Upfront: The Podcast

Katie Hannon delves deeper into the key stories of the week and gets the inside track from those in the know. From the Upfront team in RTÉ News and Current Affairs.

'XL bully ban won't stop them' - Sister of woman killed speaks out

Welcome back to a new season of Upfront: The Podcast. Our first guest is Jolene Morey, whose sister Nicole Morey was attacked and killed by her dogs earlier this year. Jolene joins Katie Hannon as new legislation is introduced to ban the XL bully dog breed.

10-01
20:37

The Limerick mayoral debate live from the Lime Tree Theatre

On the same day as the local and European elections, the people of Limerick will be asked to vote for Ireland’s first directly elected mayor. And all 15 hopefuls for the election join Katie Hannon for a live debate from Limerick's Lime Tree Theatre.

05-28
01:08:01

Why people stalk: The psychology of 'Baby Reindeer'

Dr John O’Connor, assistant professor in clinical psychology at Trinity College Dublin, has specialised in examining the causes of stalking and tells Katie Hannon how it has changed in the digital age.

05-13
23:54

‘People knew where we were’: Irish surgeon on working inside Gaza

Irish surgeon Dr Morgan McMonagle, who has worked in some of the world’s most active warzones, tells Katie Hannon the recent killing of seven people in Gaza working with World Central Kitchen has given him pause for thought about the true risk involved in such missions.

04-04
37:55

Unveiling Opus Dei: Ann Marie Allen speaks out

Ms Allen’s story was central to a major investigation published by the Financial Times two weeks ago. In her first interview with Irish broadcast media, she told Katie Hannon on ‘Upfront: The Podcast’ further remarkable details about what she experienced within the organisation.

03-29
37:04

Ozempic, obesity and the emerging black-market trade

On World Obesity Day, Katie Hannon speaks to consultant endocrinologist and obesity specialist Professor Francis Finucane about Ozempic and the impact it’s having on perceptions of obesity.

03-04
19:44

The 'terrifying' threat AI poses for democracy

Around half the adult population of the globe will have the chance to vote in 2024 and with rapid improvements in Artificial Intelligence in recent years, experts, including Professor Barry O'Sullivan from UCC, are concerned what threat it could pose to democracy.

02-23
20:41

Trapped in Rafah: ‘It’s a miserable life we are living’

As the war Gaza enters a fourth month, combat between the Israeli military and Hamas has advanced farther south. In that period, many Palestinians fleeing the violence have moved to Rafah, Gaza's southernmost city, on the border with Egypt. Katie Hannon speaks to Isam Hamad about life in Rafah and his concerns for him and his family.

02-16
25:33

The doctor and ex-WWE wrestler warning about concussion in rugby

Dr Christopher Nowinski is an American neuroscientist and ex-WWE wrestler. He tells Katie Hannon about how a bang to the head he suffered while working as a professional wrestler eventually led to him discovering the true extent of his own previous concussions, and how they could cause him problems in the future.

01-29
32:04

From training horses in Cork to assassination attempts in Yemen

Iona Craig is a British-Irish investigative journalist who’s been covering Yemen and the Arabian Peninsula for over a decade. She tells Katie Hannon about the latest flare up in tensions and what it means for the troubled region going forward.

01-19
42:18

The value of learning Irish with Michael Fry

Actor and comedian Michael Fry joins Katie Hannon to talk about his strongly held views on why Irish should remain a compulsory subject in schools. The Derry Girls actor started re-learning the language later in life, and talks to Upfront about his experience.

01-12
34:50

Virtual vigilante: The man who scams the scammers

The prevalence of scams is increasing with fraudsters also becoming more convincing and more sophisticated. One man who is doing his bit to take the fight to scammers is 'Jim Browning,' a Northern Ireland YouTuber known for exposing the activities of scammers across the world.

12-18
35:27

Patrik Hermansson on how he infiltrated the far-right

Patrik Hermansson is a Swedish anti-racism campaigner who spent a year infiltrating the white nationalist movement mainly in the UK under an assumed identity. He tells Katie Hannon about what he went through during his time undercover.

12-08
32:22

Life as a hostage: A former captive on the psychological impact

Theo Padnos is an American journalist who spent 22 months as a hostage after being kidnapped by Islamist extremists before being passed to a group affiliated with Al-Qaeda in Syria in 2012. He tells Katie Hannon what he went through during his time in detention, and the mental toll of life in captivity.

11-24
27:29

Why people commit acts of gender-based violence

Violence against women is at crisis levels in Ireland, according to the Council of Europe. Katie Hannon is joined by Dr Ciara Staunton, a forensic psychologist at UCC, to discuss what is driving this level of violence and is the problem getting worse?

11-17
26:49

Ireland’s subsea infrastructure and who protects it

Who is responsible for protecting Ireland’s subsea infrastructure and how vital is it to Ireland’s economy? Katie Hannon speaks to Eoin Micheál McNamara, a research fellow at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA) in Helsinki.

11-10
21:35

Negotiating with Hamas and Israel’s endgame

What was the motivation for the Hamas attacks and what is the endgame for Israel? Katie Hannon speaks to long time peace campaigner Gershon Baskin, one of very few people to have had close contact with both the Israeli authorities and Hamas.

11-03
29:24

Humanitarian ‘catastrophe’ facing Gaza’s 50,000 pregnant women

More than 50,000 women are pregnant in Gaza with an estimated 160 women giving birth every day. Katie Hannon spoke to Soraida Hussein-Sabbah in the West Bank about the crisis.

10-20
14:05

Colum McCann: Israeli ‘occupation’ in Palestine has to stop

With the Israel-Hamas conflict now entering its sixth day Katie Hannon spoke to Colum McCann, a Dublin born writer, who made many trips to the region during research for his Booker Prize longlisted novel Apeirogon.

10-13
26:35

The global housing crisis and how to solve it

After Monday’s audience discussion about young people struggling to get on the housing ladder in Ireland, we wanted to look at the issue in broader terms and ask the question – what's causing the housing crisis and how can we solve it? Katie Hannon is joined by Philip Lawton, an Assistant Professor in Global Urbanism at Trinity College.

10-06
19:57

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