Mia Malan, editor-in-chief of Bhekisisa - an award-winning health journalism centre in South Africa - speaks to us about what Ireland can learn from South Africa's experience of dealing with an Omicron-fuelled surge in cases. How did the country's hospitals fare, why is South Africa so good at identifying variants - and do we finally have enough evidence to say for sure that Omicron is 'milder'?The Explainer is brought to you by The Journal. Providing open access to valuable journalism in Irelan...
Jan 07, 2022•33 min
In another episode by Noteworthy, Susan Daly speaks to reporter Maria Delaney about the findings of the team's latest investigation into fertility treatment in Ireland.This forms part of the recent FUNDING FERTILITY investigation by Noteworthy which revealed that the private fertility sector is making millions as patients are left in debt. It also found that numerous decisions have not been finalised by Government on long-promised public IVF services.The Explainer is brought to you by The Journa...
Jan 04, 2022•18 min
The Explainer team of Gráinne, Michelle, Sinéad, Nicky, and Aoife sit down to pick their favourite clips from the year, with topics ranging from Cuba to data centres and everything in between.The Explainer is brought to you by The Journal. Providing open access to valuable journalism in Ireland has been the aim of The Journal for a decade. You can contribute to ensure we can keep questioning, investigating, debunking, explaining and informing at www.thejournal.ie/contribute/ Hosted on Acast. See...
Dec 30, 2021•23 min
RTÉ's outgoing Washington Correspondent Brian O'Donovan joins us to look back on Joe Biden's first year in power as US President - what were the big challenges, and what does 2022 have in store? O'Donovan also shares his memories of the attack on the Capitol, what living and working in the United States has been like, and gives us a glimpse of what's next for him.The Explainer is brought to you by The Journal. Providing open access to valuable journalism in Ireland has been the aim of The Journa...
Dec 22, 2021•49 min
Shona Murray, Europe Correspondent with EuroNews, joins us on this week's episode to examine the current state of Euroscepticism. Did Brexit give hope to people in other Member States who want their country to leave the EU, or did it make them try another tact? Plus, what are the varying shades of Euroscepticism?The Explainer is brought to you by The Journal. Providing open access to valuable journalism in Ireland has been the aim of The Journal for a decade. You can contribute to ensure we can ...
Dec 16, 2021•30 min
The Lotto has rolled over yet again - but is it that unexpected? Stephen McDermott, assistant news editor with The Journal, and Michael Cronin, head of statistics at UCC's School of Mathematics, join us to examine the latest controversy surrounding the Lotto jackpot, the regulations underpinning it, as well as just how likely it is that the big prize would go unclaimed for this long. We also discuss whether the hype around it could pose problems to those with addiction issues.If you need help wi...
Dec 09, 2021•28 min
Virologist Dr Kim Roberts and Dimitri Eynikel from Doctors Without Borders join us to examine the new Omicron variant and vaccine inequality. While richer countries are busy administering booster jabs, others are struggling to get even an adequate amount of jabs for their frontline healthcare workers. We look at the scale of the problem, what the solutions are, and discuss how vaccinating more of the world's population is a way of reducing the risk of new variants.The Explainer is brought to you...
Dec 02, 2021•34 min
Christine Loscher, professor of immunology at DCU, joins us on this week's episode to examine the need for booster shots. How much does the efficacy of initial jabs wane, how much does the booster top them up, and what type of lasting immunity could we have against Covid as a result? Also, will they turn the tide of the recent rise in case numbers?The Explainer is brought to you by The Journal. Providing open access to valuable journalism in Ireland has been the aim of The Journal for a decade. ...
Nov 25, 2021•28 min
As the tensions grow on the border between Belarus and Poland, we’re joined by DCU politics professor Donnacha Ó Beacháin, an expert on post-Soviet states, to examine the origins of the current crisis. He gives us a primer on Belarus itself, before discussing the situation faced by migrants on the border right now, and what the end goal could be for Alexander Lukashenko, considered Europe’s ‘last dictator’.The Explainer is brought to you by The Journal. Providing open access to valuable journali...
Nov 18, 2021•27 min
There has been a lot of attention on Irish cows recently. In this episode, head of economics at Teagasc Trevor Donnellan and our reporter Orla Dwyer, live from the Cop26 climate summit, join us to explain why. How many cows are there in Ireland, why are they dominating headlines, how much do they contribute to Irish emissions, and what can be done to make cattle farming more sustainable? We also take a look at elements of the most recent cycle of The Good Information Project.The Explainer is bro...
Nov 11, 2021•36 min
In another episode by Noteworthy, Susan Daly speaks to reporter Maria Delaney and Anne Marie Quilligan – a social care worker for the Tipperary Rural Traveller Project - about the findings of the team's latest investigation into supports for Traveller children.This forms part of the recent TOUGH START investigation by Noteworthy and The Journal which revealed poor outcomes and lack of supports for Traveller children across the multiple State systems and policy areas.The Explainer is brought to y...
Nov 09, 2021•30 min
Our Political Correspondent Christina Finn and Aidan Regan, associate professor at UCD, join us on this week's episode to examine what comes next for Sinn Féin. The party has performed well in recent opinion polls, but what challenges remain between now and the next general election - due to be held in 2025 - for it to lead the next government?The Explainer is brought to you by The Journal. Providing open access to valuable journalism in Ireland has been the aim of The Journal for a decade. You ...
Nov 04, 2021•34 min
Authors Sophie White and Alice Taylor join us to explain how they entered the world of publishing, share tips for would-be book writers, and answer the all-important question - can you make a living from it?Both Sophie and Alice are nominated for Best Irish Published Book of the Year, The Journal's sponsored category at the 2021 Irish Book Awards.The Explainer is brought to you by The Journal. Providing open access to valuable journalism in Ireland has been the aim of The Journal for a decade. Y...
Oct 28, 2021•34 min
Nicky Ryan, author of The Journal's coronavirus newsletter, and Dr Gerald Barry, assistant professor of virology at UCD, join us on this week's episode to examine the latest concerning rise in the number of Covid cases. How much pressure are hospitals under, what could the next few months look like, and why is having 94% of adults fully vaccinated not enough to stop the spread of the virus?The Explainer is brought to you by The Journal. Providing open access to valuable journalism in Ireland has...
Oct 21, 2021•29 min
The 42's Gavin Cooney joins us on this week's episode to examine Stephen Kenny's role as manager of the Republic of Ireland men's soccer team - why is he proving so controversial, just how poorly has the team performed recently, and how has he retained so much support from fans?The Explainer is brought to you by The Journal. Providing open access to valuable journalism in Ireland has been the aim of The Journal for a decade. You can contribute to ensure we can keep questioning, investigating, de...
Oct 14, 2021•35 min
In another episode by Noteworthy, Susan Daly speaks to journalist Ella McSweeney and reporter Niall Sargent about how the EU's agri-subsidies (Common Agricultural Policy, CAP) are encouraging farmers to cut back on nature. The Explainer is brought to you by The Journal. Providing open access to valuable journalism in Ireland has been the aim of The Journal for a decade. You can contribute to ensure we can keep questioning, investigating, debunking, explaining and informing at https://www.thejour...
Oct 12, 2021•34 min
Our reporter Gráinne Ní Aodha and immigration journalist CJ McKinney join us this week to look at how post-Brexit Britain is handling migration. They share insights from the latest instalment of The Good Information Project, which looked at everything from what the situation is for EU citizens living in the UK, to the issues behind the shortage of HGV drivers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Oct 09, 2021•32 min
Washington Post reporter Brittany Shammas and our producer Aoife Barry join us to discuss how recent high-profile murders raise questions about the media's handling of missing person cases. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Oct 01, 2021•31 min
Most people will have heard some talk recently about household energy bills rising and the shortage of natural gas. This week, Sinéad O’Carroll speaks to The Journal's business reporter Ian Curran and Muireann Á Lynch of the ESRI about the perfect storm of events both in Ireland and internationally that have brought us to a winter of energy shortages. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sep 23, 2021•30 min
Yes, we're talking about Christmas in September. Our reporter Ian Curran joins us to discuss the strains facing global supply chains and how it could result in some items being hard to find during the busy winter retail season. And it's not just Covid to blame - semiconductors, pallets, and our old friend the Ever Given are in the mix too. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sep 16, 2021•23 min
Space expert Leo Enright joins us on this week's episode to look up at the heavens, and examine what role Ireland plays in getting more stuff up there. We discuss how space technology can benefit us on Earth, the ins and outs of how Ireland's first satellite will work, and how we have Dublin's Royal Canal to thank for a fundamental element of space travel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sep 10, 2021•39 min
In a bonus episode, brought to you by our investigative team at Noteworthy, Susan Daly chats with reporter Niall Sargent about the state of Ireland’s biodiversity and what needs to be done to better protect it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sep 03, 2021•23 min
Peter Bodkin, formerly of this parish but now editor of AAP Factcheck in Sydney, joins us to look at how Australia is handling its latest Covid outbreak. What is life like right now, how is the vaccine rollout going, and what does Delta mean for Covid Zero strategies? We also take a look at what level of misinformation there is down under. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Aug 30, 2021•30 min
As Afghanistan descends further into an uncertain future, we're joined by Heather Barr, associate director of the women's rights division at Human Rights Watch, to look at what lies ahead for women in the country. Barr, who lived in Afghanistan between 2007 and 2013, shares her insights on what life was like before the US-led invasion, to what extent the situation improved for women since then, and just what is facing them now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Aug 26, 2021•26 min
Journalist John Gibbons and our reporter Lauren Boland join us on this week's episode to look at the recent stark report on climate change from the IPCC and what it means for Ireland. Are Ireland's targets enough for the country to play its part in reducing global emissions, is it even worthwhile if other larger nations fail to do their bit, and what's the best way to help at an individual level? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Aug 19, 2021•40 min
Our reporter Lauren Boland joins us to examine how Ireland went from having an expansive rail network, with thousands of kilometres of track, to some counties having little or no access to rail services at all. Was it all just cutbacks or were consumer habits at play as well? Also, what's the future for Ireland's railways? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Aug 13, 2021•26 min
Radio Free Europe's Moscow correspondent Matthew Luxmoore joins us on this week's episode to examine Belarus and the hold of 'Europe's last dictator' on the country. We look at who Alexander Lukashenko is as well as the background to recent high-profile incidents like the grounding of a Ryanair flight in Minsk and the mysterious death of an opposition activist in Ukraine. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Aug 05, 2021•38 min
Author and former editor of The Observer Magazine Ruaridh Nicoll joins us from Havana to examine what sparked recent widespread protests in Cuba. He shares what life is like on the island right now, how we likely haven't seen the end of the protests, as well as what exactly the people of Cuba want. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jul 29, 2021•39 min
David Blevins, senior Ireland correspondent with Sky News, joins us on this week's episode to examine proposals to ban prosecutions for killings that took place during the Troubles - what's the exact aim, what do the families of victims want instead, and how has it caused some rare unity among parties in Northern Ireland? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jul 21, 2021•20 min
Travel writer Eoghan Corry and our producer Nicky Ryan look ahead to holidays in 2021 - how will the Digital Covid Certificate work, will I have to quarantine, and what is it actually like to holiday in other EU countries right now? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jul 15, 2021•31 min
