In The News

Children suffering from spina bifida have been let down by an under-resourced healthcare system for years. This week’s news that there are now serious concerns over the safety of surgery performed on children with the condition at Temple Street children’s hospital will only deepen the anxiety and frustration of children and their families left waiting for vital corrective surgery. A UK expert is to review surgeries carried out by one consultant at the hospital after an internal review identified “serious spinal surgical incidents” in the service. The shocking allegation that unapproved, non-medical objects were implanted into children during surgery must also be investigated. On today’s In the News podcast, Irish Times Health Editor Paul Cullen tells Bernice Harrison about a major medical controversy that Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has called ‘very alarming’.

Expectations were high for the start of the 61st season of The Late Late Show, and new host Patrick Kielty delivered on some of them: the comedian delivered a funny monologue and generally seemed comfortable in his new role. But some of the programme’s old problems remained. On today’s In the News podcast, Irish Times writer, editor and podcaster Hugh Linehan reviews the first episode under new management of what is still RTE’s flagship offering and a TV institution, looking at what went right, what went wrong - and how Mr Kielty can make the show his own. Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon.

The hiring of 'community safety wardens' to patrol Dublin’s north inner city was just one of the 50 actions contained in the Government’s latest plan for the area.But Irish Times Dublin editor Olivia Kelly explains why these wardens' ability to make the community safer will likely be limited.Meanwhile Peter Evans, a warden in Derry, explains how the system works there and just how effective it has been. Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey

This weekend, for the first time, the content of The Irish Times Magazine will be written entirely by teenagers. The six volunteers tackle subjects including the pitfalls of Tiktok, why many young women drop out of sport and what it is like to be a wheelchair user. One of their mentors for the project was Patrick Freyne, who recorded a conversation with them about the way their generation consumes news and the issues they really care about.

Gardai have  confirmed that a poisonous substance sold by an online seller in Canada, was posted to a number of people in Ireland. The man accused of selling these so called ‘suicide kits’ is Kenneth Law, a 57 year old Canadian chef. Law is currently in police custody, charged with 14 counts of counselling and aiding suicide in the region of Ontario. However, he is thought to be linked to more than 100 deaths worldwide, including Ireland. Irish Times crime and security editor Conor Lally explains the current state of the investigation into Law’s activities in Ireland and, from Canada, CBC News reporter Thomas Daigle, who has been covering the story since Law was taken into custody in May, details the latest in what is set to be a long, involved investigation into a particularly tragic crime. Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.The Samaritans can be contacted on freephone: 116 123 or email: jo@samaritans.ie

In 1982, Emmett McConomy’s brother, 11-year-old Stephen, was playing in the street near their home in Derry. A shot fired by a British soldier from an armoured car hit him in the back of the head; he died from his injuries days later. Emmett tells In the News about his family’s decades-long fight for the truth about what happened to the child and how the UK government’s Northern Ireland legacy Bill is a betrayal of justice.The Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill is set to be passed into law this week and it will put an end to inquests and court cases – and includes a form of limited immunity for some perpetrators of crimes committed during the conflict. The Bill has been universally opposed by both sides of the political divide in the North and by the Irish Government and internationally in the United States, the UN and Europe. In the UK, the Labour Party opposes it. It is supported by the Conservative Party and the British military. Freya McClements, Northern Editor of The Irish Time, explains what it means – and what might happen next. Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon.

Earlier this Summer, a Netflix documentary, all about the hidden world of freediving, catapulted the sport in front of a global audience. The Deepest Breath, tells the story of Alessia Zecchini, a champion freediver from Italy and Stephen Keenan, an expert safety diver from Glasnevin in Dublin. It follows them as they rise separately through the ranks of the sport, before their lives eventually become intertwined. The film was directed by Irish filmmaker Laura McGann and gives an incredible insight into the world of freediving: which sees divers reach depths of more than 100 meters, without any equipment and with one single breath. In this episode, McGann explains how extraordinary archive footage and the generosity of Stephen’s father Peter helped shape the documentary. Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.

Co Laois man Brendon Deacy (58) arrived at the Burning Man festival in the northern Nevada desert prepared for heat and dust – not the heavy rain that fell on the last weekend of the nine-day counterculture jamboree. The artist and NCAD lecturer tells In the News about arriving in the camper van with his four grown-up children, how the festival lived up to his expectations, and more – and how the media made a drama out of a mini-crisis. Yes, it rained but the festival went on, with mud underfoot and a bit of unexpected discomfort. In the end, the man burned. Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon.

Ireland has a poor history in Rugby World Cup competitions but this year just might be different.Entering the tournament in France as the number one team in the world is no guarantee of anything – and the big question is whether Andy Farrell’s team can do what previous Ireland teams have never managed; progress beyond the quarter final. That’s if they get there – the way the draw has worked out this year is that the pool is divided into an easy side and a hard one and Ireland is in the hard one alongside reigning world champions South Africa, and Scotland.As Irish Times sports reporter John O’Sullivan prepares to leave for the team’s first match of the two-month tournament, on Saturday against Romania at 2.30pm in Stade de Bordeaux, he explains all you need to know about the “pool of death” and beyond. Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey and Suzanne Brennan.