Afleveringen
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Jeffrey Donaldson is in Maghaberry prison outside Belfast awaiting sentencing for 18 child sex offences, including rape.
If the disgraced politician thought that the blanket media coverage of his trial in June would stop once the jury gave its verdict, he was wrong.
He is still making daily headlines in Northern Ireland as shocking stories of his past behaviour emerge; – ones that throw further light on the vast gulf between his carefully curated public persona as a pious, teetotal Christian and family man, and the reality.
Four inquiries are being conducted into his actions while in the workplace, one by the NI Civil Service and one by the Assembly. Two have been commissioned by his former political parties, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP).
Since his arrest in 2024, both have tried hard to distance themselves from their one-time star member.
Ahead of his sentencing in September, he has now launched an appeal against his conviction.
Irish Times Northern Editor Freya McClements explains why the Donaldson story has left politics across the Border in turmoil.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Israel is on an election footing. Last week with his government having reached the end of its four-year term, prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu dissolved parliament.
Polls show that a new and credible challenger has emerged in Israel’s complex multiparty political landscape.
Career soldier Gadi Eisenkot (66), a former head of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) left the army to join Netanyahu‘s post-October 7th military council to plan and execute the brutal response in Gaza.
Last year he went out on his own forming the centrist Yashar party, and he has now emerged as the most serious challenger to prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu.
But how much change does Israel really want. Why is Palestine and Gaza not an election issue? And what are Eisenkot’s views on one of the most contentious issues in Israel: why ultra-Orthodox Jews are exempt from military service at a time when Israel is fighting wars on many fronts and is running out soldiers.
Mark Weiss reports on the mood in Jerusalem as campaigning gets under way.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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Employees of three key State agencies use a computer programme called Passwork to generate and protect their passwords. It’s a cybersecurity measure.
But what they didn’t know, before it was revealed by The Irish Times, is that Passwork, which purports to be EU-based, has extensive links to a Russian company licensed by Russia’s security service.
The agencies using Passwork are the Office of Public Works, the State Laboratory, which provides chemical testing and scientific advice to Government departments, and the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC), the agency tasked with, among other things, helping consumers stay cyber safe. It is unclear how many other Irish State agencies use Passwork.
So what does it mean for State security? Who has access to these passwords? And what does the Russian owner of the Spanish-based company that sold the Passwork programme to the State agencies say?
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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In recent weeks, the Irish Government has come under pressure to introduce a ban on e-scooters following a steep increase in the number of serious e-scooter accidents involving children. One of those supporting the ban is Seana Brennan, a mother of two from Cavan whose son, Mason, was involved in a serious e-scooter accident last year.
Brennan joins Bernice Harrison on today’s episode to share her family’s experience and to highlight the dangers e-scooters pose to children. Later, Irish Times political correspondent Jack Horgan-Jones discusses the political response to the rise in e-scooter related accidents and examines how a ban might work in practice.
Produced by Suzanne Brennan, with research by Ellen Clusker.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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For his hosting duties on America 2026, the Irish Times podcast, Paul Howard watched every World Cup single match, even it was on at 4am and featured a no-hoper team in the tournament to make up the numbers.
What did he make of England’s loss to Argentina?
Why does he think the bloated half-time show featuring Shakira and Justin Bieber, planned for Sunday’s final, highlights just how much Fifa is enthralled to the US; and who will lift the World Cup when the final whistle blows on Sunday, Argentina or Spain?
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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The body of Jamey Carney, a 43-year-old mother-of-one, was found by her teenage daughter at their home in Killarney last week.
The American woman had suffered head injuries and a postmortem confirmed she had died a violent death by suffocation. Gardai traced her partner, Ahmed Al Saqar’s, movements immediately after the killing and found that he left Ireland hours after she was killed, flying to Turkey having taken the night bus from Kerry.
He then travelled on to Jordan where he was arrested and is in custody.
It is thought the 28-year-old had been in Ireland for two years and had sought asylum before fleeing back to Jordan after the murder.
The investigation is a full-scale murder inquiry.
Gardaí did not seek Al Saqar’s arrest in his home country, so why was he detained? How long can he be held by Jordanian authorities before he must be released? Ireland and Jordan do not have an extradition treaty so how can Al Saqar be brought back to Ireland? And when?
Irish Times crime and security editor Conor Lally explains the complex road ahead in this investigation.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Former British government minister Ann Widdecombe (78) was found dead at her home in rural southwest England last Thursday with what police described as “serious injuries”.
On Friday, local police gave a press conference laying out what they knew noting they did not suspect a political motive for her death. By Monday all that had changed. British counter-terrorism police officers are now leading the investigation.
Late on Saturday they arrested a white British man in Rotherham, northern England, on suspicion of her murder. He was then rearrested under anti-terrorism legislation although how a terrorism link was established has yet to be revealed.
Widdecombe, as well has being a politician was a British celebrity having appeared on blockbuster TV shows including Strictly Come Dancing and Celebrity Big Brother.
She was a prominent and active member of Nigel Farage’s populist Reform UK, having left the Conservatives after she stood down from parliament in 2010.
As a socially conservative, devout Catholic, what were her political beliefs and why she was a divisive figure?
And with her violent death now being treated as politically motivated, security for UK politicians is under increased scrutiny.
Irish Times London correspondent Mark Paul reports.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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After three days of deliberations, the jury in the inquest into the death of Belfast teenager Noah Donohoe could not reach a verdict. They had sat in court hearing evidence for six months.
His death six years ago has been one of the most high-profile cases in Northern Ireland in recent years, with conspiracy theories swirling on social media driving controversy and speculation.
How did Noah die? What were the jurors tasked with deciding? How did the PSNI describe their search for the teenager, whose body was found six days after he went missing? And what happens now in an inquest many have repeatedly called “unprecedented”?
Seanín Graham, Irish Times Northern correspondent, was at Belfast Coroner’s Court for the verdict.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan, with research by Ellen Clusker.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Online gambling on black-market betting sites is big business. One company, Soft2Bet, which has been licensed in Ireland since 2022, and its related entities received €600 million from dozens of offshore casinos that regulators in Europe had blacklisted or fined.
For gamblers using some of these sites, it means few rules apply. Unauthorised betting sites deliberately target people with gambling addictions and ignore local gambling regulations, including age limits to protect young people.
While working on an investigation with cross-border journalism group Investigate Europe, Irish Times investigative reporter with The Irish Times, Mark Tighe discovered that Irish authorities granted gambling licences to six companies at the heart of this global network of black-market betting and casino websites.
One of the scheme’s newest websites, OnlySpins, a bookmaker and casino with pornographic content targeting Europeans, does not verify whether Irish users are over the age of 18 or provide checks on a customer’s identity.
He also discovered that two Irish companies were processing payments for Soft2Bet-linked unlicensed gambling sites operating in Europe.
Soft2Bet is led by Ukrainian-Israeli millionaire Uri Poliavich.
He joins In the News to explain how this investigation unfolded, what the activities of black market sites mean for vulnerable users and what the Irish authorities had to say.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan and John Casey.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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The details presented in court in the trial of a Dublin man for the killing of Mackenzie Michalski (31) were harrowing.
The American nurse was travelling around Europe with friends and was on her last night in Budapest when, on November 4th, 2024, she met the 37-year-old man from Dublin in a bar.
Later they went back to his apartment where he killed her. The judge rejected his defence that Mackenzie had died during consensual “rough” sex.
Budapest-based journalist Bálint Dömötör has been in court for the trial and the verdict and he explains why, when the man has been found guilty, he still cannot be named.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan with research by Ellen Clusker.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Hard-right leader Marine Le Pen announced her candidacy in France’s 2027 presidential campaign in typically dramatic fashion on French TV this week.
It came after an appeal court shortened her sentence for misappropriating European Parliament funds that had previously barred her from running. The court reduced the five-year ban on holding office to 45 months with 30 suspended, meaning that the suspension has already been served.
A four-year prison sentence was reduced to two years suspended and one year served outside prison with an electronic bracelet, while imposing a fine of €100,000.
Le Pen also announced that she would initiate another appeal, this time to France’s higher Court of Cassation, and that her sentence would not begin until after this final appeal is heard. Pending this appeal she is free to campaign without the electronic tag.
If Le Pen’s legal troubles had ruled her out of the presidential race, her party had a backup plan in 30-year-old MEP Jordan Bardella.
This will be her fourth run at the presidency. With France moving to the right, has her time finally come? Or will her legal difficulties ultimately mean that the charismatic Bardella will be the National Rally Party’s candidate?
Paris-based Irish Times Europe Correspondent Naomi O’Leary explains who Le Pen is and how her campaign will unfold in the coming months.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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On Monday, George Gibney (77), former Irish Olympic swimming coach, was found guilty of sexually abusing four girls in the 1970s and 1980s.
After a two-week trial, the jury found him guilty of 39 counts of indecent assault and one count of attempted rape of children. He will be sentenced at the end of the month.
One of Ireland’s most notorious paedophiles, he was extradited from Florida last year where he had escaped justice for decades.
Due to reporting restrictions he was referred to as “sports coach” but as soon as the guilty verdict was announced, he could be named.
So why did he plead guilty to five of the charges? What defence was put forward? What has his demeanour in court? And what does this guilty verdict mean after so long for the victims.
Court reporter Isabel Hayes explains how the case unfolded in court and Gibney’s reaction to the verdict.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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This episode was originally published in March 2026.
Clifton Collins (55) had a thriving business growing cannabis in rented houses around the country.
The Crumlin man and expert beekeeper was known for his award-winning honey but his real earner was the fortune he made from years of dealing drugs.
He operated under the radar so when gardaí came across him parked in the Wicklow Mountains one night, they had no idea their search would eventually result in of the most lucrative seizures in the history of the Criminal Assets Bureau.
Collins had amassed 6,000 bitcoin around 2010. The problem for the Garda was they didn’t know the code to unlock the wallets; it was, Collins said, lost.
His bitcoin stash had by 2026 rocketed in value to €360 million.
Seven years after gardaí seized the wallets they have finally been able to open one of them and have released €30 million. There are 11 more wallets to be opened.
Irish Times crime and security editor Conor Lally explains the background to this extraordinary case.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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On a visit to Dublin last week, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy briefly burst the upbeat mood of the EU presidency party by criticising companies based in European countries that continue to supply essential materials to Russia’s military forces.
He didn’t need to name the company that was on his mind; all present in Dublin Castle, including Taoiseach Micheál Martin, knew he was referring to Limerick-based Aughinish Alumina.
In March, Irish Times investigative reporter Conor Gallagher revealed that the Russian-owned plant exports vast amounts of alumina, the raw material for aluminium, which ends up in a supply chain that supplies Russia’s military industry.
Since then the pressure has been on the Government who make hard decisions about the alumina plant.
Gallagher, who worked with the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) on the investigation, explains the reaction to his report, from publication in March to Zelenskiy‘s comments.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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In the next 15 years an additional 400 pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists will be killed on European roads because of the increased average car size.
The figure is based on projections using data from Eurostat and the UK department of transport. Research by the Transport & Environment (T & E) think tank suggests that those road death figures could be significantly higher.
After 25 years of relentless growth, our roads are increasingly dominated by huge SUVs that pose a physical danger to everyone else.
And bigger cars means less space on the roads and in car parks. Big vehicles, such as SUVs and pick-up strucks, simply don’t fit parking spaces that were designed for a different, smaller car, age.
So why are SUVs so deadly for other road users? And why, even when they are made aware of the dangers their large vehicles pose for other road users, do drivers still choose them anyway?
Irish Times motoring contributor Neil Briscoe reports.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Ireland was on the fringe of the heat dome that seared much of Europe for several days late last month.
In some parts of the country temperatures exceeded an uncomfortable 32 degrees and the hot spell ended with unseasonable thunderstorms and hail showers.
Why is this happening?
Climate scientists have recently warned that El Niño would impact temperatures in Europe this year, so is that why two heatwaves arrived in June, one delivering record-breaking temperatures?
The June event was called a “heat dome” but what is that and what causes it?
Another intense heatwave is forecast for Europe, beginning on July 5th.
Recording-breaking temperatures are produced by climate change and they are something scientists have warned about for decades. So why is Ireland so behind in implementing policies that would help reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.
Caroline O’Doherty, the climate and science correspondent with The Irish Times, explains.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Riad Bouchaker (52), an Algerian native, has been found guilty of the attempted murder of two girls and a boy, as well as a further charge of assault causing serious harm to a childcare worker and three charges of assault causing harm.
During the trial Eoin Reynolds talked to Bernice Harrison about evidence the jury heard.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon and Andrew McNair.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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For the six men and one woman trafficked to Donegal by Georgijs Poniza and Armen Pogosyan, life was unimaginably harsh.
They worked long, gruelling hours, lived together in dire conditions, rummaging in public bins for food and walking up to 30km to get to work. When they stepped out of line they were subject to abuse including physical violence.]
In the nearly three years they spent in modern slavery in Ireland, the seven victims, all Latvians, earned about €750,000 but as their bank accounts were controlled, they saw a tiny fraction of that.
This month in a first conviction of its kind in the State, Poniza and Pogosyan, who were long-time residents in Ireland, were jailed for a total of 24 years for human trafficking for the purpose of labour exploitation.
So how did the operation work? Why in a small community in Donegal did no one notice anything? And how were the traffickers caught?
Chris McNulty, a journalist with Donegal Daily, has been following the case and was in court for the sentencing.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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American businessman Jason Cardiff has lived in Ireland with his wife and daughter since 2022.
For anyone who has followed him on Facebook, he has been living a life of considerable luxury. The house is on Highfield Road, one of Dublin 6’s most expensive roads, and parked outside is a Bentley.
His followers have seen posts showing him golfing in Ireland, travelling to Austria for ski trips as well as attending the local church fete in June.
But last week his past came back to haunt him when at 8am he was arrested at home and brought to the High Court.
The move by the Garda was on foot of extradition proceedings instigated by the US Department of Justice, which has charged him with fraud involving a homeopathic medicine company, identity theft and witness tampering. He denies all charges.
So what are the charges? Why did Cardiff and his family leave the US? How did he get an Irish passport? And why does did he expect the Trump administration to come to his rescue?
Mark Tighe, Irish Times senior investigative reporter, talked to Cardiff in the days before his arrest.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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