In The News

This episode was originally published in September 2024. In July 2026 Andrew and Tristan Tate were arrested in Florida. They are currently detained in prison, awaiting extradition to the UK on charges of rape, human trafficking and sexual exploitation.In the summer of 2022, journalists Matt Shea and Jamie Tahsin were in Romania filming a documentary about Andrew Tate and his social media influence. Tate, who had made a name for himself spouting misogynistic content online appeared invincible, but his empire was about to crumble. As concern about his content began to mount, the controversial influencer was banned from Facebook, Instagram and TikTok for violating community guidelines on dangerous individuals and hate speech. But a social media ban was the least of his problems. Back home in London, as Shea and Tahsin continued their investigation into Tate and his business operations, the sinister truth about his webcam industry and his ‘War Room’ began to reveal itself. In June 2023, Tate and his brother Tristan, along with two Romanian women were formally charged with rape, sex trafficking and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women. He is currently under house arrest in his compound in Bucharest. In this episode, (part two), Shea tells Bernice Harrison about the women from Tate’s past who decided to speak out against him and how his fans have reacted to his latest string of charges. Clown World: Four Years Inside Andrew Tate’s Manosphere is out now.

This episode was originally published in September 2024. In July 2026 Andrew and Tristan Tate were arrested in Florida and are currently detained, awaiting extradition to the UK on charges of rape, human trafficking and sexual exploitation. In 2019, before Andrew Tate became the household name he is today, documentary makers Matt Shea and Jamie Tahsin decided to tell Tate's story and investigate his social media influence and cultural impact. Much to their surprise, the 'king of toxic masculinity' allowed them into his world. But as they delved deeper into his empire and uncovered the sources of his income, their investigation soon turned into a criminal one and something much bigger than Shea and Tahsin could ever have imagined.In their new book, Clown World: Four Years Inside Andrew Tate’s Manosphere, they recount their investigation into the former kickboxer, the shocking allegations made against him, and the backlash they faced from Tate and his followers when their documentaries aired.In the first of two episodes on Andrew Tate’s toxic world, co-author Matt Shea talks to Bernice Harrison about Tate’s background and the influence of his narcissistic father, American chess player Emory Tate. He also examines Tate’s mass appeal and the space he occupies within the ‘manosphere’. Shea details his visit to Tate’s compound in Romania and explains what happened inside the private ‘War Room’ event, which followers of Tate paid five thousand pounds to attend. Though they were granted access to film the exclusive gathering, their relationship with Tate didn’t last long. Clown World: Four Years Inside Andrew Tate’s Manosphere is out now.

Daniel Siad’s thousands of emails and messages found in the Epstein Files show in grim detail both the depravity of the US fraudster and paedophile and how his sex-trafficking ring operated.Jeffrey Epstein would tell the Paris based “model scout” the type of girl he wanted and Siad would go hunting. Spying a “suitable” victim he would promise the young woman a modelling career in New York.Once there, Epstein would introduce himself and the grooming and sexual exploitation would begin.By examining the Epstein Files, Irish Times Europe correspondent Naomi O’Leary built up a profile of Siad and was able to contact one of his victims to hear how Siad’s operation worked.Siad, who was 69, died from undetermined causes at his home in Paris on July 20th. At the time of his death he was under investigation for a rape charge.How was this related to the Epstein Files? Why were French officials so slow to act against him despite mounting evidence? And will his death, like that of Epstein and another French model scout Jean-Luc Brunel - both by suicide - mean that thousands of victims will never see justice.Paris-based Europe correspondent Naomi O’Leary explores the details.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey. 

Dates for the arrival of Dublin’s MetroLink have changed wildly since the project was first suggested in 1975. So has the budget.The latest figure to emerge – from an unattributed Government source – is €19bn. That’s quite a jump from the estimate released four years ago, calculated at €9.5bn as the midpoint of a “credible” cost range of between €7.16bn and €12.25bn.Why such a significant increase? And with plans already approved and with property already purchased for the project by Transport Infrastructure Ireland how much has already been spent on the transport solution that promises to transform commuting in the capital. Also when will building actually begin?Dublin Editor Olivia Kelly dives into the details and controversies of the MetroLink project.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan. 

Glen Hansard died in the early hours of Wednesday morning in a motorcycle crash in the Strawberry Beds area of Dublin. He was 56. He was one of Ireland’s most well-known musicians who leaves behind an incredible musical legacy from a career that took him from being a teenage busker on Grafton Street to winning an Oscar for the song Falling Slowly. A lifelong activist, he was also a husband to Finnish poet Maire Saaritsa and a father to three-year-old Christy.Irish Times writer Patrick Freyne once played in a band and they supported Hansard’s first band The Frames in the early 1990s.Freyne traces Hansard’s career; talks about his ability to bring musicians together, his deep well of charisma and why he thinks the Dublin man had become the unofficial national bard.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Aideen Finnegan.

Lorcan Tadgh Murphy, who was earlier this month jailed for murdering US nurse Mackenzie Michalski in 2024 in Hungary, had obsessively tried to pick up women across various European cities. Police in Budapest discovered that he had used a “spy pen” to covertly record his attempts, just as he had done previously in Dublin, where 16 women were recorded without their knowledge.The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre has been concerned for some time at the increasing use of hidden cameras, smart glasses, pen cameras and other covert recording devices to secretly film women and girls without their knowledge or consent.And as smart glasses are becoming more mainstream – Meta has already sold an estimated 10 million pairs of their its stylish Ray-Ban camera-enabled glasses – concerns are growing.So if Murphy had been caught in Dublin in 2020 secretly filming women, would he have broken any law? Why do advocacy groups say these type of secret recordings are “often minimised as harmless”, but could in fact be “part of a path to future crime”? And what role do the makers of these devices, that could easily be used to secretly record, have in ensuring the public is protected?News reporter Ellen O’Riordan explores this fast-evolving debate.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan. 

In 2019, Maura Higgins first arrived on our screens as a contestant on the reality show Love Island. She was a fan favourite from the get-go, with her longford accent, quick wit and love of bad language. Not everyone who leaves the Love Island villa can turn their five minutes of fame into a successful career, let alone, break America - but that’s exactly what Higgins has done in the years since her Love Island debut. Through high profile appearances on American TV, the 35-year-old is almost a bigger star there than she is here at home and she’s just been added to Time Magazine’s top 100 creators list. So how has she done it? What is it about the Longford woman that continues to win over audiences? And could a recent move into acting signal where her career might go next? In today's episode, journalist Kate Demolder takes a look back through Higgins' career and how she has reinvented herself along the way.Presented by Bernice Harrison, produced by Suzanne Brennan and Andrew McNair.

In the days leading up to Taoiseach Micheál Martin’s visit to Ukraine, tensions were running high on the streets of Kyiv. Protesters marched over president Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s decision to sack his defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov. Young and forward-thinking, he was seen as the main mover behind the country’s drone strategy. The marchers called for the sacking of the country’s army commander-in-chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi. Zelenskiy eventually capitulated to the demands and the Russian-trained career soldier was ousted. So how damaged is Zelenskiy after this political misstep? Meanwhile, the war continues, with Russia launching its most sustained attack on the capital, and Ukraine responding with an attack on a vast goods depot inside the Russian border. And what was on the agenda when Taoiseach Micheál Martin met Zelenskiy in Kyiv last Thursday? Irish Times Europe correspondent Jack Power was in Kyiv and he reports for us on a turbulent week for Ukraine’s president. Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan with research by John O’Connor.

When a defendant in a court case is granted legal aid, the State pays. Before a reform of the payment system introduced on July 1st, solicitors could bill the Department of Justice €239.38 for their first appearance in court for their client and €59.86 for each subsequent one. The invoice is called a legal aid certificate.Defendants frequently face multiple charges that are heard together in the same sitting. Before July 1st, the solicitor could invoice for each charge, meaning multiple payments for each client. In the past 18 months more than 100 cases involved at least 10 invoices being sent to the Department concerning individual clients whose charges were dealt with together or in quick succession before the District Court.In the reform of the payment system, solicitors will now receive a flat fee of €520 per criminal legal aid client.Many solicitors on the legal aid panel have rejected this new payment model, and withdrew their services for two days this week.The Minister says he will meet the Law Society to discuss its concerns about payment reforms, but as he has previously said the reforms will stay, is there any hope of resolution?Irish Times political correspondent Cormac McQuinn explains.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey.