Rory McIlroy will tee off on Thursday at 6.12pm Irish time on the first day of the Masters in Georgia.

It is the first major tournament of the golf season and this year the news focus will be firmly on the man from Northern Ireland. It’s his 17th Masters and he’s known not so much for how he plays in Georgia but for the way he keeps falling short.

While he is a consistent winner of other tournaments, building a golfing fortune estimated to be north of €250 million, and is only second to Tiger Woods in earning power off the course, one prize eludes him – the Masters in Augusta.

He has finished in the top 10 seven times but has never won it. Commentators say he chokes, that the fault is not physical but mental. He has, in his interviews, been very open about his inability to seal the deal, to get so close to winning.

The stakes are high; if he does finally win, he will complete the career grand slam, something only five other golfers have ever done.

Irish Times sportswriter Malachy Clerkin has watched McIlroy’s career from the start and he says that he is in the best form of his life, playing like a man who could win the Masters.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon.

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Shortly before 10am, on Thursday, March 20th, Kerry farmer Michael Gaine walked into a Centra store in Kenmare to buy phone credit. The 56-year-old farmer was reportedly seen later that day in the tourist town but his trip to Centra was the last confirmed public sighting of him.

Nearly three weeks later, the sheep farmer is still missing. Gardaí are increasingly concerned he may have been the victim of foul-play. However, the county-wide search remains a missing person inquiry rather than a murder investigation.

Cork-based journalist Liam Coates discusses the investigation into the Kerry farmer’s disappearance.

Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Suzanne Brennan and John Casey. 

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Global markets plunged again on Monday after Donald Trump showed no signs of pulling back from his sweeping tariff plan. All the major stock exchanges across Europe, the US and Asia were affected by the drop in prices, from tech to retail and manufacturing.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen warned US tariffs were having a “massive impact” on the global economy, while Goldman Sachs raised the odds of a US recession to 45 per cent.

And while stock prices don’t mean much to many people, behind the figures, there’s real damage being caused to the economy – in Ireland and around the globe.

But when will we start to feel the impact of this financial chaos?

How is Europe responding to Trump’s 20 per cent tariff on EU goods and how has China reacted to the rising tariff threats coming from the White House?

And is there any indication the plunging stock markets will prompt the Trump administration to rethink its approach to trade?

Today, on In The News, how worried should we be about the toll of Trump’s tariffs?

Irish Times economics writer Cliff Taylor and China correspondent Denis Staunton discuss the global implications of Trump’s tariff agenda.

Presented by Sorcha Pollak, produced by Declan Conlon. 

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A reader wrote to Trish Murphy’s Tell Me About It column looking for advice for a problem that she says is driving her crazy and taking over her life. In the past two years, she has been invited to eight weddings, eight hen parties and now baby showers too.

Her main issue is the expense - her spending on average for a hen party and wedding tips €3,000 and she is trying to save for a house. And as a single person she finds the cost really difficult.

And her friends are constantly trying to fix her up with a partner – which is more annoying than helpful.

But why doesn’t she simply say no. Can her friend group handle the truth? And why are Irish weddings so extravagant?

Is the ability to say ‘no’ a part of our Irish character? Why are we so reluctant to speak plainly?

Murphy is a psychotherapist and she tells In the News how she answered the reader and why weddings are such a flashpoint for friendships.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.

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The GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship starts this weekend.

It’s one of the biggest competitions in all of Irish sport. The All-Ireland football final has traditionally been among the top five most-watched TV broadcasts of the year. But last year, the hurling final outstripped it by almost 150,000 viewers.

That’s because GAA football has had a problem that has been growing for more than 10 years; even its most ardent fans say the game has become boring.

Too defensive, too slow, too much hand passing, not enough flair.

Former Dublin manager Jim Gavin was called in to fix football, to come up with a new set of rules that would revitalise the game before it was too late. And he did. So are they working?

Irish Times sports writer Malachy Clerkin explains why the greatest shake-up in the history of GAA football was so direly needed and how he sees them working.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon. 

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Last week, a Brazilian man who rented out properties across rural Ireland under false pretences and used them as brothels, was jailed for nine years.

Ilamar Rodrigues Ribeiro, who pleaded guilty to brothel keeping, possession of child pornography, and money laundering, was linked to rental properties in counties Longford, Kildare, Cavan, Wexford, Roscommon, Leitrim and Carlow.

The case highlighted how the sex industry continues to thrive throughout Ireland, while also shining a light on the State’s 2017 legislation which made the purchase of sex illegal, but not the sale.

The legislation was designed to shift the legal burden towards those who buy sex rather than the sellers, aiming to protect those most at risk within the sex industry. But has this worked?

A long-awaited review of the legislation, which was finally published last week, acknowledged that the demand for sexual services has not decreased in recent years.

Why is enforcing this legislation so difficult and do those within the sex industry feel more protected by this law?

Irish Times reporter Órla Ryan discuses the review of Ireland’s contentious sex-work legislation.

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Last night US president Donald Trump announced tariffs on imports from dozens of countries, including Ireland and the European Union as a whole, launching a potential trade war on a global scale.

Irish Times political editor Pat Leahy messaged In the News with some analysis of the significance of the moves announced by Trump and how the Irish government may respond.

But first, we listen back to the main points from Trump's address.

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Two Irish citizens living in Berlin have been issued with deportation orders and instructed to leave Germany before April 21st after facing charges over alleged actions at pro-Palestinian protests.

Lawyers for their case have raised concerns that the deportation orders undermine civil liberties for EU citizens living in Germany, as neither have been convicted of any criminal offences in the German courts.

Bert Murray (31) and Shane O’Brien (29) have been attending protests in support of Palestinians since the Israel-Hamas conflict began in October 2023.

On this episode of In the News Bert Murray talks about her case and Irish Times columnist Una Mullally explains the background to the story.

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As sea levels rise and extreme floods become more frequent, increasing numbers of Irish homeowners are struggling to secure insurance for their properties. Midleton resident Caroline Leahy, who's home was affected by Storm Babet in October 2023, is one of them. In this episode, she talks to Sorcha Pollak about living in constant fear of the next disaster and why the Government response falls short of what is needed to help those impacted.

Later on, Environment and Science editor Kevin O’Sullivan on how climate change is impacting the situation.

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

Verona Murphy made history last December when she became the first female Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann. After just months into that role, she has become the first to face a vote of no confidence.

So what does this mean for Murphy? How might her background and experience help her navigate this political storm? And what else do we know about the politician who first made a name for herself in the haulage industry?

Political correspondent Harry McGee traces her career and outlines the challenges facing her.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.

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