Behind the Story

Westminister Magistrates Court had never seen a scene like it – tunes were blaring, chants were sung, hundreds turned up to support Kneecap’s Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh as he appeared charged under the UK's anti-terror legislation.

In the latest episode of Behind the Story, RTÉ’s man in London Tommy Meskill helped Fran McNulty, Katie Hannon, and David McCullagh unpack it all.

The trio also took a look at Iran, as Donald Trump has proclaimed he “I may do it, I may not do it” when asked if the US was going to join Israel in striking the country.

As all this happens abroad, there’s also the smaller matter of Tuesday’s €250 million EuroMillions jackpot which we now know was sold at a retail outlet in Munster.

The trio wade through some of today’s articles on the big win, and what newsreader Sharon Tobin might do with all of that money. 

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Following a report today by Consumer Affairs Correspondent Aengus Cox, Katie, Fran and David talk about why people may be avoiding Greece and Spain and opting for northern Europe instead for their summer holidays. 

Norway is seeing a 50% rise in visitors year-on-year while traditional sunny destinations are seeing a spike in Spring and Autumn months. 

The team also take a look at the online forum Tattle Life, after a landmark court case in Belfast saw a couple awarded £300,000 in damages following a legal action against the site over defamatory comments posted on it about them.

The ruling means the door may now be open for others to take action against the site, while its owner was named for the first time on Friday. 

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Kenneth Strange is a former FBI agent who is friends with the family of Annie McCarrick who went missing from her Dublin home in 1993. 

A suspect who was this week arrested in connection with her murder was later released without charge.

Fran and Katie talk to Kenneth about the case, and later they are joined by Dr Eugenio Lilli of UCD to talk about how Iran may react to Israel's strikes.

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There have been calls for calm following two nights of riots that saw 32 PSNI officers injured. The riots started out as a protest on Monday night linked to an alleged sexual assault.

Two teenagers have since appeared in court charged with attempted rape, while on the streets cars have been set on fire, houses have been targeted, and water cannons have been deployed.

Many of those targeted are migrants living in the area, and the police have described the rioters’ actions as “racist thuggery”. 

David and Fran are joined by Northern Correspondant, Conor McAuley who on the ground during the riots and by Ciaran O'Connor, Senior Analyst for the Institute of Strategic Dialogue, who outlines how far right online figures have turned their attention to Ballymena and the influence it's having. 

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One of the country’s biggest teaching unions voted against Leaving Cert reform at the weekend citing resources and capacity.

But another concern is a lack of guidance on the use of AI by students. While the Department of Education is working on guidelines here, Estonia is putting AI into the classrooms for 16 years from September.

Fran and David speak to Estonia’s Education Minister Kristina Kallas and she explains how teachers and students are embracing it.  

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A documentary by RTÉ Investigates revealed multiple examples of care failings at one of Ireland’s leading nursing home providers.  

Fran and Katie discuss the programme and the questions raised about how older people are cared for.

Meanwhile, in the US, the bromance between Donald Trump and Elon Musk came to an abrupt end on social media after the tech boss criticised the President’s “big, beautiful” tax and spending bill.

Adam Maguire joins the podcast to explain the money behind the relationship between the world’s richest and most powerful men. 

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Operation Spider’s Web was a Ukrainian attack that saw more than 100 drones target strategic bomber aircraft at sites deep inside Russia.

The country’s domestic intelligence service claimed that it caused €6 billion worth of damage to Russia’s military in an attack that it had been working on it for 18 months.

Fran and David talk to Dr Patrick Bury, Senior Associate Professor in Security at the University of Bath, about the logistics of the attack and what it means for the future of warfare. 

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The latest EPA report shows that Ireland will at best achieve a 23% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, which is substantially lower than the 51% target.

It also suggests a backwards step from last year’s projection of 29%, so what is going on?

In the latest episode of Behind the Story Fran and David pick the brain of RTÉ’s Environment Correspondent George Lee to try figure out why Ireland is so behind.

And while they have him, they also ask for some advice on things such as EVs, retrofits, solar panels and more. 

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Fran and Katie are joined by legal affairs correspondent, Orla O'Donnell and by Prime Time's Barry Cummins to reveal the inside story of the Richard Satchwell case. Satchwell was found guilty of the murder of his wife Tina, who he claimed disappeared in 2017. 

Barry interviewed and met Satchwell on many occasions and he discusses his impressions of him and what it was like to interview him inside the house where the couple lived. Orla outlines the detail of some of the evidence from the court case. 

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Fourteen years after Shane O’Farrell was killed by a driver who should have been in jail at the time, his family have finally received an apology.

Katie, Fran, and David take a look at the case and how Shane’s mother Lucia campaigned relentlessly for answers.

The team also look at the crisis at CHI, and discuss RTÉ's appearance at an Oireachtas Committee. 

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