In The News

From Wexford trucker to Ceann Comhairle: Who is Verona Murphy?

31 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Signal scandal: what is Trump doing about his leaky administration?

28 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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, ...

What we've learned from the Garron Noone controversy

27 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 gent...

How a Dublin school became embroiled in the GAA Catfish drama

26 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Irish Times education editor Carl O’Brien discusses how a Dublin school investigated claims that the alleged GAA catfish is among its staff.Presente...

Could Israel annex the West Bank?

25 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 documenta...

Sex education: How culture wars on gender identity have entered the classroom

24 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 ad...

Watching Adolescence? Here's how to talk to boys about masculinity influencers

22 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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...

How Conor McGregor went from "f**k politics" to presidential wannabe

21 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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, wh...

'The Family': the criminal gang behind Ireland’s latest drug seizure

19 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 b...

Why Big Pharma is annoyed with Ireland

19 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Over the past two years, the pharmaceutical industry has quietly waged a massive lobbying campaign to try to block proposed EU regulations for the sec...

Web Summit Showdown: Why the three co-founders are heading to court

18 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Convicted fraudster Samantha Cooke: how she was caught and what drove her

17 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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

How losing became a habit at Manchester United

14 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 u...

The Taoiseach and Trump: listen to the key exchanges in an extraordinary White House meeting

12 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Listen to the highlights of Taoiseach Micheal Martin's press event with US president Donald Trump in Washington DC earlier today. The two leaders join...

Handling Trump: a psychologist advises the Taoiseach what to say in the White House

12 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Later today Taoiseach Micheal Martin will meet US president Donald Trump in Washington, against a backdrop of Trump’s tariff threats and huge econom...

Relationship recession: Why coupledom is declining around the world

11 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The number of babies being born is falling globally, with profound effects in store for societies and economies should the trend continue long term. T...

'No sympathy for him but huge sympathy for the family': Nathan McDonnell and the crime that shocked Tralee

10 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

High profile Kerry businessman Nathan McDonnell was “committed to and invested in” a €32 million crystal meth operation by an organised crime gr...

Donegal cliff murder: How Alan Vial and Nikita Burns were convicted of killing Robert Wilkin

08 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Alan Vial (39) and Nikita Burns (23) have been found guilty of murdering 66-year-old ‘Robin’ Wilkin whose body was thrown over the cliffs at Sliab...

How new gambling rules will impact Irish punters

07 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The newly formed Gambling Regulatory Authority has, since Wednesday, taken control of the industry.The regulator will decide who in the areas of gamin...

What Trump’s tariffs might mean for Ireland

06 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

US secretary of state Marco Rubio told Tánaiste Simon Harris it was a priority of the Trump administration to address the “trade imbalance” betwe...

How a software update led to a murder conviction

05 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Stephen Mooney pleaded guilty to murdering his wife, Anna Mooney, at their home in Kilbarrack, Dublin in June 2023.Mooney had been due to s...

What should Micheál Martin do if his White House visit turns combative?

04 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Last Friday's showdown between Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Donald Trump in the Oval Office will have Irish officials on tenterhooks. Just hours after the ...

Family of murdered backpacker Danielle McLaughlin seek Irish inquest

03 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Backpacker Danielle McLaughlin knew that her mother Andrea worried about her when she was away on her travels, so every day she’d text home to Doneg...

Who will win and who should win at this year's Oscars

28 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The run up to this year’s Oscars in Ireland has been quiet; for the first time in years there are no Irish contenders in the major categories.The mo...

‘My Irish friends are awesome’ says Elon Musk – who are they?

27 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Elon Musk seems particularly taken with the opinions of three Irish men active on X: far-right activist Michael O’Keeffe; Barry O’Driscoll, whose ...

Who is Alice Weidel, the unlikely leader of Germany’s far-right AfD party?

26 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

She’s been described as the politician of contradictions.Alice Weidel is the leader of the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party but is...

Why are so many babies born by C-section in Ireland?

25 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

One in every three births in Ireland is by Caesarean section. In the case of first time mothers, that figure rises to 41%. These are some of the highe...

One man’s search for his €750 million bitcoin fortune buried in a landfill

24 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In 2013 a Bitcoin hard drive – now worth more than half a billion euro – was mistakenly dumped in the council rubbish tip in Wales.Since then its ...

What now for Ukraine as Trump turns on Zelenskiy

22 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It’s been a head-spinning week for Ukraine, with US president Donald Trump publicly turning on the war-torn country’s leader Volodymyr Zelenskiy.I...

Sex for rent: the hidden side of Ireland's housing crisis

21 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Darling Duran, a 38-year-old digital marketing graduate from Bolivia was looking for a place to rent in Dublin when an ad for a one-bedroom apartment ...

Just how capable is Europe of defending itself?

20 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

An 80 year alliance between the US and Europe has been upended in just one week. Donald Trump and other American officials have long felt Europe shoul...

The Omagh bombing inquiry: 'The engine of the car used for the bomb landed on my legs'

19 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Over the last four weeks, the Omagh bombing inquiry has heard from the families of those who died, survivors, and the emergency service personnel who ...

The parents saying no to smartphones for their kids

18 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Groups of Irish parents dotted around the country have unwittingly started a large-scale social experiment – they’re joining together and aiming, ...

Why did it take ten years for Elizabeth Clarke’s disappearance to be upgraded to murder?

17 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Garda investigation into the disappearance of Elizabeth Clarke, a mother of two from Co Meath, has been upgraded to a murder inquiry.She was offic...

The NFL is coming to Dublin but why are we paying €10m for it?

14 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dublin will host Ireland’s first NFL regular-season game at Croke Park later this year. No date has been given but one side is known: the Pittsburgh...

Rubiales on trial: How the World Cup kissing controversy made it to court

13 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Luis Rubiales' infamous kiss on Jenni Hermoso during the Women’s World Cup celebrations in August 2023 provoked a global reaction. He swore it was c...

Coldplay Catfish: How one Irish woman lost €20,000 in a romance scam

12 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Consumer affairs correspondent Conor Pope joins In the News to discuss the rise in online romance scams, while Dublin woman Stacey* shares her own exp...

The myth of the monk - how Gerry Hutch came to be loathed, and revered, by so many

11 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Last November, in one of the most surprising stories of the general election, Gerard Hutch, the head of the Hutch organised crime gang, came close to ...

Derelict Dublin: Why are there so many rotting buildings in the capital?

10 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Take a five-minute walk in any direction in Dublin city centre and you’ll come across boarded-up, even cemented-over shopfronts, upper floors suppor...

Why the arts minister’s obsession with Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is missing the point

07 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When it comes to the political pecking order, Minister for Arts is way down the list. It’s been called the last seat on the bus.The newly-appointed ...

Can Donald Trump really end the war in Ukraine?

06 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On the campaign trail, Donald Trump promised he would end the war in Ukraine  in just 24 hours. Despite missing his own deadline, Trump has threa...

What's behind Trump's Gaza takeover plan?

05 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

At the White House on Tuesday US President Donald Trump announced an outrageous idea to end the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The US would seize contro...

From Kerrygold butter to tech: What will US tariffs mean for Ireland?

05 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

During his last presidency Donald Trump slapped a tariff on Kerrygold butter; costing its parent company, Ornua, €50m in one year. A fortnight into ...

'We believe in the healing power of God': How a religious sect in Australia left an eight-year-old girl to die

04 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When the parents of eight-year-old Elizabeth Struhs stopped giving her the insulin she needed to control her diabetes, they thought God would cure her...

The backstory to Disney's IRA thriller Say Nothing

03 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This episode was first published in November 2024. Veteran republican Marian Price initiated legal action against streaming giant Disney+ after the re...

Ross Ulbricht: The online drug kingpin pardoned by Donald Trump

31 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht was one of the hundreds of prisoners who walked free thanks to a pardon from US president Donald Trump.His online mark...

Why are babies' births being investigated at Portiuncula Hospital again?

30 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

***Please note some listeners may find this episode distressing*** Seven babies, delivered since January last year at Portiuncula University Hospital ...

Why do billionaires like Jeff Bezos pay less tax than you?

29 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The wealth of the world’s billionaires grew at roughly $5.7 billion (€5.5 billion) per day last year, according to Oxfam’s annual report on the ...

How can Ireland prepare for its next weather bomb?

28 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The worst storm to hit Ireland in decades, Storm Éowyn left over a million homes and businesses across the island without power. A new humanitarian g...

As Trump’s deportations begin, what now for the undocumented Irish?

27 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

President Trump campaigned on immigration. He promised mass deportations, zero tolerance and border security. His first acts in office included severa...

The race against time to save lives in Gaza

24 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

After 15 months of warfare, humanitarian aid is finally getting through to Gaza.By Wednesday, 2,400 trucks had crossed the border and aid agencies are...

'He was obsessed with massacres and gore': What we know about the Southport killer

23 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Last summer a teenager walked into a children's Taylor Swift-themed dance class in a quiet Liverpool suburb, and murdered three girls under the age of...

What did President Trump do in his first 24 hours in office?

22 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On Monday, Donald Trump stood before a packed Rotunda room in the US Capitol building and announced the beginning of a new “golden age” for Americ...

Why could the US TikTok ban affect Ireland?

21 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

TikTok users across the United States breathed a sigh of relief on Sunday when US president Donald Trump pledged he would issue an executive order to ...

‘A creep in a puffer jacket’: How a confidence trickster is scamming men in Dublin city

20 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

While walking through Dublin city, journalist Quentin Fottrell was scammed.A pleasant sounding, nicely dressed man stopped him and started chatting. D...

Why did Israel finally agree to a ceasefire?

18 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

After 15 months of bloodshed, a ceasefire will commence in Gaza on Sunday. The pause in hostilities for an initial six week period will allow food and...

How the super-rich played the blame game while LA burned

17 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Two years ago, climate scientist and activist Dr Peter Kalmus moved his family away from Los Angeles because as California’s climate kept growing dr...

How Ireland's next Government was formed

16 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The next government of Ireland is taking shape. Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and nine Independents will go into coalition and we now have a blueprint for t...

Conor Pope: How dry January turned into dry forever

15 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Consumer journalist Conor Pope says he loves a good bandwagon and it was in that spirit that three years ago he – and his wife – thought they’d ...

Could the next government feature a Minister Healy-Rae?

14 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Michael Healy-Rae may be offered a junior ministerial role in the next government. The Kerry TD is in talks with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael on enterin...

Can Michael Lowry still be government kingmaker now Moriarty Tribunal has resurfaced?

13 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

News that the Garda is to send a file to the DPP following its investigation into the findings of the Moriarty tribunal will test the memory of even t...

Meta goes Maga - why Zuckerberg chose Trump

10 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On Tuesday, Mark Zuckerberg announced that Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Threads, was ending its fact-checking program...

'I've broken a needle in my arm while injecting' - the drug users at the first Supervised Injection Facility

09 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Amber (not her real name) is among the first people to use Ireland's long-awaited Supervised Injection Facility in Dublin. Speaking to Irish Times soc...

Hugh Linehan: What is Elon Musk's endgame?

08 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Earlier this week, tech billionaire Elon Musk publicly withdrew his support for the Reform UK party, posting on his social media platform that Nigel F...

How to speak to young men about masculinity influencers

07 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Red pill, normies and soyboys. The world of ‘masculinity influencers’ comes with its own jargon and those consuming the social media content becom...

How barrister Diarmuid Phelan was cleared of murder

06 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On Friday Diarmuid Phelan, a senior counsel and Trinity law professor, was acquitted of murdering a trespasser on his farm almost three years ago. Kei...

Golden visas: what we know - and still don’t know - about the scrapped scheme that lured millionaires to Ireland

03 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For more than a decade, between 2012 and 2023, non-European millionaires could secure residency in Ireland by investing hundreds of thousands of euro ...

Too posh to police? Why garda numbers are falling

02 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This episode was originally published in September 2024.An Garda Siochana has a serious retention and recruitment problem.The Commissioner knows it, s...

How a ‘global forum’ promising billionaires became a small Dublin event with muffins

01 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This episode was originally published in October 2024 Anti-female genital mutilation advocates expected high-profile speakers at a packed Dublin confe...

Ireland 1994: what declassified documents reveal about the Troubles, a Russian snub and Jack's Army

31 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Every year, the release of the State Papers reveals a treasure trove of opinions, views and attitudes all committed to paper by ministers, diplomats a...

In the News: our podcasters review big stories of the year

30 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For this episode, In the News presenters Bernice Harrison and Sorcha Pollak take a listen back - to pick the podcasts that covered the biggest news st...

Roblox: what is it and are Irish children at risk?

27 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This episode was originally published in September 2024If you don't have young children in your life, you may be completely unaware of one of the worl...

Moving to Australia: Instagram Vs reality

26 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This episode was originally published in September 2024A record 10,600 Irish people emigrated to Australia last year, according to the Central Statist...

‘Saint in a tracksuit’: Could first millennial saint bring young people to Catholic Church?

24 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Carlo Acutis was just 15 when he died in 2006. British-born and living in Milan, the teenager became a devout Catholic and used his computer skills to...

Denis Staunton goes inside China's Christmas city

23 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

One city in China produces 80 per cent of the world’s Christmas decorations.Yiwu International Trade City exports more than 20,000 types of Christma...

Gisèle Pelicot case: How the trial that shocked France unfolded

20 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A French court on Thursday found Dominique Pelicot guilty and sentenced him to 20 years in prison for repeatedly drugging and raping his ex-wife Gisè...

Kyran Durnin: a suspect is dead. What clues did he leave behind?

19 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On Tuesday, gardaí and emergency services found the body of Anthony Maguire (36) in his Drogheda home, six days after he was arrested in connection w...

Why did Israel single out Ireland and accuse Simon Harris of being 'anti-Semitic'?

18 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Israel’s move to close its embassy in Ireland means the diplomatic rift between our two countries is wider than ever, with potentially big implicati...

Sally Hayden goes inside Sednaya prison in Syria

17 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Irish Times international correspondent Sally Hayden is the only journalist from any Irish media outlet to witness, first-hand, the dramatic scenes th...

A deepening crisis at the Peter McVerry Trust

16 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Another report, another disturbing finding about governance at one of Ireland’s best known, and well-funded charities, the Peter McVerry Trust.Betwe...

House prices: why economists fear a 'painful correction'

13 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Irish house prices are overvalued by up to 10 per cent, the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) has warned, adding that an increasing number...

Luigi Mangione: Why do some Americans support a suspected killer?

12 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On Wednesday, December 4th, Brian Thompson (50), the UnitedHealthcare chief executive was murdered in cold blood outside a hotel in Manhattan.The manh...

Syria: Lara Marlowe on the tyrannical al-Assad dynasty

11 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Lara Marlowe met Bashar al-Assad twice during his early years as president of Syria. The writer and journalist also interviewed the dictator's father,...

What now for Sinn Féin and Mary Lou McDonald?

10 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Four years ago, Sinn Féin changed the landscape of Irish politics by securing the highest share of first preference votes in the 2020 general electio...

The backstory to Disney's IRA thriller Say Nothing

09 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Veteran republican Marian Price has initiated legal action against streaming giant Disney+ over the TV series Say Nothing, based on a book of the same...

Dublin Airport has a hidden metro station. Why was it never opened?

06 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When a taxi driver told Irish Times economics correspondent Eoin Burke-Kennedy that there was a ghost train station under Terminal 1 in Dublin Airport...

Explainer: How the martial law debacle rattled South Korea

05 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

South Korea’s unpopular President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law late on Tuesday in a move that surprised citizens and parliamentarians.His atte...

What did Hunter Biden do and was President Biden wrong to pardon him?

04 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Joe Biden has granted his son Hunter Biden a full and unconditional pardon following his criminal conviction on tax and gun charges. The US president'...

How Padraig Nally's manslaughter case divided the nation

03 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Last week, Mayo farmer Padraig Nally, the man who was jailed for less than a year for the manslaughter of an intruder in his home near Lough Corrib in...

Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch loses out and Ireland's political future takes shape

02 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The count continues with seats in several constituencies throughout the country still to be filled. As it stands, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are in po...

The standout stories from Angela Merkel's autobiography

29 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Angela Merkel's eagerly anticipated memoir lifts the lid on parts of her childhood, her private meetings with world leaders and what she thought of Ir...

Will the ceasefire in Lebanon hold?

28 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In the early hours of Wednesday morning, a ceasefire between Israel and Hizbullah came into effect. The deal was announced the day before with US Pres...

General election: can any political party bring down the cost of living?

27 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The cost of living is repeatedly mentioned as one of the main issues to the forefront of voters' minds in the run up to the General Election. In the U...

Autism: Why are so many children being diagnosed these days?

26 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Twenty years ago, autism in Ireland was still seen as a relatively rare condition. Studies at the time suggested around seven in 10,000 schoolchildren...

Why Scientology gets refugees to work for free on the streets of Dublin

25 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Irish branch of the Church of Scientology has been going into an international protection asylum centre in Dublin and recruiting the refugees livi...

How Nikita Hand won her battle against Conor McGregor

23 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Nikita Hand has won her civil case against MMA fighter Conor McGregor. The 35 year-old Dublin woman alleged he raped her in the penthouse suite of The...

The Donald Trump appointee who has his sights on Ireland's tax take

22 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump's choices for the top roles in his administration include TV doctor Mehmet Oz, former WWE exec Linda McMahon, Kristi Noem the South Dakot...

Comparing party promises on immigration for the General Election

21 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It's been one year since anti-immigration protests spiralled into full-scale rioting on the streets of Dublin. The issue has dominated the headlines t...

Why is Fine Gael sticking with controversial candidate John McGahon?

20 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Fine Gael is doubling down on its support for a General Election candidate who was filmed punching a man in the head. John McGahon was 28 years-o...

Why did William Maughan and Anastasija Varslavane disappear in 2015?

19 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In April 2015, William Maughan and his pregnant girlfriend Anastasija Varslavane disappeared without a trace. Noone has ever been charged in conn...