Newstalk Breakfast

Post-mortem examinations will be carried out on three family members found dead at their home in Drumgowna, Co Louth. Mark and Louise O'Connor, both in their 50s, and their son Evan, who was in his 20s and had additional needs, are believed to have died from violent attacks at their home.  We get reaction to the shocking attacks with Local Fianna Fail Councillor John Sheridan. 

New research from Laya healthcare has revealed that fear of not being taken seriously is leading to over half of women delaying seeking medical help. Jonathan discusses this further with Dr Sumi Dunne, a GP specializing in women's health .  

The government must address shortcomings in its response to severe storms.  That’s the call this morning from the Climate Change Advisory Council. Speaking to Newstalk Breakfast was Professor Peter Thorne, Chairperson of the Council’s Adaptation Committee.

The first presidential debate took place last night between Catherine Connelly, Jim Gavin and Heather Humphreys, with neutrality, Gaza, and the purpose of the Irish flag among the main topics of discussion.   But who came out on top? We discussed with Alison O’Connor, Journalist, Broadcaster and Commentator .  

Gardaí have arrested a man in his 30s in connection with an incident in a rural area of Co Louth in which three people were killed.  The victims were named locally as Mark and Louise O’Connor and their adult son Evan.   Joining us with the latest is Conor Lally Irish Times Crime and Security Editor. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is due for talks on Gaza with Donald Trump in Washington today, with a new Gaza peace proposal expected to be on the agenda.  Fawaz Gerges, Professor of International Relations at the London School of Economics, joined us on the show this morning.

“AI Slop” is one of the terms of the year, referring to the junk created by AI, taking up space on online platforms. Spotify has announced some measures it's taking to tackle the issue on its platform.      Newstalk's Technology Correspondent Jess Kelly joined Ciara Kelly on the show.

Cuan, the Domestic, Sexual and Gender Based Violence Agency, is launching a new campaign encouraging victims of sexual violence to speak out. It comes as new ESRI research has found that women are significantly more likely to experience all forms of sexual violence, both as children and adults, compared to men.  Dr Stephanie O’Keeffe, chief executive of Cuan, joined Jonathan Healy on the show...

Yesterday saw the Pittsburgh Steelers claim victory at Ireland’s first NFL game, but on Friday night, their reserve quarterback Skylar Thompson was reportedly assaulted and robbed in Dublin city centre.   Gary Gannon, Social Democrats TD and the Party's Spokesperson for Justice, joined Ciara Kelly on the show.

Nature in Ireland is in a “very poor” state, with the country’s economic growth achieved at the expense of the environment, according to the latest State of Europe’s Environment report from the EU.   Professor John Sweeney, Emeritus Professor in the Irish Climate Analysis and Research Units at the department of geography at Maynooth University joined us on Newstalk Breakfast this morning...

Europe persevered in the Ryder Cup over the weekend in New York thanks to a crucial putt from Shane Lowry. But what caught the attention of so many wasn’t the golf… It was the behavior of some American fans who were hurling abuse at the players.  Ciara Kelly was joined by Law Lecturer at the University of Galway Larry Donnelly.

A gunman opened fire inside a Michigan church during a Sunday service before apparently setting the building on fire. David Smith, Washington Bureau Chief of The Guardian joined us on the show with the latest on the case.

The first presidential debate will take place today on The Tonight Show at 10 pm. What can we expect to see?  Louise Burne, Political Correspondent with the Irish Examiner, joined us on Newstalk Breakfast this morning.

Gardaí are treating the death of a father and his five-year-old daughter in Finglas as a suspected murder-suicide, according to the Irish Times. However, the investigation is still at an early stage and postmortem examinations will decide the next steps.    Conor Gallagher, Crime Correspondent with the Irish Times joined Jonathan Healy with the latest on the investigation.

Dublin City is awash with the colours of the Minnesota Vikings and the Pittsburgh Steelers, who will go head to head in Croke Park this weekend.   This is the first NFL game played in Dublin, and they are pulling out all the stops. With us to explain more is Michael McQuaid, founder of Pro-Football Ireland .  

One in four Dublin home sales are now landlords exiting the rental sector. That’s according to the latest residential market review from property advisors DNG, which also found the rate of price increase seen in the capital has moderated for a third successive quarter.   We discuss the findings with Marian Finnegan is CEO of Sherry Fitzgerald.

Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, better known by his stage name Mo Chara, is due back before Woolwich Crown Court today in relation to a charge under the Terrorism Act.    He is accused of allegedly displaying a flag in support of proscribed organisation, Hezbollah at a concert in the city in November 2024. Emily Keegan, Newstalk Reporter who is outside the court gave us an update.

Are we facing an overreaction epidemic? Ciara and Jonathan had an interesting discussion this morning.

Drones have attacked an aid flotilla in international waters off Greece as it tried to break Israel’s Gaza blockade, in what is seen as an escalation of Israeli efforts to stop it.  Speaking to Newstalk Breakfast was Sarah Clancy, Poet, Community Worker and civil society participant on the Global Sumud Flotilla. 

‘I believe we are facing an overreaction epidemic, and in order to address it we must first acknowledge that the problem isn’t our emotions—it’s how we deal with them.’     That’s according to Dr Marc Brackett, the Founding Director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and author of “Dealing with Feeling”.  

Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment Darragh O'Brien is meeting with the four main biggest energy suppliers today to discuss the impact of rising energy prices and what can be done to ease the burden on households.   David Kerr, Founder and CEO of Bonkers.ie discusses this further.

This year saw a 43 per cent increase in applications for Leaving Cert appeals compared to 2024. The results of the 2025 Leaving Certificate Appeals will be available from 11am this morning. For more on this we spoke to Brian Mooney, Guidance Counsellor, Irish Times Education Columnist . 

How important are financial matters when choosing a romantic partner?  All to chat with Mairead Loughman, Matchmaker at Love HQ Matchmaking.

The Government has been warned of the danger of overheating the economy with its planned €9.4 billion spending increase in the Budget next month by the Economic and Social Research Institute. Speaking to Newstalk Breakfast was John Fitzgerald, Adjunct Professor in Economics at Trinity College Dublin.  

Joining Ciara in studio this morning was Independent Presidential Candidate, Catherine Connolly.