Newstalk Breakfast

Linda Hall, a Teacher in Kings Wood Community College in Tallaght, was just 26 when she lost her father to sudden cardiac arrest, just three weeks after his 48th birthday.  Now she’s urging the public to learn cardiopulmonary resuscitation, better known as CPR. Linda spoke to Ciara this morning.

Bodywhys has launched a new wellbeing programme to address the rising body image and eating disorder concerns in Irish secondary schools.  A survey from the charity found that 45 per cent of teachers are aware of students in their classes who are experiencing an eating disorder.  

Joining Ciara to discuss was Dr. Fiona Flynn, who developed the programme. 

Scam call centres are paying up to €1,200 per person for the contact details of potential Irish victims. This is according to leaked documents from a scam operation obtained by The Irish Times show. For more on this we heard from Conor Gallagher, Crime and Security Correspondent of The Irish Times.

Bertie Ahern, former Taoiseach spoke to Shane this morning on the middle east, the Presidency and his own disappointment at not being the Fianna Fail candidate. 

It's nearly that time of year again, the clocks will go back by an hour on the 26th of October, marking the end of daylight savings.  

Talks of abolishing clock changes are back on the agenda at the European Parliament.  So, is it time to do it?  Ciara discussed further with Sean Kelly, Fine Gael MEP & Denis Drennan, President of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association. 

Hamas has announced that the remains of all the deceased Israeli hostages that it can reach have been handed back and it would need specialist recovery equipment to retrieve the rest from Gaza’s ruin.  

This comes amid threats from Israel to resume fighting if the terms of ceasefire are not honoured. For more on this we spoke to Mark Weiss, Israel Correspondent with the Irish Times.

The Government's long-awaited Housing Plan is expected to include much more use of compulsory purchase orders by local authorities to deal with derelict properties.  

To discuss this more, Shane was joined by Dr Carole Pollard, Former president of the Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland & Editor of the book Irish Cities in Crisis.

A murder investigation is under way after a boy was fatally stabbed during a row at a Tusla-run care facility in Donaghmede, north Dublin. We get the latest on this with Conor Lally, Irish Times Crime and Security Editor. 

This year marks 25 years of the NCT, and since then, approximately 26 million full tests have been carried out. Speaking to Newstalk Breakfast was Brendan Walsh, Chief Operating Officer of the Road Safety Authority.

Hubby, Holi bops, Chrimbo. There are phrases no self-respecting adult should say, according to author and journalist Sophia Money-Coutts.

The 2025 Annual Leave Report by FRS Recruitment has found that over a third of Irish people failed to make full use of their holiday entitlements last year. Shane discussed these findings with Caroline Reidy , Managing Director of the HR Suite.

Israel has reversed its decision to keep the Rafah crossing closed and will now allow humanitarian aid into Gaza, according to Israeli public broadcaster Kan. The move comes after Hamas handed over four more bodies of hostages last night .Gregg Carlstrom, Middle East correspondent for The Economist brings us the latest on this.

Why are employees not taking their full annual leave? Ciara and Shane discussed this morning.

Nearly half of school Principals are experiencing burnout, almost double the rate of the average healthy working population. That’s the reality described by Anton O’Mahony, President of the National Association of Principals and Deputies ahead of their Annual Conference begins later today. Anton discussed further with Ciara this morning.

Gardai and local politicians have urged young people to stop using fireworks in a dangerous manner before someone is seriously injured.  What should be done to tackle this issue that plagues communities around this time of year?   

 Shane discusses this further with Sinn Fein Councillor in Ballyfermot, Daithi Doolan.

A new study by University College Cork is looking to identify and explore the extent to which women are facing delays to have chronic health conditions diagnosed.  

Joining Ciara to discuss this is Jenny Cooney-Quane, Research Associate in School of Applied Psychology at UCC and co-author of the study. 

Israel will open the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt and permit humanitarian aid deliveries into the enclave. The move comes after Hamas returned the remains of four more hostages 

For more on this we heard from Jonathan Fowler, Senior Communications officer with UNWRA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.

US President Donald Trump has declared “the war in Gaza is over” after a summit in Egypt, as the 20 living Israeli hostages have been released by Hamas, while Palestinians prisoners have also been released by Israel. 

We discuss further with Alexander Dragonetti, a former British diplomat who worked in Palestine and columnist with the i Paper,

Helen Fielding, author of the iconic Bridget Jones series, made her character a household name with stories of dating in the modern world. Now she is stepping back in time and heading to Red Line book festival in Dublin to discuss the work of one of her heroes Jane Austin.  

Shane caught up with Helen ahead of her visit to Dublin.

 A new report from the International Energy Agency has found that energy retail prices in Ireland are three times higher than wholesale prices, one of the highest gaps in the world. 

The report also confirms that Ireland has the highest electricity prices in Europe. We get reaction to this with Charlie Weston, Personal Finance editor with the Irish Independent.

Is the world worse now than years ago is it as bleak as it appears? Fionnula and Shane gave their view this morning.

The news, so often filled with doom and gloom, can leave us feeling like we are living in an unprecedented time of global instability. But is the world really as bleak as we often think it to be? We asked Dr Dale Whelehan, Assistant Professor at Trinity College Dublin, School of Psychology.

Half of us don’t realise our old phones and laptops contain critical raw materials needed for new tech and green energy. That’s according to new research from Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Ireland. We discuss further with Leo Donovan is the CEO of WEEE Ireland.

Just under half of Ireland’s surface waters are failing to meet ecological standards. That’s according to a new Water Quality report from the Environmental Protection Agency, which estimates that we will fail to meet the EU and national goal of restoring all waters to good or better status by 2027.

Speaking to Newstalk Breakfast was Dr Eimear Cotter, Director of the EPA's Office of Evidence and Assessment.

US President Donald Trump has hailed “peace in the Middle East” and declared “the war in Gaza is over” after world leaders signed a peace plan in Egypt last night. We discuss further with Heba Saleh, Cairo Correspondent for the Financial Times.

This October, the Irish Cancer Society is calling for people to host a Big Pink Breakfast and help fund their vital cancer supports and services, like night nurses, counselling and life-changing breast cancer research.  

To hear more about the services the Irish Cancer Society provides, and how you can host a Big Pink Breakfast, we heard from Patrice Morrisey, a mother of three who was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2023, and Amy Nolan, Director of Clinical Affairs at the Irish Cancer Society.

For more information www.cancer.ie/pink.

Microsoft users are being warned to check their devices and upgrade if they're running Windows 10. For more on this we spoke to Newstalk's Technology Correspondent Jess Kelly.

Catherine Connolly remains the most popular presidential candidate, according to the latest poll from the Business Post and Red C at 36 per cent support. Heather Humphreys gains the most from Jim Gavin dropping out of the election, even if so far, it isn’t enough to get her ahead of Connolly in the polls.  

All to discuss with Sean Defoe, Newstalk Political Correspondent.

Just 3 per cent of residents on over 500 streets in Belfast are actively against dual Irish and English signs in the city while nine in ten support them. That’s according to new research from Conradh na Gaeilge.  It comes as the PSNI are investigating “hate-motivated” damage to a street sign with Irish on it in east Belfast. 

We discuss further with Ciaran Mac Giolla Bhéin, Coordinator of the West Belfast Language Plan and President of Conradh na Gaeilge and Ben Lowry, Editor of the Belfast Newsletter.

The Green-Schools Travel Programme is calling on people to ditch the car this week and walk to school. The theme for National Walk to School week is Connections and to explain more about the programme was Aengus Kennedy, Green Schools Travel Officer. 

Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill has today announced the Assisted Human Reproduction Regulatory Authority.  It aims to protect the health and legal rights of children born through assisted reproduction or surrogacy, as well as the rights of intending parents and donors involved.  

 We got the details from Dr Brian Tobin, Associate professor at University of Galway and member of the board.

Israel says it expects all remaining living hostages in Gaza to be freed today under a new ceasefire deal with Hamas. While Palestinians await the release of hundreds of prisoners from Israeli jails. We get the latest on this with Mark Weiss, Israel Correspondent with the Irish Times. 

“Wouldn’t it be great if we could build rail lines as fast as roads?”  Planning permission for the long-awaited Metrolink was given the go-ahead, but it may be another decade before we reap any benefits.

Brian Caulfield, Professor in the School of Engineering at Trinity College Dublin, joins Newstalk Breakfast to discuss.

Dublin City Council has announced the installation of new waste compactors, an initiative which will see the removal of one thousand plastic bags per day.  

Speaking to Newstalk Breakfast was the Executive Manager in Environment and Transport Derek Kelly.

Tax and welfare measures introduced in Budget 2026 will result in average 2 per cent loss in disposable income. That’s according to a new analysis published this morning by the Economic and Social Research Institute. 

The Israeli Government has officially approved a ceasefire for Gaza, after it reached an agreement with Hamas for the Palestinian militant group to release all the hostages it holds.  

We discuss all this with Daniel Levy President of the U.S./Middle East Project and Former Israeli peace negotiator. 

Controversy continues to surround this year’s Presidential election, but where does the race stand following the first one on one debate between the remaining two candidates? All to discuss with Seán Defoe Newstalk’s Political Correspondent. 

When should parents let children go out alone?  It's a question that Freelance Journalist Niamh O’Reilly knows all too well. She recently allowed her boys, who are six and eight-year-old, walk to the supermarket alone.  

The Nobel Peace Prize winner is set to be named later today, with Donald Trump and his administration having made clear more than once that they think the US president deserves the award.  

But is he really worthy of the honour? We asked  Brendan O’Neill Chief Political Writer at Spiked and writer for the Spectator and also Paul Murphy, People Before Profit TD. 

The Israeli Government has officially approved a ceasefire for Gaza, after it reached an agreement with Hamas for the Palestinian militant group to release all the hostages it holds. We get the latest on this with Mark Weiss, Israel Correspondent Irish Times.