Newstalk Breakfast

Esther McCarthy, Lifestyle Editor and Saturday Weekend Magazine Columnist with The Irish Examiner, joined us on the show for our new weekly Red Carpet Roundup.

The final report of the Farrelly Commission has found a "fundamental failure" by the South Eastern Health Board and the HSE in their duty of care to a severely intellectually disabled young woman, known as “Grace”   However, the report has concluded that it is "not satisfied" that the level of evidence was such to fully establish sexual, emotional or physical abuse of Grace during her time in...

No, you’re not imagining it Easter eggs have started getting smaller and do taste different. So, is it still worth shelling out on the treat? We asked Caitriona Redmond, Consumer Columnist with the Irish Examiner. 

Coined “The Homes for Ireland Savings Account”, the proposal would offer higher interest rates and tax-free returns to help fund affordable housing by tapping into record household deposits.  Could it be the key to unlocking funding for new housing?   We discuss this idea further with Fiona Cormican, Managing Director of Fioncor Consulting Limited and Brendan Burgess, Founder of the...

EpiPens should be every defibrillator’s next-door neighbour so says Fine Gael Senator Evanne Ní Chuilinn who explained why to Newstalk Breakfast.

A teenage boy has died and another has been hospitalised following a tractor crash in Carrigalene, Co Leitrim on Tuesday afternoon   We speak to Paddy O’Rourke, Fianna Fáil Councillor in Carrigallene.

Dublin City Council has published a plan to develop a new town in north Dublin between Glasnevin, Cabra and Finglas. The town of Ballyboggan would be located along the Royal Canal west of Glasnevin Cemetery and east of Ratoath Road, which is currently occupied by the Dublin Industrial Estate.  A public consultation on the plan opened yesterday and is inviting submissions until May 1...

A clampdown on Air BnB style lettings will come before cabinet today amid concerns for tourism across the country. Speaking to Newstalk Breakfast this morning was Maire Ní Mhurchu, CEO of the Irish Self-Catering Federation. 

The Union of Students in Ireland have warned young people to be “cautious” about engaging in “activism” while on their J1 to the US this summer as the Trump administration clamps down on protests on college campuses.  To discuss this further Ciara spoke to Larry Donnelly, University of Galway Law Lecturer and Political Columnist with The Journal. 

Tommy Tiernan rejects wind farms on the grounds of desecration of that area of natural beauty. Do you agree with him? Shane and Ciara gave their view.

 Tánaiste Simon Harris has said it would be "inappropriate" for the United States to hit the pharmaceutical sector with tariffs while it was at the same time negotiating with the European Union on the trade relationship.  Speaking to Ciara this morning was Dan Mulhall, Former Ambassador of Ireland to the United States.

President Donald Trump has said that 'Millions are dead because of three people' as he pointed the finger at former US President Joe Biden, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russia's Vladimir Putin for the three-year war prompted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.  Sean Bell, Former Fighter Pilot, Military Analyst and Co-Host of the Red Matrix Podcast for more on this.

Have you seen the new Sure Whole Body Deodorant ad?  It features characters applying Sure deodorant to various parts of their bodies. Some would say it's a little bit graphic in its portrayal with more intimate body parts being sprayed with deodorant   Is this clickbait gone mad? We ask Stella O’Malley, Psychotherapist and Author. 

From today, users of Instagram, Facebook and Threads will begin seeing notifications in Meta’s apps about its plans to begin training its artificial intelligence models using the public posts of EU users. We get the details from Elaine Burke, Host of the For Tech’s Sake Podcast. 

The government needs to take emergency actions to reduce emissions in its Climate Action Plan, which will be brought to cabinet today.   That’s among the calls being made this morning by The Stop Climate Chaos coalition, whose Coordinator Oisín Coughlan joined Shane this morning on the show.

Inaction by the Minister for Justice is eroding morale and trust within An Garda Síochána. That’s the warning from the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors, whose Annual Delegate Conference kicks off this morning.  We heard from Kevin Bolger is the AGSI’s Deputy General Secretary.

The new iPhone will be released this coming September, but how affordable will it be?    John Fitzgerald, Adjunct Professor in Economics at Trinity College Dublin, expressed his concern about the impact Trump’s tariffs could have on its price when he spoke to us last week. Good news has emerged from the weekend, though. It seems as though it will escape the impact of President Trump...

Rory McIlroy has won the 2025 Masters in Augusta and dons the green jacket. Speaking to Shane this morning was Ciaran Lavery, Head Professional at Holywood Golf Course .  

Demanding that the board of Children’s Health Ireland be fired is political showboating at its worst. That’s according to Tony O’Brien, former Director General of the HSE and columnist with The Sunday Independent .

The government is shelving plans to introduce a directly elected mayor for Dublin over fears it could become a launchpad for contentious would-be politicians such as Conor McGregor.     So reported the Sunday Times yesterday. We discussed this further with Eoin O’Malley, Associate Professor of Politics at DCU .  

Later today, a crew of six women including pop star Katy Perry will blast off on Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket from the company’s launch site in Texas, on an 11-minute, suborbital flight to the edge of space and back.  So, is space tourism going to become the holiday of the future? We asked Danielle Wilcox From Blackrock Castle Observatory .  

With growing concern over global economic uncertainty and Trump’s trade tariffs. The government is now considering delaying the rollout of the living wage.   But is this a necessary move to protect business, or a step back on promised worker protections?   To discuss this further was Dr Laura Bambrick, Social Policy Officer with the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and also...

In Ukraine at least 34 people are dead and dozens are injured following a Russian attack on the city of Sumy. It is the worst strike so far this year.  We get the latest on this with journalist Emmanuelle Chaze. 

A Russian Navy intelligence-gathering ship was being tracked through Irish-controlled waters yesterday after refusing to respond to communications from the Naval Service.  We get more on this with Declan power, Former Irish Army Soldier, Defence Analyst and Writer. 

Ireland will face up against defending champions England in the Women’s Six Nations in Cork. Ireland’s captain Amee-Leigh Costigan spoke to Jonathan this morning ahead of the big game.