A €500,000 vandalism incident, months of protests, and a stately home at the centre of a controversy that drags on and on. Castletown House in Celbridge, Co Kildare has become the focus of a bitter dispute over land ownership and access to public heritage. A key entrance was closed after part of the estate was sold to a private developer, sparking a stand-off between the OPW, the landowners, and local campaigners. Our reporter Andrew Walsh joins us to examine what exactly is happening at the site, what developers are asking for, and what the possible solution might be. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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16:54
What is the reality for aid workers in Gaza?
Since the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023, the Israeli government's response in Gaza has escalated into a prolonged and deadly campaign. Human rights groups and UN officials have described the actions of the Israeli Defence Forces as potential war crimes and, in some cases, genocide. Gaza has been under siege since early March, with severe shortages of food, water, and medicine pushing parts of the population to the brink of famine. We’re joined from Gaza by Dr Abu Abed, deputy medical coordinator with Doctors Without Borders, who shares his first-hand account of the humanitarian crisis unfolding there. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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12:33
Is Ireland vulnerable to power blackouts like Spain and Portugal?
At just after midday last Monday, electricity grids across the Iberian Peninsula failed almost simultaneously, cutting off power to tens of millions. Trains ground to a halt, mobile networks dropped, hospitals switched to backup generators, and entire cities were plunged into darkness. The exact answer isn’t yet clear as to what the cause was, but there appears to have been a chain of events or a single issue that lead to a sudden, massive imbalance in how power was flowing through the grid. As renewables take up a bigger share of electricity generation, and as countries become more interconnected, experts say incidents like this could become more likely. So how exactly does a grid collapse like that happen—and could it happen here? We're joined by Dr Paul Deane, senior lecturer in Clean Energy Futures at the MaREI Research Centre of UCC's Environmental Research Institute. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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27:34
Who will be the next pope?
Pope Francis leaves behind a complex legacy. He championed the poor, clashed with conservatives, and opened new conversations about the role of the Church in a world where fewer and fewer people are devout followers of religion. Now, attention turns to the future, and names like Pietro Parolin, Luis Antonio Tagle, and Fridolin Ambongo, one of whom could be the next leader of the Catholic Church. But who leads the Vatican in the interim? How is the next pope chosen, and what does that process tell us about the Church’s priorities today? Our reporter Diarmuid Pepper joins us ahead of travelling to the Vatican for the pontiff's funeral. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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18:35
Is porn driving a rise in youth sexual violence?
There has been a lot of talk in recent weeks about the online world and its effects on the minds of young children. A new The Journal Investigates series has found that these concerns are not without merit when it comes to the use of pornography. The investigation came on the back of concern raised by judges in this country over the number of minors appearing before courts on serious sexual offence charges, where pornography use was deemed a factor in offending. Outside the court system, our colleagues also found that the number of children under 17 receiving support under a Tusla-led programme for sexually harmful behaviour had increased by more than 40% in the last year. The Journal Investigates reporter Patricia Devvin joined us to share more about her work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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.
Ireland