Breakfast Business with Joe Lynam

Open AI, Gemini, Grok and latterly Deepseek.  All services we had never heard of three years ago but now very much in the lexicon.  But which one is the best and most accurate and even most honest?  An Irish AI company Calypso has assessed them all with their new software called Argentic Warfare. It is also used to stress test the vulnerabilities of AI systems by pretending to be a...

The Irish Times did a feature recently on why everything appears to be more expensive here than most other European nations.  Our rents are the highest in the EU and our restaurants and hotels are 28% higher than the average in Europe.  Our Energy costs are 18% higher.  But Energy companies are making huge strides to cut their carbon footprints.  They're also trying to encourag...

So the evenings are getting longer and the temperature is rising a bit and so the annual spring clean is underway in many homes.  But does that extend to our technology?  Shouldn't we also clear out the old unused files and perhaps even throw out out of date phones, printers, cables and software? One person who certainly thinks so is Ciara O’Brien is the technology correspondent with the...

Austin Hughes from AJ Bell takes a run through all of Friday's business headlines with Joe Lynam.

The 6 nations rugby comes to a close tomorrow.  Ireland fell short this year against a very strong French side.  Rugby as a business has boomed in these nations off the field as well in recent decades and much of that is down to public equity investment.  But with a clampdown on head injuries will the declining physicality of the game damage the income being earned by it off the fie...

AI adoption could soon raise Gross National Income per person to €160,000 and put a rocket under growth according to a major report carried out by Microsoft and Trinity College.  But nearly two thirds of bosses say their staff illicitly use AI for their work against company policies. Also there’s a major skills gap emerging between those who have and are comfortable with AI and those being le...

Thursday business news review along with Joe Lynam.

The number of tourists coming into Ireland in January was down 25% on the previous year. But more worrying, the amount of money they spent fell by even more - 28%.  On top of that the dollar is losing ground against the Euro which means US visitors will find Ireland even more expensive than last year. So as we prepare for the key St Patrick's day weekend, how are we fixed for a sector which i...

João Vale De Almeida was the EU ambassador in Washington, the United Nations and then in London and has served under 6 EU commission presidents.  He’s met Putin 15 times and has seen a few trading and geopolitical missteps in his time but his latest book kind of sums up the state of the world right now.  It’s called ‘The Divorce of Nations’ and João Vale De Almeida spoke t...

Thursday's business news headlines review with Joe Lynam.

Donald Trump raised tariffs on Canadian aluminum to 50% last night.  That was in response to the application of a 25% tariff on all electricity sold by the Canadian province of Ontario to northern US states including New York. The escalation and tit for tat between the 2 otherwise friendly neighbours is shocking the world. Speaking to Joe this morning was  Deirdre Giblin Director of Deve...

It’s World Consumer Rights day this weekend - do you know yours?  Or are you the ‘shrug your shoulders’ type once you discover you were treated badly or bought faulty goods? The Consumer Watchdog the CCPC was up last year by 13% to 44,247. The number one complaint concerned cars and the amount in question was a substantial €6,000 on average.  Speaking to Joe this morning wasGrainne Griff...

Tuesday's business news review along with Joe Lynam.

Have you ever wondered what happens to all the unsold food in restaurants at the end of the day? Much of it alas gets thrown out and totally wasted, some of it is given to the less fortunate and food banks but a growing amount of that food can now be purchased online before the restaurant closes at knockdown prices.  And the website which is spreading fast for that purpose is Too Good to Go.c...

We have a look through Monday's big business new stories with Joe Lynam also with Ross Mould from AJ Bell.

Ireland is not famed for its sunshine but thousands of households are now benefiting from free energy from solar panels and we’re now even developing new types of solar engineering in this space. Gary Connolly, Commercial Director, ACtiv8 Solar Energies Ireland has launched a new solar product which he claims performs much better in Ireland’s changeable and often windy and cloudy weather. Gary joi...

Property conveyancing is the legal transfer of property title from seller to buyer.  But the law dates back to 1885 and it’s an anachronistic, analog and slow process in a digital age.  And now the estate agents and auctioneers in the Institute of Professional Auctioneers and Valuers are looking into how to speed up the process and drag it into the 21st century.  Joining Joe on the...

It’s international women's day tomorrow and we have two pieces of good news. Ireland has been named 2nd in Europe for investment in women-led start-ups. Also a study from Trinity found that the average daily rate for female contractors is now higher than for men. So joining us to discuss their own senior jobs and positive changes such as these we have Lisa Toomey is the Hotel Manager with Ashford...

Friday's business news and markets along with Joe Lynam and Kate English from Deloitte.

We are in a major tariff war started by Donald Trump.  Canada, China and Mexico are the initial victims but the EU including Ireland is bracing for sweeping tariffs on their goods entering America from next month.  But how do tariffs work and what can the EU do to counteract them without damaging its own economy?   All to discuss with John O'Loughlin, Partner for Global Trade a...

 You get home after a busy day but find an empty fridge or freezer.  You don't have all the ingredients for the type of cuisine you've had on your mind for hours.  Philip Doran's business provides all the exact ingredients including garnishes, sauces and condiments for even the most taxing of recipes. And this week they delivered their 3.5 millionth meal.  They are HelloFresh a...

Joe Lynam takes a run through the main business stories this morning.

Spectrum Life helps insurance companies and other employers find the right healthcare professionals often using AI.  It does that through the use of its digital platform and now provides services to more than seven million people in Britain and Ireland through insurers like Bupa and some universities.   Joe spoke to Stephen Costello the Chief Executive of Spectrum Life. 

Newstalk's Business Editor Joe Lynam brings us Wednesday's business news headlines.

There was a time when all that mattered was getting American companies to invest in Ireland. Now in Trump-world, the goal is getting Irish firms to set up in the US.  Ireland is already the 6th biggest investor in the US in absolute terms employing 110,000 Americans.  So what will the new Strategy be for Enterprise Ireland the agency charged with creating export champions?  &nb...