Behind the Story
Behind the Story
Tune in for insightful and informed conversation as Fran McNulty and some of RTÉ's top journalists digest some of the news stories of the day. Expect deep dives, analysis, interesting guests and maybe even some laughs along the way. Email: behindthestory@rte.ie New episodes every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.Social links:
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Jessie wins and Iran on the edge
Jessie Buckley won Best Actress at the Golden Globes for her performance in 'Hamnet', an adaptation of the best selling book of the same name by Coleraine born author Maggie O'Farrell. Evelyn O'Rourke and Maggie Doyle discuss the win, what it means for Irish acting talent and if this could be the…
25:13
The Mercosor deal and On The Beat with the Gardaí!
A majority of EU States voted to pass the Mercosor trade deal with South American countries. Ireland, along with 4 other countries voted against the deal. Professor John O'Brennan of Maynooth University joins Evelyn O'Rourk to explain the deal, Ireland's position and why it's not over the line just…
37:45
Tankers, Tourism and Grok AI
The Government is hoping to attract more tourists here from India, the UAE and the Asia-Pacific region as part of a new strategic investment plan of €4.7 billion across a range of sectors. Political Correspondent Mícheál Lehane joined Evelyn and Karen to outline what's in the plan and looks at th…
32:11
Maduro in court and Venezuela's future
Ousted President Maduro was brought to court in New York this afternoon to face drugs and weapons charges. Meanwhile, it remains unclear who is really running Venezuela amidst claims by President Trump that the US is in charge. The UN Security Council is meeting in an emergency session as the Ame…
24:49
Inside FIFA and who is Infantino?
With less than six months to the kick off of the World Cup, Fran is joined by sports reporter, Miguel Delaney for a deep dive into how FIFA operates and asks who is Gianni Infantino.
26:40
Entertainment year in review
Kneecap, Traitors, Adolescence and the Eurovision, just some of the big entertainment stories that hit the headlines this year. Streaming continues to grow and threatens to upend how we watch and enjoy movies. Actors unions and the big studios are concern about the future. Despite this, it was a …
35:44
Business year in review 2025
Concerns around US tariffs dominated the first half of the year in 2025. While on the domestic front, the debate around working from home continued as many businesses insisted their employees return to the workplace. The school secretaries strike was one of the year's big industrial actions and t…
32:05
The highs and lows of AI in 2025
As the year comes to an end, Fran takes a look back at some of the stories on artificial intelligence that were covered on the podcast. From new guidelines, AI music, technology in schools and AI therapy chatbots, the technology continues to challenge and upend many industries.
29:20
Dáil rows, tariff threats - the political year in review
Dáil rows, Trump's tariff threats and a Presidential campaign: Professor Gary Murphy of DCU and political reporter Sandra Hurley join Fran to dissect and analyse the year in politics. The trio discuss the emergence of Michael Lowry TD as a power broker in government formation and the decision by Si…
35:13
Fallout from the Fianna Fáil report and a visit to a refugee camp
Twenty four hours on from the publication of the Fianna Fáil report into their Presidential campaign, Fran and Barry dissect the reaction to the report and examine the pressure on Party leader Michéal Martin. Later, reporter Kate Varley joins the duo and chats about her recent trip to Bangladesh.…
31:56