Newstalk Breakfast

An Irishman shot dead after a standoff with police in Malta is the chief suspect in the killing of his ex-partner. Edward William Johnston is believed to have stabbed his ex-partner and Maltese native Nicolett Gur-she.   We get the latest on this with line Mario Xuereb a Journalist with the Times Malta. 

The higher education minister Patrick O'Donovan wants to see an end to single-sex schools, stating "society would be better" with a co-educational model of learning. We asked Barbara Ennis, Principal of Alexandra College should we see an end to single sex schools?    

To pocket money or not to pocket money, that is the question many parents find themselves debating. Could Revolut 18 be the answer?  We ask Newstalk’s Technology Correspondent, Jess Kelly.

Department inaction on teacher recruitment and retention crisis ‘reckless and deeply concerning’” Those are the stark words from the Teachers Union of Ireland ahead of a new school year.  Speaking to Jonathan to discuss further was Michael Gillespie, General Secretary of Teachers Union of Ireland. 

An additional €400 million will be announced for sport in the coming weeks. Speaking to Newstalk Breakfast this morning was Thomas Byrne, Minister for Sport.  

Taoiseach Simon Harris has called for an urgent review of the EU‘s trade deal with Israel, following an Israeli strike which killed 93 people and wounded dozens more who were sheltering in a school.   Speaking to Jonathan this morning on the show to discuss further was Daniel Epstein-O'Dowd, Spokesperson for the Ireland-Israel Alliance and Jim Roche, Secretary and PRO of the Steering Com...

Russia's military has admitted that Ukrainian forces have advanced far into its territory, stating that it struck troops and equipment located about 30 kilometers from the border.   We get the latest from BBC Ukraine Correspondent James Waterhouse. 

For the past few months women’s advocate and TikTok star Kelley Daring has been collecting hundreds of anonymous stories from women around the world who have something to confess: they wish they had never had children   We discuss the findings with Dr Ann-Marie Creaven, Associate Professor in Psychology at the University of Limerick.

It’s a hero's welcome for Irish Olympians today in Dublin as sports fans are expected to line up on O’Connell Street to celebrate Team Ireland and all their success at the games in Paris.   We got the details from Lord Mayor of Dublin, James Geoghegan. 

Daniel Wiffen completed the marathon 10km swim in the River Seine this morning, finishing in 18th place, six minutes and 27.4 seconds after the overall leader.    At 7pm this evening, Rhasidat Adeleke will line up with the fastest women on earth in the 400m sprint. Its an exciting day for team Ireland. We heard from Cesil Johnson, PRO for Tallaght Athletic Club, and Andrew Bree...

The Restaurant Association of Ireland has reported that a total of 577 cafes, restaurants and food businesses have had to close their doors since the 50% hike in the hospitality sector’s VAT rate.     Shane discusses this issue with Paul Lenehan, President of the Restaurant Association of Ireland and Ken Robinson, Owner of Kafe U in Westmeath that closed in June.

Almost half of children are bullied, and they don’t feel listened to by adults. That’s according to a wide-ranging new report from the Ombudsman for Children’s Office into the attitudes of children.    To discuss the report findings was Dr Niall Muldoon Ombudsman for Children.

“Forcing your cultural taste on your children isn’t just OK- but it is your moral duty as a parent,” writes Louis Chilton in the UK Independent this week.       So, should we make our children to listen to the music we love?  Who better to talk us through this than Today FM’s Ed Smith .

Overcrowding at University Limerick Hospital has caused the HSE to suspend a significant number of planned services across the five hospitals in the UHL group in the Mid-West.   The move has been made to allow UHL deal with the overcrowding issue. However the Irish Hospital Consultant Association have described the move as “unbelievable, unnecessary, and an abandonment of the people of the Mi...

The Puck Fair, Ireland’s longest-running festival kicks off in Killorglin, Co. Kerry tomorrow. Independent TD for Kerry Michael Healy Rae spoke to Newstalk Breakfast ahead of the Festival opening.

Spanish Police are continuing their hunt for former Catalan Leader Carles Puigdemont after his shock return from a 7 year exile. Mr Puigdemont addressed a crowd of thousands in Barcelona before fleeing with the help of a police officer.   Back in 2017 Spanish police indicted Puigdemont on charges linked to a failed bid for Catalan independence. We get the latest on this story with Stephen Bur...

Ireland officially has now achieved its best ever Olympics are we are still flying high in the medal table.   However, it is putting our funding model under the spotlight. We discuss this further with Ian Mallon, a sports business consultant and columnist of The Pitch with the Irish Examiner .  

The Fleadh Cheoil is in full swing in Wexford and today the town is hoping to add it’s name to the record books!  Whistlers from all over the world will descend on Wexford Park in an attempt to break the record for the Most Tin Whistles played at one time.   Catherine Roche is one of the teachers for the ensemble of musicians and she has been telling us about the attempt.

Eirgrid, which operates the electricity network in Ireland, warned of a possible "mass exodus" of data centres from the country if new connection agreements could not be signed off on.   We spoke to Professor Aoife Foley, Chair in Net Zero Infrastructure at the University of Manchester. 

Driving test pass rates vary widely at different centres around the country. Almost two-thirds fail at one Dublin centre while more than two-thirds pass at a location in Kilkenny .  But why is this the case? We spoke to Green Party TD Marc Ó Cathasaigh to discuss further.

Are the days of letting your children outside the house to run wild and free over? With phones it’s now easier to trace their whereabouts and monitor their moves. But does this break their trust and is it overbearing?  We discussed with Mary McCarthy Columnist with the Irish Independent.

Contactless payments for public transport must be fast tracked, that’s the call from Fine Gael Councillor Aoibhinn Tormey who explained why to Jonathan this morning. 

Three Taylor Swift concerts due to take place in Vienna have been cancelled after police arrested two suspects who have been accused of planning terrorist attacks.  The suspects have been accused of planning attacks across the city including at Swift’s gigs. Speaking to Newstalk Breakfast this morning Jess Spencer is a presenter with Spin and was due at tonight’s gig.

Who are Ireland’s renters and who are Ireland’s landlords? That is the focus of a new study from the Residential Tenancies Board which will aim to see how the market in Ireland shifts.   The first report in the series found that Registered private tenancies have risen by 17 thousand in the past year. To discuss the study findings was Brian Galway, Senior Research Officer with The Residential...

Kellie Harrington made history by becoming the first Irish female athlete to win gold at back-to-back Olympic Games after a split decision over China's Wenlu Yang in the women's 60kg final at Paris 2024.   Kellie Harrington’s former coach, Paddy Osborne gave his reaction to her big win last night.