The Big Breakfast Blaa

Tomorrow, Friday August 21st will see 62,000 students receive their Leaving Certificate results through the online portal from 10am. Students are advised to have already logged into the portal in advance, and to have a CAO points calculator to hand in order to make sense of the results. The window for appeals opens next Tuesday, with CAO Round 1 offers out on Wednesday. Teacher Katie Chance joined...

Waterford is rejoicing in the success of Gold Medallist Mark English after his triumphant win at the 800m final at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham. English came home ahead of the rest in 1:45.26 with Croatia's Marino Bloudek second in 1:45.62 and Mohamed Attaqui of Spain third in 1:45.71. He stormed to the finish line, moving strongly from second place into first, confidently cr...

A poet, a Carmelite nun, and a woman who changed the course of her life. Jessica Powers achieved what many aspiring writers dream of. She had moved to New York, entered literary circles and seen her poetry published in major American newspapers and magazines. She had a book published and was establishing herself as a writer. But Jessica Powers made a decision that would take her life in an entirel...

Tramore Amusement and Leisure Park is set to host its annual Monster Fireworks extravaganza. On Saturday, August 22 at 9:45pm, the annual fireworks show will take place marking a move towards the end of the season. The park continues to be open everyday from 12noon. Park Manager, Michael Garland joined Ollie and Dymphna on air on Tuesday morning. Reflecting on the annual tradition, he said there i...

The finalists for Blas na hÉireann , The Irish Food Awards 2026, have been announced, with 11 exceptional producers from Co. Waterford making it through to the final stage of Ireland’s most prestigious food awards.  The countdown is now officially on for the return to Dingle this autumn, where the very best of Irish food and drink will be celebrated...

'Dropping Beats and Jiggling Cheeks' is not a tagline we often use here on The Big Breakfast Blaa. (Of course this has something to do with Grace!) Following on from significant controversy this week over a new children's toy called 'Chester Cheeks,' Grace got her hands on one and brought it into studio. Marketed for children aged 4 and up, the silicone toy is a battery operated bum, wearing headp...

Waterford will host its first Wild Bee Festival on Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd August at Waterford Education Support Centre. The Wild Bee Festival is an annual event run by the National Biodiversity Data Centre as part of the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan. It is a weekend of walks, talks and workshops for community groups, raising awareness of Ireland’s pollinators and how to help them in ou...

The Family Fun Day returns to Abbeyside FC in Dogleaf Park for its third consecutive year. Following enormous success, year on year, the club continues to expand. Ollie and Dymphna were joined on air by committee member, Liam Sheehan. He outlined the joy with which he sees new faces coming to see the club every single week. These are people new to the area, families looking to help their child exp...

Annual costs for the Solas Cancer Support Centre hit €1.2million last year. This comes as a record number 1,433 clients accessed the services and therapies provided by the centre last year. This number includes individuals affected by a cancer diagnosis, including clients themselves, their friends, families, and those who have experienced a bereavement. The annual Run and Walk for Solas (rebr...

Was James Hugh Murphy Jr. the largest man from Waterford? That's certainly the claim from P.T Barnum and his travelling circus of cruel curiosities. His 'menagerie and museum of freaks' featured James Hugh Murphy Jr, who became known as 'The Irish Giant.' 8ft Tall and 350 Lbs Murphy spent three years travelling the length and breadth of the United States as an 8ft tall, 350lbs attraction. Reports...

1,400 kilometres. One huge challenge. And a cause that means everything. Carrick-on-Suir man and WLR familiar face Gary Russell is preparing to push himself further than ever before taking on an extraordinary ultramarathon challenge in aid of the  Solas Cancer Support Centre . And this isn't Gary's first time going the extra mile for Solas. Gary Russell's 2026 Challenge Last year, he ran an i...

Three Waterford men with a combined age of 230 years, are continuing to grow their business from strength to strength. Find A Trade.ie does exactly what it sounds like... it helps people to find the right tradesperson for the right job. Frank Kennedy is one third of the brains and passion behind the business model, which aims to assist members of the public, particularly older members or those new...

Fresh from a weekend of festival fever, Grace arrived into studio with one clear winner from her summer adventures – her Festival MVP : the humble pop-up stool. Costing just €10, it's one of the rare impulse buys that actually delivered exactly what it promised. Unlike the pore-blocking aluminium deodorant and the caffeine water (the less said about those, the better!), the pop-up stool...

For many families, as we approach the return to school, thoughts turn to stationery, schoolbags, new shoes, haircuts and more of what we see as 'typical' costs. While the costs combined are significant, they pale in comparison to the costs facing many families this year. These are the cost-of-living expenses for families already living far below the breadline. Teacher Katie Chance spoke on air wit...

On The Big Breakfast Blaa, we love a Love Story, and particularly when a potential love story involves the ultimate 'what-if.' Rory contacted WLR in an effort to find a woman he had met in Waterford City two weeks ago. Joining Ollie and Dymphna on air, he reflected on how he saw her just after the HSE building on the approach to the SETU campus in the city. Normally, he said, he would say nothing,...

Waterford's own Jackie Coughlan and her mother queued for three hours last week to meet Daniel O'Donnell at his huge fundraising tea-party at his home in Donegal. The Boil the Kettle event returned after a break of 26 years raising money for Relay for Life Donegal. Fans travelled from all corners of Ireland, as well as some die-hard fans hopping over the Irish Sea to have a cuppa with the man hims...

Madge Irene Connor (nee McCarthy) was a Waterford-born Australian police officer. After the death of her husband, an English-born laborer named Edward Connor in 1916, she began working with the Victoria police. Her undercover role investigating illegal gambling combined with a campaign for women to be appointed as police members saw Madge being one of two woman appointed as 'police agents.' They w...

Grace joined us this week to talk about a shocking story which emerged over the week of a family in Co. Wexford who allegedly discovered a man hidden behind the wall of their holiday home. She also addresses the aluminium in her moisture resistant face deodorant. AND what we should be watching this weekend as we bask in the warm temperatures of the sunny South East. Play to listen back in full. Ke...

Joe Daly and Ray Leahy from Juniors for Juniors are reflecting on an incredible 5 years of the children's charity in Waterford. The changes implemented in the paediatric ward of University Hospital Waterford over that time have included new beds, cots, wall murals, equipment, and now a brand new sensory room. This was designed with the children and their families in mind, to alleviate the stress a...

Ben Dawson has been hailed as a community hero following an open call for extraordinary young people in our communities. Sixteen-year-old Ben Dawson has become a familiar and much-loved face among the older members of the Mooncoin community, thanks to his dedication, kindness and willingness to give his time to others. Over the past seven months, Ben has volunteered regularly with the Mooncoin Day...

At just 13 years of age, Tomas Beagáin has already made a remarkable impact on his local community in Tramore. Recognised by WLR listeners and the wider community for his kindness, generosity and dedication to helping others, Tomas joined The Big Breakfast Blaa to share his story. A passionate baker, Tomas has used his talents to support local causes, selling homemade treats at community ma...

Battling face sweat is a problem for people all around the world at the moment. Fear not...there may be a solution for the moistness that ails you! Grace with the Buzz never fails to expand our horizons on The Big Breakfast Blaa and this week was certainly no exception on that. who else could combine GAA World Games, face antiperspirant and liquid talc!!!!!!  All in the one conversation&helli...

30 years ago, Darren Ó Droma undertook 'a mad notion' to swim across the bay from Ballinacourty to Helvick head with his friends. This was despite him being admittedly 'not much of a swimmer' but following a tragedy at sea, they were determined to swim in a bid to fundraise for a lifesaving service at Helvick Head to replace one that had been decommissioned some years previously. The rest i...

A local Co. Waterford beekeeper has shared some of his unique approach to managing symptoms of arthritis. David Phillips is a beekeeper, who turned his hand to this pursuit after a chance visit to the Waterford Harvest Festival. Now the proud owner of two beekeeper suits and many, many bees, he produces honey and continues to develop the growing hives. Speaking with Ollie and Dymphna, Dave admitte...

2026 marks 220 years since the death of the Massachusetts-born engineer, Lemuel Cox (1736 – 1806), who was the mind behind the creation of the Suir Wooden Toll Bridge, more popularly referred to as ‘Timbertoes.’ Opened in 1794, Cox’s creation stood for well-over a century, till it was replaced by Redmond Bridge. A brief interaction recorded in a 19th century book may explai...