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The Explainer

by The Journal
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Latest episodes

  • Will Budget 2027 actually make you better off?

    October 7, 2026 · 28 min

    Budget 2027 has something for almost everyone: income tax changes, a welfare increase, a higher fuel allowance, a bigger renter’s credit, an expanded Help to Buy scheme and lower childcare costs. But how much of it will actually make a…

  • Why is Drumcree back in the headlines, and what happens next?

    September 30, 2026 · 20 min

    For almost 30 years, the violent confrontations that once defined the Drumcree marching dispute had disappeared from the streets of Portadown. But a procedural error by the Parades Commission and a series of court challenges have reopened…

  • Why are new mothers struggling to get mental health care?

    September 23, 2026 · 16 min

    Women can develop serious mental health difficulties at any point in the year after giving birth. But new reporting from The Journal Investigates has found that five of Ireland’s six specialist perinatal mental health hubs have stopped…

  • Why are artists walking away from Ed Sheeran’s tour?

    September 16, 2026 · 22 min

    Music and politics have always shared a stage, but the fallout from Macklemore’s removal from Ed Sheeran’s United States tour has made clear how that can be an uneasy relationship. Zara Hedderman, music and arts journalist and author of…

  • How did the AfD become so powerful in Germany?

    September 8, 2026 · 20 min

    The far-right Alternative for Germany party won almost 44% of the vote in Saxony-Anhalt on Sunday, more than doubling its support and delivering its strongest ever result in a German state election. The result has shaken Chancellor…

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  • An mbeidh an Ghaeilge mar mír mhargántaíochta in Éirinn Aontaithe?

    September 6, 2026 · 25 min

    The Journal is releasing a six-part series of The Explainer podcast through Irish, focusing on some of the biggest stories affecting the language and the Gaeltacht areas. In this final episode, journalist Laura Ní Aoidhne joins us to break…

  • Who’s after 14,000 hectares of Ireland’s coast?

    September 4, 2026 · 12 min

    More than 14,000 hectares of Ireland’s coastline are covered by applications to commercially harvest seaweed, with four companies seeking to take almost 51,000 wet tonnes a year if their licences are approved. At the same time, the…

  • Cén fáth go bhfuil nasc láidir idir Ghaeilge agus spórt in Éirinn?

    August 29, 2026 · 35 min

    The Journal is releasing a six-part series of The Explainer through Irish, focusing on some of the biggest stories affecting the language and the Gaeltacht areas. This week, commentator Cárthach Bán Breathnach joins us to explore the deep…

  • Can the new series of Traitors live up to the hype?

    August 27, 2026 · 16 min

    Last autumn, RTÉ’s unscripted hit took the country by storm, drawing over 800,000 viewers, turning retired prison officers into household names, and proving that psychological deceit makes for irresistible television. Now, twenty-four new…

  • An bhfuil oideachas trí Ghaeilge i mbaol?

    August 19, 2026 · 22 min

    This summer, The Journal is releasing a six-part series of The Explainer podcast through Irish, focusing on some of the biggest stories affecting the language and the Gaeltacht areas. This week, we look at the state of Irish language…

  • How can dangerous driving for social media likes be stopped?

    August 18, 2026 · 20 min

    Five teenage boys were killed when the BMW they were travelling in was driven the wrong way on the M9 in Kildare and collided with a car carrying three women and a seven-year-old boy. It came just over a week after a similar wrong-way…

  • Could Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez be the next US president?

    August 13, 2026 · 22 min

    The US midterm elections are still months away, but attention is already turning to the 2028 presidential race. Speculation about Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has grown after the New York congresswoman said she was not ruling out a run and…

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About the show

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.