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A morning news update from The Irish Times. Our top stories five days a week.
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30 Episodes
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1A founding member of the Irish pop-rock band The Script is the landlord of a mould-ridden, unregistered rented studio described by the tenant living there as “uninhabitable”.Donald Trump’s “baby bonds” involve opening an investment account, like a pension, but can be managed from birth. The programme for government proposes a similar idea.Calf’s head, pressed beef and hare meat are Christmas recipe ideas featured in The Irish Times archives. Úna McCaffrey has been trawling through them and found some other tips for women hosting the festive dinner.Forget the streaming services’ mediocre Christmas TV offerings and relive the golden era of linear TV’s “Christmas special”. From Father Ted to Alan Partridge, Lauren Murphy has been ranking the ten best festive episodes of iconic TV sitcoms. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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The most common scams that led to money being stolen from people this year started with text messages sent to phones. Consumer affairs correspondent Conor Pope is writing about new research released by AIB this morning.There’s been a warming of relations between the British government and the European Commission. Yesterday it announced it’s rejoining the Erasmus student exchange programme, after Brexit brought an end to it.An Irish citizen has been remanded in custody in Germany, over an alleged break in at a plant linked to an Israeli defence company. Derek Scally writes that Daniel Tatlow-Devally is kept in his cell for 23 hours a day.Corinna Hardgrave is nominating the best eateries in Ireland in her annual “restaurant oscars.” She’s picked three for Early Edition; one casual dining, one mid-range and one fine dining experience. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Irish Times has learned of a report into a number of allegations of patients being mistreated at Bloomfield Hospital in south Dublin. Our health correspondent Shauna Bowers says they include patients being slapped, left in soiled clothing and threatened with an injection for not co-operating with staff.The highly anticipated review into Fianna Fáil’s calamitous presidential election campaign has been revealed. There’s no smoking gun in relation to what the Taoiseach and other senior party figures knew about Mr. Gavin’s rent dispute with a former tenant, but political editor Pat Leahy says it does clarify how the campaign unravelled.A London company has been hired to provide counter terrorism simulations for Gardaí ahead of Ireland’s holding of the EU presidency next year. Crime and security correspondent Conor Gallagher says Gardaí will “war game” a number of scenarios, including a large scale terrorist attack.With just over a week until many of us will be panicking about preparing the Christmas dinner, you might be relieved to hear that even professional chefs take shortcuts in the kitchen on December 25th. Here are the shop-bought suggestions that will work for everybody. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan says there is no intelligence to suggest a heightened risk to the Jewish community in Ireland following Sunday’s terrorist gun attack in Sydney. But speaking on Inside Politics with Hugh Linehan, he says antisemitism is something we have to confront.After a suggestion in the US that 50 year mortgages could be one way of making American homes more affordable, Fiona Reddan looks at the viability of introducing them here.A quiet, months-long battle between James Comer, the Republican chair of the oversight committee, and Bill and Hillary Clinton over the panel’s Jeffrey Epstein investigation could come to a head this week.What’s Christmas like in Dubai? Waterford native Sinéad McCann is our first emigrant to share her experience of being abroad in December. Our “Letters Home for Christmas” series explores views about Ireland through the lens of young emigrants. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
New South Wales police have confirmed the alleged attackers in yesterday’s massacre on Bondi Beach in Australia were father and son. At least 16 are dead after two gunmen opened fire on a gathering of Jewish people celebrating Hanukkah.Fianna Fáil is expected to hold a meeting of the parliamentary party this week to discuss a review into the handling of its disastrous presidential election campaign.The granddaughter of the man described as “the father of the Dublin film trade” is paying tribute to Maurice Elliman, and his son Louis. The pair founded the Savoy in Dublin, Cork and Limerick as well as more than 30 other cinemas, and three Dublin theatres including The Gaeity.Labubus appear to have had their day in the sun. The biggest toy trend of 2025 didn’t even make it to Christmas. It’s prompted Pricewatch editor Conor Pope to look back at some of the other toys to have topped children’s’ Santa lists. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
A homicide investigation has been opened into the death of toddler Daniel Aruebose, whose remains were found on open ground in Donabate, north Dublin, last September. Our crime and security editor Conor Lally says today would have been the boy’s eighth birthday.The RTE payments scandal gripped the nation in 2023, and RTE’s director general at the time, Dee Forbes, ended up leaving her role in the wake of the controversy. Due to poor health she hasn’t spoken publicly since, but in her column today Justine McCarthy argues her legacy and influence over RTE remains; and the Irish public deserves an explanation.A trad session in Naas, Co Kildare was part of the red carpet treatment for a visiting European Commissioner, during a tense week of negotiations for Ireland. Jack Power is writing about the horse trading going on behind the scenes of the nitrates derogation talks and asks what might Ireland have had to do to secure the exemption for another three years.Our Washington correspondent Keith Duggan is writing about a polarising Democratic congresswoman in Texas called Jasmine Crockett, who has a unique ability to get under the skin of US president Donald Trump. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ireland may be targeted by hostile actors in 2026 as it hosts the European Union presidency, and there is “considerable” concern it lacks capacity to defend against such attacks, a new paper has warned.Meanwhile it’s emerged a “dark vessel” was spotted in the Irish Sea around the same time as the Naval Service noted five drones near the flight path of the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy last week.A marathon dispute over a Dublin family home has been halted by a judge. The legal row began in 2001 and the brother and sister involved have since died. But legal proceedings are planned over the property’s transfer.The Irish Times has learned of what appears to be a mass eviction at an old Georgian building on Mountjoy Square in Dublin 1.It is hard to be kind about Meghan Markle’s festive Netflix special “With Love, Meghan,” but you can count on our features writer Patrick Freyne to try, Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Elon Musk is to take a case against Comisiún na Meán personally, as well as via his social media company X, after being granted permission in the High Court.Board members and tech executives could be held liable for content on their platforms that poses a danger to children, under a radical reform of our online safety regulations.British spy agencies helped the IRA double-agent codenamed Stake knife evade arrest for conspiracy to murder by taking him “on holiday.” Twice. As part of Operation Kenova, an interim report has also found “no evidence” of systemic British state collusion with the loyalist gang that carried out the Dublin Monaghan bombings in 1974.Joanne Hunt is wondering if you are investing your savings, and if not, why not? Don’t know how to get started? Read her article in Your Money today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Only the top 20 percent of earners in Ireland can afford to rent an apartment, and only the top 40% can buy one. The findings are contained in a new report from the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland.The final report into the activities of the British army’s top IRA mole during the troubles will be released today. It is not expected the double-agent codenamed Stakeknife - widely accepted as Freddie Scappaticci - will be named.Saturday’s firebombing of a house in Co. Offaly, which killed 4 year old Tadhg Farrell and his grand-aunt Mary Holt, may have been done to intimidate Tadhg’s father Aaron Holt, currently on remand in Midlands prison.Netflix’s deal to buy out Warner Brothers Discovery has the potential to reshape Hollywood forever if it doesn’t fall foul of antitrust laws in the US. Media columnist Hugh Linehan explains the significance of the mega merger.And what is the correct etiquette when it comes to buying your child’s teacher a gift at Christmas? And why does it feel like it’s becoming a competitive sport, driven largely by parents themselves? Jen Hogan has garnered opinion from teachers and parents alike. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Gardaí suspect criminals involved in the drugs trade in the Midlands were behind the firebombing of a family home in Edenderry, Co Offaly, on Saturday night that claimed the life of a young boy and his grandaunt. E-scooters are now the leading cause of traumatic brain injury in children, despite the fact they’re now illegal for under 16s. Doctors and road safety advocates are appealing to people not to buy them as presents this Christmas.In his Unthinkable column, Joe Humphreys is writing about Elon Musk’s apparent gunning for Ireland’s “wokerati” who *checks notes* want to ban Christmas. He points out it is capitalism that is corrupting the values of the nativity.The M50 is maxed out. Now what? Professor of Transportation Research at Trinity College Dublin, Brian Caulfield, is writing about how to get it moving again. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In the days since Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Ireland, it’s emerged five drones were spotted off the coast of Howth. They were spotted by the naval ship, William Butler Yeats, near the flightpath of the Ukrainian president’s aircraft.OnlyFans creators who haven’t paid their taxes don’t want their details published on the list of defaulters because they believe it could put their personal safety at risk, reports Barry O’Halloran.The pain of three-hour, 30km commutes: Kildare motorists share stories of M7 traffic hell with Tim O’Brien.For two decades, he’s been the Nosferatu of economic forecasting, torpedoing optimism with his ice-cold predictions. Nouriel Roubini has earned the nickname Dr. Doom which is why, Eoin Burke Kennedy writes, his latest forecast is so surprising. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Libyan soldiers previously trained by former Irish Defence Forces personnel have appeared in Russia and have expressed fears they will be deployed to the frontline in Ukraine, writes Conor Gallagher.More than 33,000 images of people disappeared, tortured and killed in Syria have been uncovered. Sally Hayden is writing about the trove of photographs which reveal previously unknown details about Bashar Al-Assad’s industrial killing machinery. Warning: this article contains distressing images.The public service needs a complete mindset change from one of box-ticking and avoiding legal challenge, to getting things done. That’s just one of the reactions to the government’s Accelerating Infrastructure plan published yesterday.Looking for tech gift ideas this Christmas? Don’t miss Ciara O’Brien’s festive tech guide today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Taxi drivers are to stage another protest in Dublin this evening in their ongoing campaign against a fixed-fare option introduced by booking platform Uber.Winter is here and if you’re a parent of small children, so is the juggle of trying to work when coughs, colds and tummy bugs mean they can’t go to school or creche. Joanne Hunt writes about the different types of leave you can avail of when something’s got to give.If you’re thinking of buying a new car in 2026, our motoring journalists Neil Briscoe and Michael McAleer have hand-picked the best vehicles on the market as we head into a new year. Today is the second instalment of a three part series. You can check out the best family and EV options here.We all have a death day lurking unseen. When’s mine? When’s yours? It might sound morbid but Róisín Ingle hopes her column will actually be the uplifting read you need today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy has arrived in Dublin for his first official visit here. It comes at a fraught time for peace negotiations, with Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff visiting the Kremlin at the same time as President Zelenskiy meets Irish leaders.Fresh information has been revealed about President Catherine Connolly’s controversial trip to Syria in 2018, when she was photographed in the vicinity of a militia group leader. Colm Keena has been speaking to the Irish activist and Assad supporter who facilitated Clare Daly and Mick Wallace’s trip the year before.A number of our reporters are covering the proposal to dename Herzog Park in Dublin’s Rathgar, and remove the reference to former Israeli president Chaim Herzog.Ella Sloane profiles the Belfast-born, Dublin-raised man who would go on to be leader. Olivia Kelly reports on a stormy meeting of Dublin City Councillors over the proposed denaming. Ronan McGreevy examines similar controversies down through the decades over renaming streets. And the letters to the editor feature two sample perspectives on the issue.Finding a restaurant that provides decent food, service and ambiance at moderate price is increasingly difficult these days. Our restaurant critic Corinna Hardgrave, however, has picked 12 particularly good value eateries from across the country. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
If you’re commuting to work right now on a jam-packed train or bus, you’ll want to read Cliff Taylor’s look ahead to the Accelerating Infrastructure Taskforce report.Considering whether to go to Prague for the Republic of Ireland’s World Cup play off against the Czech Republic? Dubliner Cóilín O’Connor has lived there since 1995 and has a few tips on how to avoid the sky high air fares.What’s it like to learn Irish again as an adult? Completely different, reports Jack White. He’s been speaking to a number of people taking evening classes at Conradh na Gaeilge. “Raging I didn’t do this years ago,” says one.And “regift the bejaysis out of it,” says Conor Pope. Our Pricewatch editor is doling out his top tips for a cheaper (and greener) Christmas 2025. There’s some “helpful” advice from some of our readers too. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
A decision has been made not to remove tricolours erected across Dublin city, over fears it could put council workers at risk. Conor Gallagher has been investigating the proliferation of Ireland flags hung on lamp posts across the country.The manner of Enoch Burke and his family’s combative approach to protesting can be traced back through the decades, and according to Diarmaid Ferriter, is particularly similar to the catholic anti-divorce crusaders of the 1980s.The number of people being served notice to quit their tenancies has risen again, mostly due to landlords selling up. Niamh Towey has been analysing the latest figures from the Residential Tenancies Board.And if you’re looking for some inspiration for your next read, you might be interested to see who won big at last night’s Irish Book Awards. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Around 20 male International Protection applicants slept rough on a wintry Tuesday despite thousands of beds available. Sources have told Kitty Holland officials want to them to “demonstrate homelessness” in order to prove their need.Meanwhile Pat Leahy analyses Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan’s claim that immigration is increasing at the fastest rate in the EU, and Ireland can’t cope.The HSE tried to conceal the fact it was on the cusp of awarding a state contract to the company at the centre of a false Garda vetting scandal. Jack Power reveals a review of Good People homecare’s dealings with Túsla, resulted in an employee being prohibited from any further work with vulnerable children.Monday’s drug-related attack on a woman in Clondalkin in Dublin was akin to “cartel tactics,” a Garda source has told Conor Gallagher.And Ukrainians on the streets of Kyiv have told Eastern European correspondent Dan McLaughlin that Donald Trump’s “peace plan” with Russia is a “total betrayal.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
“Flying blind” and “budgeting like there’s no tomorrow” – the government’s management of the economy is being roundly criticised by the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council.A group of Ranelagh residents have launched a legal challenge to the Metrolink project – with the potential to stall the long-awaited underground rail line.Consumer Affairs correspondent Conor Pope is urging caution in the Black Friday online shopping frenzy.The RDS has been renamed the Laya Arena in a new naming rights partnership, while a bill to rename Dublin Airport after this former Taoiseach has progressed in the Dáil.Presented by Aideen Finnegan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Minister for Justice and the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces must hand over the names and contact details of people who may have blocked, or simply ignored, complaints of abuse within army ranks. Ellen Coyne has the details.Nursing home owners want immigration rules relaxed so they can hire more workers from outside the EU, UK and European Economic Area. Martin Wall says they’re seeking changes to the so-called 50/50 rule.Tech workers in Ireland think the general public has an unrealistic idea of who they are and what they really do. Three of them have been speaking to Hugh Linehan in the first of our series, The Professionals, which looks at Ireland through the lens of different categories of worker.And winner of The Traitors Ireland, Vanessa Ogbonno, has been chatting to Tony Clayton-Lea for Me and My Money. She describes herself as a saver, but her most extravagant purchase ever was a bit of retail therapy to take the sting out of losing a football competition. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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