Published by 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.
Listen on Apple Podcasts11 min
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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
10 min
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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
9 min
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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
10 min
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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
8 min
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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
11 min
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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
11 min
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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
10 min
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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
11 min
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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
8 min
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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
10 min
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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
10 min
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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
9 min
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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
6 min
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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
9 min
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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
9 min
There has been more escalation in the exchange of fire between Iran and the United States. The brother of Mackenzie Michalski, who was murdered by a Dublin man in Hungary in November 2024, has said he is happy the man is off the streets having been handed 14 years in prison. Political correspondent Harry McGee explains why there is so much opposition to hare coursing in the Daíl. What does The Irish Times archive tell us about the perfect picnic over the years? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
10 min
Minister of State for Road Transport Seán Canney has told the Road Safety Authority (RSA) he was concerned about its “lack of visibility” following a series of road deaths late last year. The regulator for utilities has imposed a €31 million penalty on Uisce Éireann for failing to meet performance targets, relating to leakages and bad debts. The Government should recuse itself from negotiating legislation that touches on digital policy and corporate tax in Brussels during its Council of the EU presidency, given its “questionable track record” and cosy relationship with tech multinationals, a group of 50 academics have has said. Applicants to the Basic Income for the Arts (BIA) scheme have raised concerns that plans to make their Personal Public Service (PPS) numbers publicly available could result in identity theft or fraud. Holiday itineraries, packing tips? There’s an AI app for that . Technology can take a lot of the guesswork out of summer breaks. Presented by Aideen Finnegan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
9 min
Irish authorities granted gambling licences to six companies at the heart of a global network of black-market betting websites. Two Irish companies were also found to be processing payments for unlicensed gambling sites operating in Europe. Ireland’s richest political party, Sinn Fein, sold merchandising worth euro more than €405,000 last year, according to financial accounts filed with the Standards in Public Office Commission (Sipo). Ireland remains “well off-track” in cutting greenhouse gas emissions after a fall of just 2.2 per cent last year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Columnist Laura Kennedy is writing movingly today about what it feels like to return home as an emigrant, remaking a new life in a familiar setting. Presented by Aideen Finnegan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
6 min
Former Olympic swimming coach George Gibney, who’s 77 with an address in Florida, has been found guilty of sexually abusing four girls more than 50 years ago. Authorities in France have evacuated 10,000 people because of wildfires burning out of control near the Spanish border. Fires are also raging in northern Spain, Portugal, and Greece. With Donald Trump reigniting his feud with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni ahead of the Nato summit in Ankara this week, leaders in the military alliance have much bigger questions to answer. Personal records of children who were “boarded out” from religious institutions will be withheld from a new public archive set up to remember the abuse of women and children in 20th-century Ireland. Presented by Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
8 min
New figures show some patients are waiting as long as 13 and a half years for community healthcare appointments like dietetics, ophthalmology and psychology. Ireland will chair EU meetings around new European Oceans legislation aimed at strengthening protection of Europe’s marine territory, undersea cables and pipelines, and improving ocean health. Gardaí have uncovered what’s believed to be the most sophisticated drugs-processing operation ever discovered in Ireland involving plywood soaked in liquid cocaine. Investigations are continuing into the death of a man in his 30’s following an incident at a pub in CountyCork on Saturday. Separately, investigations have been launched into the fatal shooting of a man in his 40’s in Dún Laoghaire on Sunday morning. JD Sports has been ordered to reissue thousands of gift cards to customers worth close to €250,000 after they were found to have expiry periods far shorter than allowed in Irish law. There are growing questions over the common travel area between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland amid immigration concerns. Presented by Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.