Newstalk Daily

In today's consumer-focused podcast, Ciara Doherty dives into one of the most pressing issues facing households across the country: the soaring cost of food. Irish shoppers are now paying the second-highest grocery prices in the Eurozone, and it's hitting families hard. According to the CSO, food price inflation is running at more than double the overall rate – meaning your weekly shop is getting...

In this extra edition of Newstalk Daily, Ciara Doherty takes a personal and critical look at the life and legacy of Hulk Hogan – the man who turned professional wrestling into a global pop culture juggernaut, and whose name became synonymous with the sport in the 1980s and 90s.  Ciara, who fondly recalls growing up in a household where wrestling dominated the TV and sibling rivalries were set...

As Donald Trump begins a closely-watched visit to Scotland — home to several of his luxury golf resorts and his mother’s birthplace — fresh revelations about his name appearing in the so-called Epstein Files are triggering alarm within his MAGA support base back in the U.S.  On this edition of Newstalk Daily, Ciara Doherty is joined by Dr Clodagh Harrington, American politics lecturer at Univ...

Let’s go back to Ireland in July 1985, to the quiet village of Ballinspittle in County Cork, where reports of a roadside statue of the Virgin Mary swaying gently before the eyes of stunned onlookers sparked a national sensation. What began as a local curiosity quickly exploded into a nationwide phenomenon, as similar apparitions were reported throughout Ireland that summer, drawing tens of thousan...

Drones are delivering more than just convenience in Ireland — they're bringing controversy, criminal innovation, and complex legal questions with them. In this podcast, Ciara Doherty explores the sharp rise in drone usage across the country — from life-saving medical deliveries and construction site surveys to drug drops in prisons and cartel-led smuggling operations. Ciara is joined by Elaine Bur...

The government says it will spend €200 billion over the next decade on major infrastructure — everything from rail and roads to water systems and the electricity grid. It’s a huge number. But is it a real plan... or just another political promise? Today on Newstalk Daily, Ciara Doherty takes a closer look at the updated National Development Plan — and asks whether this time will really be any diff...

Today on Newstalk Daily, Ciara Doherty speaks to Ross Cullen, Paris Bureau Chief for Feature Story News, about one of the more bizarre and disturbing examples of online misinformation—an unfounded conspiracy theory claiming that France’s First Lady, Brigitte Macron, was born male. Ciara and Ross unpack how this fake news took root online, the legal fallout it’s triggered, and how a recent appeals...

It’s All-Ireland Hurling Final weekend — one of the biggest in the Irish sporting calendar.  In today’s episode of Newstalk Daily, Ciara Doherty is joined by Sinéad O’Carroll, camogie veteran and editor of thejournal.ie and Paul Rouse, professor of history at UCD and former Offaly football manager, to talk all things GAA. They dive into the ticket frenzy, the deep-rooted county rivalries, the...

There is a battle-royal underway at the High Court in Dublin. Two of Ireland’s wealthiest men are going head-to-head over a historic estate—and the outcome could reshape the Munster land market.  On Newstalk Daily, Ciara Doherty is joined by Niall Sargent, current affairs correspondent with The Currency, to unpack the background to the legal showdown between racing tycoon John Magnier and mul...

Content Warning: This episode contains references to mental health and the loss of life. Listener discretion is advised.  On today’s episode of Newstalk Daily, Ciara Doherty explores how the death of one young boy who took his own life was recorded, and why Sinn Féin is calling for a change to the Coroner’s Act of 1962.  Stephanie McGill-Lynch lost her 14-year-old son Jake to suicide in...

Christian Horner is out. Last week, the Red Bull Racing team principal, reality TV personality, and Formula 1 power broker was sensationally sacked after two decades at the top of the sport. But why now? And what does this shock move reveal about the power struggles, internal politics and off-track pressure at the heart of modern Formula 1? In this episode of Newstalk Daily, Ciara Doherty takes a...

Conor McGregor is back in the news — and back in the courts. Last week, the High Court heard that a civil action against McGregor by former friend and sparring partner Artem Lobov will likely be heard this autumn. ‘The Russian Hammer’ alleges he was cut out of the €500 million Proper No. Twelve whiskey deal. On what happens to be the birthday of the MMA fighter and would-be presidential candidate,...

This week, Erin Patterson was found guilty of murder and attempted murder after an 11-week trial in Morwell, a small town in Victoria, Australia.  The jury concluded that Patterson killed her former parents-in-law, Don and Gail Patterson, as well as Gail’s sister, Heather. Heather's husband, Ian Wilkinson, was the sole survivor. The victims had been served a beef Wellington laced with lethal...

With the summer recess looming, Sinn Féin leads in the opinion polls. The party has led a noisy — and at times confrontational — left-wing opposition to the coalition government. And its leader enjoys strong approval ratings and widespread first-name recognition across Ireland. So why is Mary Lou McDonald now hinting at a possible new role? Just months ago, when asked about running for president,...

Ireland is awash with cocaine. Our coastline leaves us highly exposed. And the traffickers know it. In this episode of Newstalk Daily, Ciara Doherty explores how Ireland became a key gateway for international drug cartels, what’s being done to stop them, and why the crisis keeps escalating. We hear from former naval commander Eugene Ryan, who led some of the country’s biggest drug interceptions, a...

This week, the United States reported its highest number of measles cases in 33 years. Across Europe, outbreaks are spreading in countries like France, Spain, Italy, and the Netherlands. Now, Irish health officials are urging caution for holidaymakers heading to affected regions. Meanwhile, a major new report in The Lancet reveals that Ireland has the second-lowest rate of childhood vaccination in...

Twenty years ago today, 52 people were killed and more than 700 injured in the deadliest terrorist attack on British soil since the Second World War. On July 7th, 2005, four young British men—Mohammad Sidique Khan, Shehzad Tanweer, Hasib Hussain, and Germaine Lindsay—detonated homemade explosives, carried in backpacks, in coordinated suicide bombings on the London Underground and a double-decker b...

Oasis will take to the stage tonight at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff to begin an mammoth, 41-night stadium tour, estimated to earn Liam and Noel Gallagher a cool £50 million each. The Mancunian brothers last performed together in 2009, but have patched-up their differences for the Oasis Live ’25 tour, which will visit Ireland for two, sold-out dates at Croke Park in August. In this episode...

Politicians are fighting over the future of the GPO on Dublin’s O’Connell Street, now that An Post has moved its headquarters to a new site. But while TDs bicker over whether or not a revitalised GPO should contain commercial units and cafes, they all agree that a major museum or cultural space is essential to the iconic building’s future. Here at Newstalk Daily, we wondered: might the GPO make a...

It's ten years since architect Graham Dwyer was convicted of the murder of childcare worker Elaine O’Hara, whose remains were discovered in the Dublin Mountains in September 2013. The evidence in his trial shocked the nation, exposing Dwyer’s sadistic fantasies and serial abuse of a vulnerable young woman. For almost a decade, Graham Dwyer pursued every avenue of appeal, finally exhausting his leg...

Michael D. Higgins has been President of Ireland for almost 14 years. As his second term draws to a close, the hunt is on for a new head of state. With July now upon us, it’s remarkable how few would-be candidates are offering themselves ahead of the election (which must take place by November). For a while, it seemed like the Presidency was the best-paid Irish job nobody wanted. Now, several name...

A recent report from Women’s Aid found that, in 2024, all categories of violence against women rose considerably. Research shows that one of the drivers of this increased violence is the easy availability of hard-core pornography, especially via smart phones, which is changing perceptions of women and sex. Dr Richard Hogan is a family psychotherapist, author of ‘Parenting the Screenager’ and a lon...

Jury deliberations in the federal trial of hip-hop mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs are set to begin in New York. The Harlem-born rapper and founder of Bad Boy Records is charged with racketeering conspiracy and two counts each of sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution – charges he denies. Combs’ alleged victims include his former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, who testified for the pro...

The Trump administration has problems with Ireland’s regulation of what people see on social media and the internet more broadly. According to reports, US officials threatened to impose visa bans on Irish officials who impose strict EU rules on online content because that - according to the MAGA philosophy - is censorship. Meanwhile, Irish students heading to the States on summer visas face having...

It’s festival season, drawing hundreds of thousands of revellers to fields and camp sites across Ireland and the UK. Glastonbury gets underway today, with Irish rap trio Kneecap at the centre of a political storm, ahead of their appearance at Worthy Farm on Saturday. Closer to home, smaller festival organisers face multiple challenges, as they battle increased costs, inclement weather, and an incr...