Newstalk Breakfast

There’s probably not a day that goes by where you don’t hear or say the phrase “I don’t have enough time”.  But according to Dr Dale Whelehan, Assistant Professor at Trinity College Dublin, School of Psychology, our assumptions about time are all wrong, and we need to take back control.

January 6th marks Nollaig na mBan, traditionally when women could have a day of rest after Christmas.  While the holiday might not be observed regularly across the country, people are still looking for opportunities to celebrate the women in their lives.   Muraed Hughes is one of the organisers of the Nollaig na mBan Festival in Dublin Northern Inner City.

There were reports of gunfire in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, overnight, with videos circulating on social media.  It comes after toppled President Nicolas Maduro pleaded not guilty to charges of narco-terrorism following his capture by US authorities.  His arrest has faced strong criticism from both America's friends and foes at an emergency meeting of the United Nations Secu...

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council has called on the government to consider strengthening the powers of councils to deal with vacant and unoccupied buildings.  This follows an ongoing stand-off between the local authority and Dunnes Stores over four empty retail units in Dun Laoghaire. All to discuss with Tom Philips Managing Director of Tom Phillips and Associates and Adjunct Associa...

There were reports of gunfire in the capital of Venezuela overnight, with videos circulating on social media. It comes after Nicolas Maduro pleaded not guilty to charges of narco-terrorism following his capture by US authorities. We get the latest with David Smith, Washington Bureau Chief for The Guardian .

More than half of adults in Ireland are using fitness tracking apps.  That’s according to new research from Pure Telecom. But are these really a good idea for your personal health?  We asked Personal Trainer John Belton.

Met Éireann issued two new Status Yellow warnings. One for low temperature & ice and another for snow and ice as temperatures could fall between -1C and -3C with sharp frost, icy stretches and the possibility of black ice.   We get the latest on the weather with Alan O’Reilly, of Carlow Weather.

‘Employers should work with staff but they cannot solve traffic jams.’ So writes Damien McCarthy, CEO of HR Consultancy Firm HR Buddy who explained why to Newstalk Breakfast this morning.

2026 is starting as 2025 did, with Elon Musk and his companies in the headlines. Grok, the built-in AI chatbot on X, has flooded the platform with sexualised images of women and girls. We discuss this further with  Newstalk's Technology Correspondent Jess Kelly. All with thanks to Renault

The Government’s new digital ID plan for social media users has been labelled as “intrusive”, “illegal” and an “expensive national embarrassment” waiting to happen.  One of its critics is TJ McIntyre, Associate professor at the school of law UCD, Solicitor and Chair of Digital Rights Ireland.

China has told the US to free Nicolas Maduro, hours before he is expected to appear in court in New York. Meanwhile, Donald Trump has suggested Colombia could be a target for the US, calling its president a "sick man" who won't be in power for long.  Speaking to Newstalk Breakfast was Sean Bell Former Fighter Pilot, Military Analyst and Co-Host of the Red Matrix Podcast   Luis Diaz, Vene...

Just one in three of us think that hard work alone determines success in Ireland today. That’s according to a new Sunday Independent/Ireland Thinks opinion poll. So, is it true that hard work doesn’t equate to success?  All to discuss with success?  We discuss this further with Jill O'Mahony Sociology Lecturer at South East Tech...

Ireland’s towns and cities are cleaner overall in 2025, with lower litter levels driving a nationwide improvement, according to the latest Irish Business Against Litter survey.  However, Dublin’s north inner city remains the most littered area in Ireland. We hear the details of the survey findings with Conor Horgan, Spokesperson for Irish Business Against Litter.

Delcy Rodriguez, interim leader of Venezuela, has invited the US Government to “collaborate” with her and said she is seeking "respectful relations" with Washington. This comes after US forces ousted President Nicolas Maduro, who is due to appear in a Manhattan court on drug charges later today.   We get the latest on this with David Smith, Washington Bureau Chief, Th...

Met Eireann have warned of a "treacherous start" to this morning with frost, ice and freezing fog patches that will carry into tomorrow. For more on this, Shane was joined by Ailis Hankinson, Forecaster with Met Eireann.

A recent survey has placed Ireland in the top 10 countries most pessimistic about the future. We asked Brendan Kelly, Professor of Psychiatry at Trinity College Dublin why are we so gloomy? 

A best-selling crime writer, a retired police detective and a communications expert from County Down are among the contestants on the new series of The Traitors in the UK, which kicked off last night on BBC One.   We heard from Niamh O’Reilly, Freelance Journalist and Traitors Superfan.

House prices nationally rose by an average of 5.5% during 2025, with prices now 41% above their pre-covid levels and just 10% below their Celtic Tiger peak.   That’s according to a new report from Daft.ie.  Ronan Lyons Professor in Economics at Trinity College Dublin and author of the report discusses these findings.

The first victim of the tragic fire at a ski resort in Switzerland has been named as Emanuele Galeppini, an Italian teen golfer.  Officials continue to investigate the exact cause of the fire in which over 40 people were killed and 115 were injured, although they have already ruled out a terror attack.  Speaking to Ciara this morning was Felix Smith a journalist for Bauer Media Copenhage...

The government should create an independent expert group to fix its fragmented energy policy, which is punishing consumers.    That’s the call from industry group Fuels for Ireland, whose CEO Kevin McPartlan explained why to Newstalk Breakfast.

get your scarves and gloves at the ready as we look ahead to this weekend’s weather with Alan O’Reilly of Carlow Weather.

Mental health charity Turn2Me warns that overly ambitious resolutions can actually do more harm than good, and we should instead adopt a more realistic and compassionate approach. All to discuss with Turn2Me CEO Fiona O’Malley .

Gardaí believe the petrol bombing of a family home in north Dublin was a botched attack actually intended for a man living in the Finglas area who is suspected of involvement in organised crime.    A family of five were injured in the blaze but managed to escape their burning home. We get more details on this with Conor Lally, Security and Crime Editor for the Irish Times . 

A classic Christmas tale... thoughts about getting presents for our loved ones go from ‘I have plenty of time’ to ‘Oh no’ in the blink of an eye.     But how do we course correct now that the damage has been done and the time lost?     Lifestyle Editor and Saturday Weekend Magazine Columnist with The Irish Examiner, Esther McCarthy joined us on Newstalk...

Tomorrow, boys and girls will find gifts under the tree as Santa delivers presents across the world. But has he been cleared to enter Irish airspace, and where is he now?    Aisling Duff is an Air Traffic Controller with AirNav, and joined Jonathan Healy on the show.