Brainstorm | Opinion, Analysis, Reports, Features | RTÉ

skip to main content

'Sé seo stáisiún 2RN ag triail': the birth of Irish radio in 1926

Test transmissions before 2RN went live on New Year's Day 1926 allowed the new station find a core team of presenters and engineers

People charging their electric cars at charging station

Your essential guide to buying an electric car in 2026

sample caption

A short history of extreme weather events at Christmas in Ireland

Participants at the Cearta Irish-language protest marching from Parnell Square

Cad é an scéal leis an nGaeilge?

A composite photo created by combing 47 phots that have been oriented to match the star position and show how meteor showers originate from the same point relative to the stars. The Aurora were very active causing the sky to the south to be coloured green

Look up: the amazing sights of the Irish night sky in winter

sample caption

Meet the characters from a golden age of children's TV in Ireland

Children's Television

Daniel O'Connell from Daniel O'Connell: The Emancipator documentary

Why did Budweiser use Daniel O'Connell in newspaper ads?

christmas socks

12 ways Christmas wrecks your sleep - and how to fix it

The Christmas bird coming to a garden near you

Why do we associate robins with Christmas?

sample caption

Why we can't help but love cheesy Christmas movies

Two female students with mobile phone

Why does AI dominate 2025's words of the year lists?

Word of the Year

A Muppet Christmas Carol

What Christmas movies reveal about social change over the decades

Christmas shoppers on Dublin's Henry Street in 1970. Photo: RTÉ Stills Department

Do you know these 7 great Irish Christmas traditions?

"Little is known about how our body copes with one-off occasions of overindulgence, and whether they have any effect on our overall health"

Here's how the body reacts to a massive one-off meal

The little wren at large. Photo: Michael Finn

How the wren became the king of all birds

More Brainstorm

Best of Brainstorm 2025

Housing estate in south Dublin, Ireland.

What's the price of a home in your area?

Property Price Index

sample caption

Why are we seeing so many butterflies in Ireland this year?

A night shower can help rinse away the day's dirt and grime, but you might not smell as fresh the next morning. Photo: Leungchopan/ Shutterstock

Is it better to shower in the morning or at night?

'Work is becoming increasingly complex, demanding, pressurised and ultimately unsustainable. As pressure intensifies, so too does the potential for burnout.' Photo: Getty Images

Why micro-retirement has become a new workplace trend for Gen Z

Work and careers

A worker walks past stored wind turbine blades at the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast in 2008. Photo: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images

What can be done with 11,000 tons of used wind turbine blades?

AI apps on mobile phone including DeepSeek, Gemini and ChatGPT

How to detect text which has been written by ChatGPT

Shoe made from waste pineapple plant fibre

Why Ireland could lead in a new multi-trillion euro industry

Ireland

16 November 2025; Troy Parrott of Republic of Ireland celebrates after the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group F Qualifier match between Hungary and Republic of Ireland at Puskás Aréna in Budapest, Hungary. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

Why Irish people sing 'Ole Ole Ole' when they're happy

Early map of Ballyshannon by John Baxter, c. 1600 (National Maritime Museum, Greenwich)

The rise and fall of Ballyshannon port

Former Kilkenny hurler DJ Carey at the Criminal Courts of Justice in Dublin

Do Irish personal insolvency laws need to be reviewed?

Personal Insolvency

Do you still have your iodine tablets?

The story of Joe Jacob, Marian Finucane and the iodine tablets

sample caption

What will Irish towns look like in the future?

In Case You Missed It

An American Eagle advertisement featuring actress Sydney Sweeney on a billboard in Times Square in New York

Why was there controversy over Sydney Sweeney's jeans' ad?

clontibret co monaghan 1986

The night a small village in Co Monaghan was invaded by Loyalists

sample caption

The hospitality crisis: what's happening to Irish restaurants?

Be careful what you do with the dregs of your Pumpkin Spice Latte. Photo: Getty Images

Why you shouldn't pour coffee down the drain

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

Solar panel installation on residential house

How long will it take for my solar panels to pay for themselves?

A Child of Prague statue in the window of a Co Clare home. Photo: John Greim/LightRocket via Getty Images

Why is the Child of Prague statue associated with Irish weddings?

Audio

Drone

From toys to wars, where will you encounter drones next?

Is time really on your side as the song goes?

Where does the time go?

Supporters make their way down Jones' Road before 2025 All-Ireland hurling final

Where are the future strongholds of Gaelic games?

sample caption

What will Irish towns look like in the future?

Participants at the Cearta Irish-language protest marching from Parnell Square

Cad é an scéal leis an nGaeilge?

A worker walks past stored wind turbine blades at the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast in 2008. Photo: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images

What can be done with 11,000 tons of used wind turbine blades?

Rainwater harvesting encourages public involvement in water conservation efforts. Photo: Getty Images

Why you should be collecting and using rainwater

More Audio

Editor's Choice

All you need to know about the evolution of the spice bag

Conceptual illustration in green tones, featuring a central, prominent speech bubble, surrounded by a matrix of smaller, semi-transparent speech bubbles.

Ní thuigim: does AI even understand Gaeilge?

Cian's Kennels therapy dog

How your family dog is more than just a friend to sick children

The ECB has highlighted a growing recognition among central banks, finance ministries and civil protection agencies that cash is a critical component of 'national crisis preparedness'. Photo: Getty Images

'Cash is here to stay': why cash is king in emergency planning

How Munster rugby and French soccer fans strike the right note

AI apps on mobile phone including DeepSeek, Gemini and ChatGPT

How to detect text which has been written by ChatGPT