We are just over halfway through the year. The World Cup is over. The Dáil has risen for the summer. And on Friday, the courts will close. This coming week will see a number of serious cases conclude.
But although the most common “news sources” are taking their summer holidays, news itself does not stop.
Over these next weeks, our news journalists will be reporting from every corner of Ireland: on the serious crime and environmental issues affecting our coastal communities; on the empty properties in our regional towns; and on Ireland’s slow but steady development of alternative energy sources.
Summer is a boom time for cultural events; our music and arts journalists will bring you reviews of all the major festivals and gigs around Ireland, from All Together Now in Waterford next weekend, to Bon Jovi at Croke Park in late August.
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Our annual Inside Politics podcast summer series begins on August 5th, with Pat Leahy and Hugh Linehan reliving the days of the Progressive Democrats, the “radical” party that changed Irish politics before dying with the Celtic Tiger.
Irish Times correspondents in Europe are travelling to some of the continent’s farthest extremes to report on how people there are dealing with security threats, migration pressures and political unrest.
Turmoil persists in the Middle East, and our experts in the field – Sally Hayden in Lebanon, Mark Weiss in Israel and Keith Duggan in the US – will bring you reports and analysis as the situation unfolds.
In 2026, The Irish Times has invested heavily in investigative journalism, establishing a unit that reports the stories people don’t want told. Among their scoops have been a dig into the background of a leader of Easter’s fuel protests; a close-up view of Gerry Hutch’s life in Lanzarote; and the story of ‘fugitive’ American businessman Jason Cardiff’s move to Dublin.
There’s more to come from the Investigations Unit this summer.
Undoubtedly its most impactful investigation so far is that of Limerick’s Aughinish Alumina plant. Confidential documents showed the plant is exporting vast amounts of alumina to Russia, where it enters that country’s weapons supply chain. Following this exposé, the EU is actively considering adding alumina to its sanctions list.
Yesterday, we published a leaked version of the Government’s secret report on what happens to the alumina after it leaves Irish shores. The report does not conclude that the alumina from Limerick is used in Russian weapons against Ukraine, but nor does it rule out that it might be.
In a related opinion article, Edward Burke calls it a “tepid report”, that supports official Ireland’s “grinding evasion over Aughinish”. He urges our Government to follow Australia’s example and hit Russia’s war economy where it hurts.
Instead, alumina production continues in Limerick, and ships continue to take it to Russia. Our reporting on the story will also continue. Expect another instalment soon.
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