292 episodes

The Explainer is a weekly podcast from The Journal that takes a deeper look at one big news story you need to know about. What's the background? Why is this in the news? Get the facts behind the story from Ireland's biggest news website.

The Explainer The Journal

    • News
    • 4.4 • 191 Ratings

The Explainer is a weekly podcast from The Journal that takes a deeper look at one big news story you need to know about. What's the background? Why is this in the news? Get the facts behind the story from Ireland's biggest news website.

    How is Ireland planning to legislate on assisted dying?

    How is Ireland planning to legislate on assisted dying?

    An Oireachtas Committee is set to recommend that the Irish government introduce laws to allow for assisted dying and euthanasia under certain strict criteria. It follows an in-depth consultation period on the matter. This week, The Journal's Stephen McDermott tells host Laura Byrne about what the committee is recommending and what we can expect to see happen.

    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/

    • 17 min
    What challenges are Irish troops facing in an unstable Middle East?

    What challenges are Irish troops facing in an unstable Middle East?

    We're joined by News Correspondent Niall O'Connor, who has just returned from the contested Golan Heights where he visited the Irish peacekeeping mission there. He shares the day-to-day activity of the troops and examines what the future of Irish peacekeeping might look like.

    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/

    • 22 min
    Why was the FAI in front an Oireachtas committee again?

    Why was the FAI in front an Oireachtas committee again?

    Fiery appearances before Oireachtas committees are all the rage these days, and the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) is no stranger to them. What are the latest revelations? What do they say about the future of the FAI? We're joined by Gavin Cooney, sportswriter and podcast host with The 42, to explore why the organisation is making headlines again.

    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/

    • 30 min
    By Noteworthy: Why is our history falling into the sea?

    By Noteworthy: Why is our history falling into the sea?

    Susan Daly speaks to Noteworthy's investigative journalist Patricia Devlin about her latest dive into threats to our monuments and heritage sites. Also joining the podcast is Ian Lumney, heritage officer with An Taisce.

    • 31 min
    Everything you need to know about the March referendums

    Everything you need to know about the March referendums

    On 8 March, the public is being asked to have their say in two separate votes - the Family Amendment and the Care Amendment. But are up to speed on what exactly they're about? We're joined this week by News Correspondent Órla Ryan, Political Editor Christina Finn, and Assistant News Editor Rónán Duffy to delve into everything you need to know.

    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/

    • 32 min
    Why is measles on the rise again?

    Why is measles on the rise again?

    Dr Scott Walkin, a GP in Co Mayo and the Irish College of General Practitioners’ lead for infection control, explains the impact of low uptake of the MMR vaccine, how sick measles can make you, and shares some crucial advice for parents of young children. So far in Ireland there have been several suspected cases of measles but at the time of recording just one confirmed in 2024.

    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/

    • 18 min

Customer Reviews

4.4 out of 5
191 Ratings

191 Ratings

mariachristine20 ,

Very valuable source of information

I appreciate the regular nature of this podcast . Is very informative . Good journalism in that tradition of seeking to inform in a relatively unbiased way . Thank you

ruthboot ,

Important journalism but just a little dull

Really appreciate getting fact based information regarding issues, processes and systems in Ireland, without bias. However, some podcasts I find are like sitting in a board meeting rather than painting a picture to a lay person that really makes us understand it. More engaging scripts would really help when all this amazing research is being done. Thanks for your work

Review200012 ,

Worth a listen!

Nice gem of a podcast, Bertie explainer was excellent.

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