Newstalk Breakfast

This Saturday, the Aviva Stadium will host the 2025 US College Football season’s opening game.   4.5 million viewers across the US will be watching the game, and Tourism Ireland has partnered with sports broadcaster ESPN to highlight Ireland to this huge audience. Speaking about what this even means for Ireland was Eoghan O Mara Walsh, Chief Executive at Irish Tourism Industry Confederat...

European countries will have to shoulder the “lion’s share” of guaranteeing Ukraine’s security in the event of a deal to end Russia’s war in the country, United States Vice President JD Vance has said.  To discuss this further on the show Jonathan spoke to Jenny Mathers of the Department of International Politics at Aberystwyth University.

After 2 marathon shows at the Dome in Tralee it was Laois Rose Katelyn Cummins who came out on top, becoming the 2025 international Rose of Tralee. Katelyn chatted to Newstalk Breakfast about her big win.

The cost of going to college has shot up due to higher rents. It now costs around €16,000 a year for a student who lives away from home, according to research by price comparison site Switcher.ie. For more on this we heard from Michael Roche, President of UCD Student Union.  

New research published today by Tobacco Control has found that Vaping among teens and young people is consistently linked to subsequent smoking, marijuana and alcohol use. We discuss these findings with John Crown, Consultant Oncologist at St Vincent's University Hospital Group .  

Kneecap member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, also known as Mo Chara, will appear before the Magistrates Court in Westminster today. He is charged with a terror offence for flying a Hezbollah flag at a concert last November.   Newstalk reporter Emily Keegan is at the court in London and reported from the scene.

Just 48 fines were issued for dog fouling in Ireland last year. That’s according to new figures from Vision Ireland published this morning. We chatted about this further with Pete Wedderburn, Bray Based Vet.

The BBC is facing pressure to pull Sally Rooney dramas after her pledge to fund Palestine Action. The Campaign Against Antisemitism said that Rooney’s latest actions were “utterly indefensible”.  Jonathan asked their Director of Investigations and Enforcement Stephen Silverman what he makes of Sally Rooney’s intervention.

Some kids around the country are heading back to school this week. But why are they going back so early?  All to discuss with Paul Crone, Director of the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals. 

NATO military leaders are expected to meet today to discuss Ukraine, as Washington and European capitals work out details of what security guarantees might look like for Kyiv.   To discuss further with Ciara was Sean Bell Former Fighter Pilot, Military Analyst and Co-Host of the Red Matrix Podcast .   

Faulty goods, poor online shopping experiences and botched home improvements top the list of issues consumers have contacted the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission about so far this year, according to their helpline report it issued today.  We discuss the findings with CCPC Director of Communications Grainne Griffin.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appear poised for a peace summit following rapid negotiations between Donald Trump and European leaders, which centered on securing long-term security guarantees for Kyiv. We get reaction to the meeting with Yevheniia Kravchuk Ukranian Member of Parliament and Deputy Chair of President Zelenskyy's Servant of the People.

Now, having kids is hard work; your priorities shift, and your time is spent differently to before. But how does this impact your friendships and relationships? All to discuss with Niamh O’Reilly, Freelance Journalist.

There has been a 10% rise in possession of drugs for sale or supply. That’s according to new figures published by An Garda Síochána. How can we address stubbornly high levels of drug use and and drug dealing on our streets? All to discuss with Dr Pat Leahy is Former Garda Assistant Commissioner for Dublin.

Nuclear generators, hydrogen and battery storage are options we should explore to generate clean electricity. So wrote John Fitzgerald, Adjunct Professor in Economics at Trinity College Dublin and John spoke Shane this morning.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky look set for a peace summit following rapid negotiations between Donald Trump and European leaders, centering on securing long-term security guarantees for Kyiv.  Here with the latest is James Waterhouse, BBC Ukraine Correspondent .  

The State’s population grew by almost 90,000 last year, according to figures from Eurostat. We discuss The implications of Ireland’s population growth with Cormac Lucey, Economics Commentator with The Sunday Times.

Fine Gael’s national executive council is due to meet tomorrow evening to discuss next steps following the withdrawal of Mairead McGuinness late last week. We discuss this and more with John Lee, Executive Editor of the Daily Mail.  

An internal document from Meta has shown policies that permit AI creations to “engage a child in conversations that are romantic or sensual,” and generate false medical information.   We discuss further with Newstalk's Technology Correspondent Jess Kelly.

Shane and Ciara discuss the latest on the race to the Áras.

A host of key European leaders will join Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky when he meets with US President Donald Trump at the White House later today.   We take a look ahead to this meeting with Misha Glenny Rector of the Institute of Human Sciences in Vienna and a former BBC Central Europe Correspondent.

Just one in eight children in Ireland cycle to school regularly. That’s according to new research published this morning, which also found that almost half of parents cited safety concerns, primarily a lack of protected bike lanes, as the reason for this.   So what can be done to improve the experience of cyclists who share the roads with vehicles? And how can we make these journeys safer for...

A number of Influencers on social media are claiming that chemicals in sunscreen are dangerous. Some viral clips have gone so far as to claim “the sun does not cause skin cancer”.  To discuss this further was Professor Anne-Marie Tobin HSE National Clinical Lead for Dermatology. 

Chimneys, flues, hot ashes and soot were the top cause of fire recorded last year, according to new data compiled by the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management, in the Department of Housing.  We discuss further with Ben Woodhouse Chief Fire Officer with Carlow County Council. 

Protests erupted over the weekend in Israel, with more than thirty people arrested for “disruption of order.” Families of hostages held in Gaza took to the streets to demand a deal be made by the Israeli government for their release. The protests come days after the Israeli Security Cabinet approved a plan to take control of Gaza City. We get the latest on the situation with Fawaz Gerges, Professo...