The Candidate

The Garvaghy Road standoff has dragged Northern Ireland back into a dispute many thought we left in the 1990s. A proposed way out has failed, the Orange Order still wants to complete its parade, and residents remain opposed to it passing through their community.

Sinéad O’Carroll, Christina Finn, Jane Matthews and Rónán Duffy ask whether years of relative peace allowed complacency to set in, and what Dublin and London can realistically do when neither side is willing to give way.

Also: Simon Harris is preparing to deliver his first budget as Finance Minister. Has the government already talked it up too much?

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Donald Trump came to Ireland for 36 hours, watched a lot of golf, charmed the crowds at Doonbeg, promised to scrap tariffs on Irish whiskey and unexpectedly declared that he'd love to see a united Ireland. The government thinks the visit was a success. We're a little less sure: was it smart diplomacy, uncomfortable fawning, or all just a bit grubby?

Sinéad O'Carroll, Christina Finn, Jane Matthews and Rónán Duffy unpack what Trump's comments actually mean for the unity debate, why Micheál Martin is frustrated that his Shared Island work gets dismissed, and whether Ireland risks waiting too long to prepare for a referendum that could arrive faster than expected.

Also: Why won’t Eoin Hayes answer questions?

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Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan joins us in studio for a sit-down interview. We asked him what needs to change after the M9 collision, whether the State is failing the small group of young people its youth justice system can't reach, and why the government's approach to migration has changed.

He also spoke about his stand-off with criminal legal aid solicitors and why he won't revoke the new regulations. And, when we asked about the future of Fianna Fáil, O'Callaghan was clear: he still wants to lead the party.

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Nigel Farage resigned as an MP on Tuesday to trigger a byelection in which he's going to run in, and waited for the establishment to line up against him. They didn't. A handful of minor parties have put their names forward, but the candidate getting all the headlines is Count Binface, an Oxford graduate in a bin costume who has previously stood against Boris Johnson, Rishi Sunak and Theresa May. It would be funny if there wasn't so much riding on it (and even at that... it is still pretty funny).

Christine Bohan, Christina Finn and Sinéad O'Carroll dig into why the stunt hasn't gone to plan, why the five million pound "unconditional gift" is following Farage around, and what a Reform UK prime minister would mean for Ireland.

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Housing Minister James Browne has announced the biggest shake-up to rural planning rules in two decades. It should be easier for people to build homes in the countryside, but there's no target for how many new homes this will deliver and no new transport or services to go with it. These changes were "imminent" in 2021. Now, five years and one Green Party exit later, here they are.

Christine Bohan, Jane Matthews and Rónán Duffy ask whether this is real policy or vibes-based housing.

Also: Ireland took over the EU Council presidency this week and most of the country barely noticed. The ceremony at Dublin Castle was lovely but it was Zelensky who made the headlines.

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An Oireachtas committee spent years researching drug policy in Ireland and came back with a clear recommendation: decriminalise possession of all drugs for personal use, a shift from treating drug use as a criminal justice issue to treating it as a health one. The committee was cross-party and had extensive evidence to draw from. The government's response? Lukewarm at best.

Christine Bohan, Jane Matthews and Rónán Duffy unpack what could be next for this proposal - and also the Citizens Assembly process that it originated from.

Also: the parking crisis in new housing estates is making people's lives miserable.

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Something unusual happened in the Dáil this week when a Sinn Féin proposal to scrap the three-day waiting period for abortion passed.

An opposition bill getting through is rare enough, but this one came with a free vote that split the government parties wide open. Micheál Martin and Simon Harris both voted in favour. Most of their TDs voted against. Senior ministers like Jim O'Callaghan, Norma Foley and James Browne all voted no (and said nothing during the debate before doing so).

Christine Bohan, Jane Matthews, Christina Finn and Rónán Duffy unpack how a waiting period that was never recommended by the Citizens' Assembly or the Oireachtas committee survived for eight years, and whether scrapping it is the beginning of a bigger conversation about abortion legislation the government doesn't want to have.

Also: Ireland is getting a derelict property tax. Again. The government announced it in October's budget and announced it again this week. They love doing that.

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The Tánaiste and Fine Gael leader Simon Harris joins us in studio for a sit-down interview. We asked him why a man on a doorstep in Dublin Central called him the minister for press releases, about how Ireland is a country that's never been richer but has never felt poorer, and what his guiding philosophy is as finance minister

He told Christine Bohan, Christina Finn and Jane Matthews that childcare at €200 a month is "entirely doable", that the tax system is "screwing people", and that there will be no stamp duty relief for first-time buyers.

Harris also spoke about the online abuse that nearly drove him out of politics, describing the "bomb that goes off in your home" when someone threatens to kill your children.

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When Michael Healy-Rae resigned as minister in April, he walked out of the Dáil, put his fist in the air outside the gates, and told reporters he was standing with the people of Kerry. This week, he told a different story, that it was his brother Danny's surprise interview calling on the Taoiseach and Tánaiste to resign that cost him his job. Two versions, two months apart... and Michael somehow making both of them work for him.

Christine Bohan, Christina Finn and Jane Matthews unpack the most public split in the Healy-Rae dynasty, and ask whether this is really about what happened in April, or about what comes next.

Also: consultants at the Rotunda are seeing private patients despite being on public-only contracts, and the government isn't happy.

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