Brainstorm | Opinion, Analysis, Reports, Features | RTÉ

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Could Ireland experience a power blackout like Spain & Portugal?

Increasing electricity demand and growth in renewable generator connections means the Irish grid is running closer to its limits every year

'Victims fear being judged by society for seeking compensation in the aftermath of a sexual assault or in response to their loved one being killed.' Photo: Getty Images

Why victims of crime should get compensation from the State

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Does the road to hell begin in Cork?

Republic of Ireland players during a training session at the Stade de Luxembourg

Could mental skill development be key to improving Irish soccer?

random letters

Why are some words so hard to spell?

The Marriage Settlement by William Hogarth, c.1743

Meet the runaway husbands & eloping wives of 18th century Ulster

Woman on a sofa eating soup

How soup helps you recover from colds and flu

Kurt Cobain of Nirvana performing on MTV Live and Loud in Dec 1993

The dark meaning behind Nirvana's In Utero angel

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How the medicine you take in future could be made in space

group of friends outdoors

Is there a specific age at which we are happiest?

16th-century Irish kern mercenaries on the right, with gallowglasses on the left Courtesy of Albrecht Dürer.

How the mantle cloak set fashion trends in Medieval Ireland

Medieval Ireland

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The A to K of vitamins: what you need and where to get it

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Why Metrolink is a much needed connection for north Co Dublin

young woman walking coffee smiling phone

How you walk, talk and smile could be as unique as a fingerprint

More Brainstorm

Presidential Election

Composite image showing Irish presidential candidates Catherine Connolly and Heather Humphreys

Just what can the President of Ireland actually say and do?

Presidential Election 2025

Lovely gaff

7 things you probably didn't know about Áras an Uachtaráin

Presidential Election 2025

Why did dinner plates go flying when Irish minister Frank Aiken visited US president Franklin D Roosevelt. in the White House in 1941?

The US president, an Irish minister and a huge White House row

'Social media has been a powerful tool in presenting President Higgins as an identifiable, ordinary, imperfect and accessible politician.'

Why so many Irish people dote on President Michael D Higgins

Douglas Hyde: a man with a cracking sense of humour

The man behind the moustache: meet the real Douglas Hyde

Work & Careers

'The more we earn, the less likely we are to take time off - and the reward for work turns out to be more work'

Why do we work?

Work and careers

A man in a waiting room

Putting a CV together? Why honesty may not be the best policy

Work and careers

Cheerful young woman relaxing on sofa uses laptop in hotel room. City of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, travel Asia concept

Are 'quiet holidays' influencing your workplace?

Work and careers

drawing meetings

How drawing is a good way to take notes in a meeting or classroom

Work and careers

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How employee ownership trusts allow workers to own their business

'The bad news about return-to-the-office orders is that they will make the working lives of many employees more depressing and less productive. The good news is that this trend is largely limited to large corporate employers.' Photo: Getty Images

Why big business wants you back in the office full-time

Work and careers

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How to decide when it's time to leave your job

Work and careers

Nature

Phoenix Park in Dublin Photo: Getty Images

Why do leaves change colour?

Looking for love.... Photo: Royal Society for the Protection of Birds

5 ways humans have scuppered the love lives of animals

'Golden eagles rely on a steady supply of prey to thrive and raise chicks'. Photo: Terry Flanagan

What happened to the golden eagles reintroduced to Co Donegal?

An image of an Asian hornet on a punnet of grapes

Why Asian hornets remain a significant risk for Irish nature

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How people in Ireland enjoy nature and the great outdoors

Audio

Storm Éowyn takes aim at Bantry Bay in January 2025. Photo: Getty Images

Rain, floods & storms: why weather conditions are getting wetter

Parents will consistently say the same thing about their teens - 'I just don't understand them'. Photo: Tim Mossholder/Unsplash

Help, my child is now a teenager – what do I do?

'While there is currently no indication RIP.ie will be put behind a paywall, its acquisition is a reminder of how much of our memories and culture we entrust to platforms with potentially different priorities.'

How RIP.ie became an Irish cultural phenomenon

A ringfort in Co Tipperary: "looking down from a plane, you'll see these circles dotted across Ireland".

The superstitions and mysteries around Ireland's 'fairy forts'

Ah here, leave it out with that aul' ráiméis... Photo: Getty Images

Ráiméis! 15 slang words as Gaeilge to use this week

Children playing on Harold Road during a Dublin 7 Play Street initiative in June 2023. Photo: Jenny Fearn.

Why we turned a Dublin street into a playground

'When faced with a decision to repair or replace, people often chose to buy new home appliances rather than repair the ones they own'. Photo: Getty Images

How we're tricked into buying new home appliances

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Editor's Choice

16th-century Irish kern mercenaries on the right, with gallowglasses on the left Courtesy of Albrecht Dürer.

How the mantle cloak set fashion trends in Medieval Ireland

Medieval Ireland

A child stands close to a red brick wall, casting a shadow. She wears novelty yellow flower shaped sunglasses. She looks off to the side. Conceptual with space for copy.

Why daylight matters for children's eyesight

acupuncture on back

Is acupuncture a good option for back pain?

Women working from stalls on the west side of George's Street at Stephen Street, Dublin 1927.

Why did Dublin authorities try to ban street trading in 1920s?

Young woman sitting in hospital bed with back to the camera

What happens to young people who suffer stroke and heart disease?

Why so many companies are investing in weather forecasting