investigations-unit

Smoky coal sold to areas where fossil fuel is banned

The burning of smoky coal in Low Smoke Zones has been prohibited since 2012. But the fossil fuel is still being sold to people in these areas, explains Kieran Dineen.

Council chamber secrets: Misconduct, falsehoods & waste

A new era of accountability in local government was promised ten years ago, but has yet to be delivered.

Council chamber secrets: Issues in your local authority

Illegal adoptions: 'It's an absolute slap in the face'

When Brian Webster was told he had been illegally adopted, he found out that he'd spent his life living an identity that wasn't truly his. But he was left in the dark about his biological family, reports Aoife Hegarty.

'I feel freer' - Illegal adoptees unlock their origins

Twelve months later, some illegal adoptees are still searching for answers and struggling to discover their true identities.

Report on illegal adoptions recommends State inquiry

A report by the Government's Special Rapporteur on Child Protection on the practice of illegal adoptions in Ireland has recommended the establishment of a State inquiry.

The lavish spending by the firm that conned homeowners

Financial documents of Careysfort Asset Estates, which conned vulnerable homeowners, show lavish spending on personal items using money paid by clients of the firm.

How this businesswoman conned distraught homeowners

Catriona Carey, an accountant and former national sports star, operated an elaborate scam that has left victims in its wake across Ireland.

Domestic abuse in Ireland - a year in crisis

RTÉ Investigates spent time in a number of women's refuges across the country, hearing stories of women who had suffered domestic abuse.

'I can't remember anything except the day she died'

Since 1996, the deaths of at least 108 women have been directly attributed to their partners as part of research into cases of femicide, the murder of women because of their gender.

'I think it was rage' - men who suffer domestic abuse

Male victims are reported to have different experiences to women but, in some cases, they can suffer extreme coercion.

60% increase in breaches of protection orders

The number of breaches of court protection orders in domestic abuse cases reported to gardaí increased by more than 60% during the Covid-19 pandemic, when compared with 2018 and 2019, according to figures released to RTÉ Investigates.

Torture of Hooded Men recognised five decades on

This week, the UK Supreme Court finally concluded that 14 men detained in Northern Ireland in 1971 were tortured.

Father and daughter charged with illegal dumping

A father and daughter who ran one of Donegal's longest-standing waste collection businesses have appeared in court charged with multiple counts of illegal dumping.

Councillor trainer wrongly claimed State accreditation

A training provider wrongly told local authorities that around 50 seminars it held for councillors from 2015 to 2019 were State accredited.

Large number of helpline calls after RTÉ Investigates

A patient advocacy group says its helpline has received a significant number of calls since the broadcast of an RTÉ Investigates report last night into a series of complaints of suspected sexual abuse of unconscious patients by a doctor formerly employed

'They said I was in safe hands' - alleged abuse victim

Since being told he was allegedly sexually assaulted at Naas General Hospital in 2017, one patient's world has been turned upside down.

Investigations into suspected sexual abuse of patients

Three separate investigations are underway into a series of complaints of suspected sexual abuse of unconscious patients by a doctor at Naas General Hospital.

The people caught in Ireland's wardship system

Under a 150-year-old law, those deemed to be of unsound mind receive the protection of the State. But they also lose many of the rights we consider fundamental.

Families learned of organ incinerations from RTÉ report

Several families first learned their babies' organs had been incinerated abroad from an RTÉ Investigates report that exposed the incident, it has emerged.

Families of R116 crew face significant legal bills

The families of the crew who died while on a search and rescue mission in 2017 are facing significant legal bills arising out of a Department of Transport review of the accident.

State Claims Agency examines claims about retired judge

The State Claims Agency is investigating allegations a former District Court judge made inappropriate contact with a women during a period when she was intermittently appearing before him.

Inquiry under way at CUMH after baby organs incinerated

An investigation is under way at Cork University Maternity Hospital after multiple baby organs were incinerated abroad without the consent of bereaved parents.

Heartbroken parents react to baby organ incineration

In May 2020, eight months after her baby died, Leona Bermingham got a phone call to tell her that her baby son's organs had been incinerated, Aoife Hegarty explains.