Newstalk Breakfast

Thousands of families are set to benefit from substantial reductions in early learning and childcare costs from the 2nd of September under the National Childcare scheme.  Ciara got to speak to Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration, and Youth, Roderic O’Gorman to discuss this further. 

New rules regulating hand luggage is due to come into effect on Sunday across airports in the European Union. To talk us through the new regulations is Media Relations Manager with the DAA, Graeme McQueen .  

Two teenagers have been arrested after Irish chef shot dead outside his restaurant in Kansas City . Shaun Brady, originally from Nenagh, was shot in car park outside his restaurant after trying to intervene in suspected car theft. Speaking to Newstalk Breakfast was Erin Gabert Friend of Shaun Brady’s and one of the members of board of directors for the local Irish Fest.

Israel and Hamas have agreed to zoned three-day pauses in fighting to allow for polio vaccinations. We get the latest on this with  Alistair Bunkall, Sky News Middle East Correspondent. 

Fionnuala Jones, Broadcaster and Podcaster has been writing about the difficulty maintaining female friendships and told Newstalk Breakfast what she has experienced.

The Minister for Education, Norma Foley has not ruled out introducing an allowance for teachers in Dublin to help resolve the national shortage of teachers  Speaking to Newstalk Breakfast John Boyle, General Secretary of the Irish National Teachers Organization .  

Tusla, the state’s Child and Family Agency which is responsible for providing foster care has rejected one potential foster parent based on her BMI.  Joining Shane to discuss why that is problematic is Donal O’Shea HSE Lead for Obesity.  

Students across the country received the first round of CAO offers yesterday. 56% of students secured their first choice, however, some students lost their place due to random selection which was used in the allocation process for more than 20 courses.    Speaking to Newstalk Breakfast with more on this was Orla Sheils, Vice Provost at Trinity College Dublin .

People don't feel safe in the North Inner city. That is the view of Social Democrats Councillor for the area, Daniel Ennis explained why to Shane this morning on the show.

Met Éireann have released the names for storms for the season Of 2024/25. With Bert, Poppy and Marvis some of the names being selected   We ask how are the storms named? We discuss with Eoin Sherlock, Head Of Forecasting Division in Met Éireann. 

Last night a documentary aired on Virgin Media Television on Irelands Thalidomide Scandal.  We speak to Finola Cassidy, Survivor and spokesperson for the Irish Thalidomide Association. 

An independent poll which was released today by the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland shows that 64% of people surveyed agreed that Ireland should welcome people who move here to make a better life for themselves or their families.   Speaking to Shane this morning on the show was Neil Bruton, Campaigns Manager with MRCI.

Why is it so hard to rent a movie? That is the question posed by Newstalk’s Simon Tierney in the Irish Examiner today and Simon chatted to Shane this morning.

Students across the country are getting ready for the first round of CAO offers out later this afternoon. Speaking to Newstalk Breakfast was Gemma Lawlor, Guidance Counsellor at Tyndall College Carlow.

 “Why are we so fearful to let our kids have some freedom now and do we really think anyone, not least us knackered parents, are benefiting from this “what if” catastrophising mindset?” That’s the question posed by Journalist, Georgina Fuller who spoke to Newstalk Breakfast.

Huge numbers coming to Ireland in the 12 months to April last, with 149,200 people immigrating here a 17 year high.    But there were also significant numbers going in the opposite direction. 69,000 people moving out of Ireland, bolstered in particular by a "strong outward flow" to Australia, according to the CSO.  Shane discuss these numbers with Mairead Farrell, Sinn Fein TD for G...

Dublin’s Bus Connects has been dragged out for seven years and commuters are still not getting the full benefits from it.  We sent our reporter, Josh Crosbie to take a look at the progress of Bus Connects.

Free mole mapping scans every year for PRSI workers should be introduced to help catch skin cancers. That is the call from Fianna Fáil TD Christopher O'Sullivan. To discuss further we spoke to Professor Caitriona Ryan Consultant Dermatologist at the Institute of Dermatologists.

It emerged yesterday that from October household electricity prices will increase by €100. Is there anything that can be done to bring down the cost and why exactly is this happening?   We speak to Muireann Lynch, Energy Economist and Senior Research Office with ERSI .  

This month marks one year since the family of 20-year-old Ella Mills said goodbye to their daughter heading to college in New York City. Little did they know that just three weeks later, Ella would die in a kayaking accident near Washington DC.   One year later, Ella’s dad Ralph Mills has set a new world-record by running an ‘aquamarathon’ to raise funds in her memory for a charity that...

Two more cities have been added to the Dublin portal. Vilnius in Lithuania and Lubin in Poland are the latest to join the portal, will be enjoyed by Dublin’s 25,000 weekly visitors in the coming weeks.    Nollaig Fahy, Dublin City Council Culture Company's Tourism Innovation Manager  spoke to Ciara about this

A new strategy unveiled by the government aims to implement “clear and simple actions” to improve the lives of people with autism.  Adam Harris, CEO of As I am, spoke to Ciara about this.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly wants to ban social media for everyone under the age of 16, comparing platforms like TikTok to smoking addictions. But would it work? Irish Independent Technology Editor Adrian Weckler spoke to Newstalk Breakfast about this...

The 300-plus reported cases of Afghan women being killed by men since the Taliban seized power are just “the tip of the iceberg” when it comes to the true scale of gender-based violence in Afghanistan. That's according to a recent report by the Centre of Information Resilience’s Afghan Witness Project. Ciara was joined by Mahbooba Faiz, a Lawyer and Women’s Rights Activist.

Following an incident over the weekend involving a horse and carriage in the city centre   The national association of animal rights is calling for the practice to be banned.   Martina Kenny, Co-Founder of My Lovely Horse Rescue joined Ciara on the show.