Prime Time - Episode Guide

Examining the recent deaths of people using E-scooters and asking the minister responsible for this area, James Lawless, why enforcement of new laws has been so slow

Prime Time debates housing with Minister Darragh O'Brien and Sinn Féin's Eoin Ó Broin. 

Prime Time looks at the ban on XL bullies which is due to take effect shortly.  Can it stop dog attacks taking place? Plus, the shocking revelations of abuse in Ireland's special schools revealed this week.

Prime Time previews the U.S. Presidential election debate.

As Ireland records the highest number of drug treatment cases on record, a special RTÉ Prime Time report tonight asks how bad is the drug debt issue in Ireland, and can anything be done to stop it destroying lives?

Drug users are racking up tens of thousands in debts while some innocent families - who are victims of drug related intimidation - have had to flee the country. The prevalence of cocaine in every town and village is Ireland, is such that cows, tractors and farm land are being sold by farmers to pay off drug debts. 

Drug related intimidation occurs when a criminal or criminals allege that a sum of money is owed as a result of a drug debt. It usually involves family members of the person in debt being subjected to intimidation or the threat of intimidation.

The consequences of the current high rates of cocaine use can be terrifying as people face threats and violence from drug dealers seeking repayment.

People working in addiction services have told RTÉ Prime Time some farmers have sold livestock, farm land and machinery such as tractors to pay off drug debts.  It is not uncommon for a farmer to pay €50,000 to clear off a family member's drug debt and make a drug dealer go away.

Prime Time looks at why Ireland has one of the lowest turnout rates at elections across the whole of Europe. 

Calls for Irish Rail's new train timetable to be scrapped as commuters complain of travel chaos, and the row over the €1.4 million Oireachtas security hut.

On RTÉ Prime Time tonight, Aoife Johnston's mother and father, Carol and James, are interviewed for the first time about the devastating loss of their daughter. In December 2022, 16-year-old Aoife Johnston died after waiting nearly 14 hours for treatment at the Emergency Department of University Hospital Limerick. Aoife, who presented with suspected sepsis, passed away after a delay in receiving medical care. A recently published report into the incident has confirmed that her death was "almost certainly avoidable."

Speaking about the night Aoife was admitted to UHL, her father, James Johnston said: "There's not a day that goes by that I don't blame myself for not doing more later on during the night, and just... I just didn't think she was going to die. Like, I really. I just. If I had. If I had known, I would have torn the place apart, but I just didn't. Just didn't think like, that she was going to die on us. I really didn't."

The official report into Aoife's death highlights significant delays in care at University Hospital Limerick, where Aoife waited nearly 14 hours in the Emergency Department before receiving any form of treatment for suspected sepsis.

Aoife's parents tell presenter Miriam O'Callaghan about the family's ongoing grief and the impact their daughter's death has had on the family and the wider community.

Tonight in a special report on Prime Time, RTÉ Investigates broadcasts new undercover footage of Irish bull calves being cruelly treated including recordings at a major cattle export facility in Kerry revealing calves being repeatedly struck in the face, force-fed, jabbed with tools and dragged by the ears and tail. 

RTÉ has continued to investigate the treatment of Irish calves in the wake of Europe-wide interest in its major report published and broadcast in July 2023, RTÉ Investigates: Milking It, Dairy's Dirty Secret. It exposed how EU regulations on the transport of live animals were being broken as Irish bull calves were transported by truck to mainland Europe. The programme also raised major questions about the treatment of animals at marts in Ireland. 

Leading animal welfare expert Dr Simon Doherty of Queens University Belfast described what he saw in the footage to be shown tonight as cruelty: "I think where there's kicking and screaming and slapping and prodding with pitchforks, that is at the cruelty level." 

The footage was filmed in Hallissey Livestock Exports in Fossa, near Killarney in March this year. It was recorded on cameras secretly placed and brought onto the site by animal rights campaigners, and provided to RTÉ Investigates. 

Denis Drennan, President of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA), said what he saw in the new footage is "completely unacceptable."  Watching the footage, Mr Drennan said "there's a man there with a stick beating calves. It's completely abolished and against the law, and there's a man there with a pitchfork, trying to run calves out the gate - completely unacceptable." 

Calves are prepared for export on trucks at the facility. Denis Drennan says footage of two calves being force fed using stomach tubes raises concern about why they are at the facility in the first place. "The rules and regulations say that if an animal is not fit to travel, it shouldn't travel. It's going to damage the reputation that we have across Europe of providing top quality, fit, healthy animals," he told RTÉ Investigates. 

Tonight's report also shows how dead animals were piled into a mound and left to rot outside the facility in Kerry, which raises major disease-risk concerns, according to Dr Simon Doherty of Queens University Belfast.  

Cameras captured over four days several dead calves being removed from sheds. Some were dragged out by farm hands, others lifted using a teleporter. They were placed on a mound of dead and decaying calf carcases lying in the open air, rain pouring over them.  

Dr Simon Doherty of Queens University Belfast said it appeared some of the animals have been there for weeks. "If those are still within sight, sound, smell of other living animals, I mean that's just absolutely fundamentally wrong from a welfare perspective, there's a huge disease risk," he said. 

"It looks like they're just thrown in a heap somewhere. I just really don't understand, it beggars belief that somebody would leave animals that length of time around their premises," said Denis Drennan.  

The report reignites questions raised by RTÉ Investigates last year about the treatment of Irish bull calves here during the live export process. Following the 2023 RTÉ investigation the then Taosieach Leo Vardkar, described the cruelty exposed as "repugnant" and he told the Dáil that the Department of Agriculture would commence a "robust and timely" investigation into the incidents highlighted. 

In response to queries from RTÉ a solicitor for Hallissey Livestock Exports said that their client's business "provides a valuable service to the farming community and at all times takes reasonable care to ensure it does so in a manner which protects the welfare of the animals in its charge." Pointing out that Hallissey Livestock Exports Limited is regulated by the Department of Agriculture, the solicitor's letter states, "while no system is ever perfect, it is satisfied that its business is compliant with the highest standards." 

Tonight's special report will also feature footage of the condition hundreds Irish calves were left in after being exported across Romania and onwards to Israel. RTÉ Investigates traced their journey and witnessed the Irish calves exiting transport vehicles in Haifa Port in Northern Israel. 

Israel has had an increased demand for cattle imports from Romania since several countries ceased transporting live exports to it after the outbreak of the war in Gaza. Research by RTÉ Investigates found that thousands of calves originating from Ireland are listed as Romanian in official Israeli import figures.   

Prime Time takes a look at the details of the, as yet unpublished, charities regulator draft report into The Peter McVerry Trust and the latest in Lebanon as Israel fires at three UNIFIL positions.

Prime Time reveals internal Tik Tok documents which show the level of content that goes unmoderated. Plus, tackling the issue of poor water quality in Ireland's rivers.

The latest in the Kyran Durnin murder investigation; and  we hear from Kathleen Correia whose husband was jailed for 8 years for raping and coercively controlling her. 

With one week to go to polling in the US presidential election Prime Time will be live in the key swing state of Pennsylvania. 

Special report on what's behind the recent spate of closures in the restaurant sector. Plus a look at measures to protect the integrity of the US Presidential election ballot. 

RTÉ Prime Time has been reporting from the key swing state of Pennsylvania in the run up to voting. Reporter Louise Byrne is travelling across Pennsylvania looking at the issues for voters and the measures that have been put in place over the last four years to protect the integrity of the ballot.  

As voters go to the polls on November 5th, Miriam O 'Callaghan will co-present a special Prime Time programme live in Washington, as she is joined by a panel of experts both independent and partisan, bringing viewers the first early results. 

How big is the problem of school avoidance and what can be done to tackle it? Prime Time hears from the teenagers who just can't face school. 

As the election campaign gets into full swing Prime Time will debate the issues in health. The programme will also hear the latest in the JoJo Dullard investigation. 

Prime Time is live from King John's Castle in Limerick discussing a range of issues with voters and candidates. 

Prime Time is live in Carrick on Shannon in Co Leitrim talking to voters about their issues and concerns and to candidates. 

RTÉ's Prime Time is set to host the final General Election 2024 Leaders' Debate this Tuesday night, November 26, offering voters further opportunity to hear directly from Ireland's leading political figures.
 

Presented by Miriam O'Callaghan and Sarah McInerney, the live broadcast will feature Fine Gael's Simon Harris, Fianna Fáil's Micheál Martin, and Sinn Féin's Mary Lou McDonald. The debate promises in-depth discussion and rigorous questioning on the key issues shaping Ireland's future, providing a platform for the prospective Taoiseach to share their vision with the electorate. 

Power Struggles - Who is making the first moves and what kind of new government will Ireland get? 

And as the French government teeters on the edge, can Barnier's government hold on to power. 

This Thursday on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player, Prime Time will broadcast an interview with the family of the late Detective Superintendent Colm Fox. The segment comes following the recent conclusion of an inquest into his death, which occurred seven years ago at Ballymun Garda station in Dublin. 

The inquest returned a verdict of death by suicide, shedding light on the circumstances surrounding Detective Superintendent Fox's passing. In their only sit-down interview, his family share their reflections, offering perspective on the man behind the job and the impact of his loss. 

Speaking about the day he passed, his wife Edel told Prime Time "That morning, he just, there was something not quite right, but I actually couldn't put my finger on it." 

The inquest had previously heard how he was under intense pressure over the Regency Hotel murder investigation and following trial. 

His daughter Megan said "I knew that he was involved in this high profile case, and I knew that he was under pressure. No one really knew how bad things actually were for him." 

By speaking about their loss, the Fox family hope to raise awareness in the hope that it may help others who are struggling and encourage them to seek support.  

Bitter pills, the number of prescription medicines unavailable in our pharmacies continues to grow but what is the real impact on patients - and when will an inconvenience start to hurt our health…

And all the latest on the Holyhead closure. 

Tonight Prime Time is in County Tipperary with ESB crews who are battling sub zero conditions to restore power to thousands of homes and businesses.

Also

A bump in the road as EV sales fall almost 25% in a year. 

HRT holdup - Women were promised free HRT - but it hasn't happened - who is responsible for the delay? And the big freeze continues but what will happen when the big thaw begins?

Rise of the scammer! With online fraudsters now working on an industrial scale we speak to those trying to catch them and to the victim of a €17,000 scam. 

And is Elon Musk going to buy Tik Tok.

Lacking ambition and light on specifics or a blueprint for economic stability - Prime Time assesses the programme for government 

As Donald Trump prepares to assume Office in the White House, is Ireland's influence in the US waning?

Tonight  Prime Time looks at Donald Trump's first acts as US President, what do they tell us about what to expect over the next four years?

And on the eve of a new government being formed, disability campaigner Joanne O'Riordan has a few home truths on what's needed in the new disability strategy. 

On an unprecedented day the Dáil fails to elect a Taoiseach.  Tonight's Prime Time special asks how did it come to this and what happens next? 

An in-depth analysis of current issues and topical reports.

Gareth Hutch's mother Vera and sister Amy talk to Miriam O'Callaghan after his killer is jailed for life.  And the Cavan communities struggling without power and water in the aftermath of Storm Éowyn.

An in-depth analysis of current issues and topical reports.

An in-depth analysis of current issues and topical reports.

An in-depth analysis of current issues and topical reports.

Tonight on Prime Time Angela Kerins the former CEO of Rehab talks about her appearance before the public accounts committee 11 years ago.  In an exclusive interview she talks about her Supreme Court case against the PAC - the courts ruling that the committee acted unlawfully, and the impact of the entire affair on her mental  health. 

Prime Time goes inside Ireland's first ever medically supervised injection facility which opened in December.  And can Trump bring a ceasefire to Ukraine? 

What now for the Occupied Territories Bill - campaigners are concerned legislation is being watered down. How did it get to this and can a bill progress?  And after the latest crackdown on 'dodgy boxes'  should owners be worried.

An in-depth analysis of current issues and topical reports.

Prime Time covert filming reveals the extent of 'dangerous' red-light breaking.  What can be done to change driver behaviour?  And the British Ambassador to Ireland, Paul Johnston, is in studio to  discuss international diplomacy in the Trump Putin era.

An in-depth analysis of current issues and topical reports.

Back to the office: Are the days of remote work numbered? And what will the pause in US military aid mean for Ukraine and for Europe. 

An in-depth analysis of current issues and topical reports.

In an exclusive interview Kelly O'Brien tells Prime Time of her twelve year fight for justice for her husband and five-year-old daughter who died in an arson attack. And insights from inside the Oval office ahead of the Taoiseach's visit.

Tonight Prime Time has the latest as efforts to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine continue, and Nasa's plan to bring home two astronauts who have been stranded in space for 9 months.

Prime Time meets the "Trumpugees" the US citizens moving to Ireland in search of a more moderate political climate plus the latest from the bitter Web Summit High Court case.

Bitter pill - what are the risks to Ireland's economy from proposed US tariffs on pharmaceutical companies?  Finance Minister Pashal Donohoe will be live in studio. 

With Trump's tariffs looming, can Ireland's economy deal with an impending major trade war?

And exclusive footage from inside Gaza - An Irish surgeon shows us the reality of life on the ground, as bombs land on the hospital while he works.

A special programme in response to the latest tariff announcements from US President Donald Trump, with reaction and analysis from Ireland, Europe and Washington.

Prime Time speaks to Tanaiste Simon Harris about the impact of US tariffs on Ireland and Irish jobs, and brings you a special report into the activity of a teenage crime gang believed to be responsible for the theft of hundreds of cars nationwide.

Talks and trade war tariffs, what next for Ireland? Minister Jack Chambers will be in studio.  And we hear from sexual abuse survivor Sophie Brady on why she wants her abuser's sentence revisited.

A report from Kerry on the disappearance and search for missing Kenmare farmer Mike Gaine.

We'll also bring you the latest on the tariffs debate, and detail how Ireland has been targeted by a North Korean government scheme using undercover workers in the tech sector.

Prime Time has reactions from key individuals involved in the so-called 'Grace' case, looks at concerns that potentially unnecessary hip surgery was performed on children, and asks whether Ireland is getting too expensive for tourists.

Prime Time looks at gangland crime: After recent successes against major crime groups, what is coming next? 

And they speak to Dubliner, Hazel Behan, who is pursuing a major case to have the man she says attacked her - who is also the main suspect in the abduction of Madeline McCann - prosecuted.

Prime Time looks at the government's record on housing, hears from the manager of Northern Irish band Kneecap on the controversy about band's statements, and speaks to the family of Irishwoman Cliona Ward who has been detained by US immigration.

Tonight Prime Time looks at the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, as the Israeli government plans more military attacks on the enclave. 

We examine the new coastguard helicopters - a former director of the coastguard expresses concern about their suitability. And Anna Geary speaks to us about the controversy around camogie skorts.

Tonight Prime Time speaks to the parents of Kiea McCann who was killed when the car she was in crashed while on the way to her debs. Her parents believe the driver should have received a longer sentence. We also speak to Minister Norma Foley about disability services, and hear the latest from Kenmare about the investigation into the killing of Mike Gaine.

Tonight, Prime Time hosts a special programme focusing on the impact on young Irish people of online influencers who promote a negative form of masculinity.

The programme will reveal research carried out over the last number of months by RTÉ journalists Kate McDonald and Jack McCarron, as well as current insights from teachers, experts, and individuals who have been personally affected.

President Trump's tariff plans have been paused by the courts. What could that mean for Irish jobs and businesses? 

Is it time to open the triple lock? We hear from government and opposition on calls to change what many consider the foundation of our military neutrality. And what does the extradition of a key Kinahan gang member tell us about efforts to bring down the cartel?

Tonight we hear from one of the families at the heart of the recent RTE Investigates nursing homes expose. They are speaking out for the first time, to raise concerns about their fathers' treatment. We also look at the latest proposal from government to sort the rental market.

Prime Time covers the latest developments in the Annie McCarrick murder investigation, and reports from the ground on the recent disorder in the north. 

Tonight: As Donald Trump appears assess his options, what next in the conflict between Iran and Israel?

Why are young people with brain injuries still living in nursing homes? We put key questions to the Minister for Disabilities, Norma Foley.

And the personal impact of toxic online rumours sites: We hear from fitness influencer Siobhan O'Hagan.

Prime Time has the latest on the conflict in the Middle East, and - using hundreds of internal documents - details how an historic Dublin GAA went from windfall to liquidation.

Age verification technology can now restrict young peoples access to parts of the online world but how does it work and do we want it?  And as EU leaders meet in Brussels, what now for sanctions against Israel and aid for Gaza.