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© The Irish Times
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A morning news update from The Irish Times. Our top stories five days a week.
Produced in association with MSD.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
103 Episodes
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Gardaí are warning that fuel protesters who block roads or slow traffic on motorways will now face arrest, detention and will have their vehicles towed away.Cuts to fuel excise duty will kick in at midnight tonight, but oil prices continue to surge after the US began a blockade of Iranian ports near the Strait of Hormuz.The building housing the National Museum of Ireland’s collection “presents a significant long-term risk”, the chair of the museum board’s chair has said.Job losses as a result of artificial intelligence could have a much greater impact on the economy than the crash of 2008, and will impact the mental health of Irish citizens. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The government has announced a €505million package to help support the rising cost of fuel following a week of protests across Ireland.Ryanair was the most complained about company in Ireland last year according to new data released by the consumer watchdog.It’s the 75th anniversary of the resignation of Noël Browne as health minister over the cabinets refusal to support the mother and child healthcare scheme.Children are being exposed to gambling sites run overseas which don’t require age verification, according to the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland.Rory McIlroy has become only the 4th golfer to win The Master’s back to back. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Protests against the cost of fuel have been bringing travel chaos across Ireland and Gardaí say those blocking roads will feel the full force of the law.The Italian government has submitted a complaint to the European Commission of plans to ban disposable vapes in Ireland.Condé Nast Traveller magazine has issued its seven wonders of Ireland for 2026. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We are in for another day of disruption due to fuel protests. The Taoiseach has condemned the blockades of depots and the State’s only oil refinery, Whitegate in Co. Cork. Some demonstrators say they will go home if the government agrees to meet them.A fragile ceasefire remains in place in Iran after US president Donald Trump accepted a deal with regime leaders. But Sally Hayden in Beirut says Lebanese people were devastated to realise the ceasefire does not apply to them, as Israel bombarded at least 112 sites yesterday.An Irish racing tipster, with over a million followers on social media, is facing questions over posts promoting an unlicensed and unregulated gambling company. Rob Heneghan, who runs Pro Sports Advice Ltd, claims he’s the “most-followed horse racing pundit in the world”.And there’s a stark warning that the AI revolution could hit as many as 7 percent of Irish jobs, chiefly affecting higher-skilled and white collar workers. The report was conducted by the Economic and Social Research Institute for the Department of Finance.Presented by Aideen Finnegan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
It is understood officials from the National Oil Reserves Agency will tell government ministers today that the country has reserves of petrol for 99 days, diesel for 85 days and kerosene for 70 days.Meanwhile European governments have been told they should be on heightened terror alert and warned they must protect critical infrastructure and other “soft targets” as the Middle East crisis escalates.Family finances can be challenging at the best of times but, for separated parents navigating co-parenting, it can be a source of tension. Joanne Hunt examines the issue in her Money Matters column today.The chief executive of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council is asking councillors to support the redesignation of south Dublin golf facilities for future housing despite strident opposition from locals and the owner of the lands.Seán Moncrieff says he’s received many messages wondering, variously, where is weekend column has gone, has he been fired, and even accused “what did you do?”Presented by Aideen Finnegan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) spent almost €60,000 on communications support ahead of its hearing at the Dáil’s Public Accounts Committee.The health watchdog Hiqa raised serious concerns about the safety of children in special emergency arrangements under the care of the family agency Tusla.Protests at the rising cost of fuel are taking place today on several key routes into Dublin. The PSNI has been training hairdressers and beauticians on how to spot the signs that a woman is experiencing coercive control.Our investigations reporter Conor Gallagher recounts his visit to the Irish Military Intelligence HQ. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Plans to strip parental rights from killers are to be pressed ahead with by the Department of Justice despite the State’s child and family agency raising concerns that the legislation was unconstitutional.The 1970s oil price shocks toppled governments, led to recessions and precipitated dramatic shifts in monetary policy (interest rates were hiked to more than 16 per cent in the United States). We’re not at that stage... yet, writes Eoin Burke Kennedy.Switching could save you over €10,000 if your mortgage fixed rate is coming to an end.Tens of millions of euros worth of French red wine and rosé that vineyards cannot sell is to be distilled into ethanol and industrial alcohol, to avoid a collapse in prices for French winegrowers.Presented by Aideen Finnegan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fear of electricity blackouts has prompted Irish authorities to set down new protocols for data centre operators.Jet fuel supplies could be disrupted during the summer months if the war in Iran continues, aviation bosses have warned.The Irish Air Corps is hiring civilian contractors to teach its pilots to dogfight, after losing the ability to conduct in-house combat training.Make it easier to watch live sport in one place and you’ll do away with dodgy boxes, argues Emmet Ryan.At a time when investors are piling money into gold, a battle to oppose a potential goldmine in the North is entering its final phase.Presented by Aideen Finnegan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Italy and Spain have blocked U.S. military aircraft en route to Iran from using their air bases causing a rift with the Trump administration.It could take months for oil production and exports to recover after the war in the Middle East ends.Last year saw the second warmest year on record, and more drought and higher temperatures than in recent years, according to the Climate Change Advisory Council.Bloomfield Hospital in south Dublin halted admissions after The Irish Times published an investigation into the mistreatment of patients.A teenager charged with engaging in sexual acts with a 14-year-old girl when he was 15 has lost a challenge to the constitutionality of a law preventing him from advancing a “Romeo and Juliet” consent defence. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
There have been 13 incidents or allegations of money going missing from Garda stations between 2020 and 2025, the Dáil’s Public Accounts Committee has been told.The Church of Ireland says it’s less likely to rent out vacant rectories and curates’ houses due to rental reforms on landlords. New figures show the value of mortgage approvals reached almost €1.2 billion in February, up 10 per cent on the same period in 2025.Sally Hayden reports from southern Lebanon where Israeli forces have been instructed to expand the area which they control. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The National Concert Hall is embroiled in a row over a decision by one of its officials to cancel a booking for a fundraiser by the Irish branch of an Israeli ambulance charity, which it has reversed.It’s been revealed that more than 6,600 employers have not yet signed up to pensions auto-enrolment scheme four months after registration opened.Many swimming pools across Ireland are aging and many have closed altogether. There are around 100 swimming pools at risk of closing in the coming years which could leaving many communities without a public facility.Talks between Iran and the US will take place in the coming days, according to the foreign minister of Pakistan.A quarter of children on the waiting list for mental health services were waiting more than nine months to be seen at the end of 2025.The PSNI is running a scheme known as “kid’s courts” which will offer drivers caught outside a school a choice between three penalty points and going in to face a panel of 11-year-olds.Denise O’Connor writes about the best practices for managing a home renovation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ireland won’t progress in the World Cup qualifiers and won’t be in America this summer after losing to the Czech Republic on penalties. The Olympic Federation of Ireland has given its support to an International Olympic Committee’s decision to ban transgender women from female events at the Games. The Irish Times visits a housing development in County Tipperary which has laid unfinished for nearly 20 years. Two banks took out judgement mortgages against the house demolished in Co. Meath this week. Bereaved families of residents who died in care homes during the Covid-19 pandemic say they’re frustrated at delays to the Covid Evaluation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Three weeks after a judge ordered their arrest and committal to prison, Martina and Ammi Burke have still not been located and jailed. They were found guilty of contempt of court in the High Court on the 4th of March - over their conduct during a February hearing relating to Enoch Burke.The cost of fuel on forecourts around the country has started to fall reflecting the excise cuts to petrol and diesel. But our price watch editor Conor Pope has identified significant variations depending on where you are in the country.Terms such as “prefab” and “rapid build” should be avoided when discussing “modern methods of construction” for housing in order to counter negative perceptions of its use, according to research funded by the State’s Housing Agency.Thousands of Ireland fans have touched down in Prague ahead of tonight's World Cup playoff. Jack Power has been chatting to some who've landed in the Czech captial ahead of the game.Presented by Aideen Finnegan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
An unregistered dentist was offering patients treatments, including X-rays, in the sittingroom of a Dublin apartment, the Irish Dental Council has said.The State will no longer issue pardons for people convicted by the British-controlled justice system, writes the Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan.Children are being groomed into criminality from the age of six in deprived areas where “there is an endless supply” of youths to serve the drugs trade, a report by the Irish Penal Reform Trust has found.A man has appealed for help in finding a car stolen from outside his family’s Dublin home, the loss of which has led to a “massive” and unwelcome routine change for his son who has special needs.Is there an element of motorway driving that grinds your gears? John in Dublin 2 is glad people hog the overtaking lanes on motorways because it makes him feel like he has his own personal bus lane.Presented by Aideen Finnegan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Irish Times can reveal that the Aughinish Alumina plant in Co Limerick is supplying Russian smelters whose aluminium ends up with a trading firm that then provides materials to dozens of Russian arms manufacturers. The cabinet is meeting this morning to finalise measures to help with the cost of living aimed at controlling inflation rising because of the war in Iran. Some children in the care system have been sexually groomed and abused according to a report by the Ombudsman for Children’s Office. The family of Natalie McNally, 32, say she was the greatest joy of their lives following the conviction of Stephen McCullagh, 36, for her murder in 2022. Learner drivers in some parts of the country are waiting twice the national target to be called for their driving test. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The World Meteorological Organisation has warned that Earth’s climate is swinging increasingly out of balance, and there are potentially severe consequences for Ireland. The government is expected to agree today measures to try to control rising costs. The Migrant Rights Centre of Ireland has published a report saying people coming here on general work permits are routinely exploited by employers. Tributes have been paid to the broadcast Michael Lyster who has died at the age of 71. Fingal County Council is beginning a new scheme to replace bicycles for young people which it says can help keep them active and give them independence. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Oil and gas prices have surged following attacks on energy infrastructure in the Middle East. EU leaders have been considering steps to secure Europe’s supply and the Irish government is expected to announce measures next week. Monthly payments to those accommodating Ukrainian people in their spare rooms or second homes will be wound down over the next year. Survivors of abuse at schools run by the Irish Spiritans, formerly the Holy Ghost congregation, have told The Irish Times its really important that people come forward and tell their stories. AI is now a non-negotiable skill for employees. How can people ensure they’re using it effectively? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Gardaí have been searching for a couple in County Meath who were ordered to demolish their house because it was built without planning permission. Chris and Rose Murray have been fighting orders to tear it down for nearly 20 years.Over two days Gerry Adams has been cross examined by a lawyer representing three victims of IRA bombings of the Old Bailey court house in 1973, and two separate attacks on Manchester and the London Docklands in 1996. He has denied culpability.An aircraft chartered by the Trump administration stopped to refuel at Shannon Airport on St Patricks Day while deporting up to 15 Ukrainians from the US.A new report published this morning has said Ireland’s dependence on a handful of multinational companies to drive technological progress and productivity has left the Irish economy exposed.Brian Ó Gallachóir, professor at the University College Cork estimates Ireland has significantly closed the gap on its carbon budget goal for the period ending in 2025. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Taoiseach Micheál Martin will visit the White House today will issues including Iran, Gaza and economic ties on the table. A letter from the US Ambassador to Ireland to Simon Harris warns that US businesses are reassessing their investment in Ireland. The number of Gardaí who declared domestic violence orders against them increased last year. Gerry Adams is expected to take the stand in the High Court in London later. The tricolour flag, should it remain in the event of a United Ireland? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Iran says it will continue to block the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial global shipping route, according to a statement attributed to the country’s new Supreme Leader. Meanwhile, the UN says the conflict has displaced more than 3.2million people.The Dublin Region Homeless Executive, Mary Hayes, has warned lack of emergency accommodation for families could lead to those with children having to sleep on the streets.HSE officials have warned against the use of drugs on St Patrick’s Day, having found extremely potent, and heavily laced powders and crystals on the market.The body which represents officers in the Defence Forces has said it won’t hit its interim recruitment target of 9,700 personnel until 2031, and the government’s target of 11,000 personnel is “a fantasy”.Researchers from Trinity College Dublin say green technologies like solar panels, electric vehicles and heat pumps are not accessible to low-income households.The historian Diarmaid Ferriter gives his thoughts on a new film depicting one of the 20th century’s greatest artists, Elvis Presley. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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