There have been six chartered deportation flights out of Ireland so far this year. It comes as, against the backdrop of heated statements and debates, the Irish Government has been hardening its rhetoric on immigration.

Earlier this month, the Irish Examiner was given a rare look behind the curtain of what happens as people are forcibly removed from the country as 52 Georgian nationals – including three families – were sent on a chartered plane to that country’s capital Tbilisi.

Irish Examiner security correspondent Cormac O’Keeffe was the journalist who witnessed it all and he’s the guest on today’s episode of The Deirdre O’Shaughnessy Podcast.

Inside Ireland’s deportation system: How gardaí carry out large-scale charter removals

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A man in his twenties is in Garda custody today after the stabbing of Stella and Brian Gallagher at their home in Ballinlough on Monday night.

Residents of the Shrewsbury Downs estate on the southside of Cork city heard a disturbance outside between 8 and 9pm on Monday night and were warned by Whatsapp message to remain in their homes and lock the doors.

Irish Examiner reporter Ann Murphy has been covering this story and is the guest on today’s episode of The Deirdre O’Shaughnessy Podcast.

'It is frightening': Neighbours in shock as couple named locally after fatal Ballinlough attack

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The Holly Bough has been part of a Cork Christmas since 1897. With its unique combination of Cork folklore and history, photos from Corkonians here and abroad, puzzles, original writing and artwork, assembling it each year is a marathon task for Editor Mary Corcoran.

On this bonus Holly Bough edition of the Deirdre O'Shaughnessy Podcast, Mary and Deirdre delve into the detail of what makes the Holly Bough so special.

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