Sally Hayden and Harry McGee join Jack Horgan-Jones to look back on the week in politics: · Sally Hayden joins the pod on the line from Beirut where missiles flying overhead have become a fact of daily life despite the ceasefire agreement Lebanon signed with Israel last November. With Israel’s attention now firmly on Iran, the rising death toll and…

After a lengthy build-up, the Lions tour is finally upon us. Andy Farrell and co come to Dublin on Friday night to take on Argentina before travelling down under. The last time the Lions faced Los Pumas, our own Gordon D’Arcy started at 12 back in 2005. He joins Nathan Johns and John O’Sullivan to reminisce on his own Lions experiences, look ahead …

Ellen Coyne and Jack Horgan-Jones join Harry McGee to talk about the ongoing fallout from the Government's proposed changes to the rights of tenants and landlords. They look at growing criticism of the finer points of the policy. Will the delay in rolling out RPZs to the whole country incentivise landlords to raise rents while they can? Do the new …

After weeks of criticism, Leinster have answered their Champions Cup disappointment in the best way possible. A first trophy since 2021 was secured by beating the Bulls on Saturday, Leinster climbing the steps of the Hogan Stand in Croke Park to lift a first URC title since the South African sides joined. What does this mean for the province going …

You can tell an awful lot about a society by who it labels a genius. You can also learn from who it excludes from that category, who it enables and what it is prepared to tolerate from them. The tortured poet, the rebellious scientist, the monstrous artist, or indeed the tech disruptor. All of these archetypes feature in The Genius Myth, the new bo…

Pat Leahy and Ellen Coyne join Hugh Linehan to look back at the week in politics: Rent reform: the announcement of Minister for Housing James Browne’s plans to change the rules around rent pressure zones dominated the week. But why was the rollout so haphazard? Adjustments to residential property tax received less attention but the changes also car…

Leinster have played the Bulls twice in knockouts since 2022. Both times, they lost. The South African game plan has been clear: beat them up front. But are Leinster better equipped this time? Gordon D’Arcy, John O’Sullivan and Nathan Johns discuss. Plus, how will Sam Prendergast shape up in his first final? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy f…

US president Donald Trump's response to protests against immigration raids in Los Angeles - to send in troops - is in keeping with a broader theme of his second presidency so far - extending executive power and challenging institutional norms. But how far is Trump willing to go? TCD's Daniel Geary joins Hugh to talk about the events in LA and the p…

After weeks of consistent (yet fair) criticism, Leinster turned in a performance to silence the critics. At least for now, their ultimate test for this season still to come. A convincing win against Glasgow showed a side touching top form again while offering a window into their unusual ‘us against the world’ mentality. What to make of it all? Gord…

Where does Europe fit into the 21st century? Political scientist Professor Helen Thompson returns to the podcast to talk about the big picture for the global economy and international relations in the age of Trump's second term, China's rise and Europe's relative decline. She talks to Hugh about the real significance of America's debt pile, Silicon…

Joining Hugh and Cormac McQuinn on today's podcast is Ellen Coyne, the newest member of The Irish Times political team. Together they look back on the week in politics in Ireland and beyond: The crisis at Children's Hospital Ireland deepens Growing international disquiet over Israel's conduct in Gaza Planning exemptions for "granny flats" - can suc…

With the election of Lee Jae-myung as president of South Korea, a period of political turmoil there may be over - for now at least. But Lee, leader of the centre-left Democratic Party, faces many challenges, including a political system in disarray, the threat of tariffs and a looming demographic disaster. Denis Staunton reports. Hosted on Acast. S…

It may be URC semi-final week, but the rugby news cycle has been dominated by events away from Leinster. Connacht have pulled off a big-name managerial signing by securing the services of Stuart Lancaster, while Paul O’Connell has named his Ireland squad for the summer tour of Georgia and Portugal. With the Lions contingent away in Australia, this …

Poland is facing political deadlock after pro-Trump candidate Karol Nawrocki, backed by the country’s right-wing opposition, won Sunday’s presidential by less than two percentage points. The result also has major implications for European politics. On today's podcast Hugh discusses the outcome with Berlin correspondent Derek Scally. Hosted on Acast…

Gordon D’Arcy joins Nathan Johns to talk through a dramatic URC quarter-final weekend. Munster’s shootout defeat to the Sharks in Durban has dominated the headlines, no least for the home side’s attempts to throw Munster’s kickers off their game. This inevitably opened up a wider chat on kick tricks and the dark arts in rugby more generally. Plus, …

Pat Leahy and Harry McGee join Hugh Linehan to look back on the week in politics: · Committees of the Oireachtas are indeed back, but rigor and insight seem to be missing in some of the questions posed by politicians during RTÉ’s appearance in front of the Oireachtas media committee on Wednesday. · Independent TDs Barry Heneghan and Gillian Toole, …