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The Irish Times

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.

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  • 39 episodes
  • daily
  • Avg 9 min
  • English

Episodes 39

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  • Wednesday · 9 min

    ICC judge says US sanctions threaten ‘rule of law’; corporate tax receipts; and child trafficking

    A French judge of the International Criminal Court (ICC) said the “rule of law” is at steak over US sanctions on judges. A newly released filing has highlighted Ireland’s dependence on a handful of multinationals for corporation tax, with Apple and Microsoft contributing 98% of the tens of billions collected. Criminal exploitation by drug gangs is now the biggest concern among organisations working in child trafficking, according to The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission. Radiologists have raised concerns about doctors reviewing scans for Irish patients from abroad, stating that their lack of registration with the Irish regulator can result in “increased patient risk”. Presented by Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • Tuesday · 9 min

    Kinahan snr faces no charges; Omagh bombing inquiry resumes; and unused military vehicles

    Kinahan cartel founder Christy Kinahan Snr is unlikely to face criminal charges unless new information emerges, The Irish Times has established. Dissident republican Colm Murphy “sat like a spider at the centre of the web of the plan to detonate a bomb in Omagh”, the inquiry into the 1998 atrocity was told on Monday. The Irish Times has heard from victims of racial attacks in Belfast of how they “feared” for their lives as mobs attacked their homes. Some armoured vehicles purchased by the Defence Forces recorded no mileage for years, newly released figures show. Presented by Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • Monday · 9 min

    German Chanellor refuses to resign over state election results; Leaving Cert overhaul; and free hot school meals

    The German Chancellor Freidrich Merz has described state elections won by the far right AfD and the far left ⁠Die Linke, but he is refusing to resign. Housing Minister James Browne is continuing to push for a significant expansion of the Help to Buy scheme ahead of Budget 2027. The overhaul of the Leaving Certificate is facing fresh turbulence, with the country’s largest second-level teachers’ union, the ASTI, warning of growing frustration among the people tasked with redesigning the curriculum. A review of free hot school meals shows pupils are choosing processed food over healthy alternatives. The Irish Times looks at the impact the tech billionaire John Collison has had on the town of Abbeyleix, Co. Laoise, who bought an historic estate five years ago. Presented by Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • September 18 · 11 min

    Tech giant tax should be ‘shared amongst EU countries’; HSE productivity; and Eleanor Donaldson appeal

    Ireland’s tax receipts from tech giants should be redistributed amongst European countries, the French finance minister has told The Irish Times. Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney has described the aim of welcoming Canada as an “associate member” of the European Union as a “positive move”. The Health Service Executive (HSE) is facing fresh questions over hospital productivity, after new analysis found inpatient activity rose by just 2 per cent over the past six years, despite a 52 per cent increase in real spending. Ministers at Stormont are to conduct a review into the ‘trial of the facts’ mechanism in which Eleanor Donaldson was deemed medically unfit to stand trial after she was found to have aided and abetted Jeffrey Donaldson’s child sex abuse. A data centre which was granted planning permission from Mayo County Council last year, has had it overturned. Presented by Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • September 17 · 8 min

    Metrolink economic growth; President Connolly in Scotland; and students keen on military careers

    Dublin’s Metrolink project could pave the way for 77,000 additional homes along the route between Swords, Co. Dublin and Dartmouth Square. President Catherine Connolly is spending the second day of her official visit to Scotland in Glasgow, as she continues a four-day programme aimed at strengthening ties between Ireland and Scotland. Ursula Von Der Leyen has backed Canada to become an ‘associate member of the EU, but what does that mean? The Irish Times speaks to students interested in a career in the Defence Forces. Presented by Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • September 16 · 10 min

    Camo cocaine; updated Metrolink costs; Your clamping stories

    Crime gangs are disguising cocaine as coal, paper and treacle to smuggle it into the State and are changing the genetics of cannabis plants to circumvent Irish drugs laws, the head of Forensic Science Ireland (FSI) has said. Updated cost projections for the Metrolink now estimate the project will cost somewhere in the region of €14.5 bill to €17.5 billion. The Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien will ask for cabinet approval today to put the Metrolink project out to tender. Meanwhile the Dáil resumes after its summer recess. Our political editor Pat Leahy outlines some of the flashpoints to watch out for during the coming term. After The Irish Times revealed last week that Dublin City Council is to overhaul the way it enforces parking, you’ve been sharing some of your horror experiences of being clamped. Presented by Aideen Finnegan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • September 15 · 8 min

    Motorists don’t know annual running costs; land owners in the Daíl; and AI shares nosedive

    Most Irish drivers still have no idea just how much it’s really costing every year, according to the Economic and Social Research Institute. An Irish Times investigation has found that the Minister for Agriculture, Martin Heydon, is the largest farming landowner in the Oireachtas. Fewer victims are reporting crimes to Gardaí, with many saying they don’t believe anything will be done, or that the incident isn’t worth reporting. Shares in some of the world’s biggest technology and chip companies have fallen sharply after leading figures in artificial intelligence called for the industry to slow down the development of its most advanced systems. Presented by Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • September 14 · 7 min

    Displaced in Belfast after the summer race riots; Row sparked over Donald Trump’s united Ireland comments

    Authorities in Northern Ireland say they don’t know how many immigrant families displaced in the summer race riots in Belfast have been able to return home. The Irish Times looks at the fall out after Donald Trump said he’s “love” to see a united Ireland. Tusla’s chief executive has warned that vulnerable children and families could face poorer outcomes if the agency is forced to absorb budget cuts in next year’s budget. Our correspondent Sally Hayden visits an asylum centre in Italy amid new European migration rules. Presented by Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • September 11 · 11 min

    World Trade Centre attack 25 years on; and ‘the Monk’ son charged following extradition

    The attacks of September 11 were perpetrated 25 years ago today ushering a new era on which our correspondent Denis Staunton reflects. The European Unions foreign policy chief has told The Irish Times sanctions on Israeli settlements in the West Banks would be justified. The son of Gerry Hutch, Jason Murphy, has appeared in court charged in connection with organised crime following his extradition from Lanzarote. Ireland’s Health Products Regulatory Authority asked Amazon to remove dozens of drugs listed on its site. Health minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeil has told The Irish Times she worried about taking the role because of a medical injury her son had at birth. Presented by Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • September 8 · 10 min

    Rise in child poverty; Ireland’s most prosperous town; and the Irish unity debate

    There has been a sharp rise in children living in households below the poverty line, according to new figures for 2024 from the Economic and Social Research Institute. Carrigaline, County Cork, has the lowest rate of commercial rental vacancies in Ireland showing a busy local economy and strong competition for consumers. Ireland’s most senior civil servant has criticised Government departments for delaying work on bring EU rules into Irish law, opening the government to legal action in Brussels. Fine Gael’s Neale Richmond has told The Irish Times that older generations need to tell young people about the Troubles in Northern Ireland in order for a “practical conversation” on Irish unity to take place. Presented by Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • September 7 · 8 min

    Germany’s AfD win regional elections; data centre energy use; the fall of rural Irish pubs

    Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has claimed the largest share of the vote in elections in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt. New data centres could be offered lower gas connections if they agree to have their supply interrupted during periods of extreme demand. A special cost recovery team has been deployed to Naas General Hospital amid concerns it could go over budget by as much as 41 million euro this year. The Irish Times speaks to the rural pub landlords fighting for survival. Presented by Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • September 4 · 9 min

    Foreign aid spending; HSE over budget; and invasive skunks in Co. Kildare

    Ireland was one of only two European countries to increase spending on foreign aid last year, with €1.9 billion spent on official development assistance. The government has defended public transport fares rises, coming in January, saying it will help fund new services. The HSE remains significantly over budget, despite efforts to tighten spending controls across the health service. An investigation has begun into the release of seven invasive skunks in Co. Kildare, which were later captured. Presented by Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • September 3 · 9 min

    Public transport increases; Creche overcharging; Patrick Freyne's Kardashian analysis

    Bus and train fares are to increase by an average of 15% under new measures to be announced on Thursday. There has been a steady increase in the number of childcare providers under investigation for possible overcharging of parents since 2024. Make no mistake, last week’s 18 billion dollar settlement in the US was really a win for Meta, writes Emmet Ryan in his column today. Ireland can expect an unusually mild and wet autumn as a “supersized” El Nino develops, disrupting weather patterns worldwide. As “The Girls” begins streaming on Disney plus, Patrick Freyne takes aim at the latest absurdity from the Kardashian family. “None of these people are frightened at the thought of flaunting their wealth before a troubled, impoverished nation,” he writes. Presented by Aideen Finnegan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • September 2 · 9 min

    1.5 degree 'battle has been lost'; School refusal; Cuban Belfast man V Deliveroo

    The battle to keep global heating from passing the agreed 1.5 degree threshold has been lost, United Nations (UN) environment chiefs have conceded. More than half of primary school pupils and two-thirds of secondary students refused to go to school at least once last year for reasons including anxiety, difficulties engaging with lessons and problems with friendships, according to a new study. Of all covid’s victims, writes Kathy Sheridan today, we rarely consider the families of conspiracy theorists who’s relationships were irreparably damaged. One of Europe’s leading consumer watchdogs, Which? magazine, was able to list 10 Downing Street as a holiday rental on booking.com and accept payments from people keen to stay in the UK prime minister’s home. The Cuban owner of a Belfast sandwich shop has suspended Deliveroo orders following the company’s failure to pay him due to US economic sanctions on what he describes as “anyone associated with Cuba”. Presented by Aideen Finnegan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • September 1 · 11 min

    Cancer ‘more survivable’ with advancements; Bloomfield Hospital patient mistreatment; and storm names unveiled

    Cancer survival rates have improved substantially over the past 20 years, with many more people now living with and beyond cancer, according to the National Cancer Registry Ireland. Several staff at Bloomfield Hospital in Rathfarnham were either dismissed or resigned following an investigation into the treatment of residents at the mental health facility. Rescuers in Nepal are trying to reach hundreds of workers who have been trapped in tunnels since Wednesday’s massive flash flood. A British warship was deployed off the coast of Co. Wicklow on Monday amid heightened security during this week’s meeting of foreign ministers at Druid’s Glen. Met Éireann has just unveiled its new list of storm names for the next year which include Austen, Evelyn, Kilian and Miriam. Heather, Laoise and Phelim were suggested by the Public. Presented by Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • August 14 · 8 min

    Ireland to approve Israeli bonds for the EU; and the Monk to get reimbursed for election expenses

    Tánaiste Simon Harris has been trying to stop Ireland from once again becoming the EU country responsible for approving Israeli state bonds. Former independent election candidate Gerry “The Monk” Hutch is set to receive a reimbursement of almost all of his campaigning expenses. A controversial housing development near the Dublin-Wicklow border is to be torn down over a breach of planning permission. It’s expected to be the last day of high temperatures on Friday, but there is no sign of drought conditions easing. Presented by Andrew McNair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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