Newstalk Breakfast

It’s the final countdown to the 98th Oscars at the Dolby Theatre this Sunday night from 11pm. All eyes are on Jessie Buckley in the Best Actress Nomination category.  Henry McKean is out in the Hollywood Hills and he spoke to Anton with all the news from the Annual Oscar Wilde Awards.

Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill will meet today with the CEO of the construction group BAM to discuss the progress and pace of construction of the National Children's Hospital.  The project has been mired by consistent changes to costs and timeframes, and joining Anton to talk about how we’ve got to this stage is Paul Davis Public Procurement Expert from DCU.  

Friggatriskaidekaphobia !The fear of Friday the 13th, also known as the chill, that runs down your neck when you spot it on your calendar once more.  But where did these superstitions even come from, and why do we still believe them (just in case)?  Dr Kelly Fitzgerald, Head of the UCD School of Celtic Studies and Folklore discusses the longevity of this Western superstition. &...

Gerry Adams is facing a civil suit for £1 in damages by three victims of IRA bombings in England, who argue that he was “directly responsible” for IRA bombs between 1973 and 1996.  Joining Anton was Mark Henessy, Ireland and Britain Editor of the Irish Times, who has been reporting on the case from London.  

Short-term lets outnumber homes to rent by 4 to 1 nationwide. That’s according to new figures released this morning by National housing charity Threshold, whose CEO John-Mark McCafferty spoke to Anton. Also to discuss these figures was Noelle Casey Vice-chair of the Self-Catering Federation and owner of Knockcarrig House in Killarney .  

It’s time for "Did You See”. Where we take a closer look at some of the stories you may have missed in the news this morning. Joining Anton this morning was Gerard Howlin, Public Affairs Consultant and former Senior Political Advisor.

“Even in households where chores are shared, the invisible ‘thinking work’ of parenting still falls to women”, writes Freelance journalist Niamh O’Reilly in The Journal.ie. Niamh joined Anton to discuss this further.

Rugby fans will be heading to the Aviva this weekend to watch Ireland take on rugby and some of those fans could have paid €3,000 for their ticket. Anton discusses this further with John Clendennen, Fine Gael TD for Offaly. 

Lee Cox, along with his Clumber spaniel, Bruin, beat around 18,000 other competitors to the top spot at Crufts on Sunday. However, it has since been revealed that the champion handler was previously found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to a dog in his care.  We get the details on this story with Vinny McAvinney, Broadcaster and Journalist .  

Dublin Lord Mayor Ray McAdam is calling for an increase in litter fines from 150 euros to 250 euros to reduce waste on the streets. With more on this Anton spoke to Conor Horgan, Spokesperson of Irish Business Against Litter.

Iran will keep blocking the Strait of Hormuz according to a statement read on state TV attributed to the new Iranian supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei and a rescue mission is underway after a US military refuelling aircraft crashed in Iraq. Anton gets the latest on the war on Iran with Mark Weiss, Israel Correspondent with the Irish Times.

A few months ago, scientists at the University of Ottawa accidentally flooded their fridge. That unfortunate accident led them to an interesting discovery.    Bumblebee queens can survive underwater for days.   Collie Ennis, Biodiversity Officer and Zoology Research Associate at Trinity College Dublin  is here to demystify this today.  

Israeli tanks and soldiers have entered Lebanese territory near an Irish peacekeeping outpost. Lebanese sources have said that the IDF soldiers and the tanks were spotted on a roadway inside the Lebanese side of the line. Speaking to Anton this morning was Commandant Alex Quigley Defence Force Press Officer.

No one believes a bean burger contains beef, and nobody assumes a veggie sausage came from a pig. So why are EU rules for food labels assuming people do?  That’s the question from Deidra Barr, Director of Communications for the UK Vegetarian Society who spoke to Anton this morning.

Kids’ mother’s education, social class, family type and experience of financial strain have a sizeable impact on their performance in the Leaving Cert  That’s according to new research from the ESRI. Emer Smyth is a Research Professor at ESRI & co-author of the report discussed these findings further with Anton.

The death has taken place of Ronnie Delany at the age of 91. Ronnie remains Ireland’s last Olympic gold medalist in athletics. To look back on his career and to pay tribute Anton spoke to Athletics Journalist Cathal Dennehy.

Government documents running to 147 pages have revealed new details about the appointment of Peter Mandelson as the UK's ambassador to the US and the fallout from his sacking last year. What does it mean for the UK government? James Lyons, Former Director of Strategic Communications for Keir Starmer discuss all with Anton.

It’s time for "Did You See”. Where we take a closer look at some of the stories you may have missed in the news this morning. Joining Anton this morning was Ronan McGreevy, Irish Times Reporter.

The online community known as the manosphere is once again making headline as Louis Theroux’s Netflix documentary about is has hit the streaming platform  What is the manosphere and how is it causing harm.  Joining Anton to discuss is Debbie Ging, Professor of Digital Media and Gender in the School of Communications at DCU .  

Childcare infrastructure, like crèches, should be delivered alongside new homes – and the developer should ensure an operator is found to run the creche. That’s the call in a motion from Mark Boland Labour Councillor for Dublin Fingal West who spoke to Anton this morning.

Memories are a fickle thing you might have asked yourself many times why you can remember every lyric to a song you heard 25 years ago. But you can’t remember why you needed to enter a room, or what you needed to get in the shop ...  Professor Michelle Spear, School of Anatomy at the University of Bristol joined Anton to wade through the idiosyncrasies of memory .  

Government documents running to 147 pages have revealed new details about the appointment of Peter Mandelson as the UK's ambassador to the US and the fallout from his sacking last year.  Stephen Pound, Former Labour MP for Ealing North & Former Shadow Minister for Northern Ireland for 10 years joined Anton to analyse.

A three-year-old boy has died after he was struck by a car in the underground car park of a shopping centre in Finglas, county Dublin.  Gabija Gataveckaite, BBC Dublin Correspondent is here with the details. 

President Donald Trump says the US is "not finished yet" when asked about the war in Iran. It comes as the International Energy Agency agree to their largest ever release of oil reserves after attacks in strait of Hormuz  Speaking to Anton this morning was Sean Bell, Former Fighter Pilot, Military Analyst and Co-Host of the Red Matrix Podcast .  

As Trump continues to blame Iran for the strike that killed scores of people, most of them seven- to 12-year-old girls, his goals for its leadership and wider region are coming into focus.   What exactly is Trump hoping to achieve in Iran? Anton asked Joel Rayburn, former United States Army officer, former Diplomat, and historian who served as the United States Special Envoy for Syria .