The Irish Times
50 episodes listed below
PRESS PLAY
The best analysis of the Irish political scene featuring Irish Times journalists, political thinkers and the occasional politician. Hosted by Hugh Linehan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Based on 6 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Irish Times Inside Politics connects Irish political maneuvering to the policies, institutions and international pressures that give it consequence.
Hugh Linehan leads Irish Times Inside Politics through the decisions, incentives and institutional pressures shaping Irish public life. Conversations move from the electoral mechanics behind a possible left alliance to migration policy, disability services and the state's…
A left alliance meets the transfer ballot, and you see why unity gets complicated.
Press play if you want
Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A clear-eyed look at a global order that feels like it is shifting underfoot.
Dennis Daunton uses a newsletter launch to think through a world that does not seem to be following the old rules anymore. The discussion moves from China’s domestic pressure to the wider question of how power is shifting, and it stays grounded by pointing to squeezed margins,…
A sharp Irish politics wrap that links reaction to an unusual interview with the longer-running crisis around children with additional needs.
The piece is at its best when it holds Wednesday's unusual interview with Owen Lenehan and the wider problem of children with additional needs in the same frame. That keeps the argument grounded.
A clear look at whether Ireland's left can coordinate before the next election.
The episode asks a straightforward but useful question: can Sinn Fein, the Social Democrats, Labour, and the other left parties find a way to work together, even to the point of forming a government in waiting?
A sharp look at Irish political image-making, with memoir, loyalty, and personality doing the work.
Terry Prone is a sharp guide to Irish political communication, and the episode uses her memoir to show how message-making actually works. Garrett Fitzgerald and Charlie Haughey come into focus less as names than as people whose public standing rested on personality, loyalty, and…
A politics discussion linking slow state delivery with the sharper edges of modern security.
This piece keeps a steady grip on two linked concerns: the long-running failure to deliver housing and infrastructure quickly, and how Ireland might respond to a drone incursion treated as likely Russian interference.
A measured look at immigration and tenancy policy that keeps the human cost in frame.
The piece treats Jim O'Callaghan's immigration announcement as a serious policy turn, and it keeps the focus on the people most exposed to it.
Sharp political debate with policy detail and real disagreement.
Matt Gurney and Jen Gerson debate Canadian politics, from Alberta separatism to Ottawa's bureaucracy.
Robert Evans, Katie Stoll, and Cody Johnston build fake conspiracies and mock right-wing media.
Steve Hayes and Dispatch panelists argue through the week's Iran, DOJ, and Supreme Court news.
Jonah Goldberg's solo political rants and author interviews on conservatism, courts, and current events.
John Donvan moderates two-sided debates on AI, bioethics, feminism, and film's future.
Terry Prone discusses the art of political communication, sharing insights from her memoir and experiences training Irish politicians.
The episode covers key Irish political stories, including the impending Fianna Fáil review of its presidential campaign, controversies over the Mercosur trade deal, and reforms to special education assessments.
This episode analyzes Irish Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan's announcement to reduce immigration through measures targeting asylum seekers and family reunification.
Irish Times China correspondent Denis Staunton discusses his new Global Briefing newsletter, offering a non-Western perspective on shifting global power dynamics.
This episode analyzes Ireland's infrastructure reform challenges, including judicial reviews and political short-termism, then shifts to security threats from drone interference during Zelensky's visit, debates on neutrality, and controversies over renaming Herzog Park and the Eurovision boycott.
This episode analyzes the prospects for a left-wing alliance in Irish politics, discussing recent momentum from Catherine Connolly's presidential victory, policy divides on issues like immigration and tax, and challenges in unifying parties like Sinn Féin, Social Democrats, and Labour.