Explore every episode of the podcast Early Edition

The Government will unveil another giveaway budget today, Tuesday October 6th, which will include reductions in tax for middle income earners worth up to €1,500 for a couple with a combined income of €100,000.

“Drumcree is the theatre of the absurd, straight from Monty Python’s Ministry of silly walks,” according to Fintan O’Toole, who’s column this week focuses on the eruption of sectarian tension in Portadown.

As a new legal term begins in the Irish courts this week, Hugh Linehan is contrasting the reporting restrictions which apply to criminal cases here with those in the United States; as America grapples with the alleged gang rape of a woman at Cornell University in upstate New York.

Tributes are being paid to a Trinity College professor and oesophageal cancer surgeon at St. James’ Hospital in Dublin as he marks his retirement from the university. John Reynolds has been at the forefront of medical advances in Ireland which have led to a doubling of overall survival for the 500 plus people diagnosed with oesophageal cancer in the Republic each year.

Presented by Aideen Finnegan

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Irish drug gangs are now making as much money from cannabis as they are from cocaine, according to new Gardaí figures.

Housing, energy costs and childcare are among the main concerns people have been voicing ahead of Budget 2027.

Ireland’s borrowing costs are a fraction of bigger economies like France, the UK and the United States.

Garvaghy Road residents are in court today as the dispute over an Orange Order parade at Drumcree.

The latest delays to Ireland’s national children’s hospital are carrying a growing cost for patients waiting to use the new facility, new correspondence reveals.

Presented by Andrew McNair.

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The opposition parties have laid out their alternative budgets ahead of the government’s Budget 2027 next week.

Grinds 360, Ireland’s biggest online education platform, was plunged into a boardroom battle after its CEO was temporarily suspended in a dispute over company finances and governance.

Next week, the European Union and China head into what could be one of their most consequential trade showdowns in years.

Domestic rugby falls far behind the financial viability of the international game, but what can fix it?

Presented by Andrew McNair.

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An American conservative Catholic university, founded by Domino’s Pizza billionaire Tom Monaghan, is facing questions over plans to open an Irish campus at the former Mount Melleray monastery in Co. Waterford.

Irish unification stirs widespread debate but the decision for a vote on the matter falls to one person under the Belfast Agreement; Northern Ireland’s secretary of state. Rachel Lavin examines what metrics might be used to judge whether to trigger a border poll.

A law intended to protect rape complainants from being quizzed about their sexual history is “not working”, with almost one in four complainants facing such inquiries last year, Rape Crisis Ireland has said.

A friend of Emer McLysaght recently became an official Irish citizen and, as Emer prides herself on being a considerate gift giver, she set about coming up with the perfect token to mark the occasion. A vintage aerial photo of her friend’s home.

Presented by Aideen Finnegan

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An Irish citizen has pleaded not guilty in a Hungarian court to the murder of his ex-wife, a Japanese national, and to setting fire to her apartment in an alleged attempt to make her death look like an accident.

The price of fuel at the pumps could be as high as €2.30 a litre by December. Pricewatch editor Conor Pope is drilling into why.

The DUP and the Orange Order have made complaints to the PSNI about Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald and the party’s vice president and northern Ireland first minister, Michelle O’Neill. It’s over their presence at a protest in Portadown on Sunday, preventing a contentious Orange Order march down the Garvaghy Road.

Laura Kennedy is examining the Sally Rooney effect on the Irish female experience. She argues that where once women were taught not to have “notions”; now their thoughts, feelings and perspectives have

become an intangible cultural export.

Presented by Aideen Finnegan.

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The standoff between residents of Garvaghy Road, Co. Armagh, and the Orange Order shows no sign of resolution.

Ireland is spending less per student across its education system than the average developed country, according to an OECD report.

Almost 30,000 people have opted out of the State’s new auto-enrolment pension scheme, but the Government says participation remains far stronger than expected.

Heimir Hallgrímsson has told The Irish Times Ireland’s soccer players won’t make a decision on whether to fulfil their second match against Israel on Sunday, until after Thursday’s nations league clash against Austria.

Presented by Andrew McNair.

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Permission for an Orange Order march on the Gervaghy Road in Portadown expired at midnight with 35 Orangemen blocked by thousands of nationalist protestors.

The Government is facing fresh pressure on the public finances, after a €700 million spending buffer set aside earlier this year was completely used up.

More than 328,000 homes are in electricity arrears according to new figures.

A controversy over Dublin’s Herzog Park has highlighted a legal gap that could require new legislation.

Presented by Andrew McNair.

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There’s a heavy few days in store for Heimir Hallgrímsson’s Republic of Ireland squad as they get ready to travel to Hungary to face Israel on Sunday. It’s after their one nil loss to Kosovo in Pristina last night.

The wife and mother of German fraudster Hendrick Holt, also known as, the “wind power swindler”, have established two companies in Dublin that have links with his business.

Only a small minority of voters would be prepared to consider changes such as a new Irish flag, national anthem or joining the Commonwealth to make a united Ireland more acceptable to northern unionists, according to the latest Irish Times/Ipsos B&A opinion poll.

The first new private hospital project in Dublin for two decades is under way after healthcare group Bon Secours bought a south county site near the M50 motorway in a multi-million euro deal.

U2 was born this day 50 years ago. Ivan McCormick was there and says he “witnessed the first spark.”

Presented by Aideen Finnegan

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Help with the cost of energy and home heating is the top priority for voters in next month’s budget, according to the latest Irish Times/Ipsos B&A opinion poll.

The HSE is appointing doctors from outside of the EU to work in hospitals without having assurances about their competence in the English language or that they had no criminal records in Ireland or abroad, internal auditors have maintained.

The Government is expected to offer 16-year-olds a €100 voucher to spend on arts and culture events as part of Budget 2027. Our Europe correspondent Naomi O’Leary has been looking at the various countries that have brought in similar schemes.

What do you call your parents? Mum? Dad? Or by their first names? Simon Tierney asks what that says about family dynamics.

Presented by Aideen Finnegan

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Four HSE regions are to be stripped of their powers over day-to-day spending by the Government in response to an overspend of hundreds of millions of euro, Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers has said.

Of 12 teenagers before Dublin Children’s Court on Wednesday, facing charges including for theft, assault, stealing cars, possession of drugs, and carrying weapons, just one had a solicitor due to the ongoing strike over legal aid reforms.

“9/11 was the last day of my New York summer,” writes Emer McLysaght in her column today. “It will never leave me.”

Patrick Freyne reviews The Grand Tour as completely new series with new presenters begins on Amazon Prime. Patrick prefers to call it “Continuity Top Gear” or maybe even “Men!”

Presented by Aideen Finnegan

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Clamper vans will but disappear from Dublin city centre in what’s to be the biggest shake up in parking enforcement in almost 30 years.

Hospital incomes have been hit by the move to public-only consultant contracts, notes a confidential HSE report seen by The Irish Times. Minister for Public Expenditure, Jack Chambers, will be on the Inside Politics podcast with Hugh Linehan later today.

Paddywagon, the well known tour operator, is continuing to sell packages to the Cliffs of Moher in Co. Clare despite earlier this week being hit with a legal bill of over €5,000 for running coach trips there without the necessary documentation.

The Irish Rugby Football Union has launched a search for a development partner to deliver its proposed Lansdowne Quarter beside the Aviva stadium. The development would include a 257-room hotel, 77 apartments, and conference facilities on a site next to the Lansdowne Road level crossing in Dublin 4.

While post-Brexit Britain wrestles with issues of identity and national characeristics, our London correspondent Mark Paul gets a seat in first class and a lesson in Englishness.

Presented by Aideen Finnegan.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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

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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.

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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

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The government is planning a crackdown on money laundering including stricter rules on using cryptocurrency on gambling sites.

National roll out of one-to-one counselling for school children is threatened by a shortage of qualified mental health professionals.

Irish Times science and climate correspondent Caroline O’Doherty looks at Phoenix Park’s herd of fallow deer, and their having on biodiversity.

What can scientists learn from the data collected during Wednesday’s eclipse?

Presented by Andrew McNair.

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Who is Dan O’Toole, the Irish Fifa executive at the heart of deal to sell off World Cup? The Dubliner was reportedly handpicked by Gianni Infantino to work on his controversial Wold Cup sell-off plan. Gavin Cooney is profiling him today.

Jars of honey harvested from the roof of the Department of Justice – but no loud trad music – were ordered up for visiting dignitaries during the Irish EU presidency last month, internal records show.

Fuel prices have risen substantially in August with further increases expected in the coming months. The price of diesel in Ireland has risen by 11 per cent in August to an average of €1.92 per litre, up 19 cents from July, according to AA Ireland’s latest fuel price analysis.

Fourteen young cattle died of dehydration last week at a farm owned by Coolmore Stud after the animals’ drinking water supply was disconnected. The incident occurred at a farm in Brodeen, Co Tipperary, near the world-famous Coolmore Stud in Fethard owned by businessman John Magnier.

Many places in Ireland are looking good for the solar eclipse on Wednesday evening– the most complete until 2090. 

Presented by Aideen Finnegan

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An international money laundering investigation has been launched into the Kinahan cartel following the extradition of Daniel from the United Arab Emirates.

The Department of Children has intervened to stop the planned closure of a creche in Limerick amid growing concerns over a shortage of childcare places.

Dozens of people are known to have died in a powerful earthquake in Colombia, causing widespread destruction.

Irish Times readers tell of full and often broken machines as part of the Deposit Return Scheme for recycling. 

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Daniel Kinahan has been charged with directing the activities of a criminal organisation in the Special Criminal Court, after being flown to Ireland under armed guard yesterday.

Israel has rejected Donald Trump’s Board of Peace plan for withdrawing from Gaza.

Ever wondered what it’s like to live in the various lodges dotted around Dublin’s Phoenix Park? Kitty Holland has been speaking to the families who call the park their home.

This generation of Irish emigrants tends to leave after graduating, spend ten years abroad before moving back home to Ireland, writes John Fitzgerald in his column today.

Do you tend to sit on the fence? It may be an Irish thing. In his Unthinkable column today Joe Humphreys explores how our colonial history, geographical location and the centuries-long influence of the Catholic Church are typically cited as factors in shaping “The Irish Mind”.

Presented by Aideen Finnegan

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Dozens of people rough sleeping on the streets of Belfast have been moved from the city centre, according to a homeless charity.

Donald Trump has dismissed reports that the United States is running low on key military munitions.

Residents are mounting a growing campaign against Fingal County Council’s proposed Dunsink City Quarter, a massive housing development that could become Ireland’s largest town.

A dispute is growing in Berlin over the proposed demolition of an underground bunker in Adolf Hitler’s Reich Chancellery.

The Irish Times reports from the Dublin Horse Show where one woman won €10,000 for best dressed on Ladies Day. 

Presented by Andrew McNair.

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“Tradwife” influencers and other online trends that pressure women into “particular care roles” will be challenged by a new Government funded public awareness campaign, which is expected to be launched next year.

The Government had to provide a €30 million bailout for its electric vehicle grant scheme in April as consumers started to feel the fuel crisis really bite.

The Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) is unhappy about the All-Ireland Fleadh taking place in Belfast this week, but this has not proved typical of unionist opinion. In fact, what unionist visitors are discovering is that the Fleadh is not repellingly “political”, as that term is applied in Northern Ireland.

If you are having to shell out on a new laptop as part of preparations to send your son or daughter to college, our tech columnist Ciara O’Brien has some tips for picking one that should see them through the next few years.

Have You Never Heard of Bill Fuller? is the provocative title of new feature documentary hitting cinemas tomorrow, about a Kerryman and entrepreneur at the centre of London’s music scene, who booked acts like Johnny Cash in the US, and who was also an urban builder, gold prospector and IRA bailsman. 

Presented by Aideen Finnegan

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Re-Turn chief executive Ciarán Foley and board members earned a 16 per cent increase to their pay last year. The not-for-profit company paid out total compensation of €700,000 to Foley and private sector executives from Coca-Cola HBC Ireland, Britvic, Heineken, Musgrave and Diageo who sit on its board.

Some parents are taking out loans to cover back-to-school expenses this year, according to a new survey from Barnardos. The children’s charity has urged the Government to prioritise a review of digital devices and reduce costs after parents reported being asked to pay up to €850 for tablet computers. 

Lawyers could be referred to their professional regulatory body or forced personally to pay legal costs if their use of artificial intelligence (AI) leads to fake sources being quoted in court documents.

More than a third of the county’s sandy coastline is deemed at risk of erosion, leaving businesses and homes ever closer to the edge.

Presented by Aideen Finnegan

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Iran has said it’s in negotiations with Oman to reach an arrangement that would allow commercial ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

Breast cancer clinics are missing their target for urgent referrals, with only three out of every four patients seen within two weeks this year.

The story of a young woman at UCD who alleged she was raped and accused the university of failing to support her.

In The Irish Times series looking at the challenges faced by coastal communities, Andrew Hamilton writes from Kilkee, Co. Clare, where locals say raw sewage dumped in the Atlantic is washing up on the beach. 

Presented by Andrew McNair.

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Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) has spent more than €9 million to acquire four homes beside a contentious MetroLink station site in south Dublin.

An online grinds company where rugby stars Brian O’Driscoll and Caelan Doris are investors increased losses last year to €1.19 million since it was founded.

Twitter had its faults but it didn’t have an overt political agenda. That changed under Elon Musk, writes Eoin Burke-Kennedy.

‘The easiest solution was chosen instead of the smartest one’: Readers have their say on e-scooter regulation.

Padel, Dyson hairdryers and a five course banquet; it’s not just music at this weekend’s All Together Now. Niamh Browne has the low-down as well as advice for travelling to the Curraghmore estate in Co. Waterford.

Presented by Aideen Finnegan

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Tributes have been paid to the Irish music and film legend Glen Hansard who died in a road crash. He was 56.

A claimant fighting for damages against the Christian Brothers over historic sex abuse can file notice to former members in a national newspaper advert, the High Court has ruled.

The health and safety watchdog, Hiqa, has issued Ireland’s first ever guidance on the use of AI in healthcare including the need for human oversight, and safeguarding of patient data.

Security gates and fencing has been beefed up at the Vico baths in Dalkey, County Dublin, over break ins and abuse of construction workers carrying out repairs. 

Presented by Andrew McNair

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Stripe co-founder and chief executive Patrick Collison has donated more than €6 million to a political campaign group fighting to block a proposed wealth tax in California, US filings show.

Heat-pump installations need to increase twenty-fold and the pace of general home retrofits must at least double if targets to improve the energy efficiency of the country’s buildings are to be met, the

Climate Change Advisory Council has said.

The Peter McVerry Trust rented an apartment for four years from a former senior figure in the Dublin Region Homeless Executive, the homeless charity’s biggest funder, providing €26.5 million euro to the trust in 2024.

Veggie farmers have had a bumper harvest this year thanks to the sweltering weather, but the irony is while the hot weather supercharged growth, it has dampened sales.

Our Berlin correspondent Derek Scally is writing about a German antidote to the toxicity of the manosphere. An initiative known as “Hot Boys Cry” wants to empower men to embrace their emotions.

Presented by Aideen Finnegan

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The Sam Maguire arrived in Castlebar last night to roars of “Up Mayo!”, as tens of thousands of people turned out at MacHale Park for the Mayo team’s official homecoming.

A couple, with a good income on paper and who are in receipt of the Government’s Help-to-Buy grant still can’t afford a three-bed semi in large parts of the country, according to a new report by the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland.

Aughinish Alumina will, under a new oversight arrangement, be expected to provide the Government with regular evidence its products are not supplying the Russian military.

A reader contacted The Irish Times over VHI’s refusal to cover one of the two nights she spent in The Blackrock Clinic after a fall in her home. The health insurer claimed the second night wasn’t medically justified.

Are you looking for a last-minute staycation? With some homes charging €4,000 a week, don’t expect a bargain.

Presented by Aideen Finnegan

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Dublin’s long-awaited MetroLink project could cost as much as €19 billion, according to senior Government sources.

Police in Germany say they are not currently looking for other suspects in connection with the attack on Berlin pride on Saturday.

Wildfires are continuing to wreak havoc across Europe, with France and Spain facing some of the worst blazes in recent memory.

Hundreds of Irish writers are to get pay outs as part of a €1.31 billion settlement of a copyright infringement case against AI giant Anthropic, according to the Irish Writers Union. 

Presented by Andrew McNair.

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Ireland’s childcare sector is facing its first ever nationwide review into fees, as authorities move to identify creches that may be overcharging parents.

MI5 and the Police Service of Northern Ireland have been ordered to pay damages to RTÉ Northern Editor Vincent Kearney after a tribunal found they illegally accessed his phone data in attempts to identify confidential journalistic sources.

A delegation of politicians has raised concerns about the trial of Dublin man Daniel Tatlow-Devally in Germany, and the manner of his detention, calling for an observer to be sent by the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Irish Rail is to announce plans for the expansion of the rail line between Dublin Connolly and Malahide from two tracks to four.

A nationwide hosepipe ban has come into effect and is expected to last until the 26th of August.

Presented by Andrew McNair.

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A High Court judge has signalled a move that could make it much easier for survivors of abuse in Christian Brothers schools to pursue compensation claims.

The withdrawal of services from solicitors in cases involving criminal legal aid enters its second day.

The government has outlined its spending plans for the next year in its Summer Economic Statement with an additional €7 billion largely to cover the increased costs of running public services.

The uncertainty over the Aughinish Alumina plant in Limerick is causing “fear and anxiety”, according to Limerick councillor Tommy Hartigan.

With the threat of industrial action over the public sector pay deal, Prof. Alan Eustace of Trinity College Dublin makes the case that strong trade unions are effective in securing better pay and conditions for workers. 

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Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky urged the European Union to block exports from Aughinish Alumina in Limerick, to Russia.

The criminal courts face a possible total shutdown today and tomorrow, and three days next week, in a dispute with barristers over a new criminal legal aid model.

One of the top criminal aid law firms urged barristers to routinely ask judges to assign multiple solicitors to individuals facing more than one charge to prevent “unnecessary loss of revenue”, letters seen by The Irish Times reveal.

Up to 4,000 patients per month could be added to outpatient waiting lists if a healthcare initiative known as “insourcing” is ended as planned, according to an HSE report.

A nationwide hosepipe ban will come into effect from midnight on Friday.

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The ban on e-scooters puts frontline Gardai “at risk” according to Garda Mark Ferris writing in today’s Irish Times.

The report into alumina exports from the Aughinish plant in County Limerick won’t be published.

Iran has instructed the Houthi rebels in Yemen, one of its proxy groups, to begin attacks on ships going into the Red Sea.

School secretaries and caretakers in the Forsa union have been offered a settlement in their long running dispute over pensions.

Researchers at Queen’s University Belfast have developed a low-cost, 3D-printed battery they believe could help accelerate the transition to clean energy. 

Presented by Andrew McNair.

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Attacks by Iran and the US have ramped up following the killing of two US soldiers in a strike on a military base in Jordan.

There has been a surge in the number of people admitted to hospital with injuries from serious knife crime, information obtained by The Irish Times reveals.

There will be a renewed attempt to introduce a new Occupied Territories Bill in September when the Dail returns from summer recess.

Property developers are calling for new tax breaks in Budget 2027, arguing they’re needed to help tackle Ireland’s housing crisis.

The Irish Times hears from the mother of Mason Brennan, who was seriously injured in an e-scooter accident last year. 

Presented by Andrew McNair.

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A statutory of investigation should be carried out into the crimes of convicted sex abuser Michael Shine during his time working at Our Lady of Lourdes in Drogheda, an independent report has said.

At least three state agencies are customers of a password company using Russian technology prompting national security concerns, an Irish Times investigation has found.

Doctors have told The Irish Times that e-scooters have become the biggest cause of traumatic brain injuries in children.

The prime suspect in the murder of the American woman Jamey Carney in Co Kerry last week, will be held by Jordanian authorities for 15 days to allow for an investigation.

The Fifa World Cup is almost over, and hasn’t failed to display the twist and turns we love and expect. 

Presented by Andrew McNair.

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Aughinish Alumina exports making their way to the Russian military supply chain cannot be ruled out, a government report is expected to say.

The investigation into the killing of 43-year-old Jamey Carney is entering a new phase as attention shifts to the legal challenges in speaking to the main suspect, 28-year-old Ahmed Al Saqar, who fled to Jordan.

The government has failed to engage with investigations into killings during the troubles in Northern Ireland, the head of the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information has told The Irish Times.

Montenegro has become closure to securing European Union membership, but barriers still remain. 

Presented by Andrew McNair.

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The State paid more than €1 million for a single deportation flight when returning 42 adults and children from Ireland to South Africa in June.

The ‘rough sex’ defence didn’t work for Lorcan Murphy. The 38 year old Dubliner - jailed for murder in Hungary last week - wasn’t the first to try it either.

The reality of building a life in Sydney, Australia? “It’s bloody hard to afford anything,” writes Irishman Cormac McConville.

In 1941 Brian O’Nolan, better known as Flann O’Brien and Myles na gCopaleen, proposed a Book Handling Agency in The Irish Times. On Sunday evening, 85 years later, Flann’s idea became reality in a Berlin bar where a crack team of literary experts was on hand to make unread books look well-read.

Ireland’s second oldest woman is remarkable not only for her age (107), but Walburga Monaghan’s son Michael says it’s her general health, too. She rarely gets ill, takes no medication and her mind is sharp enough to continue The Irish Times Simplex crossword, something she has been doing for as long as she can remember.

Presented by Aideen Finnegan. 

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The conflict between the US and Iran has escalated again after Donald Trump said he would reimpose the blockade on Iranian ports and charge a 20% tariff on any ships trying to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

Gardaí have seized one of Ireland’s largest organised crime arms dumps in more than a decade, uncovering machine guns, pistols, and drugs linked to a Polish gang.

A new law giving women up to five days paid leave after a miscarriage before 23 weeks of pregnancy is to be brought before cabinet today.

Many families are getting into debt covering school costs, according to the Irish League of Credit Unions.

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Possession, production and sharing of extreme or violent pornography could be effectively banned in Ireland under proposals being put to cabinet by the Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan this week.

The Department of Justice was concerned about cuts to the Garda budget for security during Ireland’s EU presidency, internal documents have revealed.

Research being led at Armagh Observatory and Planetarium (AOP) could help answer one of humanity’s oldest questions and pave the way for “greater understanding of the origins of life”, according to the astronomer leading the project.

The GAA World Games begins today with hundreds of players from around the world gathering in Waterford.

Yellow weather warnings for heat issued by Met Éireann come into effect this morning effecting countiesCork, Kerry, Limerick, Galway, Mayo. 

Presented by Andrew McNair.

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