Jack Horgan-Jones and Jennifer Bray join Hugh to look back on the week in politics: Sinn Féin announced it would not send representatives to Washington for St Patrick's Day, in protest over the proposed "mass expulsion of the Palestinian people from their homes and the permanent seizure of Palestinian lands". Should the Government provide tax break…

Ireland have shuffled the pack ahead of the trip to Cardiff to take on Wales this Saturday. Dan Sheehan captains in place of the injured Caelan Doris, while Jamie Osborne gets a run out at fullback. Irish Times rugby correspondent Gerry Thornley joins Nathan Johns to pick through the team selection and what it means for the weekend. Are there any a…

The recent election and appointments to cabinet were a step backwards for gender representation in Irish politics. On today's podcast Hugh and Jennifer are joined by Aldagh McDonogh, chairperson of Women for Election, to talk about why Ireland has among the lowest proportion of female elected politicians in Europe. The conversation covers the histo…

After the first fallow weekend, the Six Nations kicks back into gear this week with Ireland travelling to Cardiff. However, across the first two rounds of the tournament, Ireland have ranked second bottom of all six teams for lineout success rate. This fits in with the narrative of the Irish coaches battling to fix a set-piece which hasn’t always f…

Micheál Martin's recent signalling of a possible policy shift regarding Rent Pressure Zones (RPZs) has put housing policy back in the spotlight. On today's podcast Hugh discusses the evolving housing policy landscape with Michael Byrne, a housing researcher at UCD. Michael explains the limitations and impacts of RPZs on affordability and supply, an…

Pat Leahy and Jennifer Bray join Hugh for our weekly Irish politics wrap: Did Taoiseach Micheál Martin call Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald a liar, in breach of arcane Dáil rules? Our panel of lapsed Gaeilgeoirí struggle to analyse the linguistic nuances of what Martin said, but identify an underlying political attitude. Minister for the Arts Pa…

This week brought the news that Warren Gatland is no longer head coach of Wales. Given their recent 14-match losing run, that Gatland could not continue will be no surprise to many, but the timing, coming midway through the Six Nations, has raised questions. Simon Thomas is a Welsh rugby journalist. He joins Nathan Johns to explain where it all wen…

Support for Irish unity has grown significantly in the past three years in Northern Ireland, though a clear majority remains in favour of remaining part of the United Kingdom, according to the latest opinion poll for The Irish Times and the ARINS Project. On today’s Inside Politics podcast Hugh Linehan is joined by political editor Pat Leahy and Br…

Gordon D’Arcy and John O’Sullivan join Nathan Johns to pick through Ireland’s comfortable victory over Scotland at Murrayfield. Are Ireland the most psychologically resilient side in the Six Nations? Will Scotland ever get over their Irish hoodoo? Might things have looked different if Finn Russell and Darcy Graham avoided injury? The panel explain …

It is just three weeks since Donald Trump was inaugurated but his impact has been huge. A flurry of executive orders and aggressive actions is already reshaping American life. On today's podcast Hugh discusses the Trump presidency with conservative commentator Michael Brendan Dougherty. The conversation covers Dougherty's evolving views on Trump, t…

Harry McGee and Jack Horgan-Jones join Hugh Linehan on today’s Inside Politics podcast to discuss the week in politics: · Letters from Independent TDs to to Ceann Comhairle Verona Murphy stating they will support the Government on a “case-by-case” basis has brough the true size of the coalition’s majority into question. · The speculation around pic…

Ireland have not lost to Scotland since 2017, but it seems every year since then the Scots feel closer and closer to ending their hoodoo. Will this year finally be their time? Nigel Carolan is an Irishman on the inside of Scottish rugby. Originally from Galway, he coached Ireland U20s before becoming Glasgow Warriors’ attack coach. Working with the…

Hugh Linehan and guests discuss domestic political issues and European defence challenges. In part one, Pat Leahy talks about the resolution of the Dáil speaking rights row and the damage it has done to the Government. In part two, Jack Power joins from Brussels to discuss the EU's defence strategy in light of recent geopolitical shifts. They discu…

After an impressive, comfortable victory over England, do Ireland rival France as favourites for this year’s Six Nations? As Gordon D’Arcy points out on today’s round-up episode, do we need to wait until next week to ascertain France’s true ability after their hammering of Wales on Friday night? Still, Ireland looked both better coached and more in…

Hugh speaks with Berlin correspondent Derek Scally about major political shifts happening in Germany ahead of the federal election later this month. Germany’s history has meant any cooperation between mainstream parties and the far-right has been an unbreakable taboo. Could that finally change? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more inform…

The Six Nations is upon us. Momentum in this tournament is key and Ireland start with one of the harder fixtures with the visit of Steve Borthwick’s England side to Dublin. In round two, Ireland travel to Scotland while England host France. Given the difficult schedule, can either side afford to lose this weekend and if they want to hold realistic …