# RTÉ Brainstorm

New ideas and insights about the world around us. From RTÉ in co-operation with Irish universities and Research Ireland.

Page: <https://rssamplifier.com/rte-brainstorm>  
Feed: <https://rssamplifier.com/rte-brainstorm.md>

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## [Why is Ireland home to so many bogs?](https://www.rte.ie/radio/radio1/clips/22622903/)

_2026-08-12_

The convergence of geology, climate, vegetation and human history allowed peat to accumulate on an extraordinary scale over thousands of years.

[Listen](https://podcast.rasset.ie/podcasts/audio/2026/0812/20260812_rteradio1-brainstorm-whyisirela_c22622903_22637084_232_.mp3)

## [The secret history of volcanoes in Ireland](https://www.rte.ie/radio/radio1/clips/22622902/)

_2026-08-06_

You might not know it, but Ireland is dotted with extinct volcanoes that have shaped the island we know and love today.

[Listen](https://podcast.rasset.ie/podcasts/audio/2026/0806/20260806_rteradio1-brainstorm-thesecreth_c22622902_22635419_232_.mp3)

## [All you need to know about the evolution of the spice bag](https://www.rte.ie/radio/radio1/clips/22622901/)

_2026-07-30_

The spice bag sits proudly alongside the spiceburger, jumbo breakfast roll, jambon and chicken fillet roll in the pantheon of great 21st century Irish dishes.

[Listen](https://podcast.rasset.ie/podcasts/audio/2026/0730/20260730_rteradio1-brainstorm-allyouneed_c22622901_22634050_232_.mp3)

## [Meet the Bart Simpson of 16th century Ireland](https://www.rte.ie/radio/radio1/clips/22622808/)

_2026-07-23_

An Ceithearnach Caoilriabhach was a rule-breaking trickster in Early Modern Irish culture, a figure who caused chaos wherever he went.

[Listen](https://podcast.rasset.ie/podcasts/audio/2026/0723/20260723_rteradio1-brainstorm-meetthebar_c22622808_22632117_232_.mp3)

## [Why do some people play their phones out loud on buses and trains?](https://www.rte.ie/radio/radio1/clips/22622494/)

_2026-07-16_

New social norms and behaviour are behind the rise of headphone dodgers on public transport showing zero consideration for those around them.

[Listen](https://podcast.rasset.ie/podcasts/audio/2026/0716/20260716_rteradio1-brainstorm-whydosomep_c22622494_22630230_232_.mp3)

## [Why did the British Army have an artist with them in Northern Ireland?](https://www.rte.ie/radio/radio1/clips/22622490/)

_2026-07-08_

Art created by Ken Howard during the Troubles shows the power of images to control the conflict narrative and conceal the reality of war.

[Listen](https://podcast.rasset.ie/podcasts/audio/2026/0708/20260708_rteradio1-brainstorm-whydidtheb_c22622490_22628018_232_.mp3)

## [Are you more likely to get divorced than switch your bank?](https://www.rte.ie/radio/radio1/clips/22622377/)

_2026-07-01_

Until switching banks is as easy as switching mobile network, most of us will stay in the same financial relationship we began in college.

[Listen](https://podcast.rasset.ie/podcasts/audio/2026/0701/20260701_rteradio1-brainstorm-areyoumore_c22622377_22626092_232_.mp3)

## [Dr ChatGPT will see you now: how AI could be bad for your health](https://www.rte.ie/radio/radio1/clips/22618905/)

_2026-06-24_

Can we trust AI with our health, our hearts or our sanity? Not yet at least, not without supervision.

[Listen](https://podcast.rasset.ie/podcasts/audio/2026/0624/20260624_rteradio1-brainstorm-drchatgptw_c22618905_22625195_232_.mp3)

## [Jeff Buckley and me: the story of the singer’s 1992 Irish show](https://www.rte.ie/radio/radio1/clips/22618904/)

_2026-06-17_

Buckley's prep for the Trinity Ball, his first ever European show, involved drinking tea, eating Mikado biscuits and watching The Late Late Show

[Listen](https://podcast.rasset.ie/podcasts/audio/2026/0617/20260617_rteradio1-brainstorm-jeffbuckle_c22618904_22621820_232_.mp3)

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_2026-06-17 · **Sponsored**_

Get this Manifest V3 extension from the official TronBrowser Store listing.

## ['Cash is here to stay': why cash is king in emergency planning](https://www.rte.ie/radio/radio1/clips/22612371/)

_2026-06-09_

Governments are increasingly advising people to keep cash on hand for emergencies which may severely impair electronic payments systems.

[Listen](https://podcast.rasset.ie/podcasts/audio/2026/0609/20260609_rteradio1-brainstorm-cashishere_c22612371_22620261_232_.mp3)