RTÉ Brainstorm

RTÉ Brainstorm

6/21/2025, 8:30:46 AM

Today is June 21st, the summer solstice, the longest day and the shortest night of the year. In Gaelic, Solstice is "Grianstad", literally 'sun-stop' and this is one of the two great peak moments of the light and dark interplay in our universe. Karen Ward explains how this ancient Celtic festival acts as a timely reminder and celebration of who, where and what we really are https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2025/0621/1056342-summer-solstice/

RTÉ Brainstorm

6/20/2025, 7:27:09 AM

You have probably heard all the positives about learning a second language such as strengthening your professional opportunities and deepening your cultural knowledge and experience. You may have heard that bilingualism even delays the onset of dementia and Alzheimer's. So, what’s the catch? Well, learning a new language might actually cause you to lose parts of your first language. Wieteke Windrich looks at what researchers know about first language loss - and why it's such a taboo subject https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2025/0619/1519099-first-language-loss-learning-languages-native-speakers/

RTÉ Brainstorm

6/19/2025, 8:15:01 AM

Meet the wild anti-colonial boys. A week doesn't go by without Belfast rappers Kneecap finding themselves in the middle of another controversy. But, as Niamh Kirk points out, the response to their cultural republicanism is not an isolated controversy but part of a far wider trend. "It's the manifestation of emerging anti-colonial movements clashing with Ireland’s longstanding tradition of aversion to engaging with the legacies of colonisation. They represent the new symbols and soundtrack of Irish anti-colonial resistance for a generation that aren't actually evoking violent nationalism" https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2025/0617/1518738-kneecap-anti-colonialism/

RTÉ Brainstorm

6/18/2025, 1:05:39 PM

Why exactly is a a 115kg stone from a beach in Co Waterford (stone and beach above) getting shipped off to Boston? That's the question which Conor Heffernan sets out to answer in this piece which takes us from the ancient sport of stone lifting to the shared identity between Irish communities worldwide. "It is a playful, slightly eccentric idea to send this stone to Boston, but it perfectly captures how diaspora communities find joy in heritage." https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2025/0618/1519039-stonelifting-cloch-ban-annestown-waterford-boston-no-fame-games/

RTÉ Brainstorm

6/17/2025, 7:48:55 AM

The latest CSO report on electricity consumption in Ireland highlights some interesting facts about usage across the capital and country. In 2024, it was the Dublin postal districts that had the highest proportion of residential consumption at 19%, followed by Cork (12%), Dublin County (6%), Galway (6%), and Kildare (5%). Aoife Ryan-Christensen digs into the data to find out more https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2025/0616/1517672-cso-metered-electricity-consumption-ireland-dublin-2024-data-centres/

RTÉ Brainstorm

6/13/2025, 11:41:19 AM

The lads in the photo above are the original Bloomsday boys of summer. On June 16th 1954, John Ryan, Anthony Cronin, Brian O'Nolan, Patrick Kavanagh and Tom Joyce met up outside James Joyce's birthplace in Rathgar and went on to visit places synonymous with the writer and Ulysses, including Sandymount Strand, and various pubs. As Barry Houlihan notes, it was far from the illustrious city and countrywide celebration of Ulysses it has since become. In fact, it was fairly underwhelming as debuts go. "Our expedition on that June day 1954 got scant courtesy from many people who are now deeply involved in Bloomsday", wrote Kavanagh in the RTÉ Guide at a later stage. "Numbers of well know publicists appeared on the scene to have a good laugh at us". https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2025/0612/1518012-bloomsday-1964-history-dublin-james-joyce-ulysses/

RTÉ Brainstorm

5/22/2025, 8:28:49 AM

10 years ago today, Ireland voted overwhelmingly in favour (62%) of the legalisation of the marriage between people of the same sex in the referendum with one of the highest turnouts (60.52% of voters) in the country to date. Campaigns were hugely facilitated by social media at the time. Twitter (as it was at the time) was the second most popular social-media platform in Ireland in terms of regular usage and communication in 2015, and played a crucial role on popularising the discussion around the referendum. As Caroline B Pena explains, research now shows it also played a major role in polarising the debate too https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2025/0521/1514094-marriage-equality-referendum-twitter-social-media-research-polarisation/

RTÉ Brainstorm

5/23/2025, 4:13:28 PM

Happy birthday Bob! It's Dylan's birthday tomorrow and, in honour of the man enjoying one heck of a resurgence in popularity right now, Thomas Caffrey compiles a decade by decade guide to the master storyteller's best narrative songs. https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2025/0523/1514482-bob-dylan-best-narrative-songs-the-lonesome-death-of-hattie-carroll-isis/

RTÉ Brainstorm

5/21/2025, 11:39:15 AM

Are you a morning shower person or a night shower person? Morning shower enthusiasts will say this is the obvious winner, as it helps you wake up and start the day fresh. Night shower loyalists, on the other hand, will argue it's better to "wash the day away" and relax before bed. But what does the research actually say? Over to microbiologist Primrose Freestone who says there is actually a clear answer to this question https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2025/0521/1513861-showering-morning-night-hygiene/

RTÉ Brainstorm

5/26/2025, 2:54:50 PM

Ireland's Atlantic coast presents both an enormous opportunity and a formidable challenge for renewable energy development. The recent withdrawal of the Sceirde Rocks Project off Connemara, which would have been Ireland's first commercial west coast offshore wind project, tells an important story, writes Ross O'Connell. The project was set to incorporate fixed-bottom offshore wind technology, and this setback has indicated that if we want to harness the Atlantic's energy, we may need to think differently about how to do it - two emerging technologies could hold the answer. https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2025/0526/1514909-ireland-offshore-renewable-energy-floating-wind-wave-sceirde/