Newstalk Breakfast

The Ceann Comhairle Verona Murphy has shot down The Regional Group’s bid to be recognised as a Dáil Technical group saying they are not eligible.  he news comes as Opposition party leaders are meeting with the Taoiseach and Tánaiste later today to discuss the issue, before the Dáil returns on Wednesday.      We heard from Marie Sherlock, Labour Deputy for Dublin Central ....

Most parents dread having to tell their children about the “birds and the bees” . But telling children about sex as young as seven, five and two could have greater benefits later in life.  That’s according to Genevieve Roberts, author and parenting columnist with the iPaper who spoke to Ciara this morning on the show.

One-off housing in rural Ireland is “inherently unsustainable”, according to experts whose warnings were ignored by Government months before Storm Éowyn left thousands in isolated areas without power.  We discuss further with Brendan O’Sullivan is Head of University College Cork’s Planning School and one of the report authors.

Today marks World Cancer Day and the Irish Cancer Society is celebrating by launching new welfare, diet and exercise services in order to combat misinformation online. Speaking to Ciara this morning was CEO of the Irish Cancer Society, Averil Power. 

US President Donald Trump suggested the EU is next in line to face tariffs, after pausing the tax on imports in Mexico and Canada. We discuss this suggestion with David Smith, Washington Bureau Chief of The Guardian .  

Tomorrow is Saturday, February first  Ending dry January for many .But should you consider a dry February and staying of the drink for longer?  We discussed this with Conor Pope Consumer Affairs Correspondent with the Irish Times .

The Government is expecting to have staff in parts of the Civil Service return more frequently to the office as working from home looks set to be scaled back. We get reaction from Michael Doherty. Professor in Employment Law at Maynooth University. 

Yesterday on the show we spoke to Paul Mitchell of Mitchell McDermott on their new construction sector report, which concluded that Ireland’s is likely to produce less housing over the next two to three years than we did in 2023. Eoin O'Broin, Sinn Fein's Housing Spokesperson joined us on Newstalk Breakfast to discuss how to address these shortfalls .

We have a lot of bank holidays during the year, but would you like more. Shane and Ciara discussed this morning.

Clamping levels in Dublin City rose by 6 percent last year with 47,000 vehicles in total being locked up.  But is it the best deterrent to discourage illegal parking? We asked Sadhbh O'Neill, Part Time Lecturer in Energy and Climate Law at TUD .    

The XL Bully ban comes into effect tomorrow. Shane was joined on the show this morning Martina Kenny, Co- Founder of My Lovely Horse Rescue .  

“The Irish economy had far more momentum in late 2024 than excepted”. That's according to Bank of Ireland’s latest economic forecasts. We heard from Conall MacCoille, Chief Economist, Bank of Ireland.  

Investigators have recovered the black boxes from the passenger plane whose mid-air collision with a military helicopter over Washington's Potomac river killed 67 people.  We get the latest from David Smith is Washington Bureau Chief of The Guardian.

New CSO stats predicting a population increase of at least 10% for Cork and Kerry over the next 20 years. To break down why is Evelyn Mahon, Professor Emeritus with the School of Social Work and Social Policy at Trinity College Dublin. 

A passenger plane carrying 64 passengers and crew has crashed into a river in Washington DC after it collided in mid-air with a US Army helicopter. With more on this we spoke to Sean Bell, Former Fighter Pilot, Military Analyst and Co-Host of the Red Matrix Podcast.

“I’ve lost all faith in zips and I’m now phasing them out of my life” So says Adrian Chiles broadcaster and a Guardian columnist who explained why toe Newstalk Breakfast.

Ireland’s is likely to produce less housing over the next two to three years than we did in 2023, not more. That’s according to a new report from construction consultants Mitchell McDermott. Speaking to Newstalk Breakfast was Paul Mitchell is co-founder And Director of Mitchell McDermott, and co-author of the report.  

The teacher recruitment and retention crisis in Irish secondary schools is worsening, according to a new survey of by the teacher's union of Ireland. We discuss these stark findings with David Waters the President of the Teacher's Union of Ireland.

A passenger plane carrying 64 passengers and crew has crashed into a river in Washington DC after it collided in mid-air with a US Army helicopter.  We get the latest this with Terry Sheridan, News Director at WSHU Radio. 

Ireland’s beaches are being ruined by littered nappies, dog poo bags and microplastics. So says Elaine Moynihan, Co-founder of WiseWater Academy who spoke to Newstalk Breakfast.

As we approach a week since storm Eowyn.  Resident and Businessowner Castlerea in Roscommon Rachel Connolly remains without power.   Rachel voiced her frustration towards Taoiseach Micheál Martin yesterday as he visited her local youth center. Their interaction got quite a bit of attention online. Shane spoke to Rachel this morning on the show.

Days after Storm Éowyn, thousands still remain without electricity and water, while rail services and other infrastructure are still being repaired. With more extreme weather events likely in the future, is it time to start futureproofing our infrastructure?      Sean Casey Partner and Energy Sector Leader at EY Ireland discuss with Newstalk Breakfast this morning.

The Government’s junior ministers are set to be appointed today – and those who take positions are expected to reinforce the current gender imbalance in Government   Joining Ciara to discuss was Mary Hanafin, former Minister for Education .  

An Office of Public works project to replace an unsafe seventy-metre perimeter wall around a government office ended up costing over €490,000. The works at the Dublin HQ of the Workplace Relations Commission were originally expected to cost around €200,000 exclusive of VAT.   We discuss this all with Paul Davis who is a Public Procurement Expert from DCU.

Recently details of a Department of Defence briefing became public.  Officials stated that due to geopolitical tension and the admission of Finland and Sweden into NATO, Irelands position as a neutral state is becoming more intolerant in the eyes of many in the EU    So, is Ireland's neutral status becoming untenable in an uncertain world? To debate this morning was Declan Powe...