The Indo Daily

A county is in mourning today, as family and friends gathered to say goodbye to four members of the same family who lost their lives in an arson attack last week. Philip, Kim, Callum and Jayden English were remembered as a loving family who brought light to their community. Over the weekend, two people were charged in connection with the attack on the family home.  They face charges of criminal damage and assault causing serious harm,  and have been remanded in custody. Host: Kevin Doyle, Guests: Catherine Feegan and Ralph RiegelSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Simon Harris’s much-hyped investment scheme is official, though there’s still some way to go before you can avail of it. But we’re not going to wait until next summer to analyse and scrutinise it. Today's episode of The Indo Daily is brought to you by our sister podcast Money Talks, as Katie Byrne is joined by  Cian Carolan, managing director at DNG Financial Services, to tease out the forthcoming Personal Investment Account and discuss what you need to know ahead of time. We want to earn your trust and are members of the Trust Project. See our ethics policies at independent.ie/ourjournalism See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jeffrey Donaldson received a 15 year sentence in prison for his crimes. He was given 11 years for rape against Victim B and four years for all offences against Victim A, to be served consecutively. The former MP and ex-DUP leader was sentenced in Newry Courthouse on Thursday morning. However, later on Thursday after the Lady Chief Justice confirmed Donaldson will actually walk free in seven-and-a-half years. That is because the crimes were committed before the law changed in 2008, so he will automatically be entitled to 50pc remission of his sentence. He was found guilty of 18 child sex abuse charges, including rape, in June. Donaldson is trying to win an appeal, and his denials were an aggravating factor in the sentencing. However, as it stands, the 63-year-old will emerge from prison as a 78-year-old pensioner. Ciarán Dunbar spoke to Allison Morris outside Newry Crown Court. This podcast was edited at 17.05pm on Thursday October 15th, to reflect the new information regarding the length of time Donaldson will spend in jail.Jeffrey Donaldson has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for historical child sex crimes. The ex-DUP leader was sentenced to 11 years for rape against Complainant B and four years for all offences against Complainant A, to be served consecutively. He will also be on the sex offenders register indefinitely. This extra episode of The Indo Daily is brought to you by our sister podcast The BelTel, as Ciaran Dunbar speaks with Allison Morris outside Newry Crown Court. The Indo Daily is part of the Trust Project. See our ethics policies at independent.ie/ourjournalism ­See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

They collect millions in rent every year and own thousands of homes, but most Irish tenants have never heard of them. From a former Anglo Irish banker to Galway plasterers, Ireland’s super-landlords have quietly built property empires worth hundreds of millions of euro. So, who are the people shaping Ireland’s rental market, and how did they become some of the most powerful players in housing? Today on the Indo Daily, Fionnán Sheahan is joined by Irish Independent features writer Kim Bielenberg and author and Crazy House Prices podcaster Ciarán Mulqueen to go behind the front door of Ireland’s landlord class.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re now just hours away from a public sector strike that will bring disruption not seen in a generation. A row over public sector pay has brought more than 400,000 workers to the brink of industrial action, with teachers and nurse among those set to down tools on Wednesday. So why aren’t the Government and the unions talking, and what would a strike on this scale mean for the country? Host; Kevin Doyle, Guests; Donal O'Donovan and Aisling Moloney We want to earn your trust and are members of the Trust Project. See our ethics policies at independent.ie/ourjournalismSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In recent weeks, the 2020 French hack into the secret gangster phone network Encrochat has continued to see Northern Ireland drug dealers sent to Maghaberry.Multiple prison sentences have been handed down to some significant figures from Northern Ireland’s criminal world. Gangsters like ‘cute hur’, ‘mint wind’ and ‘ultra gold’ are just some of those who went down after the notorious platform spilled its secrets.  Todays episode of The Indo Daily is brought to us by our sister podcast The BelTel as Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Belfast Telegraph’s crime correspondent Allison Morris. We want to earn your trust and are members of the Trust Project. See our ethics policies at independent.ie/ourjournalism.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For a few hours, Budget 2027 appeared to have escaped without a major political banana skin. Then came the news that RTÉ would receive €20m less next year than it had expected, and suddenly the national broadcaster and the Government were at loggerheads. RTÉ director general Kevin Bakhurst says the broadcaster had planned on the promised €260m, and has warned that some difficult decisions may now have to be made. But Media Minister Patrick O'Donovan says he isn't satisfied with the pace of reform at Montrose, raising the question of whether RTÉ is effectively being punished for failing to change quickly enough. So could the fallout ultimately mean cuts to programmes, sport or jobs, and what does this latest row tell us about the increasingly fraught relationship between Government and the national broadcaster? On this Extra episode of The Indo Daily, Kevin Doyle is joined by Irish Independent political correspondent Conal Thomas to examine the €20m bombshell and ask what gets cut at RTÉ now.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former prince Andrew is mounting a legal challenge against the warrants that allowed police to raid his home in February. It’s the first time in nearly four centuries that a member of the Royal Family has launched a legal battle to stop criminal proceedings against them.   And while the legal claims have made headlines, Andrew has also been quietly welcomed back by Norfolk’s aristocratic set.  Does this mean his time in social isolation may be coming to an end? Host; Fionnán Sheahan and Guests; Enda Brady and Jennie Bond We want to earn your trust and are members of the Trust Project. See our ethics policies at independent.ie/ourjournalism.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With Irish house prices finally showing signs of slowing, could the seemingly relentless rise in property values be reaching a turning point?  Higher interest rates, the cost-of-living squeeze and the limits of what buyers can afford are beginning to take some heat out of the market, with Richard Curran warning that “we’re reaching the ceiling of what we can put our hands on or borrow or repay”.  But with demand still high and housing supply struggling to keep pace, does a slowdown really mean prices could start to fall, or are we simply entering a period where, as Richard puts it, “we could actually see prices flatline for a while”?  And after more than a decade of rising values, what would falling house prices mean for first-time buyers, homeowners and the Government’s housing strategy?  Richard also looks back to Budget 2007 and the uncomfortable parallels with today, when a booming economy and apparently healthy public finances masked the trouble that was to come.  Twenty years on, billions are once again pouring into the Exchequer, this time through corporation tax, but Richard warns that “we haven’t put away enough of that money”.  And after €160bn in corporation tax receipts over the past decade, he asks a striking question: “How did we allow ourselves to get into a situation where that’s even an issue?”  Today on the Indo Daily, Fionnán Sheehan is joined by Irish Independent columnist Richard Curran to ask if Ireland’s housing boom is finally running out of road and whether, when it comes to the lessons of 2007, “we have learned that lesson” at all. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Mark Little sold his news verification startup Storyful to Rupert Murdoch for $25m, he was summoned to the Australian's New York office. "Let's go make some f***ing money," Murdoch told him, according to Little. This episode of The Indo Daily is brought to you by our sister podcast The Big Tech Show, as former RTE anchorman-turned-entrepreneur talks in depth about his time running Twitter in Ireland, his challenges as a startup founder and what he thinks about the future of social media and AI. https://www.independent.ie/service/why-you-can-trust-the-irish-independent/a/98708550.htmlSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Everyone wants a piece of the budget pie – so what will Budget 2027 do for you? With energy prices in turmoil, unfulfilled promises on childcare, soaring house prices and trade unions threatening strike action, expectations are building ahead of next Tuesday's announcement. On today’s Indo Daily, Tessa Fleming is joined by political correspondent with the Irish Independent Aisling Moloney to examine how far the Government will go, what is off the table, and who, if anybody, could be in for a windfall. We want to earn your trust and are members of the Trust Project. See our ethics policies at independent.ie/ourjournalism.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two people who swore affidavits connected to Conor McGregor’s appeal in the Nikita Hand civil rape case have now been charged with perjury. Samantha O’Reilly and Steven Cummins had provided evidence that McGregor’s legal team initially intended to rely upon as part of his appeal, before that evidence was dramatically withdrawn. The development brings a fresh legal twist to a case that has already attracted international attention. In today's Indo Daily, Fionnán Sheahan is joined by Irish Independent security correspondent Robin Schiller to explain who the couple are, what they are accused of and what happens next.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There is a stalemate in Portadown and deep division in Stormont. On the Orange side, the issue is the rights of a small number of people to march their traditional route – backed by a legal ruling.  On the Garvaghy Road, a community feels that march is sectarian harassment - and a relic of another age. This extra episode of The Indo Daily is brought to you by our colleagues at The BelTel as Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Sam McBride and Allison Morris and hears from Claire Dickson in Portadown, and from Andrew Madden in Stormont. We want to earn your trust and are members of the Trust Project. See our ethics policies at independent.ie/ourjournalism.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.