Highlights from Newstalk Breakfast

The HSE has dropped a target to increase breastfeeding rates by 2 percentage points per year.  We get reaction from Lynn Carroll, La Leche League Leader.

Could TikTok be on the way out? President Joe Biden has said he would ban the app from the United States, if a bill is passed. Newstalk’s Technology Correspondent, Jess Kelly brought us the details.

The Care referendum has returned the highest ever percentage no vote of people who voted in Irish referendum history.   We asked John McGuirk, Editor of Gript Media  was this a surprise? 

A number of hotels in Dublin are charging 4 times the normal price to stay this St Patrick's weekend. Niall O’Callaghan, Independent Kerry County councillor and hotelier spoke to Ciara this morning.

Cillian Murphy, a proud Corkman helped Oppenheimer pick up 7 Academy Awards. Poor things produced by Dublin based Element pictures picked up 4 awards including Emma Stone winning Best Actress. We cross live to Hollywood with Henry McKean who has been reporting on the great night at the Oscars. Also speaking to Newstalk Breakfast was  Andrew Lowe, Producer of Poor Things and Co-CEO and founder of E...

The first picture of the Princess of Wales after her surgery has been pulled by major picture agencies over fears it has been manipulated. Jennie Bond, Former BBC Royal Correspondent gave her reaction.

The majority of patients treated in Irish hospitals for drug and alcohol poisoning are accidentally overdosing on paracetamol. That’s according to new HSE figures release to the Sunday Times.  Shane gets reaction to these figures with Sheena Mitchell, Pharmacist and Host of the WonderCare podcast.

It was a historic night last night, as Cillian Murphy has become the first Irish-born actor to win the Best Actor award at the Oscars Ciara spoke to Hollywood Journalist, Jeanne Wolf on the great win for Cillian and others.

According to the Director of Brendan Gleeson’s documentary, ‘Farewell to Hughes’ , Dublin is lacking in places for people to go to for traditional Irish tunes.  Liam Ó Maonlaí, Member of Hothouse Flowers joined Ciara on the show to discuss further.

Figures from the Central Statistics Office show that the risk of people falling into poverty was lower in 2023 compared to the previous year, but they also reveal an overall increase in the percentage of people experiencing deprivation. Barra Roantree Director of the MSc in Economic Policy, Trinity College Dublin  broke down these figures for us.

It's the final countdown to the Oscars on Sunday night. Our man Henry McKean is there for us in Hollywood. Henry joins us now from the Irish American, Oscar Wilde Awards, where Cillian Murphy walked the green carpet. Henry McKean at the Oscars is brought to you by Aer Lingus.

“Please, no Barbies: is it time to cancel International Women’s Day?” That's the title of an article by Features Writer with The Times, Helen Rumblow who joined Ciara this morning to discuss her article.

Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary is unrepentant about labelling Transport Minister Eamon Ryan "a dunce" as an hour-long meeting between the pair yesterday failed to reach any resolution. With reaction Newstalk Breakfast spoke to Pat Byrne, founder and chair of Cityjet and Executive Chairman.

All things considered: International women's Day - Justified day or tokenism at best? Ciara and Shane discussed this morning.

People Before Profit Councillor for Ballyfermot/Drimnagh, Hazel De Nortúin has handed back her Saint Patrick’s Day Parade tickets due to the unfolding situation in Gaza. Hazel told Shane why. 

A hospital consultant says he is having to offer his public cancer patients a treatment he knows is just the second best available even though a better alternative is available to private patients in Ireland. Speaking to Ciara was Michael McCarthy, consultant medical oncologist at University Hospital Galway.

President Joe Biden gave his State of the Union address, a high-stakes moment as he looks to convince voters to give him a second term in the White House. We get reaction to his speech with David Smith, Washington Bureau Chief of The Guardian.

Ireland is going to the polls tomorrow to vote in two referendums that would change the language on family and care in the Constitution. We debate with Brenda Power, Columnist with the Sunday Times and Irish Daily Mail and also Keith Walsh, Divorce and Family Law Solicitor.

An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has backed controversial EU plans to crack down on migration, denying that the proposals are the same as the UK’s Rwanda Policy. We get reaction from Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, Labour’s Justice and Education Spokesperson.

An Oireachtas Committee is to recommend that legislation is introduced to allow for assisted dying if a person has a terminal illness and has only a short time to live. To discuss further we spoke to Professor Siobhan McHale, Consultant liaison psychiatrist in Beaumont hospital and member of the college of psychiatrists of Ireland.  

Are we guilty of spoiling our children with elaborate experiences and material things? Shane discusses with Jen Hogan, Journalist and Columnist with the Irish Times.

“I already have my bag packed. I will walk into prison knowing I haven’t done anything to anyone” -so says Tipperary man Sean Meehan who has been threatened with jail time for building a log cabin on his own land. Sean joined Ciara this morning on the show.

Legislation to criminalise the sort of “sex for rent” scams first exposed by an Irish Examiner reporter has been introduced into the Dáil by Sinn Fein. Speaking to Ciara was Laura Harmon, Executive Director of the Irish Council for International Students. 

An Bord Pleanala hearings into the Metrolink are currently underway. Today the focus will be on traffic management plans, land and property acquistion along the route. Speaking to Newstalk Breakfast with his view of plans for Metrolink was Duncan Stewart, environmentalist and architect,      

A new EU deal will see regulation on packaging and packaging waste with the aim to tackle the increase in packaging waste generated across the EU.  We got the details from Abi O’Callaghan Platt, Policy Director at VOICE Ireland.