The Indo Daily

Voting is under way in the US mid-term elections, with the potential for a major impact on Donald Trump's presidency.  

One man who knows what it's like to be inside the pressure cooker of Trump's White House – albeit briefly – is former communications director Anthony Scaramucci.  

Having long shaken off the ignominy of his 11-day reign, Scaramucci has repositioned himself as a prolific political commentator and author.  

His new book,All the Wrong Moves: How Three Catastrophic Decisions Led to the Rise of Trump, places his former employer back under the microscope, though Scaramucci is adamant that it's no cheap takedown.  

Instead, he argues that Trump is reflective of an America long on the precipice of oblivion.  

On this episode of The Indo Daily, host Fionnán Sheahan is joined by Anthony Scaramucci to forecast the US mid-terms, the effect they're likely to have on Donald Trump, and who the president is likely to blame if the Republicans are on the receiving end of a drubbing.  

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For years, ‘Red’ Larry McCarthy was one of the most feared figures in Irish gangland, emerging from the bloody feud that gripped Limerick and left a trail of violence across the city.

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After prison sentences in Ireland and Britain, the alleged crime boss has repeatedly claimed he has left that life behind.

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But now he is back in the headlines as he challenges a Criminal Assets Bureau (Cab) case over properties that Cab says were bought with the proceeds of crime.

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How did Red Larry rise through the ranks of the McCarthy-Dundon criminal network, and why does Cab still consider him a major figure in organised crime?

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As his latest legal battle heads to the Court of Appeal, questions remain about his past, his present and his future.

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Today on the Indo Daily, Fionnán Sheahan is joined by Sunday World journalist Eamon Dillon to trace the rise of Red Larry and examine the latest chapter in his long-running battle with Cab.

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AI could soon make cyber-attacks on public services far more frequent, with Ireland potentially facing serious disruption to everything from healthcare to banking and transport.

This episode of The Indo Daily is brought to you by our sister podcast The Big Tech Show, as Adrian speaks to Peter Tanham, analyst at TheState.ie, former founder, political strategist and recently departed Meta global data policy executive, about why AI is changing the hacking game, how exposed our computer systems really are and why the HSE cyber-attack of 2021 could offer a warning of what lies ahead.

Is it time to stop hoping for the best and start preparing for the worst?

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Anonymous briefings, accusations of betrayal and a mystery phone call have exposed deep tensions within Fine Gael.

Culture Minister Patrick O'Donovan has hit back after questions were raised about his health, describing the episode as the "ultimate betrayal".

The controversy intensified after it emerged that Tánaiste Simon Harris had called O'Donovan shortly before he was hospitalised while hosting a major EU presidency event in Limerick.

Why did it take weeks to confirm the Tánaiste was the caller, and what does the saga reveal about the state of Fine Gael behind closed doors?

Today on The Indo Daily, Katie Byrne is joined by Fionnán Sheahan, Ireland editor at the Irish Independent, to examine the rumours of internal divisions and the growing questions surrounding leadership, loyalty and political strategy within Fine Gael.

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A rising voice in the legal world. The country's foremost human rights lawyer. A "man for all seasons, needed for all sorts of reasons".

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These are just a taste of the growing list of superlatives used to describe Belfast-based solicitor Darragh Mackin.

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The lofty praise for the 35-year-old founding partner of Phoenix Law is matched by an extensive, attention-grabbing client list.

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From controversial rappers Kneecap to the Stardust families and the residents of the Garvaghy Road, Mackin has become the go-to legal eagle at the centre of some of Ireland's most high-profile court cases.

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Now, alleged crime gang boss Daniel Kinahan has become his latest client, ahead of a case that Mackin says has "fundamental holes" in it.

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On this episode of The Indo Daily, host Kevin Doyle is joined by Sunday Independent senior investigative journalist Catherine Sanz to profile Darragh Mackin as he prepares to represent Ireland's most notorious alleged criminal.

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Israel’s election has produced no clear winner, leaving Benjamin Netanyahu and his main rival battling to build a coalition. With Arab-led parties potentially holding the balance of power, could this be the end of Netanyahu’s long grip on power?

Host: Kevin Doyle, Guest: Bel Trew

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Jeffrey Donaldson was doing paid work for the ministry of defence in Africa even as acute political turmoil was engulfing his party at home in Northern Ireland.

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Why was the then DUP leader undertaking sensitive work in dictator-led Cameroon just a week after he himself collapsed Stormont in 2022? Why was he helping sell arms in Egypt alongside a British general?

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Why did a special forces officer say he’d worked with Donaldson before?

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Profound political questions remain over who all the now convicted paedophile was working for – alongside concerns about whether he had access to children in developing countries.

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Host: Ciaran Dunbar

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Guest: Sam McBride

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This episode of The Indo Daily is brought to you by our sister podcast The BelTel.

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Incidents of violent drug-debt intimidation are rising in Ireland – and the methods are becoming more concerning and elaborate.

Brutal enforcers are now using 'disappearing' video technology on social media platforms to capture and distribute graphic footage of torture.

The targeted aggression goes beyond those allegedly in arrears, with innocent friends and family members increasingly caught up in the cruel crossfire.

What are the gardaí doing about it?

Is there a class issue at play?

And what about the incidents we're not hearing about?

On this episode of The Indo Daily, host Fionnán Sheahan is joined by Irish Independent Southern Correspondent Ralph Riegel to examine a terrifying new trend in Ireland's underworld.

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The grand vision was to create a modern metropolis to rival London, Paris or Madrid.   

But as the Celtic Tiger roared, Dublin's Docklands became emblematic of property speculation, unchecked largesse and broken promises.   

The transformation is celebrated as a triumph of regeneration.  

But it also sparked battles over planning, politics and public money.   

On this episode of The Indo Daily, host Fionnán Sheahan is joined by Irish Independent news correspondent Conor Feehan to explore how a neglected stretch of Dublin's waterfront became a model of urban renewal and a symbol of what happens when fortune-building is prioritised over building a community.    

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Former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson is at the centre of a new Metropolitan Police investigation into an alleged rape said to have taken place in his Westminster office.

The development comes just days after Donaldson was sentenced to prison for child sex offences, including the rape of a child.

What do we know about this latest allegation, how did the investigation come about and what happens next?

Today's Indo Daily comes from our sister podcast, The BelTel. Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Belfast Telegraph crime correspondent Allison Morris to examine the facts of the case and the wider political fallout. This episode was originally produced by The BelTel

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Rolex watches, luxury BMWs and designer handbags worth almost €300,000 have been seized in Garda raids targeting a prominent Irish charity.

The Garda National Economic Crime Bureau has carried out searches linked to Liberty Recycling, a charity chaired by Sinn Féin TD Aengus Ó Snodaigh.

Sinn Féin have confirmed that there is no suggestion of any wrongdoing on the part of Aengus Ó Snodaigh TD and none of the items seized are connected to him.

The investigation centres on suspected money laundering.

As the probe continues, Liberty Recycling remains operational and is still accepting donations through its website.

On this Extra episode of the Indo Daily, Kevin Doyle is joined by Irish Independent News and Security Correspondent Robin Schiller to address the latest developments, the garda operation and Sinn Féin's response to the investigation.

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A strike by criminal defence lawyers is causing disruption across Ireland's courts, but the bigger question may be what happens next.

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With barristers and solicitors warning their action could escalate, pressure is mounting on Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan to find a solution.

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Is this a routine industrial dispute, or the first big political test of his tenure?

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On today's Indo Daily, Fionnán Sheahan examines what's at stake for the justice system, the Government and for O'Callaghan himself. He is joined by Irish Independent’s legal affairs editor Shane Phelan and political editor Mary Regan to explain the row, the politics and the potential fallout.

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And with neither side showing signs of backing down, they ask: who will blink first?

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James McClean’s view that therapy is a “weakness” has been widely criticised. But where does that belief come from?

Dan McDonnell, ghostwriter of McClean's new book The Walls,  joins Kevin Doyle to discuss McClean’s difficult upbringing, the man behind the controversial opinions and the things he has spent much of his life refusing to talk about.

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France is burning. What began as student protests over crumbling schools has exploded into riots, looting and a political crisis that is shaking the country ahead of next year's presidential election.

As President Emmanuel Macron struggles to restore order, many are asking whether this is a uniquely French revolt or a warning sign for the rest of Europe.

Today on the Indo Daily Fionnán Sheahan is joined by Paris-based journalist Catherine Field to explain how France reached this breaking point and why support for far-right leader Marine Le Pen is soaring.

Also, Irish Independent political correspondent Cónal Thomas examines whether the same cost-of-living pressures could spark unrest closer to home. And as anger grows across the continent, we ask: could protests in Ireland be on the horizon?

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A blacked-out van. A secret meeting. And a quest for answers that would consume decades of one man's life.

In the concluding episode of this Indo Dailyexclusive, Austin Stack recounts the extraordinary events that unfolded as he pursued the truth about his father's murder. What followed were revelations, confrontations and moments that were almost impossible to believe.

More than 40 years after Brian Stack was shot, Austin believes he finally has many of the answers he spent a lifetime searching for.

But has that brought justice?

Today on theIndo Daily, Kevin Doyle is joined by Austin Stack in the concluding episode of ‘I Know Who Murdered My Father’.

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A respected prison officer, Brian Stack, is gunned down on a Dublin street. The investigation that follows fails to deliver justice. There are no convictions and no closure as his 14-year-old son is left with questions that will shape the rest of his life.

As the years turned into decades, Austin Stack and his family began searching for answers themselves. What they uncovered would lead them into a world of secret meetings, hidden truths and extraordinary claims.

Now, more than 40 years later, the story reaches another remarkable chapter as the Taoiseach prepares to address the case in the Dáil.

But how did a family denied answers for decades get this far?

Today on theIndo Daily, Kevin Doyle is joined by Austin Stack in this first of a two-part series – ‘I Know Who Murdered My Father’.

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Simon Harris’s much-hyped investment scheme is official, though there’s still some way to go before you can avail of it. But we’re not going to wait until next summer to analyse and scrutinise it.

Today's episode of The Indo Daily is brought to you by our sister podcast Money Talks, as Katie Byrne is joined by  Cian Carolan, managing director at DNG Financial Services, to tease out the forthcoming Personal Investment Account and discuss what you need to know ahead of time.

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The Burkes are back, but this time it's not Enoch grabbing the headlines, it's his sister Ammi.

In 2019, Ammi Burke was dismissed from her role at one of Ireland’s most prestigious law firms, Arthur Cox, after just over three years with the company.

Seven years, multiple legal battles and countless court appearances later, Ms Burke wants her job back. She and her former employer are facing off at the Workplace Relations Commission.

So, what exactly happened between the two sides? And why is a dispute that began years ago still rumbling on in court today?

On today’s The Indo Daily, Tessa Fleming is joined by court reporter Seán McCárthaigh as Ammi Burke takes on her old employer.

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Jeffrey Donaldson received a 15 year sentence in prison for his crimes. He was given 11 years for rape against Victim B and four years for all offences against Victim A, to be served consecutively.

The former MP and ex-DUP leader was sentenced in Newry Courthouse on Thursday morning.

However, later on Thursday after the Lady Chief Justice confirmed Donaldson will actually walk free in seven-and-a-half years.

That is because the crimes were committed before the law changed in 2008, so he will automatically be entitled to 50pc remission of his sentence.

He was found guilty of 18 child sex abuse charges, including rape, in June.

Donaldson is trying to win an appeal, and his denials were an aggravating factor in the sentencing.

However, as it stands, the 63-year-old will emerge from prison as a 78-year-old pensioner.

Ciarán Dunbar spoke to Allison Morris outside Newry Crown Court.

This podcast was edited at 17.05pm on Thursday October 15th, to reflect the new information regarding the length of time Donaldson will spend in jail.Jeffrey Donaldson has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for historical child sex crimes. The ex-DUP leader was sentenced to 11 years for rape against Complainant B and four years for all offences against Complainant A, to be served consecutively. He will also be on the sex offenders register indefinitely. This extra episode of The Indo Daily is brought to you by our sister podcast The BelTel, as Ciaran Dunbar speaks with Allison Morris outside Newry Crown Court.

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“I could hear screams like in a horror film – it will never leave my mind.”

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These are the stark words of an onlooker on the streets of the Birchwood estate in Waterford as a scene of devastation stood before them.

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Philip and Kim English, alongside their two children Callum (12) and Jayden (9), died following an arson attack on their house in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

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The family had been repeatedly intimidated, and their home targeted in connection with a drug debt – one that they themselves had nothing to do with.

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Now, four people are dead, and two children remain in hospital.

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A murder investigation is under way, and there is considerable fury amid the sorrow.

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On this episode of The Indo Daily, host Kevin Doyle is joined by Pádraig Byrne, senior journalist with the Irish Independent, to get the latest from Waterford.

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They collect millions in rent every year and own thousands of homes, but most Irish tenants have never heard of them.

From a former Anglo Irish banker to Galway plasterers, Ireland’s super-landlords have quietly built property empires worth hundreds of millions of euro.

So, who are the people shaping Ireland’s rental market, and how did they become some of the most powerful players in housing?

Today on the Indo Daily, Fionnán Sheahan is joined by Irish Independent features writer Kim Bielenberg and author and Crazy House Prices podcaster Ciarán Mulqueen to go behind the front door of Ireland’s landlord class.

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Four members of the same family died in a house fire in Waterford city in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

A murder investigation has been launched as the community reels from a devastating loss.

On this Extra episode of the Indo Daily, host Kevin Doyle is joined by Irish Independent crime correspondent Ken Foy as they report on this developing story.

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We’re now just hours away from a public sector strike that will bring disruption not seen in a generation. A row over public sector pay has brought more than 400,000 workers to the brink of industrial action, with teachers and nurse among those set to down tools on Wednesday.

So why aren’t the Government and the unions talking, and what would a strike on this scale mean for the country?

Host; Kevin Doyle, Guests; Donal O'Donovan and Aisling Moloney

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Public lotteries have been a popular going concern for centuries.  

The prospect of winning big with a low stake is undeniably attractive – it could be you, as the famous slogan goes.  

In a fast-paced, lifestyle-focused social media age, the lottery takes on an ever more enviable quality when you can scroll through video after video of happy jackpot winners enjoying their prizes.  

Such a strategy is key to the success of competition giveaway platforms like Ooosch, which has been operating in Ireland and the UK since the turn of the decade.  

But do outlets such as Ooosch represent a form of gambling?  

If so, is regulation required? And if not, why not?  

On this episode of The Indo Daily, host Fionnán Sheahan is joined by Irish Independent journalists John Meagher and Sean Pollock to examine the ever-changing face of public giveaways.  

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In recent weeks, the 2020 French hack into the secret gangster phone network Encrochat has continued to see Northern Ireland drug dealers sent to Maghaberry.Multiple prison sentences have been handed down to some significant figures from Northern Ireland’s criminal world. Gangsters like ‘cute hur’, ‘mint wind’ and ‘ultra gold’ are just some of those who went down after the notorious platform spilled its secrets.  Todays episode of The Indo Daily is brought to us by our sister podcast The BelTel as Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Belfast Telegraph’s crime correspondent Allison Morris.

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It was in April 1992 when Patrick 'Patsy' O'Sullivan called into his brother Jerry's home like it was any other day, but it’s a day that will forever remain etched in Jerry’s memory.

Patrick went missing from his home in Co Kerry that year, and despite extensive searches and emotional appeals, efforts to find him proved fruitless.

It would take the O'Sullivan family 34 years to find out the truth.

On today’sIndo Daily, Tessa Fleming is joined by Kerrymanjournalist Sinead Kelleher and by Jerry O'Sullivan, Patsy’s brother, to discuss his disappearance and how they eventually found out what happened to him.

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For a few hours, Budget 2027 appeared to have escaped without a major political banana skin. Then came the news that RTÉ would receive €20m less next year than it had expected, and suddenly the national broadcaster and the Government were at loggerheads.

RTÉ director general Kevin Bakhurst says the broadcaster had planned on the promised €260m, and has warned that some difficult decisions may now have to be made.

But Media Minister Patrick O'Donovan says he isn't satisfied with the pace of reform at Montrose, raising the question of whether RTÉ is effectively being punished for failing to change quickly enough.

So could the fallout ultimately mean cuts to programmes, sport or jobs, and what does this latest row tell us about the increasingly fraught relationship between Government and the national broadcaster?

On this Extra episode of The Indo Daily, Kevin Doyle is joined by Irish Independent political correspondent Conal Thomas to examine the €20m bombshell and ask what gets cut at RTÉ now.

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A mysterious death inside a secretive Russian plague laboratory has triggered international concern and some deeply uncomfortable questions.

As officials insist there is no wider threat, a sinister mix of rumours, misinformation and conspiracy theory is spreading almost as quickly as the story itself.

But Russia has a dark history with biological weapons, so when Moscow says everything is under control, how much can we really trust what we’re being told? And in a world still scarred by Covid, could the fear of another outbreak itself become a weapon?

Today on the Indo Daily, Kevin Doyle is joined by Irish Independent World News Editor Gareth O’Connor to ask what really happened inside that Russian lab, and whether the truth could be the hardest thing of all to contain.

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Former prince Andrew is mounting a legal challenge against the warrants that allowed police to raid his home in February. It’s the first time in nearly four centuries that a member of the Royal Family has launched a legal battle to stop criminal proceedings against them.   And while the legal claims have made headlines, Andrew has also been quietly welcomed back by Norfolk’s aristocratic set.  Does this mean his time in social isolation may be coming to an end?

Host; Fionnán Sheahan and Guests; Enda Brady and Jennie Bond

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This Extra episode of The Indo Daily is brought to you by our personal finance show Money Talks.

Budget 2027 is in the books, so it's time to do some calculations.

How much better – or worse – off are we?

Has the government done enough to ease Ireland's cost-of-living crisis?

On this episode, host Katie Byrne is joined by Charlie Weston, Saoirse Hanley and Sinead Ryan of the Irish Independent's business team to tot up the winners and losers of this year's major financial shake-up.

The Indo Dailyis part of the Trust Project. You can see our ethics policies at independent.ie/ourjournalism

The content of this podcast is for information purposes and does not constitute investment advice or recommendation of any investment product.

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With Irish house prices finally showing signs of slowing, could the seemingly relentless rise in property values be reaching a turning point? 

Higher interest rates, the cost-of-living squeeze and the limits of what buyers can afford are beginning to take some heat out of the market, with Richard Curran warning that “we’re reaching the ceiling of what we can put our hands on or borrow or repay”. 

But with demand still high and housing supply struggling to keep pace, does a slowdown really mean prices could start to fall, or are we simply entering a period where, as Richard puts it, “we could actually see prices flatline for a while”? 

And after more than a decade of rising values, what would falling house prices mean for first-time buyers, homeowners and the Government’s housing strategy? 

Richard also looks back to Budget 2007 and the uncomfortable parallels with today, when a booming economy and apparently healthy public finances masked the trouble that was to come. 

Twenty years on, billions are once again pouring into the Exchequer, this time through corporation tax, but Richard warns that “we haven’t put away enough of that money”. 

And after €160bn in corporation tax receipts over the past decade, he asks a striking question: “How did we allow ourselves to get into a situation where that’s even an issue?” 

Today on the Indo Daily, Fionnán Sheehan is joined by Irish Independent columnist Richard Curran to ask if Ireland’s housing boom is finally running out of road and whether, when it comes to the lessons of 2007, “we have learned that lesson” at all. 

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Artificial intelligence (AI) is already transforming the legal world, but could we really trust it to decide someone’s fate in court?

At the Kilkenny Law Festival, four leading AI models were asked to rule on a fictional but complex extradition case, complete with deliberately planted legal traps.

The results revealed just how convincing AI-generated judgments can appear, while also exposing some significant flaws in how the technology understands and applies the law.

Today on the Indo Daily, Fionnán Sheahan is joined by Irish Independent legal affairs editor Shane Phelan to examine the experiment and ask whether robot judges could one day become a reality.

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When Mark Little sold his news verification startup Storyful to Rupert Murdoch for $25m, he was summoned to the Australian's New York office.

"Let's go make some f***ing money," Murdoch told him, according to Little.

This episode of The Indo Daily is brought to you by our sister podcast The Big Tech Show, as former RTE anchorman-turned-entrepreneur talks in depth about his time running Twitter in Ireland, his challenges as a startup founder and what he thinks about the future of social media and AI.

https://www.independent.ie/service/why-you-can-trust-the-irish-independent/a/98708550.html

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Through his Press Up group, Paddy McKillen Jr built one of Ireland’s biggest hospitality empires, employing thousands of people across dozens of venues. The son of billionaire property developer Paddy McKillen Sr, he appeared to be building a formidable legacy of his own.  But last week, the High Court heard he had just €270 in a Revolut account, against liabilities of almost €28 million. So, how did it all unravel, and could he ever build again? 

Today on The Indo Daily, Fionnán Sheahan is joined by the Irish Independent’s Shane Phelan and John Burns to explore how Paddy McKillen Jr’s business empire came apart, and what might come next. 

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Everyone wants a piece of the budget pie – so what will Budget 2027 do for you?

With energy prices in turmoil, unfulfilled promises on childcare, soaring house prices and trade unions threatening strike action, expectations are building ahead of next Tuesday's announcement.

On today’sIndo Daily, Tessa Fleming is joined by political correspondent with theIrish Independent Aisling Moloney to examine how far the Government will go, what is off the table, and who, if anybody, could be in for a windfall.

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Today’s Indo Daily is brought to you by our sister podcast, Indo Sport. Irish Independent soccer correspondent Dan McDonnell joined the team to discuss the FAI’s appearance before the Oireachtas. Among the issues raised at Leinster House were safeguarding and governance, including the fallout surrounding Ireland’s recent match against Israel.

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Two people who swore affidavits connected to Conor McGregor’s appeal in the Nikita Hand civil rape case have now been charged with perjury.

Samantha O’Reilly and Steven Cummins had provided evidence that McGregor’s legal team initially intended to rely upon as part of his appeal, before that evidence was dramatically withdrawn.

The development brings a fresh legal twist to a case that has already attracted international attention. In today's Indo Daily, Fionnán Sheahan is joined by Irish Independent security correspondent Robin Schiller to explain who the couple are, what they are accused of and what happens next.

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Christy Kinahan Sr is on the move after being issued a tight deadline to leave the United Arab Emirates.

The 69-year-old has been forced to flee Dubai in the wake of a cancelled visa, and his options appear to be limited.

So, where to next for Kinahan Sr? And why does he no longer sport an Irish accent?

With Daniel Kinahan due back in court next week, is the Kinahan cartel collapsing in real time, or are rumours of its demise greatly exaggerated?

On this episode of The Indo Daily, host Katie Byrne is joined by Bellingcat researcher Connor Plunkett and Irish Independent security correspondent Robin Schiller to discuss the departure of the ‘Dapper Don’.

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There is a stalemate in Portadown and deep division in Stormont. On the Orange side, the issue is the rights of a small number of people to march their traditional route – backed by a legal ruling.  On the Garvaghy Road, a community feels that march is sectarian harassment - and a relic of another age.

This extra episode of The Indo Daily is brought to you by our colleagues at The BelTel as Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Sam McBride and Allison Morris and hears from Claire Dickson in Portadown, and from Andrew Madden in Stormont.

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Twenty-five years ago, Sunday World journalist Martin O’Hagan was shot dead as he walked home with his wife in Lurgan, Co Armagh.

A fearless investigative reporter who exposed the criminal underworld behind Northern Ireland’s paramilitaries, O’Hagan had made dangerous enemies on both sides, but no one has ever been convicted of his murder.

Joining Fionnán Sheehan on the Indo Daily is Sunday World Northern editor Richard Sullivan and Irish Independentspecial correspondent Paul Williams, as they remember their friend and colleague and examine why, 25 years on, his killing remains unsolved.

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Todays episode of The Indo Daily is brought to you by our sister podcast, The BelTel. Johnny Adair, commonly referred to as ‘Mad dog Adair’, was one the most well-known terror bosses of the Troubles. He said his war was aimed at the IRA, but innocent Catholics were more often than not his real victims. His C Company of the west Belfast UDA also turned their guns on their fellow loyalists. Who is Mad dog Adair, what does he believe, and how does he view his murderous reign? Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Aaron Edwards, a Senior Lecturer in Defence and International Affairs at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and author of ‘Enemies within: The explosive true story of Johnny ‘Mad dog’ Adair’.

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It's been seven turbulent months since it was confirmed that the Republic of Ireland would face Israel in the Uefa Nations League.

What began as a football fixture has since become one of the most divisive and politically charged moments in Irish sporting history.

Since the draw was announced in February, protests, campaigns and fierce public debate have intensified, with pressure mounting on all sides.

Just days ago, Republic of Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson sparked anger in Israel after saying his team would not be playing "with genocide, but against genocide" when the sides meet in Hungary on Sunday.

The controversy has also reached the players themselves as protesters gathered outside the squad's training base in Castleknock this week, urging the team not to fulfil the fixture.

Despite the growing scrutiny, the match is set to go ahead, albeit with a significantly scaled-back television broadcast.

So, have the Ireland players been placed in an impossible position?

And what can supporters expect when the teams finally take to the pitch?

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Cash, water, food, batteries and a wind-up radio - would you know what to do if a major emergency hit Ireland? 

The Government is sending its Be Emergency Ready booklet to two-million households as Russia intensifies its hybrid war against Europe. Are countries across the continent preparing their citizens for the worst? 

Today on the Indo Daily Kevin Doyle is joined by Donnacha Ó Beacháin, professor of politics at the School of Law and Government at DCU, and Conal Thomas, political correspondent with the Irish Independent, to ask whether Ireland is prepared for what could come next, while Donald Trump brings his own brand of unpredictability to the United Nations. 

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If you watched Louis Theroux’s documentary on the manosphere earlier this year, you should be familiar with a man by the name of Harrison Sullivan, or ‘HSTikkyTokky’ as he’s better known to his hundreds of thousands of online followers.  

Sullivan found himself in Dublin recently, hastily rescheduling a boxing event after his original choice of venue – the grounds of Dublin football club Bluebell United FC – abruptly cancelled the booking.  

Bluebell United has a long history, but recent events have placed it under a stark spotlight. In the past two years, the club has found itself linked to figures involved in drug dealing, debt judgements, an ownership switch and indeed – however briefly – the ever-controversial manosphere.  

On this episode of The Indo Daily, host Fionnán Sheahan is joined by Crime World journalists Alan Sherry and Neil Fetherstonhaugh to look at the curious case of Bluebell United. 

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 “We’ll forget her soon enough.” That is the extraordinary comment Charles Spencer, Princess Diana's brother, claims King Charles made in the days following her death. Now, Spencer’s new book has reignited old tensions and prompted a rare response from Buckingham Palace. Daily Mail features writer Fred Kelly joins Kevin Doyle on the Indo Daily to ask why Spencer is speaking out now, whether his claims stack up and what this latest royal row means for Diana’s enduring legacy.

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Two years after winning her civil case against Conor McGregor, Nikita Hand is telling her story in her own words. In her memoir Not the Perfect Victim, she writes about the assault, her battle for justice and the personal cost of becoming one of the most recognisable women in Ireland. Irish Independent writer Tanya Sweeney joins Fionnán Sheahan on the Indo Daily to share what she learnt from meeting Nikita Hand, and how she is trying to build a new life after the verdict.

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In September 1956, a schoolboy in County Down made a shocking discovery after peering into a hen house and locking eyes with a child.  

Those eyes belonged to seven-year-old Kevin Halfpenny – better known ever since as ‘the hen house boy’. 

Robbed of social interaction, Kevin seemed to have learned his behaviour from the chickens around him. His widowed mother Margaret Halfpenny was arrested and pleaded guilty to neglect.  

70 years later, we revisit a tragically human story that became overwhelmed by folklore.  

Host: Olivia Peden 

Guest: Kurtis Reid 

This episode of The Indo Daily is brought to you by our sister podcast The BelTel.  

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He was the man who presided over one of the country’s most turbulent events, when Ireland’s Celtic Tiger came crashing down. Now, a new book chronicling the political life of Brian Cowen has hit the shelves. Cowen's time as taoiseach was defined by the banking crash, the recession and the financial crisis that transformed the country. So, what led to the Offaly man's political rise? What light does this book shed on his time in Leinster house? And how will history remember the man who handled the bailout? On today’s Indo Daily, Tessa Fleming is joined by the Irish Independent’s Ireland editor, Fionnán Sheahan, to discuss Gary Murphy’s new book, Brian Cowen: Anatomy of a Taoiseach, and the crisis that defined his tenure.

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Ed Sheeran has built his career on being one of music's most likeable stars. But after rapper Macklemore was dropped from his US tour over pro-Palestinian comments, the singer is facing a backlash from fans, fellow artists and even members of his own touring team.

As support acts pull out and questions grow over free speech, politics and celebrity responsibility, Kevin Doyle is joined on the Indo Daily by the Irish Independent’s Dave Hanratty to examine whether this may be the biggest controversy of Sheeran's career and what it means for his carefully crafted image.

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Donald Trump may be back in the White House following his newsworthy trip to Dublin and Doonbeg, but his spirited call for a united Ireland continues to provoke intrigue.  

Micheál Martin may have moved to play down the "overreaction" but the subject will surely be on the agenda when the Taoiseach treks to Manchester for his first meeting with new UK prime minister Andy Burnham later this week.  

So, how will both leaders tackle Trump's green-tinted vision? And why was Sinn Féin slow to embrace the scenario?  

On this episode of The Indo Daily, host Fionnán Sheahan is joined by Irish Independent political correspondent Cónal Thomas, and by The Guardian chief reporter Daniel Boffey to assess the chaos Donald Trump has left in his wake, and just how much of a clean-up job the Taoiseach has on his hands.  

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Westlife are back in Dublin for a record-breaking 13-night residency at the 3Arena, 25 years after they first became Ireland's biggest musical export.

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From Sligo schoolboys to global chart stars, the band's story is one of extraordinary success, personal setbacks and remarkable longevity.

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Today on The Indo Daily, Fionnán Sheehan speaks to Aoife Rooney, features writer with the Irish Independent, and Eddie Rowley, showbiz editor with the Sunday World, to look at how Westlife survived boyband burnout, Brian McFadden's departure, bankruptcy, changing musical tastes and the collapse of the boyband era itself.

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Why are they still filling arenas in 2026 when so many of their rivals have faded away?

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Once Ireland's richest man, Seán Quinn has returned to tell his story once again, this time through his new podcast, The Quinn Files.

On today's Indo Daily, Fionnán Sheahan is joined by SundayIndependent’s Liam Collins and the Irish Independent’s Sean Pollock to examine Quinn's latest account of the events that transformed him from billionaire businessman to one of the most controversial figures of post-crash Ireland.

From the extraordinary success of the Quinn Group to the collapse of Anglo Irish Bank, prison and life after bankruptcy, they ask whether Quinn's latest intervention brings fresh insight or simply revisits a story the public already knows.

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Donald Trump has come and gone from Áras an Uachtaráin, but not without causing considerable consternation. The US president said he would “love” to see a united Ireland and suggested it “may as well happen now” because it is “going to happen eventually”. So what prompted his unexpected intervention, and could it have any impact on the debate over Ireland’s future?

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For almost 50 years, successive British governments have condemned Israel's illegal settlements in the occupied territories. 

But condemnation never translated into action, and the settlements continued to expand. 

So, why has Andy Burnham’s government finally chosen to flip the script and impose trade sanctions with the settlements? 

Meanwhile, in Israel, political pressure is mounting on prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. 

A newspaper report claims Netanyahu received intelligence warnings ahead of Hamas's October 7 attacks in 2023, but failed to pass that information on to Israel's security chiefs. 

With Israel edging closer to another election, fresh questions are being asked about his political future, and whether his grip on power can survive the growing scrutiny. 

On today’s Indo Daily, Tessa Fleming is joined by Sam Kiley, world affairs editor at the UK Independent and host of the World of Trouble podcast, and by Middle Eastern correspondent with The Economist, Gregg Carlstrom, to discuss the UK government’s seismic policy shift and to ask what the political future holds for Netanyahu. 

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Catherine Connolly has called Donald Trump volatile, a bully and a misogynist. Now, she must welcome him to Áras an Uachtaráin. So, what could possibly go wrong?

­Host: Kevin Doyle, Guests: Mary Regan and John Downing

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Donald Trump is returning to his west-Clare retreat and its luxury suites, championship golf and Atlantic Ocean views. But what's it really like behind the gates of Trump International, Doonbeg?

Is the experience worth the eye-watering price tag? And how much of the attraction is about world-class hospitality versus the power of the Trump brand?

Fionnán Sheehan is joined on The Indo Daily by Irish Independent business journalist John Mulligan and travel editor Pól Ó Conghaile to take a look inside Donald Trump's Irish playground, covering everything from planning disputes and environmental controversies to the locals who live alongside it - all ahead of Doonbeg hosting the Irish Open. 

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The fall of Lance Armstrong was intertwined with the similarly disgraced descent of his one-time American Postal teammate Floyd Landis.

Landis, having come from a unique rural and religious background, rose through the ranks to take the coveted Tour de France title for himself just one year after Armstrong stood adorned in the famous yellow jersey as a record-breaker en route to retirement and the continued adulation of millions who bought into his story of triumph over tragedy.

In time, both men would be exposed as doping cheats after Landis confessed to what many had suspected, and indeed accused of, for years – creating the domino effect that would ultimately bring Armstrong down.

Twenty years on from his tainted victory in 2006, Landis still has a lot to say, and the Sunday Independent's Paul Kimmage was on hand to hear it.

On the conclusion of a two-part Indo Daily special, we outline why Landis denied the truth for years, the fallout from his eventual admission, and how his story had to come all the way back to the start in order to find a new way forward.

Host: Fionnán Sheahan

Guest: Paul Kimmage

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Paul Kimmage's three-part 'Cheat or Be Cheated' documentary can be watched on the Irish Independent YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D54sDw_M1nw

And you can read the full 35,000-word transcript of his original 2010 interview with Floyd Landis here: https://nyvelocity.com/articles/interviews/landiskimmage/

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In 2006, American cyclist Floyd Landis reached the pinnacle of his career by winning the Tour de France, just one year after former teammate Lance Armstrong bowed out after a record-breaking seven wins at the same competition.

Just days after Landis's victory, however, he failed a drugs test. So began years of costly public denials and legal challenges until Landis finally confessed to the truth of his doping.

In doing so, he accused Armstrong of engaging in the same practices, breaking ranks to ultimately expose arguably the biggest controversy in the history of professional cycling.

Twenty years on from Landis's tainted Tour de France victory, Sunday Independent journalist Paul Kimmage travelled to Pennsylvania to reconnect with the man who blew the whistle on Lance Armstrong.

This first episode of a two-part Indo Daily special charts the meteoric rise of two very different athletes and personalities, and the incredible fall that followed.

Host: Fionnán Sheahan

Guest: Paul Kimmage

The Indo Daily is part of the Trust Project. See our ethics policies at independent.ie/ourjournalism

Paul Kimmage's three-part 'Cheat or Be Cheated' documentary can be watched on the Irish Independent YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D54sDw_M1nw

You can also read the full 35,000-word transcript of Paul's original 2010 interview with Floyd Landis here: https://nyvelocity.com/articles/interviews/landiskimmage/

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Today's episode of The Indo Daily is brought to you by our sister podcast The Big Tech Show, as Adrian Weckler is joined by Emanuel Maiberg, journalist and co founder of 404 Media, to explore how AI companies are buying up old and rare books for training data.

They discuss reports of books being physically cut apart and scanned, why obscure manuals and textbooks are particularly valuable to AI companies, and what could be lost when printed material is destroyed.

Maiberg also explains how 404 Media tracked a shipment using an AirTag and uncovered evidence of books being scanned and destroyed at an Amazon warehouse.

https://www.independent.ie/service/why-you-can-trust-the-irish-independent/a/98708550.html

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Andy Burnham may be new to the job in Number 10 Downing Street, but he's already found himself at the centre of a political row over one of the most sensitive issues on this island: Irish unity.

The British prime minister's unequivocal dismissal of any prospect of a border poll has reignited a long-running debate about who gets to decide Northern Ireland's future, and when that moment should come.

But strip away the politics, and one question remains: in an Ireland that's changing socially and demographically, would a vote for unity actually succeed?

Is there a genuine appetite for a united Ireland north and south of the Border?

And what can past referendums and reunification projects across Europe tell us about the challenges ahead?

On today’s Indo Daily, Tessa Fleming is joined by the Irish Independent's John Downing to examine the question that has shaped Irish politics for generations: could a border poll actually deliver a united Ireland?

The Indo Daily is part of The Trust Project. You can see our ethics policies atindependent.ie/ourjournalism

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The night of October 11, 2025 was meant to be one of celebration in the north Cork town of Doneraile. Locals gathered to mark a GAA victory, continuing their festivities into the night. However, over the next few hours tensions began to rise on the town's Main Street. A short time later, local postman and father-of-five Barry Daly was beaten to death with a golf club outside his own home. Now, 21-year-old Alex Deady has been sentenced to life in prison for his murder. 

Kevin Doyle is joined by Irish Independent southern correspondent Ralph Riegel to examine how a community celebration descended into a brutal killing.

Please note: this episode features discussion of graphic violence.

Host: Kevin Doyle | Guest: Ralph Riegel

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Gerry ‘The Monk’ Hutch’s son, Jason, is facing extradition from Spain to Ireland over alleged money laundering offences. Until now, the 37-year-old has largely remained outside the public eye and has no criminal record. So, who is Jason Hutch, and what role do authorities allege he played within the Hutch organisation?

Fionnán Sheahan is joined by Irish Independent special correspondent Paul Williams and multimedia reporter Darragh Nolan to examine his case and the next generation of the Hutch family.

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Katie Taylor has spent 25 years making boxing history.  This weekend, she will also make a fortune.

The Bray boxer was just 15 when she won her first competitive fight. Now, after Olympic gold, world titles and a career that transformed women’s boxing, she is preparing for one final contest, in the one venue that has always eluded her: a sold-out Croke Park.

So, how big will Taylor’s final payday be? And as the curtain comes down, just how much is Ireland’s greatest boxer worth?

Today on The Indo Daily, Katie Bryne is joined by senior features writer John Meagher to count the cost of Katie Taylor’s extraordinary career and look ahead to her last dance on her biggest stage yet.

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Mark Zuckerberg has survived scandal after scandal, and Meta has now agreed to an $18bn settlement that keeps him out of the witness box. The landmark lawsuit accused Meta of deliberately designing addictive features that harmed children’s mental health. But will the deal force real change at the tech giant. Fionnán Sheahan is joined by Irish Independent Tech Editor Adrian Weckler, to examine Meta’s deal, Zuckerberg’s reinvention and why he has bought gothic an Irish castle.

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Dave Rupert is at least six and half foot tall, he was a middle-aged trucker from Chicago and had no Irish links. Incredibly, Rupert was also recruited as an FBI spy at the very heart of dissident republicanism. This episode of The Indo Daily is brought to you by our sister podcast The BelTel. This podcast was first published in December 2025. 

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Seven years ago, 41-year-old Icelandic man Jon Jonsson arrived in Dublin ahead of a 10-day trip.

A poker enthusiast, Mr Jonsson was set to take part in a tournament, one that offered illicit sides games, if one were looking to partake.

That first night in Dublin, he bought into one of those illicit games and walked away €4,000 out of pocket.

The next morning, he walked out of the Bonnington Hotel in Dublin, lit a cigarette and rounded the corner, walking towards Whitehall and was never seen again.

Despite years of investigations, extensive searches and appeals, no trace of Mr Jonsson has ever been found.

Now, seven years on, gardaí have identified a person of interest in the case.

However, this individual is refusing to talk.

On today’s Indo Daily, Tessa Fleming is joined by Sunday Independentsenior news journalist Ali Bracken to discuss the disappearance of Jon Jonsson and the latest developments in this long-running case.

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At around midnight on August 5 2025, the lifeless body of Irish woman Martha Nolan-O’Slatarra was discovered on a boat docked at a marina in the exclusive Montauk Yacht Club in the US. Originally from Co Carlow, the 33-year-old entrepreneur had moved to New York ten years previously and was forging a successful career in sunglasses and swimwear design.

Earlier that evening, Martha had arranged to meet with millionaire investor Christopher Durnan to discuss how her business was going. In an interview last year, Durnan’s lawyer claimed that his client told police that Martha suddenly went limp between 10.30pm and 11pm and that he thought she was having a heart attack.

According to witnesses, Durnan was seen at around midnight, running naked through the marina, screaming for help. On the first anniversary of Martha’s tragic death, her family filed a wrongful death proceedings for $50 million against Christopher Durnan.

Their lawyers have stated that the results of an independent postmortem examination commissioned by the Nolan family is at odds with the one carried out by the state of New York and their summons is seeking damages for wrongful death and for the personal injuries and conscious pain and suffering that Martha sustained before her death.

On Tuesday, legal filings made on Mr Duran’s behalf revealed that James E Mercante, of New York law firm Gallo Vitucci Klar, will be appearing as his lawyer in the case.

Mr Mercante specialises in commercial and recreational admiralty consultation and litigation, marine insurance coverage, transportation disputes, arbitration and appeals.

The New York City-based maritime lawyer has handled such high-profile cases as the sinking of the Kandi Won in Oyster Bay, New York, on July 4, 2012, in which three children drowned, and the 2014 case in which a powerboat struck a barge moored at the Tappan Zee Bridge on the Hudson River in New York, killing two people.

Lawyers for Ms Nolan-O’Slatarra’s family filed a “Summons with Notice” in New York County on three weeks ago on August 4, seeking damages for “wrongful death” as well as damages for the “personal injuries and conscious pain and suffering” she sustained before her death.

According to court documents, the actions arise from events that took place on August 4 and 5 last year aboard a vessel docked at the Star Island Yacht Club at 32 Star Island Road in Montauk, New York.

Today on The Indo Daily, Catherine Fegan , Special Correspondent for the Irish Independent, joins Tessa Fleming to discuss the latest developments in the case.

We want to earn your trust and are members of the Trust Project. See our ethics policies at independent.ie/ourjournalism

This podcast description was edited on 1pm on Thursday August 27th to include details regarding the boat accident specialist. This is not featured in the podcast discussion, however.

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They’re coming home.  

Having sent shockwaves through the British royal family and beyond back in 2020 by swapping out gilded titles for the California sunshine, Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, have once again stolen headlines thanks to their shock imminent return to the UK.  

Why the move? Well, that's the question of the day.  

In the absence of a clarifying statement, speculation about the homecoming is rampant, with the rumour mill grinding together everything from their children's education to potential familial reconciliation to a return to acting.  

One thing is for certain, though: it won't be a quiet, clandestine comeback.  

“I reported [on the royals] all through the Nineties, and that’s when we first started calling the royal family a soap opera, and now we’re kind of back there again,” says former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond on the Indo Daily.  

“There are going to be headlines everywhere, as far as I can see, for the next few months about Harry and Meghan and the royal family, but not the kind of headlines that the rest of the royal family would want.”

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The fallout continues from the horrific crash on the M9 motorway two Sundays ago.

Three sisters – Niamh Kinsella, Alma Kinsella, Ella Hendricken, and a seven-year-old boy – remain in hospital.

Five young men – Jeremy O'Brien, Alex McCarthy, Joe Carthy, Kamil Pustkowski, and Jack Kennedy - lost their lives.

The incident captured the attention and emotions of the nation. Concern, alarm, fear, outrage – all have been thoroughly expressed in recent days.

Now, as the five teenage boys are laid to rest, a similar incident in England has provoked fresh anxiety, after a wrong-way car crash near Middlesbrough in the early hours of Saturday morning left seven people dead, including two police officers.

On this episode of The Indo Daily, host Fionnán Sheahan is joined by Irish Independent journalist Conor Feehan to look at the latest from the M9 crash, and by Irish Independent features writer Kim Bielenberg to examine the scourge of joyriding in society over the years.

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As criminal underworld nicknames go, ‘The Milkman’ certainly stands out.

The moniker may conjure cartoonish imagery, but the reality was quite simple – Brian Brendan Wright always delivered.

Having swapped out Cork for London at the age of 12, Wright grew up in a working-class Irish community before carving out a distinctive personality for himself.

In time, he would boast quite the collection of acquaintances, rubbing shoulders with celebrity names like Frank Sinatra, Clint Eastwood and Michael Caine, while also emerging as a well-respected “gentleman gangster” in the criminal underworld.

And so it was that when a suspicious yacht anchored in Cobh, Co Cork, on a stormy September night in 1996, investigators eventually found themselves on the trail of The Milkman.

On this episode of The Indo Daily, host Kevin Doyle is joined by Irish Independent southern correspondent Ralph Riegel to look at how an Irish expat built a global drugs empire and how it all came spilling down around him.

The Indo Daily is part of the Trust Project. You can see our ethics policies at independent.ie/ourjournalism

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This episode is brought to you by our sister podcast Money Talks. New episodes land every Wednesday.

Regular listeners to Money Talks will know that the show has always focused on the personal side of personal finance. Now we’re really putting our money where our mouth is with our new Money Makeover series.

Financial expert Cian Carolan joins Katie Byrne to apply the actionable advice from Money Talks to real-life circumstances faced by our listeners.

On this episode, he focuses on a couple with very different saving styles – and a looming time crisis on their pension pot.

Host: Katie Byrne | Guest: Cian Carolan

The content of this podcast is for information purposes and does not constitute investment advice or recommendation of any investment product.

We want to earn your trust and are members of the Trust Project. See our ethics policies atindependent.ie/ourjournalism

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Five teenagers dead, three sisters and a seven-year-old boy seriously injured, and a wave of public outrage in the wake of the horrific wrong-way crash on the M9 motorway last weekend.

In the days since, the tragedy has sparked a huge amount of anger and debate around youth crime, garda powers, social media and even the role of parents.

Has this incident exposed a much bigger problem in Irish society?

And are we witnessing an unprecedented social reckoning unfold?

On this Extra episode of The Indo Daily, host Fionnán Sheahan is joined by Kevin Doyle, executive editor with theIrish Independent and group head of news at Mediahuis Ireland, to examine the public, police and political reaction to a story that continues to dominate the news agenda.

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The Sand and Sage motel in Odessa, Texas was the kind of rough outpost that attracted lonesome drifters and hard drinkers.

In other words, if you were of a sensitive disposition or simply happened to wander off the beaten track, it was probably best if you found somewhere else to bed down for the night.

By the early 1980s, Odessa was regarded as the murder capital of the United States. And so, the discovery of a body, bound and beaten, in a blood-soaked room at the Sand and Sage wasn’t all that shocking to the local authorities.

However, there was one piece that didn’t fit. The victim - Father Patrick Ryan.

One man would answer for this brutal crime. The wrong man.

On this episode of The Indo Daily, host Fionnán Sheahan is joined by Allison Clayton, deputy director of the Innocence Project of Texas, and by Deborah Esqeunazi, director of the documentary Night in West Texas, to look at a vicious murder of an Irish priest, a miscarriage of justice and a cold case that keeps raising questions.

This episode was first released in April 2026

The Indo Daily is part of the Trust Project. You can see our ethics policies at independent.ie/ourjournalism

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It was supposed to be an oral record of the Troubles, made by those who were there.

Initially, the ‘Boston Tapes’ project seemed like a good idea, albeit one which would unavoidably include descriptions of violence and terror.

The concept was simple – former paramilitaries would be interviewed; the tapes would then be kept in storage, and their stories only revealed after the interviewees' deaths.

However, it became clear that the scheme was flawed and that the recordings were not as secret as participants had assumed.

Earlier this year, the Belfast Telegraph revealed that the Boston College tapes archive has been formally closed - and will remain shut for 75 years from when it was first created.

On this episode, host Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Belfast Telegraph reporter, Andrew Madden, to look at what went wrong with the project and why the records have been sealed.

This episode is brought to you by our sister podcast The BelTel and was first released in April 2026.

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Carrie Jade Williams. Sadie Harris. Lucy Fitzwilliams. Jade Cookes. Samantha Black. Rebecca Fitzgerald. 

These are just some of the fabricated identities used by serial con artist Samantha Cookes. 

In 2024, her Walter Mitty-style life finally collapsed as online communities, journalists and a WhatsApp group of victims cross-referenced the inconsistencies in her story, joining the dots that authorities had missed. 

In March 2025, Samantha Cookes was jailed for three years for deception and theft. 

Yet her story keeps getting fresh chapters. 

On this episode of The Indo Daily, host Katie Byrne is joined by Alan Bradley, documentary filmmaker and author of Unmasking Samantha Cookes: The Many Lives of a Serial Fraudster, to discuss the breadth and the impact of an incredible deception.

This episode of The Indo Daily was first released in May 2026

The Indo Daily is part of the Trust Project. You can see our ethics policies at independent.ie/ourjournalism

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The five teenage boys killed in a horror crash when their car was driven the wrong way on the M9 motorway were all aged between 15 and 18 years of age.

Post-mortem examinations will now be carried out on the bodies of Joey Carthy (15) and Jack Kennedy (17) from Athy, Co Kildare; Alex McCarthy (17) and his cousin Jeremy O’Brien (18) from Carlow; and Kamil Pustkowski (17) from Limerick.

The teenagers, including some members of the so-called Lucky Dip gang, were killed when the stolen BMW car they were driving sped the wrong way down the M9 motorway and ploughed head-on into another vehicle.

Three women and a seven-year-old boy who were travelling in the other Hyundai vehicle were hospitalised with injuries ranging from serious to critical following the early-morning smash on Sunday.

The women and child were on their way to Dublin Airport at the time of the crash which occurred shortly after 3am near Moone, Co Kildare, on the northbound lane.

Gardaí believe that the five juveniles were travelling in a suspected stolen BMW and are alleged to have been involved in a burglary and attempted break-ins in Carlow and Athy, Co Kildare, before the fatal smash.

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Robert Sangster later recounted how he then poured himself a ‘generous glass’ of Roederer Cristal champagne, “and I inhaled it as if it was draft lager, and I kept on saying over and over, ‘I like it John. I like it. I really like it.’”

It sounds like a scene from a film where the plot is about to go into overdrive.

For the young John Magnier, it was the eureka moment.

But how exactly did he set a cunning plan in motion that would pave the way for his envious billionaire bloodstock empire? What did he see in America that Ireland sorely lacked? And, given his recent and chastening high-profile defeat in court, what is the ultimate legacy for the man who changed horse-racing in this country forever?

On this episode of The Indo Daily, Fionnán Sheahan is joined by Sunday Independent journalist Liam Collins to profile the early days of Magnier and examine how one of our most intriguing and reclusive figures built his fortune.

This episode of The Indo Daily was first released in January 2026

The Indo Daily is part of the Trust Project. You can see our ethics policies at independent.ie/ourjournalism

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Ireland sits at the heart of the world’s digital economy, with most transatlantic data cables passing through or close to its waters. But is Ireland prepared to protect the infrastructure that keeps businesses, banks and public services connected? Today's episode of The Indo Daily is brought to you by The Big Tech Show, as Adrian Weckler is joined by Fearghal O’Connor, Chief Business Writer with the Irish Independent, to examine growing concerns over Ireland’s maritime security. 

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“I would class it as a form of grooming, that day in 2016 when we met at the GPA dinner and he gave me his whole life story. He was setting me up for the future and he put me into his diary, and he hit me up seven years after.”

The words of businessman Noel Tynan, who loaned DJ Carey €10,000 for what he claimed was life-saving cancer treatment in America.

But how did DJ’s stories about his health make it into the mainstream media?

And what about DJ’s former partner Sarah Newman? How did she find out about his lies?

Today on The Indo Daily, we bring you the final episode of our DJ Carey series and look at how his lies finally caught up with him, but there would be a last-minute twist to the story that nobody saw coming...

This episode of The Indo Daily was first released in November 2025.

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It’s the mid-2000s and hurler DJ Carey is still playing at the top of his game for Kilkenny.

He’s divorced from his wife Christine but is in a new relationship with the multi-millionaire Dragons’ Den star, Sarah Newman.

They’re one of the Celtic Tiger’s golden couples, and Carey is fast becoming famous for his off-the-pitch activities. He is living the high life, owning several properties in some of the most exclusive addresses in Ireland and abroad.

But not everything was as perfect as it appeared. The financial crash of 2008 hit the country hard, and Carey was not immune to the global meltdown.

His businesses were coming under strain, as was his relationship with Sarah Newman, and soon stories about Carey’s health would circulate privately - stories that Carey would tell sympathetic people as he convinced them to part with their money.

Today on The Indo Daily, we bring you the second episode from our special three-part documentary on the rise and fall of DJ Carey.

This episode of The Indo Daily was first released in November 2025.

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If you asked people to name the biggest stars in Irish sporting history, Rory McIlroy, Katie Taylor and Brian O’Driscoll would be at the top of many lists – and, up until recently, many people would have gone for hurling legend DJ Carey.

The former Kilkenny and GAA icon is no longer famous for his sporting prowess alone.

Instead, he is currently serving a prison sentence for fraud and deception that nobody could have predicted just a few years ago. But how did DJ Carey go from a titan of Ireland’s favourite game to a convicted criminal?

Today on The Indo Daily we bring you the first episode from our special three-part documentary on the rise and fall of DJ Carey.

This episode of The Indo Daily was first released in November 2025.

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“Everybody was interested in the case, and everybody wanted to know what was happening.”

That’s former RTÉ legal affairs editor Mary Wilson's recollection of reporting live on the Catherine Nevin trial back in 2000, after the violent killing of publican Tom Nevin in March 1996.

“I’d walk from the Four Courts to Tara Street to get a Dart home in the evenings, and people were shouting at me out of car windows and shouting at me from trucks: ‘Any sign of a verdict? What’s going on?’," Wilson says.

The media sensation that accompanied the trial was unlike anything Ireland had seen before. Speaking on the Indo Daily podcast, Wilson remembers someone describing it as like having a novel read aloud to you in court.

And that was before Catherine Nevin herself took to the stand.

“To say she wasn’t a good witness in her own defence is an understatement,” says Wilson. “[It was] all so bizarre that you look back on it and say; ‘What was she thinking?’.”

On the second episode of this two-part Indo Daily special, host Fionnán Sheahan is joined in-studio by Mary Wilson as they look back at how one of the country’s most notorious murder cases gripped the nation, and ask: why do we remain so fascinated with the ‘Black Widow’ today?

This episode of The Indo Daily was first released in March 2026.

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Daniel Kinahan sounded bemused when he described the frenzy around his life as “movie stuff”, but the scenes that accompanied his trip back to Ireland were undeniably cinematic.

A trip on a €53m government jet that was tracked by the public in real-time, a ring of steel around parts of Dublin as he was escorted in a bomb-proof convoy, and a long-awaited appointment at the Criminal Courts of Justice.

Perhaps the most surprising aspect, however, was the alleged criminal kingpin’s affable back and forth with the judge.

So, where does Daniel Kinahan go from here?

The Irish Independent’s news and security correspondent, Robin Schiller, was present to see it all unfold. He joins host Kevin Doyle on this Extra episode of The Indo Dailyto break it down.

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At around 4.30am on March 19, 1996, a panic alarm alerted gardaí to a disturbance at Jack White’s Inn near Brittas Bay in Co Wicklow.

Arriving at the scene, the guards discovered Tom Nevin dead in the kitchen of his pub in what initially appeared to be a robbery gone wrong.

The place was in disarray and Mr Nevin had been shot dead at close range.

His wife, Catherine Nevin, was found nearby, behind the hall door of the pub, her hands tied with a dressing gown cord.

She would claim that a hooded man had threatened her with a weapon as she slept, tied her up, ransacked the area in search of money and valuables, and murdered her husband in the process.

One part of her story would turn out to be true – her husband was indeed murdered, but his grieving widow was not the innocent bystander she claimed to be.

Thirty years on from the killing, host Fionnán Sheahan is joined by Mary Wilson, former RTÉ legal affairs editor and host of Drivetime and Morning Ireland, on the first of a two-part Indo Daily special to look back at the emergence of one of Ireland’s most notorious criminals; The Black Widow.

This episode of The Indo Daily was first released in March 2026.

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‘Work/life balance’ is a phrase that gets thrown about a lot – but what does it really mean? And how far would you be willing to go to achieve that balance in reality? Today's episode of The Indo Daily is brought to you by our sister podcast Money Talks, as Katie Byrne is joined by Anne Sheeran, a ‘de-influencer’ who put her money where her mouth is by taking a pay cut that allowed her to work a four-day week. 

Sheeran shares updates on her lifestyle and the challenges posed by her schedule on her TikTok and Instagram accounts. She tells Katie why she'd choose a four-day work week over a luxury seven-day trip with her family.

The content of this podcast is for information purposes and does not constitute investment advice or recommendation of any investment product.

The Indo Daily is part of the Trust Project. You can see our ethics policies at independent.ie/ourjournalism

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Daniel Kinahan is languishing behind bars in Dubai as he awaits extradition to Ireland, but the exiled cartel boss is speaking out – as a podcast guest.

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Having famously teased a previous audio sit-down with Kinahan that never made it to air, broadcaster James English insists he finally has a world exclusive, and a box-office one at that.

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English has released snippets of the apparently forthcoming interview, in which Kinahan states that he believes he’s “already got life in prison”, that he expects to receive “character assassination”, and that he doesn’t have “a hope of getting a fair trial”.

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Kinahan also alluded to potential attempts on his life while in custody.

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On this episode of The Indo Daily, host Katie Byrne is joined by Crime World journalist Neil Fetherstonhaugh to look at how a PR machine runs in the criminal underworld, and Daniel Kinahan’s latest attempt to control his narrative.

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Michael Fingleton was one of the most controversial figures of the Celtic Tiger. As the longtime boss of Irish Nationwide, he oversaw reckless lending that ultimately left taxpayers with a €5.4 billion bill. But was he simply the face of a wider banking culture, or the true "baddie of the bailout"? Deputy Business Editor John Burns joins Dave Hanratty to examine the man behind one of Ireland's most infamous banking collapses.

We want to earn your trust and are members of the Trust Project. See our ethics policies at independent.ie/ourjournalism

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The seizure last week of a bomb containing almost 400g of Semtex plastic explosive has put the New IRA back on to the front pages after a lull in violence.

Two people connected to the political group Saoradh have been charged in relation to the incident.

The sophisticated device has fuel fears that the group has gained access to fresh stocks of military-grade explosives.

The New IRA has been long been associated with but the group also has a presence in Dublin.

Who are the New IRA and what are they capable of?

Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Robin Shiller, News and Security Correspondent with the Irish Independent.

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Just a heads-up – this episode contains references to alleged sexual assault and may not be suitable for everyone, so please take care when listening.

Jared Leto is an Oscar winner, a rock star, a cult leader and now the focus of serious questions.

The 54-year-old has been seen onscreen in the likes of Fight Club, American Psycho, and Blade Runner 2049, while also finding the time to tour the world with his band Thirty Seconds to Mars.

But a BBC investigation has revealed an array of allegations against the actor, with a new documentary presenting the accounts of 10 different accusers.

The allegations against Leto span more than a decade and include claims of sexual assault, grooming and inappropriate behaviour with underage girls.

Leto has categorically denied the claims.

Is his gilded career in jeopardy or is the Hollywood of 2026 more comfortable overlooking such a scandal?

On this episode of The Indo Daily, host Kevin Doyle is joined by Alice McShane, director of BBC documentary Jared Leto: Hollywood's Dark Secret, to hear how the investigation came together, and by the Irish Independent'sDave Hanratty to look at Jared Leto's career to date.

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Artificial intelligence is fuelling a stock market boom unlike anything seen before, with tech giants spending trillions in a race to dominate AI. But what if the hype doesn't live up to the promise? Kevin Doyle is joined by Irish Independent columnist Richard Curran to ask whether we're watching the next financial bubble inflate, and what an AI crash could mean for Ireland's jobs, economy and future.

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Why do good people cheat? This episode of The Indo Daily is brought to you our sister podcast Just Between us with Jennifer Zamparelli.  On this episode Jen sits down with psychotherapist Dr. Richard Hogan to talk about the messy reality of infidelity and why it’s rarely as simple as right or wrong. They chat about attachment styles, midlife, rebuilding trust, and whether a relationship can ever come back from betrayal.

Listeners note; Competition entries are now closed for tickets to our live podcast recording.

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Jim O'Callaghan is a politician with leadership ambitions and a reform agenda.

But in his bid to overhaul Ireland's legal system, he has picked a high-stakes fight with a formidable adversary: the lawyers of Ireland.

It has been a month since solicitors withdrew their services in a deepening row over criminal legal aid fees, and tensions look to be escalating.

At the heart of the controversy is a new flat-fee payment model introduced by the Justice Minister, which he argues is necessary to control the spiralling cost of legal aid.

For O'Callaghan, the stakes could hardly be higher. The minister has made the legal reform a cornerstone of his leadership ambitions.

A victory could bolster his credentials as a future Fianna Fáil leader, but a stalemate could turn into a political crisis.

And while the political battle intensifies, it is those seeking access to justice who may be paying the highest price.

On today’sIndo Daily, Tessa Fleming is joined by two of theIrish Independent’spolitical team, Mary Regan and John Downing, to unpack the growing dispute, the political stakes and what it could mean for the future of the man at its centre.

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Word on the street is that Daniel Kinahan is suddenly being prepped for extradition from Dubai.

The 49-year-old could be back in Ireland in a number of weeks, likely prompting one of the biggest security operations in the recent history of the State.

So, what awaits Kinahan when he finally arrives home?

On this Extra episode of The Indo Daily, host Fionnán Sheahan is joined by Eimear Rabbitt, news editor with Crime World, who breaks down the latest developments on this fast-moving story.

The Indo Daily is part of the Trust Project. You can see our ethics policies at independent.ie/ourjournalism

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Five activists. One defence company. €1 million in alleged damage. An Irish man now faces up to five years in prison in a German trial that's raising difficult questions about protest, civil disobedience and the limits of the law. Kevin Doyle examines the Ulm Five case with BBC journalist Bethany Bell and Daniel Tatlow-Devally's father, Conor Devally.

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Academy Award-winning artist and leader of The Frames, Glen Hansard, has died at the age of 56.

The renowned singer-songwriter was killed in a motorcycle crash in Dublin in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Once the news broke, tributes quickly followed – Hansard was a hugely popular figure, not just in the Irish music scene, but also on the international stage.

On this Extra episode of The Indo Daily, host Fionnán Sheahan is joined by senior features writer and music critic at the Irish independent John Meagher to look back on the life of Glen Hansard.

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A “significant” bomb built for “catastrophic” damage, and a suspected plot to bring violence to the streets of Derry.

It was the stuff of Ireland’s past, but events last week clearly illustrated that it is also Ireland’s present. The foiling of an alleged New IRA plot to detonate a bomb was a stark reminder of the dissident republican activity that quietly continues on both sides of the border. 

At the heart of the case are two suspects: Simon O’Donovan (44), an employee at the National Museum in Collins Barracks, and Isobella Perrie Sullivan (25), a law student.  

On this episode of The Indo Daily, host Fionnán Sheahan is joined by Ken Foy, crime correspondent at the Irish Independent, to look at how the plot was uncovered – and what comes next. 

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The famous residents of an exclusive suburb just outside Barcelona have included footballers like Gerard Pique and Andres Iniesta, and international pop stars like Shakira. Recent World Cup winner Lamine Yamal is currently enjoying the spoils of a multi-million euro purchase there.

But a German businessman’s address in the neighbourhood has now scuppered his chance of application to be declared bankrupt in Ireland.

Last year, 44-year-old former convict Denis Melcher, who had amassed debts of close to €8m, convinced Ireland’s High Court to adjudicate him bankrupt.

As part of this process, Melcher submitted a sworn statement in which he declared that he was living in a modest rental home in Carlow.

However, at the time, Melcher was secretly spending €8,500 per month to lease a four-storey mansion overlooking Barcelona, with an option to purchase the property for €2.6m.

The revelation has raised fears that the Irish bankruptcy regime is now seen as an easy target for foreign nationals looking to shed colossal debts.

On this episode of The Indo Daily, host Fionnán Sheahan is joined by Irish Independent Legal Affairs Editor Shane Phelan to examine the implications of this curious case.

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Amy Winehouse’s time at the top was brief, but her impact was anything but.

With era-defining tracks like Rehab and Back to Black, she laid bare her life through brutally honest songwriting, delivered in a voice that was as soulful as it was unforgettable.

But alongside the awards and global success came something darker.

Winehouse’s rapid ascent was shadowed by addiction, relentless scrutiny, and a tabloid culture that often seemed to feed off her struggles.

And the media machine didn’t stop after Amy Winehouse tragically passed away aged just 27; if anything, it found new gears to crank up.

Her death, though tragic, was not altogether unexpected for those who had watched her very public battle play out in real time.

Fifteen years on, is the entertainment industry more protective of its stars?

On this episode of The Indo Daily, host Tessa Fleming is joined by Phil Udell, music lecturer at Ballyfermot College of Further Education and artist manager with Word Up Collective, and by Ian Winwood, music journalist and author of Bodies: Life and Death in Music, to look at the legacy of Amy Winehouse.

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On a spring morning in June 2001, an eight-year-old girl gathered moss for her grandmother’s hanging baskets in a forest near Ballinamore in Co Leitrim. The child let out a scream: she had discovered a body.  The remains belonged to Enniskillen businessman Gerry McGinley, and it was clear that he been murdered.  He had been killed by his own wife Julie and her lover.  But it wasn’t a simple tale of adultery. It involved hotel sex with strangers, lies, blackmail and videotape – and included many prominent people in Fermanagh.

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Today's Indo Daily was originally released on April 14, 2026, and is brought to you by our sister podcast The Bel Tel, as Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Andrew Madden.

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