Podcast

It’s that time of the week again as Niall Boylan is joined by his former producer and good friend AJ Walsh to break down the biggest stories making headlines in Ireland and around the world. This week, they discuss Metallica’s generous €80,000 donation to Irish charities during their Dublin visit, RTÉ’s decision to make dozens of presenters employees after the bogus self employment controversy, fuel prices as excise duty changes begin to take effect, and the US Supreme Court’s decision to uphold birthright citizenship in a major setback for Donald Trump.

Is Ireland’s Bottle Return Scheme delivering on its environmental promises, or has it become an expensive inconvenience for consumers? In this episode, Niall is joined by journalist Larissa Nolan to discuss one of the country’s most divisive environmental initiatives. Larissa has been a vocal critic of the scheme and is even organising a live event to highlight what she believes are its many flaws.

Should Ireland bring back the death penalty? In this episode, Niall opens the lines to hear what listeners really think about one of the most divisive questions in criminal justice. If there were a referendum tomorrow, would you vote to restore capital punishment for the most horrific crimes, or should Ireland never return to state executions?

Few criminal cases have shocked Ireland as deeply as the attack that left three young children fighting for their lives and an entire nation searching for answers. In this episode, Niall is joined by journalist Fatima Gunning to examine the case of Riad Bouchaker, who has been found guilty on all eight counts of attempted murder of three young children, assault causing serious harm to their carer, assault causing harm to two other children and a young French man, along with production of a 36cm kitchen knife.

On today’s podcast, Niall is joined by Sandra Adams, advocate for women’s sex based rights, child safeguarding and fact based education, to discuss growing concerns over the Government’s decision to require parents to use a Public Services Card to participate in the Department of Education’s online consultation on school meals.

If You Were Housing Minister for One Day, What Would You Do? Ireland’s housing crisis has dominated political debate for years, yet for many people the dream of owning a home seems further away than ever. House prices remain high, rents continue to soar, and thousands of people are still waiting for social housing while homelessness remains at record levels.

Did We Get Covid Wrong? New Documents, Fauci, Wuhan and Ireland’s Covid Inquiry. On today’s podcast, Niall is joined by journalist John McGuirk from The Statement to discuss newly released White House documents that supporters of the lab leak theory say raise serious questions about Dr Anthony Fauci, US funding of coronavirus research in Wuhan, and whether people once dismissed as “conspiracy theorists” were written off too quickly during the Covid pandemic.

On this episode, Niall opens the phone lines to discuss whether mandatory retirement ages should become a thing of the past. The debate comes as new legislation has come into effect in Ireland giving many employees the right to refuse compulsory retirement before the State pension age of 66. Workers whose employment contracts require them to retire before 66 can now formally notify their employer that they wish to continue working. Employers must consider the request and can only refuse if they can objectively justify enforcing the retirement age. The changes are designed to give older workers greater choice and flexibility, while helping bridge the gap to the State pension.

A new Red C poll suggests that public attitudes towards Ireland’s border are changing, with more than a third of voters saying they would support the return of a hard border with Northern Ireland if it helped tackle illegal immigration. The findings come amid growing concern over claims that some asylum seekers are travelling into the Republic via Northern Ireland after first arriving in the UK, raising fresh questions about how Ireland protects its borders.