Inside Politics with Hugh Linehan
Episodes
Is this the end of the gay rights revolution?
13 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Hugh talks to Ronan McCrea, professor of constitutional and European law at University College London, about his new book, The End of t...
Head-to-head: Presidential election gets confrontational
10 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ellen Coyne and Harry McGee join Hugh Linehan to look back on the week in politics: · With Jim Gavin gone, th...
'Cooking the books': Is Budget 2026 a 'cynical wheeze'?
08 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Yesterday’s budget spelled out the Government’s tax and spending plans for next year. But what happens after that?Barra Roantee of Trinity College...
Calamity for Fianna Fáil as Jim Gavin drops out of the presidential race
06 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ellen Coyne and Jack Horgan-Jones join Hugh to talk about the stunning news of Jim Gavin's withdrawal from the presidential race, leaving Heather Hump...
Jack Chambers channels 'Margaret Thatcher' as 'big squeeze budget' looms
03 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Pat Leahy and Jack Horgan-Jones join Hugh Linehan to talk about the week in politics: We already know next Tuesday’s budget is going to be a mu...
American carnage: Keith Duggan at the Ryder Cup
01 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Fresh from the hostile grass arena of Bethpage, where supporters of the US Ryder Cup team spent the weekend abusing their European opponents, Washingt...
Presidential debate: who came out on top and who struggled?
29 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Pat Leahy joins Hugh to talk about the first televised debate of the presidential campaign which took place on Virgin Media Television ...
Lea Ypi investigates a family mystery and hidden history
29 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Hugh interviews Albanian academic and author Lea Ypi about her new book Indignity: A Life Reimagined. The book is an exploration of political, histori...
And then there were three – the presidential candidates set off on the campaign trail
26 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ellen Coyne and Cormac McQuinn join Hugh Linehan to look back on the week in politics: · Catherine Conn...
Maria Steen falls at the final hurdle
24 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ellen Coyne and Pat Leahy join Hugh to talk about how independent candidate Maria Steen came close but ultimately failed to secure a nomination to run...
What our 'Charlie versus Garret' series got wrong - with Eoin O'Malley
22 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Last year The Irish Times Inside Politics podcast released a three-part series looking back at the political rivalry between Charles Haughey and Garre...
Can Sheridan or Steen get a presidential nomination over the line?
19 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Pat Leahy and Jack Horgan-Jones join Hugh Linehan to look back on the week in politics:The nomination process for presidential candidates rumbles on. ...
Charlie Kirk: A conservative's view on the fallout from a momentous crime
17 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Hugh talks to Michael Brendan Dougherty, senior writer at National Review, about the murder of right wing activist and Christian nationalist Charlie K...
Leo Varadkar speaks his mind on reunification, Covid, Eoghan Murphy and Phil Hogan
15 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Leo Varadkar's new memoir promises readers an insight into what the former taoiseach really thought about the monumental events - Covid, Brexit, the h...
Charlie Kirk shooting another example of escalating political violence in US
12 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Harry McGee and Cormac McQuinn join Hugh Linehan to look back on the week in politics: · The assassinat...
Kelleher's rousing speech isn't enough to overcome Micheál's man
10 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The run-in to October’s presidential election continues to pick up pace this week with the selection of Jim Gavin as Fianna Fáil’s nominee. Jack ...
Starmer's Labour in disarray as the UK's divisions deepen
08 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Keir Starmer's Labour government seems to be in big trouble, with opinion polls suggesting the possibility of a dramatic reshaping of British electora...
It’s all systems go for this presidential election
05 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ellen Coyne and Cormac McQuinn join Hugh Linehan to look back on the week in politics:· With polling day exp...
The broken UN, and Ireland's role: 'There's cynicism among member states towards our so-called neutrality'
03 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The absence of a coherent international response to the crises in Gaza and Ukraine has raised questions about what used to be called the international...
Does the Presidency matter? Live at Electric Picnic
01 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today we bring you a recording of a live episode that took place yesterday in the Mindfield area of Electric Picnic. Hugh talked to Ellen Coyne, Jack ...
Does Jim Gavin have what it takes for a presidential campaign?
29 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jack Horgan-Jones and Pat Leahy join Hugh Linehan to look back on the week in politics: · It seems highly lik...
Are we still living in De Valera's Ireland?
27 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Éamon De Valera died on August 29th, 1975. Fifty years on, the Ireland of today would hardly be recognisable to the revolutionary leader, taoiseach a...
Heather Humphreys is the likely Fine Gael candidate, but Fianna Fáil are yet to show their hand in this presidential race
22 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Harry McGee and Ellen Coyne look back on the week in politics:· The presidential race is the only show in to...
Ukraine: Possibility and peril as Trump pushes for Putin-Zelenskiy meeting
19 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy welcomed Monday’s summit at the White House with US president Donald Trump as a “major step forw...
Crash, part three: Ireland hits rock bottom and politics changes forever
18 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Pat Leahy and Hugh Linehan bring the story of Brian Cowen’s ill-fated 2008-2011 government to its conclusion.Following Cowen’s embarrassing appear...
McGuinness's shock withdrawal throws the presidential race wide open
15 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The surprise withdrawal from the presidential election race of Fine Gael candidate Mairead McGuinness on health grounds has introduced even more uncer...
Crash, part two: austerity bites and Cowen’s Morning Ireland humiliation
13 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In part two of a three-part series on Brian Cowen’s ill-fated 2008-2011 government, Pat Leahy and Hugh Linehan continue the story.After the fateful ...
Crash, part one: Brian Cowen and the unravelling of Ireland
11 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Brian Cowen became Taoiseach in 2008, just as Ireland’s economy was going into free-fall. For the next three years he struggled to lead the country ...
Is Dublin one of the most dangerous cities in Europe? No.
08 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Pat Leahy and Harry McGee join Hugh Linehan to look back on the week in politics: · Fox News and its st...
What lessons does the Irish Boundary Commission hold for how borders are made – and unmade – in contested spaces?
06 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In today’s episode, Hugh is joined by historian Dr Cormac Moore to discuss one of the most consequential but little-known episodes in modern Ir...
Labour backs Connolly, and Flatley jumps the shark
01 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Cormac McQuinn and Jack Horgan-Jones join Hugh Linehan to look back on the week in politics: · The Labo...
'Will we live to see a Taoiseach not in Fine Gael or Fianna Fáil?' More listener questions answered
30 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It's part two of our summer Ask Me Anything, with the panel tackling questions sent to [email protected] by listeners. Hugh, Pat, Jack, ...
'Why are there no pro-Israel voices in the Dáil?' Listener questions answered
28 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It's summer holiday season and that means it's time to open the floor to questions from the Inside Politics audience. Hugh, Pat, Jack, Ellen and Corma...
Will Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin abstain from the presidential race?
25 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ellen Coyne and Pat Leahy join Hugh Linehan to look back on the week in politics:· With Independent TD Cathe...
Will the Government's big projects survive the next downturn?
23 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Government’s updated National Development Plan (NDP) proposes to spend a vast sum of money on capital infrastructure. But beyond three ‘mega p...
Do Sinn Féin need to change tack after slump in the polls?
18 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Cormac McQuinn and Jack Horgan-Jones join Pat Leahy to look back on the week in politics: · The latest ...
Tariffs: Why has Donald Trump threatened the EU again?
16 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
EU negotiators thought a deal with their US counterparts on trade and tariffs was near. Then US president Donald Trump ended those feelings of optimis...
Is Mary Lou McDonald about to enter the presidential race?
11 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ellen Coyne and Harry McGee join Pat Leahy to look back on the week in politics: · When Sinn Féin lead...
Srebrenica genocide: Why Bosnia is still divided 30 years on
09 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This month marks 30 years since the Srebrenica genocide, when more than 8,000 Muslim men and boys were massacred by Serb forces in Bosnia. In today’...
What's gone wrong for Keir Starmer - and can he get things back on track?
07 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It is just over a year since Keir Starmer’s Labour Party won a huge majority and took power in London, but Starmer’s political capital is already ...
Why does Ireland's presidential race still have no one at the starting line?
04 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jack Horgan-Jones and Harry McGee join Hugh Linehan to look back on the week in politics: · The drive t...
Does the Government lack a clear plan for how to spend our money?
02 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Money always matters in politics. Just ask UK prime minister Keir Starmer, whose attempt to cut UK welfare payments is on the rocks thanks to Labour p...
‘Daddy’ Trump meets Nato, while defence, trade and Gaza dominate EU summit
27 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Pat Leahy and Cormac McQuinn join Jack Horgan-Jones to look back on the week in politics: · US Presiden...
EU watches on as Trump changes the world
24 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Europe correspondent Jack Power joins Pat and Jack Horgan-Jones to discuss monumental events in the Middle East, with the US strikes on Iranian nuclea...
Could the Israel-Iran war completely destabilise the Middle East?
20 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sally Hayden and Harry McGee join Jack Horgan-Jones to look back on the week in politics:· Sally Hayden join...
Opposition smells blood in the water over RPZ changes
18 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ellen Coyne and Jack Horgan-Jones join Harry McGee to talk about the ongoing fallout from the Government's proposed changes to the rights of tenants a...
Is there any such thing as a political genius? With Helen Lewis
16 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
You can tell an awful lot about a society by who it labels a genius. You can also learn from who it excludes from that category, who it enables and wh...
Rent reform: is immediate pain worth uncertain gains?
13 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Pat Leahy and Ellen Coyne join Hugh Linehan to look back at the week in politics:Rent reform: the announcement of Minister for Housing James Browne’...
LA protests: how far will Trump go to extend his power?
11 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
US president Donald Trump's response to protests against immigration raids in Los Angeles - to send in troops - is in keeping with a broader theme of ...
Why Europe needs to realise the truth about America - with Helen Thompson
09 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Where does Europe fit into the 21st century? Political scientist Professor Helen Thompson returns to the podcast to talk about the big picture for the...
CHI controversy: a hard decision faces the Government
06 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Joining Hugh and Cormac McQuinn on today's podcast is Ellen Coyne, the newest member of The Irish Times political team. Together they look back on the...
Can South Korea's new president unify an unhappy country?
05 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
With the election of Lee Jae-myung as president of South Korea, a period of political turmoil there may be over - for now at least. But Lee, leader of...
Why Poland's dramatic election result is a setback for Europe
04 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Poland is facing political deadlock after pro-Trump candidate Karol Nawrocki, backed by the country’s right-wing opposition, won Sund...
Committees of the Oireachtas are back, but why can’t Irish politicians ask a good question?
30 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Pat Leahy and Harry McGee join Hugh Linehan to look back on the week in politics:· Committees of the Oireach...
Why 'left' and 'woke' are not the same thing - with Susan Neiman
28 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In her book Left Is Not Woke today's guest Susan Neiman argues that the left has taken a wrong turn and must differentiate itself from "wokism". She t...
Gavan Reilly: The Secret Life of Leinster House
26 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Leinster House is more than a place of work - it's a way of life for the politicians and other professionals who spend their days there. Journalist an...
Sinn Féin versus William the Conqueror
23 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Pat Leahy and Harry McGee join Hugh Linehan to look back on the week in politics:· Ireland’s decision to p...
Refugees in Ireland: is the Government getting the balance right?
21 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The unprecedented increase in the numbers of people coming to Ireland seeking International Protection due to war or oppression in their homeland put ...
'The people who voted no are expected to go under a rock and disappear' - Ronán Mullen on losing the marriage referendum
19 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The tenth anniversary of the marriage equality referendum has prompted some reminiscing about how the vote was the first of two pinnacles for progres...
The Public Accounts Committee returns, and is already making headlines
16 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jack Horgan-Jones and Cormac McQuinn join Hugh Linehan to look back on the week in politics: · The Publ...
Marriage equality: ten years on, has Ireland's progressive optimism disappeared?
14 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It is ten years since the country voted to legalise same-sex marriage. This victory for progressive politics was followed by another when abortion rig...
Simon Harris: my style of politics is not a problem
12 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Simon Harris had a difficult general election campaign as Fine Gael leader and has since faced criticism that he has not learned from mistakes in his ...
Are the Government spooked by the consequences of the Occupied Territories Bill?
09 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Pat Leahy and Harry McGee join Hugh Linehan to look back on the week in politics:· On the same day that the ...
Conclave: why this papal election is the hardest to call in decades
07 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The death of Pope Francis has set in train one of the most unique contests in world politics: the Papal conclave. Cardinals will vote again and again ...
What does the surge of Farage's Reform mean for UK politics?
03 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s Inside Politics podcast Irish Times London Correspondent Mark Paul joins Hugh Linehan to discuss what Reform UK leader Nigel Fa...
100 days of Government and very little to show
02 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Pat Leahy and Harry McGee join Hugh Linehan to look back on the week in politics:· Nama chief executive Bren...
Can 'technocratic daddy' Mark Carney solve Canada's deep-rooted problems?
30 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Canadian journalist Jen Gerson joins Hugh to talk about the results of Monday's federal election, which confirmed the once-unlikely comeback of the Li...
Will there be a teacher’s strike in the autumn?
25 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Pat Leahy and Jack Horgan-Jones join Hugh Linehan to look back on the week in politics: · Pope Francis ...
How the Dublin Riots can be traced back to the Blueshirts
23 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Cork-based author Pádraig Óg O'Ruairc joins Hugh Linehan to discuss his new book 'Burn Them Out; a history of fascism and the far right in Ireland’...
Naomi Klein on conspiracies, climate and the 'personal brand'
21 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode was first published in October 2023. Naomi Klein shot to fame with her first book, No Logo, which offered an acute critique of how powerf...
Fine Gael slumps as Sinn Féin returns to top spot in our poll
17 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Pat Leahy and Harry McGee analyse the latest Irish Times / Ipsos B&A poll results, which show that Sinn Féin has regained its position as the mos...
Will Europe cave to Trump's trade demands?
16 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Cliff Taylor joins Pat Leahy to assess the latest developments in the trade war initiated by US president Donald Trump that threatens to upend the glo...
How Morgan McSweeney put Keir Starmer in power
14 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As the head of an organisation called Labour Together, which despite its name '"was all about dividing the Labour party and defeating the left", Irish...
Micheál Martin interview: Ireland will ‘resist’ EU tech tax
12 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On Friday afternoon Taoiseach Micheál Martin talked to Hugh and Pat about a range of issues: On tariffs, the Taoiseach says he "suspects" a US decisi...
Sanctimonious Soc Dems find themselves on shaky high moral ground
11 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Harry McGee and Cormac McQuinn join Hugh Linehan to look back on the week in politics:· The ‘Golden Age of...
Bertie? Frances? Conor? Who will run and who can win the presidency in 2025
09 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The podcasters turn away from the heavy news agenda of tariffs and economic upheaval to examine a lighter, more enjoyable but still important topic: t...
Why is it so hard to get big things done in Ireland?
07 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Why does it take so long to build infrastructure in Ireland? If you consider the amount of red tape needed to secure approval for something relatively...
Government grapples with tariff fallout
04 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jack Horgan-Jones and Pat Leahy join Hugh to look back on the week in politics: It may have been one of the most consequential weeks for Irish po...
Trump's 'complete nonsense' tariff puts the ball in EU's court
03 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Cliff Taylor and Pat Leahy are with Hugh to discuss the tariffs announced yesterday by US president Donald Trump. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/priv...
'Liberation Day' is here / Speaking rights aftermath
02 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As the Irish political system awaits tariff news from Washington, political editor Pat Leahy joins Hugh to look at how the day might unfold. But ...
Can Europe fight back against Trump's tariffs?
31 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Wednesday April 2nd is when US president Donald Trump is expected to announce tariffs on a wide range of imports from several countries, probably incl...
Are Labour getting too close to Sinn Féin for their own good?
28 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Pat Leahy and Sarah Burns join Hugh Linehan to look back on the week in politics:· The Dáil will enter unch...
Sally Hayden on reporting from an Isis prison camp and a Hizbullah leader's funeral
27 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sally Hayden talks to Hugh Linehan about her experiences reporting from Syria and Lebanon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informatio...
Opposition loses confidence in Verona Murphy as the Lowry deal haunts Government
26 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Does McGregor matter?
21 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jack Horgan-Jones and Pat Leahy join Hugh Linehan to look back on the week in politics:Jack reports from Brussels where EU leaders have been meeting t...
Is Trump setting US foreign policy on an irreversible course?
19 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The idea that a country can't increase the size of its territory by taking it over another has been a principle of Western foreign policy for decades....
Angry Burkes fail to spoil Taoiseach's Washington trip
14 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Cormac McQuinn and Sarah Burns join Jack Horgan Jones to look back on the week in politics: · Most anal...
Martin survives his close encounter of the Trump kind
12 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Pat Leahy reports from Washington where Taoiseach Micheal Martin met US president Donald Trump this afternoon. How did the Taoiseach do?In part two, H...
Will falling behind on climate cost Ireland billions?
10 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A report last week made a stark forecast: Ireland will be subject to EU fines and costs ranging from from €8 billion to €26 billion for failing to...
Will Sinn Féin back a left unity candidate for the presidency?
07 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jack Horgan-Jones and Cormac McQuinn join Hugh to look back on the week in politics: · Did Simon Harris...
Can Europe defend itself without the United States?
05 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
US president Donald Trump's hard line with allies and his overtures to Russia have upended assumptions about the transatlantic security alliance. So w...
Did Brexit make a Border poll inevitable?
03 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How ready are citizens of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland for a border poll? What role would economics play in the debate? And what impac...
How should Micheál Martin approach his White House visit?
28 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Harry McGee and Pat Leahy join Hugh Linehan on today’s Inside Politics podcast to discuss the week in politics:·  ...
Germany's 'it'll be grand' coalition inherits a country in crisis
25 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Hugh talks to Berlin correspondent Derek Scally to find out about the weekend's Bundestag elections, described as the most significant in decades. The...
Is Trump's honeymoon period already over?
24 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
There’s been lots of noise, threats and bluster. But what has Donald Trump really achieved in his first five weeks in office? And could the non-stop...
Sinn Féin boycotts Trump's White House over Gaza
21 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jack Horgan-Jones and Jennifer Bray join Hugh to look back on the week in politics: Sinn Féin announced it would not send representatives to Washingt...
Why are there still so few women in Irish politics?
19 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The recent election and appointments to cabinet were a step backwards for gender representation in Irish politics. On today's podcast Hugh and Jennife...
Should the Government drop Rent Pressure Zones - and what would replace them?
17 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Micheál Martin's recent signalling of a possible policy shift regarding Rent Pressure Zones (RPZs) has put housing policy back in the spotlight. On t...
Did Micheál call Mary Lou a liar?
14 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Pat Leahy and Jennifer Bray join Hugh for our weekly Irish politics wrap:Did Taoiseach Micheál Martin call Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald a liar...
Why is support for reunification rising?
12 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Support for Irish unity has grown significantly in the past three years in Northern Ireland, though a clear majority remains in favour of remaini...