News and politics

This week, it’s all about the demon drink. On Easter Monday last, we took part in the nationwide Criunniu Na Casca event with a series of Banters in Dublin Castle. Here, we’re joined by Tara Flynn (actress, comedian and writer), Dave Lordan (writer, poet and dramatist) and Derek O’Connor (RTE.ie Culture editor) to talk about the part which drink plays in Irish culture, what the depiction of alcohol tell is about ourselves and if the relationship between drink and the arts inform and influence a dependency culture when it comes to sponsorship and funding.

Bantercast_139

Bantercast 139: Drink in Irish Culture

Labour is in the doldrums, stuck on five or six per cent in the polls and struggling to have its voice heard. What are its chances of getting back to ten per cent or more by the next election? Is its brand becoming less toxic? What is the purpose of Labour in Ireland now?

Guests: Fiach Kelly, Political Correspondent; Ed Brophy, political columnist with the Sunday Independent and former chief of staff to Tánaiste Joan Burton; and Dublin City Councillor Rebecca Moynihan, who will run for Labour in the Dublin South Central constituency in the next election.

Can Labour Come Back?

Paradise Papers is the name given to a journalistic project organised by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) in Washington DC along with 96 media partners around the world, including The Irish Times.

It is one of the largest data leaks in journalistic history, and involves the largest number of documents ever leaked.

The leaked documents show how deeply the offshore financial system is entangled with the overlapping worlds of political players, private wealth and corporate giants, including Apple, Nike, Uber and other global companies that avoid taxes through increasingly imaginative bookkeeping maneuvers.

Irish Times Legal Affairs Correspondent Colm Keena has been working on the project, and on this podcast he talks to Hugh Linehan about what has been uncovered, including the investments made by famous figures such as Bono and Queen Elizabeth, and the legal advice received by AIB when The Revenue Commissioners requested information about offshore deposits.

Inside Story - Paradise Papers

The Blindboy Boatclub Philosophy

Banter is a series of public talks, interviews & conversations on a wide range of topics including music, literature, sport, society, politics, and entertainment.