Since he took over as head coach at Manchester United Ruben Amorim has been outspoken, dishing up post-match commentary that frequently centred on how poor he felt his players had performed.

On January 4th, after a desultory 1-1 draw with Leeds, he took aim, not at his players but at United’s top brass – his bosses. He was, he said, the manager, not the coach; the heavy implication being that he wanted to make his own decisions and that management were getting in his way.

On Monday it was announced that Amorim would be leaving the club with immediate effect.

Once again Manchester United is on the hunt for a manager – or to be more accurate in the modern game – a coach.

Irish Times columnist Ken Early explains why Amorim was never a good fit for United and why coaches at top-flight clubs have an increasingly short sell-by date.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey. 

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

On Monday, captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores appeared in a court in New York City on charges including drug-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine-importation conspiracy, and possession of machine guns and destructive devices. The pair pleaded not guilty to all charges, with Maduro telling the court, “I’m innocent. I am not guilty … I am a decent man. I am still president of my country”. 

But if Maduro is in New York, who is in charge in Venezuela? US President Donald Trump says, “we are” – but what does that really mean? In today’s episode, Tom Hennigan who reports on South America for The Irish Times explains what Maduro’s arrest means for the country and its people. 

Presented by Declan Conlon, produced by Suzanne Brennan.

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

When Hyrox came to Dublin’s RDS last November, it was a completely sold out event. The tickets for the fitness race were snapped up in minutes of going on sale, with organisers adding extra dates just to meet demand.  But one person who was able to get their hands on a ticket was Irish Times sports writer Gordon Manning. The only problem? He'd never tried Hyrox before and hadn’t done any training for the event.

Manning - who isn’t even a member of a gym - decided to take on the gruelling challenge to find out why this fitness craze has become so popular in Ireland and around the world.  But with so little preparation, did he survive the race? And what does it involve anyway? 

In today’s episode, we’ll hear all about Manning's Hyrox experience, whether he’d do it again and whether you should do it too.

Presented by Bernice Harrison, produced by Suzanne Brennan.

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

This episode was first published in August.

In the space of a few short years, generative AI has exploded into our daily lives, impacting the way we learn, work and understand the world around us.

Open AI, the American artificial intelligence company cofounded by Sam Altman and Elon Musk in 2015 which runs ChatGPT, claims its non-profit “mission” is to ensure these systems “benefit all of humanity”.

And while the launch of ChatGPT has undoubtedly lightened the workload of many, engineer, journalist and AI expert Karen Hao says the AI race for world domination carries a huge human and environmental cost.

In 2019, Hao spent three days embedded in the offices of OpenAI and discovered this company, which claims to be transparent and operating “for the good of humanity”, was in fact highly secretive.

In her bestselling book ‘Empire of AI: Inside the reckless race for total domination’, Hao warns that the world has entered a new and ominous age of empire, where a small handful of companies are writing the future of humanity.

Today, on the In The News podcast, how the race for total AI domination is repeating the worst of human history.

Karen Hao discusses the severe cost of the seemingly unstoppable growth of OpenAI.

Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Aideen Finnegan. 

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

Elon Musk seems particularly taken with the opinions of three Irish men active on X: far-right activist Michael O’Keeffe; Barry O’Driscoll, whose idea of calling the US’s new cost-cutting agency DOGE was seized on by president Donald Trump’s right-hand man, and Keith O’Brien, a white nationalist who goes by the name Keith Woods on X. Musk interacts with these men and often amplifies their posts to his millions of followers. So what image of Ireland is the billionaire being fed by these men and why does it matter that so much of what he sees, and endorses from his “awesome” Irish friends, is often simply factually wrong? Crime and security editor Conor Gallagher profiles the men, including the Cork-based O'Driscoll who goes by 'Sir Doge of the Coin' on X, and explains what happened when he wrote about them in The Irish Times.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Aideen Finnegan.

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

This episode was first published in June 2025.

In the early hours of May 8th, two masked men in a stolen Audi staged a drive-by shooting, firing nine shots indiscriminately at houses on Limerick’s Hyde Road, including at April Collins’s home. More shots were fired at a Collins-owned home on the Hyde Road in November 2024, and in two separate attacks in January 2025. Since then, there have been a dozen violent incidents, including pipe and petrol bomb attacks.

The Garda Emergency Response Unit now conducts nightly armed checkpoints in flashpoint areas. The gangs appear undeterred.

Between February and April, the Cork-based bomb disposal unit was deployed on multiple occasions to deal with pipe bombs seized in Limerick’s criminal strongholds.

In 2012 there was hope that the violent territorial feud between the city’s key drug suppliers, the McCarthy-Dundon gang and the Keane-Collopy gang had been calmed, particularly with the jailing of key members of the Dundon family.

April Collins’s evidence sealed the case for the State. She moved away from Hyde Road following the court case but in late 2023 she moved back and tit-for-tat attacks ensued.

And what of the new generation street criminals? Some are so young they were not even born when the original feud was in at its peak, but their actions show those gang lines that were drawn still exist: that the feud has never gone away.

Brian Carroll tells In the News about the resurgence in drug-related gang violence in Limerick.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon and Suzanne Brennan.

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

This episode was first published in May 2025.

From the moment he reported her missing in 2017, Richard Satchwell stuck to his story that his wife Tina had run off.

His many media appeals begged her to come home. But as the jury heard during his five-week trial in the Central Criminal Court for her murder, she was indeed home and she had been all along.

Richard had killed her in 2017, dug a hole under the stairs of their terraced Youghal home and buried her.

The Garda did look for her – as a missing person – but “red flags” emerged soon after her disappearance were “simply ignored” by gardaí, the court was told.

What were they? And why did it take until six years after her disappearance for a thorough search of the Satchwell house to take place?

Irish Times legal affairs correspondent Mary Carolan tells In the News how the court case unfolded and what happens next.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon and John Casey.

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

This episode was first published in August 2025.

For years the Irish Republican Brotherhood – the IRB – was remembered annually in a curious ceremony at Dublin’s Mansion House when its self-styled president Billy McGuire conducted a ritual that involved turning a golden harp to reaffirm the sovereignty of Ireland.

The existence of an IRB will come as a surprise to historians who consider that the secret-oath-bound society of the same name was disbanded more than 100 years ago.

But in recent years, a new cohort has taken over the IRB name, turning it into a growing organisation steeped in the pseudo-legal language of the sovereign citizen movement, which believes citizens are not subject to State laws.

This has caused officials in Dublin and nationally to become increasingly nervous about the group’s intentions.

The leaders of the modern IRB are in large part veterans of the Covid-19 anti-mask and anti-lockdown campaigns, along with property owners who turned to conspiracy theories after losing vast sums during the crash. Its leaders include a prominent Clare businessman, a teacher, a healthcare worker and a life coach.

This version of the IRB has a shadow government, a nascent court system and a network of local government bodies. It has also adopted a new time zone, Irish Rising Time, which is 25 minutes slower and based on the time zone used in Dublin until the 1916 rising. It even claims control over Óglaigh na hÉireann.

So is this fringe group like those harmless re-enactors who cosplay historical events or does it have the potential to go the way of some sovereign citizen groups in the US and Germany who have escalated their actions to include violence?

Irish Times Crime and Security Correspondent Conor Gallagher explains.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.

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

It’s Christmas Eve and so much about this time of year is about the things we do and eat – not because we particularly want to do them or even enjoy eating them – but it’s traditional.

So what are the traditions we’ve clung to and what are the new ones that have crept up on us?

Who sends Christmas cards anymore? And why have Poinsettias, once such an exotic seasonal plant, fallen out of favour?

Irish Times feature writer Laura Slattery has been teasing out the traditions that make an Irish Christmas.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon. 

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

At a time when there are media think pieces galore about how atomised entertainment is, how people don’t talk about TV like they used to; how the music industry is fractured beyond repair; and how young people are too stuck to their screens to engage in real-life politics, 2025 proved all that wrong.

RTÉ’s smash hit reality TV show Traitors Ireland was a ratings juggernaut that dished up endless water-cooler moments. Oasis played two triumphant Croke Park gigs, with all talk about eye-watering ticket prices forgotten in the blazing sunshine and general euphoria. And Kneecap’s frontman Liam Óg hAnnaidh aka Mo Chara’s London court appearances became mini-festivals with music mixing with politics.

And then where was Lily Allen’s tell-all album, West End Girl and presidential hopeful Maria Steen and her handbag.

These and other much-talked about highlights are picked over by Aideen Finnegan from the Irish Times podcast team and journalist Niamh Browne.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.

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

British far-right activist Tommy Robinson is the UK’s most notorious anti-Muslim activist.

At 43, he is the street leader of the radical right-wing nationalist upsurge gripping Britain.

An estimated 150,000 like-minded protesters turned out in London in September for his “Unite the Kingdom” march and for months Irish Times London correspondent Mark Paul has tried to get an interview with him.

And then the call came out of the blue on a cold December evening.

Robinson was planning a stunt in an hour’s time – to announce the date of his next protest – and would the Irish Times like to come?

In the end the stunt failed for technical reasons but Paul got to see how the avowed right-wing radical works and got to shadow him the following day.

At a choral service – to “bring the Christ back into Christmas” he got to see how Robinson is mixing his newfound conversion to evangelical Christianity with his anti-immigrant message.

Paul tells In the News how Robinson’s new style of campaigning echoes the Maga movement that got Donald Trump elected.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon and Suzanne Brennan. 

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

2025 was a year of global upheaval, from the activities of the Trump Administration to instability in the Middle East and the reshaping of power politics as China continues its rise. But what will it be remembered for in the long run?

Irish Times foreign correspondents Denis Staunton, who is based in Beijing, and Europe correspondent Naomi O’Leary, each picked two events whose impact will be felt into the future.

They include the meeting between Narendra Modi, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, a trilateral power meeting in China that said much about the relationship between the US and the rest of the world; the October 10th ceasefire in Gaza, which is broadly holding in a way other ceasefires haven’t; the record S&P stock surge in the US and why it loudly hints at an AI bubble and what that could mean for Ireland; and Europe’s growing willingness to break a taboo, to reconsider the terms of the UN 1951 Refugee Convention which gave immigrants and refugees rights and imposed obligations on European countries.

And amid all the gloom there were some lighter moments that struck our two correspondents.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon. 

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

After 25 years the Mercosur deal is reaching crunch time. The trade deal which would permit free trade between the EU and the South American countries that make up the Mercosur bloc has a deadline of December 20th.

It allows the EU to export more cars, wines and spirits to South America, with goods including meat coming the other way – and that’s what worries Iris, but also French, farmers.

There are hopes it will be signed off at this week’s two-day EU summit in Brussels; hopes at least on the part of the European Commission and Germany.

France and Italy are still holding out on signing up – urging a push-back to January on any decision – while Ireland appears stuck in the middle.

Mercosur countries form the world’s sixth largest economy with a total population of 270 million people. It’s a vast market for EU producers.

So how will the Mercosur talks play out this week and what pressure will Ireland be put under to sign up to a deal that Irish farmers say would greatly injure not just them, but the economy as a whole.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon. 

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

The 2025 roll call of Irish sporting heroes is long and notable for the variety of sports that saw stunning feats of excellence.

Golfing great Rory McIlroy made history at The Masters; a new athletics star was born in Kate O’Connor; and Troy Parrott made football fans of us all with his stellar performance against Hungary to keep our World Cup dreams alive.

And there were so many more sporting moments – including surprise retirements – throughout the year that set records and pulses racing.

Irish Times sports writers Malachy Clerkin and Muireann Duffy give their sporting highlights from 2025.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey.

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

What were the big political stories of 2025? Were there issues we were obsessed with at the time and now can’t quite remember why? And were there any laughs to be had around Leinster House?

For a look back on the year in Irish politics, Irish Times political correspondents Ellen Coyne and Jack Horgan-Jones came into the studio with their standout stories – from the fretting about the threat of US tariffs to the highs and lows of the presidential election; and from Paschal Donohoe’s exit for a more glamorous job to the Government’s new housing manifesto.

Then there was Tipperary North TD Michael Lowry’s unparliamentary sign language.

And what exactly are “country pursuits” and why did they emerge as a talking point during the presidential election.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan with Andrew McNair on sound.

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

One of the most shocking stories of the year was the disappearance of Kerry farmer Michael Gaine, whose dismembered body was found on his farm almost two months after he went missing. This murder remains unsolved.

In June, Evan Fitzgerald (22) walked into a busy shopping centre in Carlow and opened fire. He then turned his weapon on himself and ended his own life.

The year also saw some high-profile court cases, including the trial of Richard Satchwell, who was found guilty of murdering his wife, Tina. And there was the case of former superstar hurler DJ Carey, who was given five and a half years in prison for deception and fraud.

For Crime and Security Editor Conor Lally, three stories stood out – for the events themselves but also for what they tell us about crime and policing in Ireland in 2025: the missing toddler Daniel Aruebose, whose absence went unnoticed for years and whose death is now a homicide inquiry; the discovery in Portlaoise of a far-right group who were allegedly planning an attack on Galway Mosque and the extradition of Sean McGovern from Dubai.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.

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

This week, Australia became the first country in the world to impose a social media ban for children aged 16 and under.

Welcomed by parents there but criticised by big tech and some free-speech advocates, the ban will see companies such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok face massive fines if they fail to take reasonable steps to remove the social media accounts of Australian children. And to stop children getting such accounts in the first place.

Ireland is also taking steps to make children safer online, with a Government push to design a digital wallet linked to social security numbers as proof of age. And the Department of Health’s online safety taskforce will also lay out its proposals today.

Irish Times Political Correspondent Ellen Coyne explains the Government’s advanced plans to protect children from accessing harmful material online.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan and Andrew McNair.

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

The M in M50 stands for motorway – multiple lanes, fast speed limits and easy access to a network of national roads. More than 30 years ago it was designed as a modern piece of infrastructure to get the country moving.

Now for many motorists for long stretches of the day - it’s a car park.

So are there any quick fixes? Are more roads the answer, more tolls? Better public transport certainly is the key, but why is our infrastructure so dire that people who live in the ever expanding Dublin commuter belt have no other option but to get in their cars and drive?

The road that partially circles Dublin is congested and that’s the problem. There’s too much traffic on it. So what can be done to get it moving?

Brian Caulfield, professor in transportation at Trinity College Dublin, explains.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey and Andrew McNair.

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

The Department of Housing is an unexpected source of top tips for young adults on how to behave. “Help out around the house”, it advises, “Set house rules” and “Communicate with your family”.

All generally sound advice but widely perceived as tone deaf as it is in an information campaign aimed at young people forced to move back into their family homes, to once again sleep in their childhood bedrooms.

The housing crisis with its high rents and lack of choice has meant many young people stay living with their parents for far longer than they want. The average age for Irish people to leave the family home is 28.

The video, created by youth group SpunOut for the Housing Agency, has sparked negative responses from online commentators and Opposition politicians.

Irish Times political correspondent Jack Horgan-Jones explains why the messaging fell so flat and how the controversy is playing out in Leinster House.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan. 

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

Gardaí have opened a double murder investigation after a young boy, Tadhg Farrell (4) and his great-aunt Mary Holt (60) were killed in a suspected petrol bomb attack on a house in Co Offaly.

Tadhg’s grandmother, who was also in the house on Saturday evening, is in critical condition in hospital having suffered extensive burns in the blaze at Castleview Park, Edenderry.

The house has been attacked before, in one incident all its windows were broken in what is believed to be an ongoing drug debt feud.

Gardaí suspect a criminal gang involved in the drugs trade in the Midlands were behind the firebombing.

Garda sources said the incident was probably intended as an intimidatory attack and they did not believe the people at the property were the intended targets.

Irish Times crime and security correspondent Conor Gallagher reports from the scene.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Andrew McNair. 

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