The Candidate Podcast
1) The SNA own goal everyone saw coming
The government's plan to review how SNAs are allocated lead to a U-turn that was almost as sharp as the backlash. Letters landing in principals' inboxes triggered a political firestorm, TDs lined up t...Show More
2) The illusion of safety for 'undocumented Irish'
Another St Patrick's Day trip to the White House, another thorny issue to navigate. This time, it's the detention of an Irish citizen in a US immigration centre. Despite reports of grim conditions and...Show More
3) The political culture war over cycling
The government wants e-bike and e-scooter users to wear helmets and high-vis gear, but critics say that’s missing the point. Christine Bohan, Christina Finn, Jane Matthews and Rónán Duffy dig into the...Show More
4) Met Éíreann issues Status Yellow politics warning
The most powerful political force in Ireland? Flooding.Storm Chandra has kicked off a public row between Housing Minister James Browne and Met Éireann. After Browne suggested Met Éireann 'guarded' inf...Show More
5) Only an invasion will stop Ireland's day at the White House
The annual St Patrick’s Day trip to the White House used to be a low-stakes photo op. Now? It's a perennial (somewhat tiresome, perhaps) news story and moral dilemma: will we, or won't we? Should Mich...Show More
6) If this doesn't lead to action on Big Tech, nothing will
It's a new Dáil term and a new season of The Candidate, but issues at home are taking a back seat right now. Non-consensual, AI-generated sexual imagery has become the flashpoint after X’s Grok tool m...Show More
7) Our picks for the political dramas to binge during Twixmas
Christine Bohan, Christina Finn, Jane Matthews, and Rónán Duffy share their favourite political shows - the ones that helped them escape (or make sense of) real-life Leinster House drama. From The Wes...Show More
8) The Candies: Our political awards for 2025
Christine Bohan, Christina Finn, Jane Matthews, and Rónán Duffy hand out their now-traditional end-of-year political awards, from the Michael Myers Award for Hanging On In There to the MGMT Difficult ...Show More
9) What not to say to adults forced to move home
A video aimed at young people moving back in with their parents, shared by the Department of Housing, was meant to be helpful... but it didn't land like that. At all. No sir. Christine Bohan, Jan...Show More
10) A careful visit with an even more careful message
Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s first visit to Ireland was smooth, symbolic, and tightly stage-managed. Christine Bohan, Christina Finn, and Jane Matthews unpack the carefully curated optics of the visit, and e...Show More