Newstalk Breakfast

The Irish Council for Civil Liberties and Digital Rights Ireland are calling on the Government to clarify its plans to introduce a digital wallet to verify the age and identity of social media users   We discuss further with Joe O’Brien, Executive Director of ICCL .  

The entire country has now been placed under a status orange weather as storm Bram is to bring gale force winds today. The warning will remain valid until 3pm.  We get the latest updates with Matthew Martin from Met Eireann and also Keith Leonard, Director of Fire and Emergency Management at the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government .

Half of teachers who reported experiencing burnout cited unrealistic parental expectations as a contributing factor. But do parents really demand too much from teachers?  For more on this, we heard from Anthony Quinn, TUI President .  

Today marks the launch of An Foclóir Nua Gaeilge, Ireland’s first “monolingual” dictionary.  The book, which is also available online, will offer a deeper explanation of the meaning of different Irish words, rather than offering its English translation.   With us to explain the significance of this is Patricia Nic Eoin from All About Irish .  

Councillors in Naas Municipal District will today vote on a proposal to suspend pay parking in some areas of the town from December 15th through to the end of the year. Several towns across Ireland, including Castlebar, Tralee and Newry have introduced similar measures for the festive season.   Speaking to Newstalk Breakfast to discuss was Bill Clear, Independent Ireland Councillor for Naas A...

A status Orange wind warning has just come into place for a number of southern counties with more to come under a orange warning later in the morning. A status yellow wind warning is in place for the whole country     Joining Shane to explain what we can expect from Storm Bram today is Alan O’Reilly from Carlow Weather. 

Almost 30 years after mobile phone use became commonplace, non-existent coverage or dropped calls still dominates large swathes of the country – so says Fine Gael Senator Mark Duffy.  

Netflix recently announced it had reached a deal to buy Warner Bros Discovery’s TV, film studios and streaming division for $72bn (€62bn).  But what does it mean for consumers?   All to discuss with Adrian Weckler Technology Editor with the Irish Independent . 

Communities around the country are left with far fewer GPs than others despite rising demand. That’s according to figures obtained by The Sunday Times revealing a widening postcode lottery in general practice.   All to discuss with Dr Deirdre Collins, Chair of the board of the Irish College of GPs, and GP In Kilcullen Co. Kildare.

Should we be cautious about building more roads to ease congestion? That’s the suggestion from Trinity Professor Brian Caulfield, who warned that traffic modelling features a concept known as “induced demand”. 

Gardaí have launched a murder investigation into the deaths of Tadhg Farrell and his 60-year-old grandaunt, Mary Holt in a fire at a house in Co Offaly on Saturday evening.     A second woman was seriously injured and is receiving treatment at the Midland Regional Hospital in Tullamore.  Shane spoke to the Minister for Justice,  Jim...

“Continuing to build more roads to alleviate congestion, is precisely the kind of failed thinking that has resulted in our capital becoming the 10th most congested city in the world”   So says Brian Caulfield Professor in transportation at the Centre for Transport Research at Trinity College Dublin in the Irish times today. Brian spoke to Newstalk Breakfast with more on this.

From zippies on zoom, to bellytops in the boardroom - it's safe to say that office wear has gotten less formal and more fun. But with more workplaces bringing in dress codes to reign wardrobes in, what is appropriate to wear to work?   And could cramping employees' style be a corporate no no? Newstalk's Sarah Madden reports:  

An emergency meeting of the Oireachtas National Security Committee will be held this week to examine the sighting of drones near the flight path of Ukrainian president Voldomyr Zelenskyy when he visited Dublin last week.   We discuss further with Security and Defence Analyst, Declan Power. 

Gardaí have launched a murder investigation into the deaths of Tadhg Farrell and his 60-year-old grandaunt, Mary Holt in a fire at a house in Co Offaly on Saturday evening.  A second woman was seriously injured and is receiving treatment at the Midland Regional Hospital in Tullamore.  We get the latest on this with Newstalk reporter Kyle Butler and Fergus McDonell, Indepen...

The Grinch steals tonight's Late Late Toy Show. Henry McKean went backstage and met Patrick Kielty and he sent us this report.

Today, at 12 noon, The Ceann Comhairle, Verona Murphy will present 22 National Bravery Awards to individuals from across Ireland who risked their own lives to aid others in peril.   We spoke to y one of those who will be recognised for their heroic deeds at today’s ceremony. Brendan Grimes from Skerries saved a man from drowning on a cold damp morning i...

A plan to follow in the steps of Australia and introduce a ban on social media for children could be in on the cards. Minster for Media Patrick O’Donovan is to brief cabinet on plans to a verify the age of children on social media as part of larger plans to set a digital age of consent.   So, should Ireland follow Australia’s lead?  We discussed further with Fine Gael MEP Regina Doherty....

Ireland, the Netherland and Spain are among the European countries that have pulled out of the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest after Israel’s participation for next year was confirmed.  RTÉ have also confirmed they will not broadcast the competition either. We spoke to Avi Mayer, pron. AH-vee Mayor, Founder of Jerusalem Journal and former Editor-in-Chief of The Jerusalem Post.

Dublin’s Live Animal Crib is once again returning for the Christmas season for its 30th year on Dawson Street.   But three decades on, does the crib still have a place in society?  Laura Broxson, Spokesperson for Ireland's National Animal Rights Association and also President of the Irish Farmers Association Francie Gorman.

OnlyFans creators and social media influencers who risk being named on Revenue’s quarterly tax defaulters list say they fear for their personal safety if their home addresses are published.    For more on this we heard from Brendan Brady, Chartered Accountant from Brady & Associates .  

The GAA’s National Demographics Committee is warning that Rural depopulation may lead to the death of many GAA clubs around the country if reforms are not introduced and issues addressed.  Speaking to Shane on this was Benny Hurl is the chairperson of the GAA National Demographic Committee.

Irelands participation in next year's Eurovision song contest will not take place . RTE has taken the decision to boycott the competition over Israel’s inclusion    For more on this Ciara spoke to Dr Paul Jordan,  Expert and media commentator on the Eurovision Song Contest.

Today, members of the European Broadcasting Union will debate whether Israel can compete in next year’s Eurovision Song Contest. Joining us to explain more was Dr Paul Jordan, Expert and Media Commentator on Eurovision. 

According to a study by experts from the RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, almost 20% of 15–16-year-olds have had an explicit image of them shared without their consent, while the growth of sexting is leading to poorer mental health and increased risk of self-harm.  Joining us to discuss this further is Professor Mary Cannon, Professor of Psychiatric Epidemiology and Youth Ment...