The 'wild west' of corporal punishment in school is something that Paul Cunningham remembers well.
RTÉ’s Political Correspondent has opened up about his personal experience of the practice on Behind the Story.
Remembering a particular incident back in 1978 as a 10-year-old, Paul recalls 47 years later how it stays with him.
He reflects on recent changes which give schools guidance on how they should deal with former pupils who come forward and report historic abuse.
The policy - Child Protection Procedures for Schools, 2025 - is an update on its original 2017 document.
Katie and Paul also talk through plans for Ireland to partake in a new EU programme SAFE, or Security Action for Europe.
The procurement scheme would enable the State to quickly acquire defence systems and help streamline procurement policies across the bloc.
What does it mean for Ireland - and what could be in store for Irish troops amid a shifting international stage at the United Nations?
Also the duo toast the ‘wedding to the year’ in Venice between Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez.
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You can listen to Behind the Story which is available on the RTÉ Radio Player.
You can also find episodes on Apple here, or on Spotify here.
Anyone affected by issues raised in this article can go to rte.ie/helplines
