The Explainer

Behavioural scientist with the ESRI, Pete Lunn, chats to us in the wake of Golfgate about whether the behaviour of politicians can trickle down to others. He also tells us what the ESRI's studies show about adhering to regulations, and how we can make life easier for ourselves this coming winter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Professor Philip Nolan, chair of the NPHET Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group, talks us through the reasoning behind the new restrictions in Ireland aimed at preventing community transmission of Covid-19, and what the government means when it says we are a 'critical time' for the country.We're also joined by author of The Journal's coronavirus newsletter Nicky Ryan to talk us through the ins and outs of the restrictions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week's episode of The Explainer, journalist with the Irish Farmer's Journal, Hannah Quinn Mulligan, talks us through what the Covid-19 outbreaks tell us about the meat industry in Ireland.She talks Sinéad O'Carroll through how the clusters emerged in Kildare, Laois, and Offaly; how important the meat processing industry is to Ireland; the conditions inside the plants; and the issues that staff might face. We also examine international clusters, and what this situation could mean for the future of the meat industry in Ireland. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Political correspondent Christina Finn and reporter Sean Murray join us to talk through the decision to delay Phase 4, and in turn delay the reopening of pubs that don't serve food. Why was the decision made, and what does it mean for pubs? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It has been a fraught subject for months - when will Ireland's schools be reopening?And when they reopen, what measures will have to be put in place to keep the risk of Covid-19 low?Yesterday, we got our answer, when the new Minister for Education Normal Foley unveiled the plan for schools. Under the €350m plan, we'll see 'bubbles' and 'pods' introduced, along with a number of other measures designed to allow children return to the classroom. In this week's podcast, we look at what the plan lays out. We also take a look at how Ireland's plan compares to other countries, like Denmark and Germany. Are we doing anything radically different? And what does the latest research tell us about children and Covid-19 risk?The Explainer's assistant producer and author of TheJournal.ie's coronavirus newsletter Nicky Ryan joins presenter Sinéad O'Carroll to explain more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr Teresa Lambe from the Jenner Institute at Oxford University, one of the researchers behind the British Covid-19 vaccine trials, joins us on this week's episode.She talks to presenter Sinéad O'Carroll about how the UK trial in particular is going, and gives us an insight into this week's good news that this vaccine was found to be safe and induce an immune reaction in the early stages of the trial. Features a clip from Lancet Voice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're joined by TheJournal.ie's senior reporter Michelle Hennessy to examine this further - she breaks down just how tourists can arrive in Ireland, and what their legal requirements are.With presenter Sinéad O'Carroll, we also look at how the legal requirement to quarantine on arrival is murky, at best, and what the appetite for potential solutions are, such as testing on arrival. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A flood of misinformation and disinformation followed Covid-19's arrival to Ireland.You likely saw a lot of this firsthand. Maybe it was the rumours of the Irish military being deployed to enforce lockdown, or a suggestion that drinking water would prevent you from catching Covid-19.It has become a significant feature of public discourse on the crisis in recent weeks and months, but is it here to stay, or as we begin to live alongside the virus until a vaccine arrives, will it simply ebb away?TheJournal.ie examined this in a webinar last week, organised in partnership with the European Parliament Office in Ireland.Presenter Sinéad O'Carroll was joined by our own Deputy Editor, and the lead of TheJournal.ie's FactCheck project, Christine Bohan as well as FullFact’s Nicola Aitken, Per Enerud of the European External Action Service and MEP Billy Kelleher. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Former government press secretary Feargal Purcell gives us an insider-look at how one government hands over the reins to next. Would Leo have left a 'how to' guide for Micheál? How do you transfer staff between newly created Departments, or even start one from scratch? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is it a "one-in-a-million chance"? Professor Paul Moynagh, Head of the Department of Biology at Maynooth University and Director of the Human Health Research Institute, joins us to discuss how we can start to figure out how common Covid-19 is in Ireland right now, as well as what studies will help us learn the true number of people infected and the most important things to bear in mind during phase three. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.