RTÉ launches new true crime podcast exploring Ireland’s most haunting unsolved murder cases
- Love Ballymena
- 5 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Barry Cummins and Katja Mia present the new RTÉ podcast series, ‘Unsolved’. (Photo: Marc O'Sullivan)
A new RTÉ true crime podcast examining some of Ireland’s most enduring unsolved criminal cases has launched today, aiming to keep long-running investigations in the public eye while giving victims and their families a renewed voice.
Unsolved, released every Wednesday, explores unsolved murders and other unresolved crimes from across Ireland, with experienced crime journalist Barry Cummins and broadcaster Katja Mia leading listeners through the evidence, investigations and unanswered questions behind each case.
Victims placed at the centre of every story
Rather than focusing solely on the crimes themselves, the series promises to put victims and their families at the heart of each episode, drawing on RTÉ’s archive alongside Barry Cummins’ decades of reporting on missing people and serious crime.
Cummins has spent more than 30 years covering crime across radio, television and print. He has written six bestselling true crime books and received ten Justice Media Awards for his work.
Katja Mia, well known to television and radio audiences through The Six O’Clock Show and RTÉ 2FM Drive, joins him to bring a fresh perspective to stories that have remained unresolved for decades.
Katja said:
“Working on Unsolved is so important to me as it’s a way to honour the many victims of unsolved cases here in Ireland - to give them a voice and go into their stories in depth. I’m really looking forward to working with Barry on this podcast.”
Barry Cummins added:
“It’s important to give each unsolved case the time, attention and space it deserves. There are hundreds of unsolved murders in Ireland, and that means many killers still getting away with their crimes, and that’s not fair.
“With this podcast, we aim to put pressure on the criminals by keeping their crimes in the public eye.”
First episodes revisit the disappearance of Arlene Arkinson
Disappeared: 15-year-old Arlene Arkinson
The first three episodes, released today, examine the disappearance of 15-year-old Arlene Arkinson, who vanished after attending a disco in Bundoran in August 1994.
Despite extensive searches, multiple police investigations and a murder trial in 2005, Arlene’s body has never been found and her family continue to seek justice.
Future episodes will also revisit two other high-profile Irish cases.
Seventeen-year-old Raonaid Murray was stabbed just 500 metres from her Dublin home in September 1999, but despite a major Garda investigation her killer has never been identified.
Another episode will explore the disappearance of Fiona Pender, who was seven months pregnant when she vanished from her home in County Offaly in August 1996. She has never been found.
Podcast hopes to generate new information
Alongside examining the evidence and investigations, the series hopes renewed public attention could encourage people with information to come forward.
Anyone with information relating to featured cases can contact the production team via the dedicated email tip line at unsolved@rte.ie.
Where to listen
Unsolved is released every Wednesday at 6am and is available on the RTÉ Radio Player app, YouTube and major podcast platforms.
The first three episodes are available now:
RTÉ Podcasts
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
By revisiting some of Ireland’s most notorious unsolved cases, the series hopes not only to preserve the stories of those whose lives were cut short, but also to keep public attention focused on investigations that remain open years—and in some cases decades—later.