• Tobacco lobbyists; sexually abusive homes; A.I. in schools
    May 19 2026

    Irish diplomats in Brussels have been warned to be on high alert for lobbying by the tobacco industry.


    The European Commission has signalled tighter restrictions on exports that could be used by Russia’s military, following concerns raised about materials leaving the EU.


    Fear of homelessness is increasingly trapping people in sexually abusive situations, according to the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre.


    The couple who built a house in Co. Meath without planning permission face a legal bid by the council to recover costs for its demolition.


    An A.I. tool being used in a primary school is helping teachers plan lessons and answer pupil’s questions, but are teacher’s concerns about the technology being addressed?

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    10 mins
  • Irregular betting on by election; bodyguards to protect special care staff
    May 18 2026

    There are serious questions about betting activity linked to Friday’s by-election in Dublin Central in which $1 million (€860,000) was placed and then withdrawn with little or no profit.


    Immigration, the cost of living and housing are among the main issues on voters minds in Dublin Central and Galway West.


    Taoiseach Micheál Martin has used Fianna Fáil’s centenary Ard Fheis to defend the party’s record and set out its priorities in Government.


    Tusla has brought in bodyguards to protect staff at a special care unit in north Dublin as staffing shortages reach critical levels.


    Changes have been made to in-flight catering on Irish deportation flights after pork sausages were served on a charter flight to Pakistan, a predominantly Muslim country.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    10 mins
  • Dublin Central by election; trouble for Kier Starmer; Trump in Beijing
    May 15 2026

    Sinn Féin’s Janice Boylan leads the race for the Dublin Central by election according to a new Irish Times/ TG4 poll.


    A UK Labour MP has stepped down paving the way for Andy Burnham to run for parliament and potentially topple Prime Minister Kier Starmer.


    New rules for childminders are putting pressure on the sector, with some now saying they’re thinking about quitting altogether.


    There was a record surge in eviction notices at the start of 2026, just before new rental rules came into effect.


    Donald Trump was at a state banquet in Beijing on Thursday, hosted by Xi Jing Ping.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    12 mins
  • Ballooning national debt, women and cycling, and Patrick Freyne’s ‘history of sexy tellly’
    May 14 2026

    Ireland’s national debt could approach a quarter of a trillion euro by the 2030s, the head of the National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA) will tell an Oireachtas committee on Thursday.


    Aggressive driver behaviour, speeding, poor cycling infrastructure, and the increased size of vehicles, is deterring women from getting on their bikes, research by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) has found.


    Allies of Britain’s health secretary Wes Streeting were phoning Labour Party MPs last night asking them to back him in an imminent heave against the UK prime minister Keir Starmer.


    ‘I have been left half a property with a sibling. What is the best way to proceed?’ Whether you sell the home and split the proceeds, or one sibling buys the other out – try not to bring solicitors into the equation, writes Joanne Hunt in the first of our new weekly column ‘Ask a Lawyer.’


    The excellent Rivals, an adaptation of Jilly Cooper’s bonkbuster, in which 1980s rich people enthusiastically bonk (English for having sex), is back on Disney+ this week. So Patrick thought he’d take this opportunity to write a short history of sexy telly.


    Presented by Aideen Finnegan


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    10 mins
  • Four to a bed, Keir Starmer, one-off housing, and ice Hockey in Dublin?
    May 13 2026

    A spotlight is being shone on the condition of council housing after plans to regenerate one of Dublin’s most neglected flat complexes were halted. Janice Maguire shares a bed with three of her youngest sons. Two sleep at the bottom, and one at the top next to her.


    Keir Starmer’s future as the British prime minister is looking increasingly untenable following a string of cabinet resignations yesterday.


    Michael McDowell says he wants a fair minded discussion on one-off rural housing. But his views will likely have the Irish Times letters page hopping for the next few days.


    Several US and Canadian ice hockey stars have emerged as investors in the proposed €250 million ice hockey arena for Dublin.


    You’ve heard of the Wild Atlantic Way – now check out a proposal for the Literary Way. Arts Over Borders is an organisation hoping to do for Irish literature what the coastal route has done for tourism.


    Presented by Aideen Finnegan

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    10 mins
  • Ambulance strike; guns ordered off the dark web; and falling overseas holiday bookings
    May 12 2026

    Two thousand ambulance staff in the Unite and SIPTU unions begin a 24-hour strike this morning in a long running dispute over pay.


    The media regulator, Coimisiún na Meán has released its first complains insights reports showing RTÉ attracted the highest number of complains between 2023 and 2025.


    Guns bought on the dark web are now one of the biggest challenges facing An Garda Síochána, according to the Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly.


    Overseas holiday bookings have dropped sharply, with some travel companies reporting a fall of up to 25 per cent despite assurances that there will not be a jet fuel shortage, and falling prices to some destinations.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    10 mins
  • Derelict city council properties, Louth sisters in Miami plastic surgery, and the richest man in the Seanad?
    May 11 2026

    More than 30 vacant and derelict properties bought by Dublin City Council for social housing since 2017 remain unused, and may no longer be viable for refurbishment, because of their extreme state of dilapidation.


    The assets declared in Aubrey McCarthy’s return to the Seanad register of interests are being examined by political correspondent Cormac McQuinn today.


    Since the Iran war began, financial markets have shown faith that Donald Trump and the ayatollahs will bring the war to a speedy conclusion. But John Fitzgerald doesn’t have the same faith and believes Ireland should prepare for the real possibility that the Strait of Hormuz remains closed for much of 2026.


    Miami has a reputation as a city for beautiful people, and Co. Louth sisters Sidhbh and Neasa Gallagher are working at the core of this idea with their plastic surgery business.


    Presented by Aideen Finnegan

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    8 mins
  • Narrow lead for FG in by election poll; Passengers who disembarked cruise ship after hantavirus outbreak
    May 8 2026

    Fine Gael’s Seán Kyne holds the slimmest of leads over Independent Ireland rival Noel Thomas in the Galway West by election campaign, according to an Irish Times and TG4 opinion poll published on Friday.


    Ireland is recycling more waste, but not fast enough to meet national targets, according to a new report from the Environmental Protection Agency.


    The race is on to trace dozens of passengers who disembarked from the cruise ship at the centre of a deadly hantavirus outbreak before isolation measures were implemented.


    Russia’s Victory Day parade takes place tomorrow, but will be significantly scaled back due to the threat of Ukrainian drones.


    Irish Times readers give their thoughts on calls for more regulation on drinking alcohol in airports.


    Workplace perks appear to be becoming rarer and economists say it reflects a shift in power away from employees.


    Presented by Andrew McNair.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    10 mins