Hello and welcome to Brexit Republic, RTE's podcast on Brexit.

I'm Tony Connolly, RTE's Europe editor at the summit of EU leaders in Prague.

And I'm Colom Ongo Nungown, RTE's Deputy Foreign Editor in Dublin.

Each week, Brexit Republic brings you the latest developments in Dublin, Brussels and London.

This week those eagerly awaited talks on the Northern Ireland Protocol resume

amid blossoming optimism in various quarters that a deal can be done.

We'll take a sober look at whether this optimism is misplaced or whether this time it is really different.

We'll take you through the structure and timetable and we'll look at what's different compared to the talks which ran into the sand last February.

And we'll assess the new mood of contrition and candour with the likes of Brexit hard man Steve Baker apologising to Ireland no less,

yes apologising for his past behaviour and Leo Varadker saying that the protocol was being applied a little too strictly.

And friend or foe we'll assess the sudden romance between Liz Truss and Emmanuel Macron

who met in the splendour of Prague Castle and started a new Entente Cordial over migration and nuclear energy.

Will it extend to the Northern Ireland Protocol?

Well we'll get to that in due course Tony but let's take it back to the apology,

which I think it would be fair whether people read much into the substance of it or not,

the apology by Steve Baker for his role and that of the ERG,

who we take it to mean his colleagues, in poisoning the well somewhat in Anglo-Irish and UK-EU relations.

Let's hear what he had to say on that.

But the thing I want to add is one of the people

who perhaps acted with the most ferocious determination

to get the UK out of the EU,

I think we have to bring some humility to this situation. And it's with

...