The Explainer

4.3 (15)
NEWS
UPDATED WEEKLY

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

1 DAY AGO

How many homes are at risk from coastal erosion in Ireland?

Homes built near the sea have always been at risk as coastlines moves closer and closer — and in our warming climate, rising sea levels will become an increasing reality. The Journal Investigates has examined the scale of this in Ireland, revealing that the number of homes at risk of falling into the sea due to coastal erosion has increased 173% in just five years. Reporter Patricia Devlin joins us to look at why the numbers are increasing at such speed, and what can be done. To read the full report and to find out more about how to support this type of investigative journalism, click here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

8 min
DEC 3

What will the Green Party's wipeout mean for climate action in Ireland?

Dr Cara Augustenborg, assistant professor in Environmental Policy at UCD, joins us to look at the fallout from the Green Party's collapse in the 2024 general election. Roderic O'Gorman survived as the party's sole TD in the Dáil. How did this happen to a party when the climate is at the forefront of so many people's minds? Which party is best placed to fill that void and take the action that is needed? And why don't we see more parties which focus on climate and environmental issues? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

30 min
NOV 27

How exactly does Ireland's system of voting work?

With the 2024 general election just around the corner, we're revisiting a valuable episode from earlier this year: Virgin Media's political correspondent Gavan Reilly sits down with us to explain what exactly proportional representation with a single transferable vote (PR-STV) is all about. Do you need to give a preference to every candidate listed on a ballot paper? How and when do preferences beyond your first come into play? How do transfers work, and what is the quota? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

25 min
NOV 21

Are we about to see a further escalation in the Ukraine war?

It's now more than 1,000 days after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and there are signs that the conflict is taking on a new dimension. The use of Western-supplied long-range missiles by Ukraine on targets within Russia led to renewed sabre-rattling from Vladimir Putin, sparking questions over whether Moscow could consider using nuclear weapons. But how much has actually changed on the ground? What are North Korean troops doing? And is just endgame, and we're counting down to some compromise? To examine all this, Laura Byrne is joined by Donnacha Ó Beacháin, professor of politics at Dublin City University. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

32 min
NOV 14

The general election campaign is now underway — what happens next?

After weeks of what felt like endless speculation, the Taoiseach Simon Harris finally put us out of our misery last week (with a bit of a jump on him by Micheál Martin) and announced that the election will take place on Friday 29 November. Since then, the posters went up in jig time and every party has been out campaigning with gusto. There’s not a baby not kissed or a chance to jive missed since last week. We're joined by Dr Brendan Flynn, assistant professor and head of discipline in Political Science at the University of Galway, to look at what can we expect between now and the vote itself, what the polls are telling us, and when we might have a new government. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

37 min
NOV 5

What is AI slop and did it lead to a Halloween parade hoax in Dublin?

You likely saw the images from Dublin city centre last week: hundreds of people lining O’Connell Street on Halloween night, all eagerly awaiting a promised parade. It soon became apparent that something was amiss… there was no parade and these people had been duped by online misinformation. The Journal’s FactCheck Editor Stephen McDermott joins us to examine how this happened, and how the rise of 'AI slop' has created a breeding ground for this type of content. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

22 min
OCT 31

What will win or lose the US election for Harris and Trump?

We’re joined by our own political columnist, Larry Donnelly who is a law lecturer at the University of Galway, to check in on the final days of the race for the White House. Trump and Harris have duked it out across the US in recent weeks in an attempt to woo voters, but the polls continue to indicate that this race is closer than ever. So what is making voters tick right now? What do they want to see in a candidate, and what will be on their minds as they cast their votes? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

27 min
OCT 25

Why is Israel targeting peacekeepers in Lebanon?

We're joined by Dr Shelley Deane, researcher at DCU’s School of Law and Government, to examine the deepening crisis in southern Lebanon following Israel's invasion. The UN has maintained a presence in the region since the late 1970s and members of the Irish Defence Forces continue to play a significant role in that mission. They are now under almost unprecedented threat. Israel's focus is on eliminating Hezbollah, but in doing so has launched a series of attacks on UN peacekeeping positions. What is happening on the ground? How could the international community response? And is all this becoming a distraction from what's still happening in Gaza? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

35 min

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4.3

out of 5

15 Ratings

RSV explainer

11/30/2022

PeadarJosie

Excellent explainer from a consultant Pediatrician about RSV
Topical and useful

07/02/2020

KellyAnn_Mc

This episode on government handover answers so many questions I’ve had lately, thank you, well done!

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