The Explainer

On this week's podcast, we look at chemsex: what is it, what accounts for its rise in popularity in Ireland, and what is its connection to the drug GHB? To find out more, we speak to the experts: Dr Kiran Santlal, registrar in psychiatry of substance misuse at the National Drug Treatment Centre (NDTC) and Graham Ryall, treatment services coordinator at the Rialto Community Drug Team. They join our reporter Órla Ryan, who has been writing about chemsex, and presenter Sinéad O'Carroll to discuss the topic. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 2011, the Public Services Card (PSC) was introduced in the form of a pilot scheme for some social welfare recipients.The idea was simple: Streamline the delivery of multiple services such as social welfare by confirming the user's identity on a simple card.But in recent years, it has become nothing but a headache for government. Criticism grew over the use of the card for more services than originally intended, sparking concerns it was quickly becoming a de-facto national ID card backed by a database of citizens' biometric data, accessible by dozens of agencies.It has come to a head after the Data Protection Commissioner ruled in a landmark investigation that there was no lawful basis for anyone to be required to get a PSC for anything other than social welfare payments and benefits.So where did it go wrong with the card? Was this inevitable or could it have been avoided? And why exactly is it so controversial? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dominic Cummings: Is he, as some suggest, the disruptor's disruptor - a strategically single minded and ideologically iconoclastic man?Or is he an unelected foul mouthed liability who has no place at the heart of a conservative Downing Street?On this week's episode of TheJournal.ie, we look at Boris Johnson's special adviser and his career. To help make some sense of Cummings and his very important and strategic role, presenter Sinéad O'Carroll is joined in studio by our Brexit reporter Grainne Ni Aodha, and Dr Kevin Cunningham, TU Dublin politics lecturer.We also chat to Tom Chivers, science writer and journalist, to get his thoughts on what makes Cummings tick. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's episode of The Explainer, we look at the issues around climate change, meat eating and farming in Ireland. Reporter Cormac Fitzgerald, who has written our week-long climate change series this week, gives the latest updates on the three major reports which recommend people cut down on meat. Meanwhile, Dr Jesus Frias, Academic Leader Environmental Sustainability and Health Institute (ESHI) at TU Dublin, tells us more about meat, health and food trends. And journalist and beef farmer Darragh McCullough gives us the farmer's perspective. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom Humphries was known as one of Ireland’s finest sports writers when he was accused of grooming and the defilement of a child. He was released last week after spending 22 months in Midlands Prison.Cases like the Tom Humphries case can be an opportunity to focus the national conversation on the more difficult aspects of the justice system.It’s an incredibly complex policy area that is fraught with emotion – not just on the part of victims and their families. Humphries’ release also comes against a background of a number of vigilante attacks on other convicted sex offenders in Dublin.So how does a country deal with all of the facts and emotions around such a topic? To explain to us what currently is done in Ireland with sex offenders after their release from prison, host Sinéad O’Carroll is joined in studio by TheJournal.ie reporter Michelle Hennessy, Eileen Finnegan, clinical director of One In Four, creator of the Phoenix programme for offender treatment/intervention and Fíona Ní Chinnéide, executive director of the Irish Penal Reform Trust. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Newgrange is one of Ireland's most incredible sites - but despite it and the surrounding Brú na Bóinne complex being an area of intense historical interest, and having been studied now for hundreds of years, it is still revealing more and more discoveries.Just last week, a team of archaeologists lead by UCD's Dr Steve Davis uncovered around 40 previous unknown sites of interest.In this week's episode of The Explainer, presenter Sineád O'Carroll is joined in studio by editor of Archaeology Ireland Dr Sharon Greene, Dr Jessica Smyth of UCD's School of Archaeology, and TheJournal.ie's editor Susan Daly to examine why, including the new techniques that have led to recent discoveries and the roadblocks that archaeologists face when they want to examine a site in-depth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

'The backstop' is one of the most contentious parts of the Brexit agreement. But it's also something that can fall foul of bad explanations, misunderstandings, and being used as a political football. This week on The Explainer podcast, we're taking a good and proper look at the Backstop. What is it? Why is it so controversial? Is everything that's being said about it true? To help guide us through the conversation, joining host Sinéad O'Carroll in studio is reporter Gráinne Ní Aodha and Euronews reporter Shona Murray. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Whether you are a gamer or not, you'll most definitely have heard of the game Fortnite.Earlier this week, the hugely popular game hit the headlines after an Irish teenager picked up $50,000 while competing in the Fortnite World Cup. Joshua Juliano, who is just 17, came 58th out of 100 gamers. So what is Fortnite? Well for starters, it's an online first-person shooter game that involves dropping 100 players on to an island where they have to find weapons, build bases and try to eliminate the competition until only one player is left standing.It's hugely popular and a big revenue driver for its creators. In this week's podcast, our reporter Órla Dwyer explains what the game is, while tech reporter Quinton O'Reilly talks us through why it's so popular, and the concerns that some parents and people have about it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last week, a shock ruling saw an Irish judge rule that citizenship cannot be granted to an applicant if they have spent a day outside Ireland in the past year.But how did this come about - and can it be appealed? And does it really mean what it seems to? That's what we're discussing in this week's The Explainer podcast.Reporter Dominic McGrath talks us through everything you need to know about what this ruling says and how it came about. David Kenny, Assistant Professor in Law at Trinity College Dublin, explains the ruling's impact, and what could happen next. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When tickets for US singer Lizzo's debut Irish show at the Olympia this coming November went on sale last week, people knew there would be demand.But there were questions raised when fans found it difficult to get their hands on tickets via the Ticketmaster website, and when, hours later, 'Platinum tickets' went on sale for €140 each. In addition, resold tickets were immediately on offer as soon as the original tickets went on sale. Some asked: Did a presale earlier in the week have a major impact on what tickets were available?This week, we look at what this situation tells us about ticket selling in Ireland. Do the issues stem from the ticket-selling company, or is Ticketmaster being used as the focus of people's ire when there are more systemic issues to blame? What are Platinum tickets and what sales model do they follow? And what's happening with the legislation being planned to fight back against ticket reselling at inflated prices?Joining presenter Sinéad O'Carroll in studio this week, our assistant news editor and podcast producer Aoife Barry outlines what went on when Lizzo tickets went on sale. Fine Gael TD Noel Rock explains what stage his and Fianna Fáil TD Stephen Donnelly's legislation on ticket reselling is at, and music guru and RTÉ Brainstorm editor Jim Carroll talks us through the world of ticket sales. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.