Irish banks charge some of the highest mortgage interest rates in the Eurozone. Are they ripping-off customers? Adam Maguire and Petula Martyn explain how the banks set their rates, to give you an idea of what you're paying for.
The housing crisis is one of the central issues of our time. Many people say we need to build far more social housing than planned, to help solve it. For many decades, the State built huge numbers of houses in Ireland, then it stopped. What happened, and why? Mark Coughlan and Aisling Kenny talk you through the background and the current debate.
What was once a major purchase, can now cost less than a taxi to the airport, if you're lucky. Tommy Meskill and Maria Flannery take you through what changed in the world of air travel, to cause the price of flights to plummet.
The war in Syria has ballooned from a local uprising to a global conflict. Colm Ó Mongáin and Moign Khawaja explain how the war has developed, which countries are involved, and what you need to know about a conflict that's changed Europe, the Middle East, the Gulf, and beyond.
Under new domestic abuse laws, people can now be prosecuted for psychologically abusing a partner. Ireland's become one of the first countries in the world to criminalise what's called 'coercive control', but how will prosecutions proceed through the courts? Della Kilroy and Fran McNulty explain.
The Magdelene laundries, mother & baby homes, and industrial schools may have closed decades ago, but what happened in them still regularly tops the news agenda. Tanya Sillem and Mick Peelo take you through how the institutional system functioned, and affected generations of Irish people.
Do you understand how the Troubles affect the Brexit debate? Using footage from the RTÉ archives, Miriam O'Callaghan and Aoife Hegarty detail how The Troubles in Northern Ireland developed, and changed, through the decades.
League of Ireland football once attracted huge numbers of ticket-buying fans. In more recent years, clubs have been lucky to get a few thousand people through the gate... so what happened? And is that changing? Kevin Brannigan and Samantha Libreri talk you through some of the history of the league, and explain why the best days may still be ahead.
Struggling to keep up with the ever-changing Brexit process? You're not alone. Conor Wilson and Mary Regan explain what you need to know about Brexit - where the red lines have been drawn, how the single market differs from the customs union, and who wants what from the biggest political and economic issue of our time.
Ireland's low corporate tax rate is a major part of our wider economic policy, but it's been controversial both domestically and internationally. Robert Shortt and Richard Downes talk you through how the policy was set up, and explain how our huge corporate tax income is coming under increasing pressure, as international organisations try to change the rules around how multinational companies pay tax.
The Government says the carbon tax is set to quadruple over the next ten years, as part of its efforts to tackle climate change. It'll increase the price of key fuels including petrol, diesel and home heating oil. Robert Shortt and Mark Coughlan explain how the policy might be implemented, and how it could affect you.
Ireland's system for processing asylum applications, and providing accommodation centres for applicants, has been heavily criticised by several humanitarian organisations. Some say the direct provision system should be shut down due to human rights concerns. Others point to growing worries about immigration at the time it was set up, and the potential impact on local communities of significant numbers of immigrants. Why was direct provision put in place, and what has happened the asylum process since then? Brian O'Connell and Ciara Ní Bhroin explain.
Yemeni rebels, oil prices, the U.S., Iran, Saudi Arabia, widespread hunger... It may seem disconnected and confusing - Mark Coughlan and Dimitri O'Donnell talk you through how they're all linked, and outline why two of the world's major powers now say they're prepared to go to war.
How come many Irish students are paying €3000 a year to attend university or college, when we're supposed to have free third level education? Maria Flannery and Cillian Sherlock walk you through what led to the introduction of 'free fees'; where that €3000 figure comes from; and what's happened in the third level sector which has left many institutions reliant on that money to keep the lecture rooms open.
Want to understand the basic background to Budget 2020? Robert Shortt and David McCullagh have dusted off the archive footage of budget days gone past, to help you understand what you need to know this week.
A fire in The Stardust nightclub in 1981 claimed the lives of 48 people and seriously injured more than 200 more. To this day, relatives and survivors are still waiting for answers about what happened. But in recent weeks, a decision by the Attorney General has offered new hope. Rita O'Reilly and Della Kilroy explain what happened in The Stardust that night, and in the intervening decades - and why the worst fire tragedy in the history of the State is still making news, almost four decades on.
Does it feel like your train is constantly packed? You're not alone. Surely, there's a simple solution? More trains on the schedule, more carriages on the trains. Louise Byrne and Kieran Dineen explain what's happening with the capacity of the rail network, to give you an idea of when your more comfortable commute might finally be coming down the tracks.
We've signed up to cut our greenhouse gas emissions by 40% over the next ten years. At the same time, the number of cows in the country is growing annually. As part of RTÉ's Climate week, Fran McNulty and Aisling Moloney explain the difficult decision policy makers have to make - it seems we can hit our targets, or we can continue to allow the national herd to increase, but we can't do both.
Adam Maguire and Mark Coughlan explain why the U.S. is concerned about Huawei, China's response, and why countries like Ireland are left weighing up fears about spies, with the development of key broadband infrastructure and mobile phone networks.
An incredible 50,000 submissions were made in response to the publication of first draft the long-awaiting Dublin Bus network redesign. BusConnects, as the new plan is known, has attracted outrage from passengers, residents along routes, and people concerned with tree cutting. A second draft was released in October. Kieran Dineen and Conor Wilson take you through what's happened, what's changed, and explain when you can expect to see the result of the biggest network revamp in the history of Dublin's bus system.
Does it feel like social distancing is a practice without end? If so, watch this. Our doctors and public health officials have a very specific goal in mind, and it's all to do with one particular number. As part of a new series of Explained by Prime Time focusing on COVID-19, Mark Coughlan and public health experts take you through what the 'r-nought' number is, why it matters, and what you can do to change it.
Numbers about COVID-19 are hitting us constantly these days. To know what to make of them, it's worth knowing the context to the testing process, and how the disease develops. Check out this video, which explains how the infections of today become the confirmed cases of the near future.
It's little more than 100 days since the world learned of the existence of an emerging virus. Now, across the world, scientists are working hour-by-hour to get us beyond our new day-to-day existence.
The coronavirus has weaknesses and right now, across the world, teams of scientists are working to exploit them. Hundreds of drugs and vaccines are being designed to beat COVID-19. Watch this to understand those weaknesses, and what the scientists are developing to win the war against the virus.
When it comes to the pandemic, the reasoning from NPHET is nearly always reliant on the now-infamous models. But what exactly will the modellers be looking at as they consider recommending tighter restrictions before we swing into the new year?