The Explainer

By The JournalNews

The Explainer episodes

December 10, 2025 Why is Enoch Burke back in the news - and what's different this time?
Enoch Burke is, yet again, back in Mountjoy Prison, but this time, the legal stakes for him and his family have risen dramatically. After weeks of chaotic scenes in the Four Courts, a High Court judge has not only ordered the teacher’s return to prison but has also directed the Attorney General to consider criminal contempt charges against him, his mother, and two of his siblings. The Journal's FactCheck editor Stephen McDermott joins us to unravel the latest developments.
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17 min
December 04, 2025 How did drones look to target Zelenskyy's plane over the Irish Sea?
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy paid his first official visit to Ireland this week. As his plane was flying towards Dublin Airport late on Monday night, four unidentified military-style drones breached a no-fly zone and flew towards his flight path. But where did the drones come from? How close did they get to Zelenskyy’s plane? And what does it say about Ireland’s capacity to deal with this kind of security incident? We're joined by the The Journal’s News Correspondent Niall O’Connor who broke this story earlier today.

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12 min
December 03, 2025 What's behind the taxi protests gridlocking Dublin?
Taxi drivers have held several demonstrations in Dublin city centre over recent weeks that have caused gridlock traffic in the capital. The target of their annoyance is a new fixed rate option that was recently introduced on the Uber app. How does the fixed fare option compare with the taxi app's previous offerings or with paying by the traditional meter? And how has Uber responded to complaints about the new feature? We're joined this week by The Journal reporter Andrew Walsh.
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12 min
November 25, 2025 What did the world actually agree to at COP30?
After two weeks of fraught negotiations in Belem, Brazil, COP30 reached a fragile agreement that triples adaptation finance but fails to chart a course for the phasing out of fossil fuels. With the United States absent and the EU finding itself increasingly isolated, the summit served as a reality check for what the future of climate cooperation might look like. We're joined this week by Diarmuid Torney, associate professor in the School of Law and Government at DCU and Director of the university's Institute for Climate and Society, to examine what was agreed, what was lost, and where the world goes from here.

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18 min
November 19, 2025 Why do children go missing so often from Tusla care?
New data obtained under the Freedom of Information Act shows a pattern of repeated disappearances from Ireland’s State-run residential centres, with some young people going missing dozens of times every year. What does it mean for a child in Tusla’s care to have gone missing? Why are these figures so high? And what does it say about Ireland’s care system? We’re joined by Patricia Devlin, investigative journalist at The Journal Investigates
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16 min
November 11, 2025 Why did a year-old documentary take down the BBC's director general?
It's just the latest seismic shock to rock the BBC: the resignation of Director-General Tim Davie and CEO of News Deborah Turness. The trigger was a Panorama documentary about Donald Trump, which a leaked memo revealed had 'spliced' together two parts of his 6 January speech, making it sound like a direct call to violence. Why did this controversy explode now? And what does it say about impartiality and political pressure at the corporation - and maybe even its future? We're joined by Dominic McGrath, UK correspondent with the Business Post.
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26 min
November 04, 2025 How did DJ Carey become a fraudster?
The Journal's News Correspondent Eimer McAuley and Gaelic games writer with The 42 Declan Bogue join us to look at the rise and fall of iconic hurler DJ Carey. The sporting star was sentenced for a series of long-running frauds amounting to almost €400,000. He conned friends, fans, and even businessman Denis O'Brien using a fake cancer story and forged medical documents to maintain the deception. How did he do it, and how did he get away with it for so long?
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29 min
October 29, 2025 Why are new community safety meetings being held in private?
A major change is underway in how local communities, gardaí, and councils discuss safety in Ireland. But you might not be allowed to hear about it just yet. The government is replacing the long-standing Joint Policing Committees with new Local Community Safety Partnerships (LCSPs). However, new Department of Justice guidelines are advising councils to restrict press access to these meetings. What are these new committees, and what do these rules mean for public accountability? We're joined by Eoghan Dalton, a reporter at The Journal.

The Journal’s reporting of the new Local Community Safety Partnerships is supported by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.
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21 min
October 22, 2025 How did one glitch break half the internet?
It was something many people noticed on Monday: the internet was slow to load, maybe your banking app was acting up, or you weren’t able to complete your daily DuoLingo. You check your WiFi, but the problem isn't in your house. It’s actually a problem with the internet itself. But how? Is it so fragile that business-as-usual is constantly one bad line of code away from collapsing? We're joined by tech journalist and co-host of the For Tech's Sake podcast Elaine Burke.

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24 min
October 15, 2025 After the ceasefire, what now for the people of Gaza?
After months of intense conflict, genocide, and a devastating humanitarian crisis, what seemed at times impossible has been achieved: a ceasefire in Gaza. The news is a welcome relief, but tempered by concerns over whether it will last. There are also significant questions hanging over the fine print of what the plan will actually involve. We're joined by Dr Brendan Ciarán Browne, associate professor in Conflict Resolution and a fellow of Trinity College Dublin, to examine the chances for a lasting resolution to the conflict.

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23 min

About The Explainer

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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…