• Dublin Central by election; trouble for Kier Starmer; Trump in Beijing
    May 15 2026

    Sinn Féin’s Janice Boylan leads the race for the Dublin Central by election according to a new Irish Times/ TG4 poll.


    A UK Labour MP has stepped down paving the way for Andy Burnham to run for parliament and potentially topple Prime Minister Kier Starmer.


    New rules for childminders are putting pressure on the sector, with some now saying they’re thinking about quitting altogether.


    There was a record surge in eviction notices at the start of 2026, just before new rental rules came into effect.


    Donald Trump was at a state banquet in Beijing on Thursday, hosted by Xi Jing Ping.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    12 mins
  • Ballooning national debt, women and cycling, and Patrick Freyne’s ‘history of sexy tellly’
    May 14 2026

    Ireland’s national debt could approach a quarter of a trillion euro by the 2030s, the head of the National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA) will tell an Oireachtas committee on Thursday.


    Aggressive driver behaviour, speeding, poor cycling infrastructure, and the increased size of vehicles, is deterring women from getting on their bikes, research by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) has found.


    Allies of Britain’s health secretary Wes Streeting were phoning Labour Party MPs last night asking them to back him in an imminent heave against the UK prime minister Keir Starmer.


    ‘I have been left half a property with a sibling. What is the best way to proceed?’ Whether you sell the home and split the proceeds, or one sibling buys the other out – try not to bring solicitors into the equation, writes Joanne Hunt in the first of our new weekly column ‘Ask a Lawyer.’


    The excellent Rivals, an adaptation of Jilly Cooper’s bonkbuster, in which 1980s rich people enthusiastically bonk (English for having sex), is back on Disney+ this week. So Patrick thought he’d take this opportunity to write a short history of sexy telly.


    Presented by Aideen Finnegan


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    10 mins
  • Four to a bed, Keir Starmer, one-off housing, and ice Hockey in Dublin?
    May 13 2026

    A spotlight is being shone on the condition of council housing after plans to regenerate one of Dublin’s most neglected flat complexes were halted. Janice Maguire shares a bed with three of her youngest sons. Two sleep at the bottom, and one at the top next to her.


    Keir Starmer’s future as the British prime minister is looking increasingly untenable following a string of cabinet resignations yesterday.


    Michael McDowell says he wants a fair minded discussion on one-off rural housing. But his views will likely have the Irish Times letters page hopping for the next few days.


    Several US and Canadian ice hockey stars have emerged as investors in the proposed €250 million ice hockey arena for Dublin.


    You’ve heard of the Wild Atlantic Way – now check out a proposal for the Literary Way. Arts Over Borders is an organisation hoping to do for Irish literature what the coastal route has done for tourism.


    Presented by Aideen Finnegan

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    10 mins
  • Ambulance strike; guns ordered off the dark web; and falling overseas holiday bookings
    May 12 2026

    Two thousand ambulance staff in the Unite and SIPTU unions begin a 24-hour strike this morning in a long running dispute over pay.


    The media regulator, Coimisiún na Meán has released its first complains insights reports showing RTÉ attracted the highest number of complains between 2023 and 2025.


    Guns bought on the dark web are now one of the biggest challenges facing An Garda Síochána, according to the Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly.


    Overseas holiday bookings have dropped sharply, with some travel companies reporting a fall of up to 25 per cent despite assurances that there will not be a jet fuel shortage, and falling prices to some destinations.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    10 mins
  • Derelict city council properties, Louth sisters in Miami plastic surgery, and the richest man in the Seanad?
    May 11 2026

    More than 30 vacant and derelict properties bought by Dublin City Council for social housing since 2017 remain unused, and may no longer be viable for refurbishment, because of their extreme state of dilapidation.


    The assets declared in Aubrey McCarthy’s return to the Seanad register of interests are being examined by political correspondent Cormac McQuinn today.


    Since the Iran war began, financial markets have shown faith that Donald Trump and the ayatollahs will bring the war to a speedy conclusion. But John Fitzgerald doesn’t have the same faith and believes Ireland should prepare for the real possibility that the Strait of Hormuz remains closed for much of 2026.


    Miami has a reputation as a city for beautiful people, and Co. Louth sisters Sidhbh and Neasa Gallagher are working at the core of this idea with their plastic surgery business.


    Presented by Aideen Finnegan

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    8 mins
  • Narrow lead for FG in by election poll; Passengers who disembarked cruise ship after hantavirus outbreak
    May 8 2026

    Fine Gael’s Seán Kyne holds the slimmest of leads over Independent Ireland rival Noel Thomas in the Galway West by election campaign, according to an Irish Times and TG4 opinion poll published on Friday.


    Ireland is recycling more waste, but not fast enough to meet national targets, according to a new report from the Environmental Protection Agency.


    The race is on to trace dozens of passengers who disembarked from the cruise ship at the centre of a deadly hantavirus outbreak before isolation measures were implemented.


    Russia’s Victory Day parade takes place tomorrow, but will be significantly scaled back due to the threat of Ukrainian drones.


    Irish Times readers give their thoughts on calls for more regulation on drinking alcohol in airports.


    Workplace perks appear to be becoming rarer and economists say it reflects a shift in power away from employees.


    Presented by Andrew McNair.

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    10 mins
  • Asylum seekers posing as children; peace negotiations over Iran; billion dollar TV series’
    May 7 2026


    Almost 300 adult asylum seekers who claimed they were children were placed in Tusla children’s centres in the last four years.


    Separately, Tusla is to launch an appeal in the Supreme Court on whether parents already in receipt of civil legal aid can recover legal costs in special care cases involving their children.


    The US and Iran are to begin peace negotiations. The Iranians are understood to be demanding reparations for the damaged caused during the war and tolls for ships sailing through the Strait of Hormuz.


    Streaming giants are spending billions on blockbuster series. Our columnist Patrick Freyne asks whether the storylines are worth it.


    Robot vacuums promise a zip line out of doing the housework, but are they really much more than a gimmick? Ciara O’Brien reviews a new model.

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    12 mins
  • Katie Simpson murder review; replaceable batteries in electric devices
    May 6 2026

    The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has called for anyone abused by Jonathan Creswell to come forward after a review found a failure to properly investigate the murder of Katie Simpson.


    The body representing the tech industry is asking the government to push for an exemption to smart watches from new EU rules requiring devices to be fitted with replaceable batteries.


    Fewer than half of people in the Republic believe that the EU is “moving in the right direction” but there remains overwhelming support for EU membership, according to a new survey for the group European Movement Ireland.


    Local and regional elections in the UK tomorrow could result in nationalist lead administrations in Scotland, Wakes and Northern Ireland for the first time.


    New mothers should seek help for their mental health “sooner rather than later” if they’re struggling after having a baby, experts have said

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    12 mins