Tralee to ponder the question: Is the Rose of Tralee uncancellable?Presented by Aideen Finnegan. Produced by Declan Conlon and Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 2021, GP Paddy Davern returned to Ireland after eight years working as a doctor in Qatar. Four years on, the Tipperary man is still struggling to come to terms with the time he spent working with the Special Operations Service (SOS), a specialist medical team treating the country's royals and other VIPs.In today's episode, Irish Times health correspondent Shauna Bowers shares Dr Davern's traumatic experience in Qatar and explains why he is now speaking out about the working conditions and ethical dilemmas he faced during his time there. Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Suzanne Brennan and Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The prescription of pain medication among Irish patients, including highly addictive opioids, is rapidly rising, according to new research.The use of opioids has increased by 25 per cent in Ireland, while the prescription of paracetamol rose 50 per cent between 2014-2022, according to a study published last week in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology.The prescription of even stronger medication, like codeine and opioids including tapentadol and oxycodone, is rising even higher.This sharp increase in pain medication prescriptions by doctors in Ireland contrasts starkly with the approach in England, where the NHS is cracking down on the overuse of these potentially-addictive medicines.Why are so many doctors prescribing this heavy-dose medication?And is this growing reliance on opioids at risk of become an addiction crisis for patients seeking pain relief?Today, on In The News, is Ireland heading towards an opioid addiction crisis?Royal College of Surgeons Ireland (RCSI) associate professor Frank Moriarty, who co-authored the study into how pain is treated in Ireland, discusses the significant rise in opioid prescriptions.Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last week, in the early hours of Tuesday, August 5th, Martha Nolan-O'Slattara was found unconscious on a boat at an exclusive yacht club in the Hamptons. She was later pronounced dead by first responders.The 33-year-old entrepreneur from Co Carlow had been living in the United States for nearly a decade where she had set a series of pop-up clothes boutiques and lived in Manhattan's upper east side.US police are now trying to piece together the events that led up to the death of this young Irish woman after the result of a preliminary examination were deemed inconclusive. A final postmortem report will reportedly take at least three months to complete.Irish Times reporter Niamh Browne discusses the Irish fashion entrepreneur's life and untimely death.Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu has continued to defend his government's plan to escalate the war in Gaza, despite widespread international condemnation and outrage.The Israeli leader claims his security cabinet's decision to capture Gaza City, which could mean months, possibly years, of combat ahead, is “the best way to end the war, and the best way to end it speedily”.The plan has resulted in protests across Israel with calls for a total end to the war and the release of hostages. Israeli military leaders have also opposed the plan.Meanwhile, starvation continues to spread across Gaza, with Israel permitting just a fraction of the aid needed to address the catastrophic levels of hunger into the strip.And this week, five journalists, including a prominent Al Jazeera reporter, were killed in a targeted Israeli air strike. Their deaths bring to 192 the total number of journalists who have died since the war in Gaza nearly two years ago, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.Why, in the face of all this, is Mr Netanyahu pushing ahead to reoccupy Gaza City, despite overwhelming opposition to his plan?Today, on In The News, Netanyahu says the plan to control Gaza city will end the war. But, is that what he really wants?Irish Times contributor Mark Weiss discusses the fallout from the Israeli Government's decision to take control of Gaza city.Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Aideen Finnegan and Andrew Mc Nair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the heart of Limerick city sits a newly-built six storey landmark, offered as a gift by JP McManus to Limerick City and County Council. The billionaire businessman had a vision for an iconic tourist attraction in the southwest, offering a boost to the area and honouring Ireland's proud rugby tradition. The International Rugby Experience opened to great fanfare in May 2023, but was shuttered just 19 months later amid a bitter row between McManus and the local authority. The city's directly-elected mayor refused to take the gift. Now the red-bricked white elephant has become a metaphor for intractable local politics or a billionaire's vanity project, depending on who you ask. So what happened behind the scenes to collapse the scrum and what efforts are underway now to try and end the impasse? Limerick journalist and Irish Times contributor Brian Carroll tells the story of the ill-fated International Rugby Experience.Presented by Aideen Finnegan. Produced by Suzanne Brennan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Seven years ago, in September 2018, the Government approached a company called Brimwood Ltd asking for help to secure extra accommodation in hotels and B & Bs for asylum seekers.While the number of international protection applicants arriving in Ireland was significantly lower at that time when compared with today – nearly 6,000 in 2018 compared with almost 33,000 in 2025 – the State's direct provision system had reached full capacity and needed temporary additional beds.Brimwood Ltd, which is now unlimited and so does not have to publish financial accounts where it might show the profits it makes, is run by Séamus ‘Banty' McEnaney and his two daughters Sarah and Laura. It is just one of a number of companies owned by the wider McEnaney family which provide accommodation for asylum seekers and homeless people.Before 2018, McEnaney's name was synonymous with Monaghan GAA, but these days, the businessman is more likely to be associated with the State's asylum system.How did McEnaney build up his property empire and how much have his family's companies earned through the provision of emergency accommodation?And who is to blame for the lucrative contracts being paid to secure this accommodation – private operators or the Government?Today, on In The News, how one family earned millions from housing refugees and homeless people.Irish Times reporters Colm Keena and Sorcha Pollak discuss their investigation into the McEnaney family's earnings and how the State has become so reliant on private operators to house refugees and the homeless.Presented by Aideen Finnegan. Produced by Suzanne Brennan, Andrew McNair and John Casey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

British socialite Constance Marten, 38, and her partner convicted rapist Mark Gordon, 51, prompted a 53-day police manhunt when they went on the run with their newborn daughter in the depths of winter two years ago.That hunt ended in tragedy after the decomposed body of their baby, Victoria, was discovered in a shopping bag buried under rubbish in Brighton; the couple were camping nearby.While no definitive cause of the baby's death could be established, they were found guilty in July of her manslaughter by gross negligence.The scenes in the Old Bailey in London were as chaotic as their lives and the details that emerged of the birth and death of their daughter were harrowing.It is thought they went on the run when Marten was pregnant as their four young children had already been taken into care.Their sentencing is expected in September.In the second of two episodes on their case, BBC news correspondent Helena Wilkinson takes us inside the courtroom and explains why it "was the most extraordinary trial" she has ever reported on. Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

British socialite Constance Marten, 38, and her partner convicted rapist Mark Gordon, 51, prompted a 53-day police manhunt when they went on the run with their newborn daughter in the depths of winter two years ago.That hunt ended in tragedy after the decomposed body of their baby, Victoria, was discovered in a shopping bag buried under rubbish in Brighton; the couple were camping nearby.While no definitive cause of the baby's death could be established, they were found guilty in July of her manslaughter by gross negligence.The scenes in the Old Bailey in London were as chaotic as their lives and the details that emerged of the birth and death of their daughter were harrowing.It is thought they went on the run when Marten was pregnant as their four young children had already been taken into care.Their sentencing is expected in September.BBC news correspondent Helena Wilkinson takes us inside the courtroom and explains how the tragic case unfolded.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 as the Garda searched for his body and explored multiple lines of inquiry.Then the farmer's body was found – in the most grisly of circumstances. He had been dismembered with his body parts deposited into the silage pit on his farm.One such line of inquiry involved Michael Kelley, an American who lived and worked on Gaine's 1,000-acre farm for the past three years.Kelley has identified himself to the media as having been arrested and questioned in relation to Gaine's murder. He was released without charge.So is he and what was he doing in Kerry? How did he come to live and work on the Gaine farm? And why is he giving interviews?Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.This episode was originally broadcast in June 2025. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sports memorabilia is big business in the United States. Exceptional athletes can attain God-like status very quickly there, and everybody wants a piece. The baseball that Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers hit for his 50th home run last season, recently sold for $4.3 million. And if you are into buying sports memorabilia, chances are at some point you logged on to a website called Mister Man Cave, which boasts one of the largest football, baseball and basketball autograph inventories on the web. That's what it looked like, but all wasn't as it seemed. During an investigation into fraud and counterfeiting at Mister Man Cave, its owner 45-year-old Brett Lemieux took his own life. Host Bernice Harrison is joined by Irish Times contributor and America at Large columnist Dave Hannigan, who explains that before his death, in a Facebook post, Lemieux spelled out for investigators and sports fans how he had flooded the market with hundreds of thousands of fraudulent sports-related items over two decades, generating hundreds of millions of dollars for his company. Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last week, hundreds of Ukrainians took to the streets across the country protesting a government move to slash the independence of two anti-corruption agencies.Volodomyr Zelenskiy faced the first street protests against his presidency since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 after he signed a controversial law that would curb the independence of Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau and Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office.Two days later, Mr Zelensky backtracked on the controversial changes after European officials warned the bill threatened to undermine Ukraine's ongoing bid to join the union. Mr Zelensky also said he had “heard the public opinion”.However, is this U-turn enough to end the controversy? And why did the Ukrainian president introduce the bill in the first place?Today, on In The News, is Zelensky losing the trust of the Ukrainian people?Irish Times eastern Europe correspondent Dan McLaughlin discusses the fallout from Ukraine's anti-corruption scandal, relations between Zelensky and Donald Trump and the latest on the front line of the war in Ukraine.Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Declan Conlon and Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Tuesday, after weeks of warnings, and growing reports of young children dying from malnutrition and starvation, a famine alert was issued for Gaza.UN-backed hunger experts announced that the “worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out in the Gaza Strip”.The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification Initiative (IPC) said the latest evidence of widespread starvation, malnutrition and disease indicated famine thresholds had been reached for food consumption in most of the Gaza Strip.The UN's world Food Programme also warned the disaster unfolding in Gaza was reminiscent of the famine seen in Ethiopia in the 20th century. On today's In the News podcast, Dr Morgan McMonagle, an Irish trauma and vascular surgeon who has travelled to Gaza twice since the war began, describes how life in the strip has become “worse than hell on earth”.Video footage and pictures “do not do justice to the destruction” playing out in Gaza, he said. Children are undergoing surgery “for the most horrific injuries from the most sophisticated million dollar war machines,” he added.“What Gazan people need right now, more than a ceasefire, is food. Food and water. They don't even need medicine, because medicine is no good without food and water.”Today, on In The News, an Irish surgeon on the reality of violence and starvation in Gaza.The Irish Times contacted the Israeli government and Israel Defence Forces requesting that they respond to the points raised by Dr McMonagle in this podcast but they did not reply.Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Andrew McNair and Declan Conlon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Sunday, shortly after playing a round of golf at his luxury Turnberry resort in Scotland, US president Donald Trump agreed to a trade deal with the EU commission president. It followed months of tension and shifting deadlines over a threatened 30 per cent tariff and all-out trade war, which would have been devastating for the Irish economy.And while 15 per cent avoids the worst case scenario, business leaders here like IBEC chief executive Danny McCoy claim “Europe has capitulated” by accepting the deal.Sow how exactly will these tariffs affect Irish businesses and what are the longer term implications?Was Ms von der Leyen correct in agreeing to it or should the EU have followed French president Emmanuel Macron's call to hit back hard against US trade threats with a more aggressive response?Irish Times acting Europe Correspondent Jack Power and economics and finance writer Cliff Taylor join the podcast to discuss the fallout.Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Declan Conlon, Aideen Finnegan and Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The attack on an Indian man on a suburban street in south Dublin two weeks ago by a gang of teenagers was fuelled by racism and online misinformation.The married father of one, who had left his wife and child in India to take up a job in Dublin just weeks before, was brutally assaulted, robbed and stripped of some of his clothes.It is understood the group had falsely accused the man of acting inappropriately around children. These claims were later spread online, including by prominent far-right and anti-immigrant accounts.Garda sources said there is no truth to accusations the man was acting inappropriately.Local woman Jennifer Murray was driving when she noticed the bloodied and half-dressed man standing at the side of the road, shocked and injured. She tells In the News how events unfolded.Irish Times crime and security correspondent Conor Gallagher explains that this incident is the not the first of its kind and how the Garda are dealing with the spread of misinformation.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

President Michael D Higgins's 14-year term is in its final months with an election to decide his predecessor set to take place before November 11th.After months when a changing list of potential candidates tended towards the fanciful – for a while it seemed that anyone with a public profile was in the frame – now two names have emerged as definite contenders: Independent TD Catherine Connolly and former MEP Mairead McGuinness.Connolly has secured the backing of the Social Democrats, People Before Profit and several Independent members, while McGuinness is the Fine Gael nominee.Going by previous presidential elections, it won't be a two-horse race but when will other candidates declare? And do the two women have early-mover advantage?Irish Times political correspondent Ellen Coyne explains.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The All-Ireland senior men's football final takes place on Sunday, and following last week's takeover of In the News by Malachy Clerkin to look at the hurling final, this week Malachy is back with two former football greats, Dean Rock and Conor McManus, to look at the clash between Donegal and Kerry. We hope you enjoy. In the News will return with a regular episode tomorrow. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Tuesday, during a meeting at the White House with the president of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, US president Donald Trump launched an incendiary attack on one of his predecessors, Barack Obama.In a fluent speech he accused Obama of “treason” and “sedition”.No evidence was given and the“papers” he mentioned seemed to refer to last week's report from Tulsi Gabbard, his national security director, on the 2016 election that claimed to show “a treasonous conspiracy” with Russia to fix the election against Trump.Trump has frequently attacked his political opponents, regularly mentioning “Sleepy Joe Biden” and “Lying Hillary Clinton”. But is this different? And why now? Might it be another diversionary tactic to take the focus of the so-called Epstein files, as the controversy around their release – or even existence – shows no sign of calming? And what has Obama said?Scott Lucas, political analyst and professor at UCD's Clinton Institute, explains.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 of Ireland. The decision by the Sierra, a 250-metre tanker which was destined for India, to sail around the British Isles and into the North Atlantic, rather than take the more direct route through the English Channel, has caused confusion and concern among maritime and naval experts. The tanker, which passed by the west coast of Ireland on July 10th, was just one of the rising number of sanctioned Russian ships, known as shadow fleet vessels, to sail through Irish-controlled waters in recent months. The suspicious and bizarre behaviour of these vessels has prompted the Irish Defence Forces and Government to step up maritime monitoring because of environmental and national security concerns. What is this Russian shadow fleet and why are some of their vessels taking the longer route around the Irish coast and sailing outside recognised shipping lanes? And what are the security and environmental risks posed by these ships? Irish Times crime and security correspondent Conor Gallagher discusses the dramatic increase in the number of sanctioned Russian ships sailing through Irish-controlled waters. Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Suzanne Brennan and Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 displacement of Palestinians in the region, won the Oscar for best documentary feature.Two months later, The Settlers, a BBC documentary where broadcaster and journalist Louis Theroux meets the growing community of religious-nationalist Israelis who have settled in the occupied territories, went viral.Driving around the West Bank, 14 years on from his first visit to the area, Theroux said “much was still the same” in the occupied zone. “The same sense of a two-tier society: Jewish settlers who lived protected under Israeli civil law; Palestinians who were subject to an opaque regime of military rule, with roads closed, life made difficult in ways big and small,” he wrote in a Guardian newspaper in May.Yet, the situation in the West Bank is not what it was a few years ago. In January 2025, Israel launched its Iron Wall military operation which left tens of thousands of Palestinians without proper shelter or healthcare, while the expansion of Israeli settlements – which are illegal under international law – has rapidly increased since Hamas's October 7th attack on Israel in 2023.In May, Israel announced that 22 new Jewish settlements had been approved in the occupied West Bank – the biggest expansion in decades.Meanwhile, in Ireland, the pre-legislative scrutiny of the Occupied Territories Bill, which would ban trade in goods with the occupied Palestinian territories, is continuing.But even if it passes, what will this Irish legislation actually achieve? Irish Times journalist Sally Hayden reports from the West Bank. Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Suzanne Brennan and Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 be so many lawyers in a coroner's court. But when there's a farm, valued at €5.5 million at stake, and the circumstances around the death are somewhat confused, it's perhaps to be expected.The three-day inquest into the death of wealthy farmer Joe Grogan (75) at his home on April 15th, 2023 heard questions that a coroner's court is not there to answer. Its job is to establish cause of death.Grogan had been married the previous day, to his long-time friend and sometime carer Lisa Flaherty. A clear cause of death could not be established because he had been embalmed within hours.His 220-acre farm at Screggan, near Tullamore is well-known having hosted the National Ploughing Championships for two years and is set to do so again this year. As his widow, Flaherty stands to inherit his estate.Members of Grogan's family questioned the validity of the marriage – they said they were unaware it had taken place – and there were heated scenes in the court.Ultimately the coroner Raymond Mahon ruled that the newly-wed farmer probably died of an infection associated with his stage-four cancer, his immune system being compromised because of chemotherapy and significant weight loss. He said the evidence did not support a finding of unlawful killing as had been suggested and he rejected calls by Grogan's extended family to refer the circumstances of the death to the Garda.Irish Times reporter Colm Keena was in court to hear the verdict and explains the background.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.