Newstalk Breakfast

Parents across the country are in back-to-school mode and one aspect of this preparation that has arisen in recent years is the first smartphone for a child or student. Newstalk’s Technology Correspondent, Jess Kelly brings us advice for parents buying that first phone for their children.

It was on this day 100 years ago that Michael Collins was killed in Béal na Bláth in County Cork. Collins who was Commander in Chief of the National army and a senior member of government at the time was killed following an ambush by anti-treaty rebels. To discuss the legacy of Collins Newstalk Breakfast spoke to Tim Crowley who is one of his relatives and also a historian with the Michael Collins...

A government minister has called for the crisis-hit national planning authority to be 'scrapped', saying it is no longer 'fit for purpose'. Minister of State at the Department of Further and Higher Education, Niall Collins spoke to Newstalk Breakfast this morning.

“There’s a certain weight put on accents. People make judgments” - that's according to actor and playwright Emmett Kirwan in an interview over the weekend. Are people judged based on their accents? The presenter of the Talking Bollox podcast Calvin O’Brien spoke to Newstalk Breakfast with his view on this.

I’m 27 and don’t own a bra but don’t call me ‘braless’ that’s the view of lifestyle news writer Emma Dooney who spoke to Ciara this morning.

Thousands of families are waiting to hear if their children have places on school buses this year. This comes as the Government has waived the fee this year leading to an unprecedented number of applicants. Emma O’Regan is a mother of 5 and Independent Councillor, Ger Carthy spoke to Shane on this situation that will affect thousands of families.

The College of Psychiatrists of Ireland has warned that Government failings on mental health are putting patients’ lives at risk and that a radical overhaul of the entire system is needed as an urgent priority. President of the College and Mater Consultant Psychiatrist, Dr William Flannery joined Ciara on the show this morning.

National Heritage Week is an initiative by the Heritage Council that celebrates all things heritage. Bringing together communities to build awareness about the value of Irish heritage and support its conservation. To celebrate this we have a little story from Seanachaí Eddie Lenihan.

Over 500 children have been waiting over a year to access vital mental healthcare. In total, there are nearly 4,200 patients on the waiting list for the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service. That’s according to stats released to Newstalk Reporter Eoghan Murphy. Elbha O’Sullivan is a Cork woman who has had two children on the waiting list and within the service and she spoke to Newstalk Break...

Peak-time electricity usage must be slashed to avoid power outages, the energy regulator has warned. The Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) has ordered electricity suppliers to find ways to curb the surge in demand for power that occurs between 5pm and 7pm daily. For more on this Newstalk Breakfast heard from Mu

It’s understood that a new bill could allow the Gardaí to use drones in the course of their work despite being met with privacy concerns. Former Garda Sergeant Christy Galligan and Eoin O’Dell Senior Lecturer in Law at Trinity College Dublin both spoke to Shane on the show in reaction to the proposed use of drones.

Finland's prime minister is in hot water after a video of her partying with the friends has gone viral. 36 year old Sanna Marin said she did nothing wrong when letting her hair down and partying with friends but some have said it’s inappropriate behaviour for a prime minister. Finland-based journalist Ronan Browne spoke to Newstalk Breakfast this morning.

The Standards In Public Office Commission should launch an investigation following Minister of State Robert Troy’s admission of a series of breaches of ethics legislation. That’s according to Paul Murphy, People Before Profit TD who spoke to Newstalk Breakfast this morning.

Leamhain, an ice cream store located in Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre, is encouraging its customers to use Irish at the till-point and has set up the discount as a special incentive. Conor Sweeney is the owner and he joins me on the line.

The Coalition is at odds over increases in the €208 per week jobseeker’s allowance in the Budget. Fine Gael do not believe the unemployment benefit should be increased as they believe a hike would impact participation rates in the workforce as employers ‘cry out’ for staff but Fianna Fáil and the Green Party are in favour of increases in the welfare payment. Suzanne Rogers, Research and Policy Ana...

Further Education Minister Simon Harris is appealing to homeowners to rent out their spare rooms to students under a scheme that could see them earn up to €14,000 a year tax-free. This comes as student unions across the country have warned that accommodation pressures are mounting as a result of both the housing and Ukrainian crises. Discussing this situation further Newstalk Breakfast spoke to Pr...

Can visible tattoos prevent you from getting a job in 2022? Four out of five Recruitment and HR professionals Newstalk Breakfast spoke to said that tattoos can have an influence on a candidate’s chances of getting a job. For more on this Vincent spoke to Peter Cosgrave, Managing Director at Futurewise.

It’s not that people are more sensitive these days. Some things just aren’t funny anymore that is the view of political journalist Martha Gill who joined us on the show and discussed what prompted to write this.

Hundreds of people at high risk of contracting the monkeypox virus will be offered a vaccine in the next few weeks, according to the Health Service Executive. National Clinical Lead for Sexual Health Services for HSE, Professor Fiona Lyons joined Vincent this morning to outline the plan for this vaccination process for monkeypox for people in Ireland.

An elderly busker who was fatally stabbed while riding his mobility scooter in west London has been named Thomas O’Halloran, an 87-year-old originally from Ennistymon in County Clare. For the latest on this story, Shane spoke to Vincent McAviney, a London-based Journalist.

It should never be the case that our people should be afraid to walk the streets of our towns and cities, nor that there should be ‘no-go’ areas – that's the view of Fine Gael Senator Regina Doherty who spoke to Newstalk Breakfast this morning.

Irish Catholics are calling for radical church reform in a landmark report sent to Rome this week. Some of the proposed changes include the ordination of women priests and changes in the Church’s attitude to the LGBTI+ community. To discuss the changes Vincent was joined on the show by Fr Iggy O’Donovan is a Priest and Member of the Augustinian Order and Fr Patrick McCafferty is Parish Priest of C...

We need to bolster the ability of pre-teens to critique and regulate their own usage of social media. That’s the view of Colman Noctor Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist who spoke to Newstalk Breakfast this morning.

Liz Truss, now the Tory leadership frontrunner, launched an astonishing broadside against British workers in leaked audio footage.  For more on this Newstalk Breakfast spoke to Former Conservative government Special Adviser, Lauren McEvatt.

The HSE and the Department of Health should have one chief executive - that's the view of Fianna Fáil TD Barry Cowen who believes appointing Robert Watt as HSE CEO would be an opportunity to “end the dysfunction between the Department of Health and the HSE”. To discuss this further Vincent spoke to Fine Gael TD and a member of the health committee, Bernard Durkan.