Déise Today

Ireland's premiere summer street party, Spraoi, takes place over the August Bank Holiday weekend. The ever-fantastic and free Waterford festival kicks off tomorrow (Friday) and features a packed programme of events that will create a brilliant buzz throughout the city over the three days. This morning, Spraoi founder and director TV Honan joined Damien in studio on 'Deise Today' for a chat about t...

Health insurer VHI is to increase the cost of seven plans, just weeks after other hikes, it was confirmed this week. Price rises are coming almost monthly now, prompting a slowdown in the numbers taking out and renewing health insurance. Damien spoke to Ireland's leading expert on health insurance on 'Deise Today' this week. Click on the image above to listen to the conversation between Damien and...

Momin Hilles is a 29-year-old emergency doctor currently working in UHW. He is from Gaza originally, from where is escaped about 18 months ago. And so far, he has lost over 100 extended family members to the war. This morning (Tuesday), Momin came into studio for 'Deise Today' where he told his own compelling story, explained why international aid is failing - and encouraged Irish people to act. H...

UP to 30,000 will be flocking to Portlaw this coming weekend for the sixth chapter of the much-anticipated All Together Now festival. This year's event sold out in March and huge preparations have been taking place on-site at Curraghmore Estate in recent weeks ahead of it all kicking off. Access to the site is open to all ticket-holder from Thursday at 4pm, with significant traffic and other plans...

This morning (Friday), Damien was joined in studio by former ophthalmic surgeon/consultant at UHW, Patrick Condon. Patrick - who was also pivotal in the establishing in the 80s of the 'Fight for Sight' charity - has just published a book, called 'Eye Healthcare - a 90-year history of progress'. Patrick is hugely well known in Waterford and further afield for his fantastic work in eyecare and over...

We've been lucky enough to have dry weather for the last three seasons, but increasing demand for water during the hot summer season has put a strain on supplies across the country. Fionnuala Callery, Regional Technical Operations Manager for Water with Uisce Éireann spoke to Maria on 'Déise Today' this morning (Thursday) about the upcoming 'hosepipe' ban in County Waterford from this Saturday and...

The Food Safety Authority is investigating an outbreak of listeria after an adult died with a confirmed case of the infection. The FSAI said that cases have been linked to ready-made-meals from Tesco Finest, The Happy Pear, SuperValu Signature Taste, and Centra Freshly Prepared, to name just a few. A National Outbreak Control Team is investigating the outbreak, meaning there has been a precautiona...

A recent report from the Health Research Board says that Ireland is now in the midst of a "perfect storm" of cocaine, with increased availability, higher purity and greater affordability. George Henderson, a former addict who now works in addiction counselling, spoke to Maria this morning (Wednesday) on 'Déise Today' about the psychological impact of addiction from personal experience and from his...

Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Obsourne died yesterday (Tuesday) at the age of 76. Everyone knows the name; a controversial figure who once bit off a bat's head on stage, drove the dark heavy metal music scene, and changed television forever by inviting MTV cameras into his family home as part of 'The Osbournes' reality TV show. Radio presenter Roddie Cleere spoke to Maria this morning (Wednesday) on...

Kilbarry Rangers FC has made a comeback, embarking on a new journey of growth and development! Adam Daniels and Brian Farrell from Kilbarry Rangers FC spoke to Damien this morning (Tuesday) on 'Déise Today' trace back to the clubs origins dating back to the 1970s and their mission to revitalise the team. This community-driven team has gone from strength to strength, but have faced challenges in ge...

CEO of Ryanair Micheal O'Leary has said that he is considering increasing the commission that Ryanair pays its staff for identifying oversized luggage. As it stands, employees are paid around €1.50 per oversized carrier bag that they identify, with a cap of €80 a month. Julieanne Corr, a reporter with The Sunday Times, broke the story this past weekend about Ryanair incentivising it's employees fo...

What is 'medical negligence' and what is the process if you feel you might have a case?! Emmet Halley is Managing Partner and Head of the Litigation at 'M.M Halley & Sons Solicitors' here in the city and he spoke to Damien this morning (Monday) on 'Déise Today'. Emmet is one of the country's foremost legal experts on this issue, having worked in the field for over a decade after gaining an int...

The Environmental Protection Agency conducted a site visit in the Bonmahon area after receiving a complaint from a member of the public in May that sewage that was leaking from the Bonmahon main septic tank into the River Mahon. The person who reported the issue provided picture evidence of raw sewage and toilet paper in the river at the discharge point. Sinn Féin Councillor Catherine Burke spoke...

A kiss-cam moment at a Coldplay concert in Boston exposed tech CEO Andy Byron's affair with his Head of HR Kristin Cabot in a dramatic turn of events on Wednesday! Clinical Psychotherapist and relationship podcaster Stephanie Regan spoke to Damien this morning (Friday) on 'Déise Today' about the scanadlous incident and also the emotional impact of affairs and the effects on the family. Tune in for...

Sean Corcoran from The Art Hand spoke to Damien on 'Déise Today' about his mosaic sculpture as part of the 'Donate a Plate' mural in Dungarvan. Spanning over 12 meters, this stunning installation features nearly 10,000 unique items and embodies the community spirit that brought it to life in the past year that Sean has been working on it. Sean shares fascinating insights into the intricate process...

Listener Amy was on 'Déise Today' with Damien this morning (Thursday) about illegal dumping in the Comeraghs. Amy was on a hike at Kilclooney Woods at the weekend and took some photos of rubbish people had left at make-shift camps. To listen to Amy's chat with Damien, click on the image above!

A recent survey commissioned by the Irish Pharmacy Union indicated strong public support for expanding pharmacy services in Ireland's 1,900 community pharmacies. The report demonstrates that the public see pharmacists as trustworthy and accessible, encouraging the push for pharmacists to have access to more services for their customers such as pharmacist prescribing and health screenings. Daragh C...

Economist and Associate Professor Emeritus at DCU Anthony Foley spoke to Damien on 'Déise Today' this morning (Tuesday) about his report for Drinks Industry Group of Ireland. The report revealed that since 2005, over 2,100 pubs have permanently closed, with rural pubs being the most severely affected in every county. Owner of Norris' Bar Martin Colbert also gave his opinion on the situation, from...

13-year-old Charlie Comerford from Dunhill County Waterford is still pinching himself after being invited up on stage to sing with The Script last week! He attended the final concert of the bands Satellites Tour across Ireland with his mother last Saturday night in Thomond Park, Limerick, where he was picked out of the crowd by the bands frontman Danny O'Donoghue! Speaking to Damien on 'Déise Toda...

Naoive Coggin, mother of the late Cian Nugent, spoke to Damien this morning (Friday) on 'Déise Today', about the powerful message she delivered ahead of the All-Ireland semi-final at Croke Park last weekend to 80,000 people about water safety. Naoive, in conjunction with the RNLI, gave a powerful pitchside interview to hurling fans ahead of the Dublin/Cork game. 21-year-old Cian Nugent tragically...

Yesterday afternoon (Wednesday), a major fire happened in the Williamstown area of Waterford city as a gorse fire started and took hold. Over 20 fire crew members from a number of stations battled the blaze which led to the evacuation of 10 houses. The fire, which had flames up to 20 feet high, was brought under control after several hours with no injuries reported and no damage to properties. How...

The importance of gut health is something that is often overlooked when it comes to our overall health and wellbeing. Darragh Connolly from Haven's Pharmacy Connolly's in Dungarvan spoke to Damien on 'Déise Today' about how a healthy gut can combat, amongst other things, high stress. Also, in a very informative chat, Darragh delves further into the digestive system, talking about the different typ...

This morning (Wed) on 'Deise Today' Damien was joined in studio by Pierce Flynn, owner of The Park Hotel and Clodagh Hennebry, its Revenue and Marketing Manager,to celebrate the last 35 years of the hugely successful and popular hotel! Pierce, who is a very well known figure throughout Waterford as well as in the hotel industry nationwide, spoke of the origins of the family business and its openin...

The ongoing delays with Government funding for Waterford Airport are having a "massive knock on effect" when it comes to costs there. So says William Bolster, of the Bolster Group, who is the largest shareholder at the airport, a member of its board and a key investor in terms of attempts to deliver the long-awaited runway extension. Last week, a high-level meeting regarding funding of the airport...

Waterford City and County Council is now in the position to introduce CCTV to help with the detection of illegal dumping and littering offences.  This follows the passing of an Act in 2022 that has allowed for local authorities to reintroduce CCTV where previous EU regulations did not allow CCTV for the detection of illegal dumping.   Gabriel Hynes, Acting Director of Services with Water...