Sean Binder from Castlegregory, Co Kerry, was an idealistic 24 year old with a law degree, a scuba diving qualification and some time to spare when he decided to spend a year helping the Greek Coastguard to rescue refugees from drowning off the island of Lesvos.

Eight years later, he and 23 other volunteers have finally been acquitted of serious criminal charges including people smuggling, belonging to a criminal organisation, and espionage. Thousands of refugees are still attempting the dangerous journey from North Africa and the Middle East to reach Europe by sea – but since charges were brought against the volunteers, fewer rescues are taking place, and evidence is mounting that Greek security forces are pushing back boats to Libyan or Turkish waters, contrary to international law.

Irish Examiner reporter Liz Dunphy has been covering the case in Lesvos and is today’s guest on the podcast.

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From kidnapping the Venezuelan President to unleashing a masked paramilitary force on his own people, from threatening to invade Greenland to sulking over the Nobel Peace Prize in an unhinged letter to the Norwegian Prime Minister, Donald Trump has never been so volatile, or so dangerous.

“He believes in the second term that nobody can stop him. In the first term, he didn't really know his way around the White House. He didn't know his way around the political machines.

“But also this time he's surrounded by people who just will not say no to him.

Marion McKeone has been writing about American politics for decades, and her article in Monday’s Irish Examiner laid out the Greenland situation starkly.

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36 year old Laura Liston died in June 2022 after giving birth to a baby boy at her home near Croom, Limerick, under the HSE homebirth service. Since then, HSE midwest has suspended home birthing in the area.

She is the first mother to die in home birth in Ireland. Ms Liston’s inquest was held this week at Kilmallock courthouse in Co Limerick, returning a finding of medical misadventure.

Ms Liston’s husband, Fergal Mannion, and other relatives, including her parents, issued a statement through their solicitor after the inquest.

“Laura dreamed of becoming a mother and raising a family with Fergal in her native Croom,” solicitor Scarlett Griffin O’ Sullivan said.

“To become a mother was all she ever wanted, maternal by nature, she was a beautiful woman inside and out.”

The statement continued: “She did her research and opted for a homebirth via the HSE service and trusted that she would be afforded basic antenatal care. Unfortunately there were deficits in that care, in particular following her son’s delivery. But for those failings Laura would still be alive today.”

The families stood silently behind her, and added in the statement: “This tragedy was avoidable and should never have happened."

Irish Examiner Health Correspondent Niamh Griffin attended the inquest and is the guest on today's episode of The Deirdre O’Shaughnessy Podcast.

Family says homebirth death was avoidable after medical misadventure verdict

HSE apologises to family of Limerick woman who died after giving birth at home

HSE completes review of homebirth services suspended due to death of Limerick woman

The Deirdre O'Shaughnessy Podcast: Free birthing and the tragic death of Naomi James

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