Newstalk Breakfast

Tomorrow, we’ll all be painting the town green for St Patrick’s Day, and with us to talk all about what we can expect tomorrow is Richard Tierney, CEO of St Patrick’s Festival. 

Fórsa and the Financial Services Union have called on employers to be more flexible about staff working from home as commuting costs surge for hundreds of thousands of drivers.  All to discuss with John O’Connell, Head of the Financial Services Union. 

Henry McKean, Newstalk reporter brings us all the news from the 98th Oscars where Jessie Buckley won big!

Tomorrow, Taoiseach Micheál Martin will meet with Donald Trump in the White House, with trade and the continued conflict in the Middle East expected to dominate the St Patrick’s Day visit.  Speaking Anton ahead of this meeting was Dan Mulhall, Former Ambassador of Ireland to the United States .  

Tomorrow, cities in countries across the world will celebrate St Patrick’s Day!  Celebrations will include parades, green flags and costumes of the famed Saint.   But where did the modern day celebrations come from?  All to chat about with Patrick Geoghegan Presenter of Talking History and the director of the Trinity Long Room Hub in Trinity College Dublin. 

Eliminating the endless costs that result from the legal system could be the solution to Ireland’s high insurance costs.  That’s according to a new policy on Insurance reform being published today by the Green Party.  Joining Anton to discuss was Michael Pidgeon, Green councillor for Dublin's South West Inner City and the party Finance spokesperson.

It’s time for "Did You See”. Where we take a closer look at some of the stories you may have missed in the news this morning. Joining Anton this morning was Sinead O'Carroll Editor of the Journal.

US President Donald Trump and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke about the "importance" of reopening the Strait of Hormuz, currently blocked by Iran, the UK leader's office said.  We get the latest on the war on Iran with Nicholas Hopton Former UK Ambassador to Iran and non-resident  Senior fellow at the Atlantic Council.

After a tumultuous fifth year in office, President Trump is receiving Taoiseach Micheal Martin at the White House for St Patrick’s Day.  With the war in Iran, sky-high oil prices and social unrest as a backdrop, the meeting is thought to take place on shaky ground.   Newstalk reporter Jamie O’Hara spoke to Anton live from Washington DC.

It’s the final countdown to the 98th Oscars at the Dolby Theatre this Sunday night from 11pm. All eyes are on Jessie Buckley in the Best Actress Nomination category.  Henry McKean is out in the Hollywood Hills and he spoke to Anton with all the news from the Annual Oscar Wilde Awards.

Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill will meet today with the CEO of the construction group BAM to discuss the progress and pace of construction of the National Children's Hospital.  The project has been mired by consistent changes to costs and timeframes, and joining Anton to talk about how we’ve got to this stage is Paul Davis Public Procurement Expert from DCU.  

Friggatriskaidekaphobia !The fear of Friday the 13th, also known as the chill, that runs down your neck when you spot it on your calendar once more.  But where did these superstitions even come from, and why do we still believe them (just in case)?  Dr Kelly Fitzgerald, Head of the UCD School of Celtic Studies and Folklore discusses the longevity of this Western superstition. &...

Gerry Adams is facing a civil suit for £1 in damages by three victims of IRA bombings in England, who argue that he was “directly responsible” for IRA bombs between 1973 and 1996.  Joining Anton was Mark Henessy, Ireland and Britain Editor of the Irish Times, who has been reporting on the case from London.  

Short-term lets outnumber homes to rent by 4 to 1 nationwide. That’s according to new figures released this morning by National housing charity Threshold, whose CEO John-Mark McCafferty spoke to Anton. Also to discuss these figures was Noelle Casey Vice-chair of the Self-Catering Federation and owner of Knockcarrig House in Killarney .  

It’s time for "Did You See”. Where we take a closer look at some of the stories you may have missed in the news this morning. Joining Anton this morning was Gerard Howlin, Public Affairs Consultant and former Senior Political Advisor.

“Even in households where chores are shared, the invisible ‘thinking work’ of parenting still falls to women”, writes Freelance journalist Niamh O’Reilly in The Journal.ie. Niamh joined Anton to discuss this further.

Rugby fans will be heading to the Aviva this weekend to watch Ireland take on rugby and some of those fans could have paid €3,000 for their ticket. Anton discusses this further with John Clendennen, Fine Gael TD for Offaly. 

Lee Cox, along with his Clumber spaniel, Bruin, beat around 18,000 other competitors to the top spot at Crufts on Sunday. However, it has since been revealed that the champion handler was previously found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to a dog in his care.  We get the details on this story with Vinny McAvinney, Broadcaster and Journalist .  

Dublin Lord Mayor Ray McAdam is calling for an increase in litter fines from 150 euros to 250 euros to reduce waste on the streets. With more on this Anton spoke to Conor Horgan, Spokesperson of Irish Business Against Litter.

Iran will keep blocking the Strait of Hormuz according to a statement read on state TV attributed to the new Iranian supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei and a rescue mission is underway after a US military refuelling aircraft crashed in Iraq. Anton gets the latest on the war on Iran with Mark Weiss, Israel Correspondent with the Irish Times.

A few months ago, scientists at the University of Ottawa accidentally flooded their fridge. That unfortunate accident led them to an interesting discovery.    Bumblebee queens can survive underwater for days.   Collie Ennis, Biodiversity Officer and Zoology Research Associate at Trinity College Dublin  is here to demystify this today.  

Israeli tanks and soldiers have entered Lebanese territory near an Irish peacekeeping outpost. Lebanese sources have said that the IDF soldiers and the tanks were spotted on a roadway inside the Lebanese side of the line. Speaking to Anton this morning was Commandant Alex Quigley Defence Force Press Officer.

No one believes a bean burger contains beef, and nobody assumes a veggie sausage came from a pig. So why are EU rules for food labels assuming people do?  That’s the question from Deidra Barr, Director of Communications for the UK Vegetarian Society who spoke to Anton this morning.

Kids’ mother’s education, social class, family type and experience of financial strain have a sizeable impact on their performance in the Leaving Cert  That’s according to new research from the ESRI. Emer Smyth is a Research Professor at ESRI & co-author of the report discussed these findings further with Anton.

The death has taken place of Ronnie Delany at the age of 91. Ronnie remains Ireland’s last Olympic gold medalist in athletics. To look back on his career and to pay tribute Anton spoke to Athletics Journalist Cathal Dennehy.