Luke Saunders, co-founder and CEO of Studyclix, joins us on this week’s episode to give the lie of the land for anyone whose own memory of sitting the exams might be fading. We look at the lasting impact of the Covid pandemic on the exams, and share advice for students and parents alike.

Joining us on this week’s episode is journalist Robbyn Swan, author of Looking for Madeleine and who featured in the Netflix series The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann, to look over the history of the investigation. Are police making progress? Who is the suspect who has been linked to the case?

Mark O’Brien, head of DCU’s School of Communications and associate professor in journalism history, and Kirsty Blake Knox, writer with the Irish Independent, delve into the show’s history, examine its enduring popularity, and ask what its new presenter must do to keep it going strong.

The professor said if the show returned to the unpredictable format, it would bring back the energy of the show and “make it lively”.

We sit down with Dr Sulafa Salama, a Sudanese doctor working in St James’s in Dublin, who was trapped in Khartoum when the fighting broke out. We’re also joined by Dr Aia Mohamed, assistant professor at Trinity College Dublin, who speaks to us about how her father was visiting Sudan when the fighting broke out.

“Some people were praying, some people were crying.”

We’re joined by Caitríona Morrissey, news editor with the Irish Farmers Journal. She gives us the background to these recent price drops and explains how cuts to ‘loss leaders’ might have little impact on your overall shopping basket.

Marcin Pater, an emergency response officer at DG ECHO’s Emergency Response Coordinate Centre, and Pádraic Fogarty, campaigns officer with the Irish Wildlife Trust explore the issue of wildfires from both an Irish and European perspective. What is being done to help country’s battle these fires, and what type of impact have we seen on the ground in Ireland?

Journalists Mick Clifford of The Examiner and Alice Chambers of Noteworthy tell Susan Daly about the Garda watchdog’s severe and ongoing problems.

Joining us this week is Daragh Cassidy of Bonkers.ie to look what’s next for Revolut – is it on track to dominate Irish banking, or will it remain nothing more than a handy app for splitting a bill? Should we start viewing it as a traditional bank? And what do the latest changes mean for its customers?

Joining us on this week’s episode to explain more is Jehanne Henry, a human rights lawyer based in East Africa. She was an advisor to the transitional government in 2020-21, and previously held the role of associate director in Human Rights Watch’s Africa division.

Frank Greaney, courts correspondent with Newstalk and Today FM, joins us on this week’s episode to delve into the case. We examine the origins of the feud, explain who exactly The Monk is, look at key moments from the trial, and explore the origins of the Special Criminal Court.

This week on The Explainer, Laura Byrne is joined by The Journal columnist and University of Galway law lecture Larry Donnelly to delve into the case.

Chris Stokel-Walker, author of a definitive book on TikTok, joins us this week to explain what the controversies around the Chinese-run app are.

Brooke Masters from the Financial Times joins us on this week’s episode to explain exactly what is going on. What caused the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank? How did it cause ripple effects across the world? And although we’re hearing a lot about venture capital, how worried should Joe and Jane Doe be about their savings?

Reporter Niall Sargent and expert Eleanor McSherry tell Susan Daly about chronic delays in autism assessments and services for children.

This week on The Explainer, Laura Byrne speaks to Edgar Morgenroth, professor of economics at DCU Business School, to delve into the subject more. What level of shrinkflation are we seeing right now, is there anything to protect consumers from it – and when will it end?

Presenter Sinéad O’Carroll speaks with Claudia Amaral, head of office with DG ECHO in Kyiv, about her work. What type of assistance do people need the most? What stories has she heard from people on the ground? And how long will her work be needed?

This week, we’re joined by PA Media’s Dominic McGrath to look back over the career of Matt Hancock, and delve into the impact of his leaked WhatsApp messages.

Reporter Anthea Lacchia tells Susan Daly about declining fish stocks and significant changes in Ireland’s longest river.

Listen in to hear Stevie McDermott and Camilla Siggaard Andersen explain.

Listen in to hear political correspondent Christina Finn explaining the situation with Cariban.

Listen in to hear Lise Hand and Sinéad O’Carroll discuss the highs and lows of his career – and what might be in store next.

Donnacha Ó Beacháin, professor of politics at the School of Law and Government at Dublin City University, joins us.

Listen in to hear Nick Henderson of the Irish Refugee Council explain.

Noteworthy’s Niall Sargent and islander John Walsh tell Susan Daly about what is needed to help our offshore islands thrive.

Reporter Peter McGuire and Dr Anne Dee of the Irish Medical Organisation tell Susan Daly about public health challenges and reforms.

Listen in to hear reporter Aoife Barry on how it happened – and what it means for the film industry.

Listen in to hear Dr Debbie Ging of Dublin City University explain more about the controversial online figure.

Lauren Boland of The Journal and Ciarán Hughes of ethical investment company Ethico tell Susan Daly about the relationship between pensions and fossil fuels.

Listen in to hear financial advisor Nick Charalambous give his advice.

Listen in to hear what we picked amongst the range of topics we tackled across politics, sport, entertainment and health this year.

Listen in to hear columnist, Bostonian and lawyer Larry Donnelly explain how things went.

Alice Chambers of Noteworthy and Mindy O’Brien of environmental charity VOICE tell Susan Daly about Ireland’s recycling system.

Listen to Órla Ryan, presenter of Redacted Lives podcast, explain about Ireland’s mother and baby home system, and what is happening for survivors.

Niall Sargent of Noteworthy and UCD’s Dr Patrick Brodie tell Susan Daly about our latest investigation.

Listen to hear Prof Peter Neumann, a German journalist and academic, explain the background and context to the story.

Listen in to hear economist and research affiliate with the ESRI John Fitzgerald to hear more.

Maria Delaney of Noteworthy and Geela Garcia in the Philippines tell Susan Daly about our latest cross-border investigation.

Parent Paul Murphy, whose son is being treated in hospital for RSV, and Dr Niamh Lynch explain more in this week’s podcast episode.