Down To Business

It's an industry that every one of us will encounter at some point in our lives, but one that we don't often talk about from a business perspective. Funeral directors provide an essential service, but behind the scenes they are also running complex businesses facing changing customer expectations, rising costs and evolving traditions. For today's Industry Review, Bobby's looking at the business of being a funeral director - the challenges, the opportunities and how the sector is adapting in modern Ireland. Joining is: Niall Mulligan of Heffernan Funeral Directors in Trim, Former IAFD President Gus Nichols, Director of Fanagans and 30 year veteran of the business, Former IAFD President And Jane Clarke, Public Relations Officer for the Irish Association of Funeral Directors and General Manager of Lakeside Memorial Park Cemetery in Portmarnock

Bojana Djordjevic, CEO and Director at Silver Stream Healthcare Group joins Bobby for this week's Executive Chair.

Joining Bobby to go through the main business stories from the Saturday papers is Bob Hoffman, managing partner at Vista Executive Search, and Sarah Stone McDevitt, author of 'The Round Table - How Relational Intelligence Will Become Your Human Advantage in the AI Age.

Bobby popped out to County Clare, to meet a 9-year-old businessman going viral for his honesty box. Bobby meets Paudie Murray, founder of Ubh by Paudie.

How much time should you give yourself for meals when you're working from home? What kind of food should you eat? How can food impact your performance? Adam Kingl joins bobby to discuss his new book on the subject, 'Executive Eats'.

The Irish economy is in a strange position - we have strong employment and rising wages, yet many people feel under increasing pressure from housing costs and the tax system.House prices continue to rise despite widespread agreement that they are unaffordable for many buyers, while the debate over whether middle-income workers are carrying too much of the tax burden is intensifying ahead of the Budget.To look at the pressures facing households and the choices facing policymakers, Bobby's joined by Cliff Taylor, columnist with The Irish Times.

Bobby goes on the road this week to visit the husband and wife team behind Two Pups Cafe in the Liberties.

This week's Industry Review, we'll be hearing all about the medical professionals who keep us eating well, Dietitians. We'll ask how to tune out social media fads, what the differences are between dietitians and nutritionists, and much more. Joining Bobby are three CORU registered Dietitians: Sarah Keogh, Gabriella Cruz, and lecturer in nutrition at SETU WaterfordAoife Hearne

With the summer economic statement this week, Bobby is joined by economist Austin Hughes to make sense of Ireland's economy in the context of domestic and international matters.

Bobby is joined by the UK's speaker of the year 2026, Robin Kermode, to discuss the value of effective communication in business.

It's a technophobe's worst nightmare. A piece of technology seems to have more powers than its inventors thought, and, in modern parlance, it goes rogue. In the age of AI, the fear becomes more real. Earlier this month, a test by OpenAI seems to have done just that. It went beyond the parameters set for itself and launched a cyber attack on what it was testing. The scion of science here in Newstalk joins Bobby to calm our nerves. Jonathan mccrea, presenter of Futureproof

Liam Kearney, CEO and co-founder of environmental engineering company The Revive Group joins Bobby in this week's Executive Chair.

Joining Bobby to go through the main business stories from the Saturday papers is Ronan Reid of Cantor, and Linda Daly, business reporter for the Sunday Times Ireland.

Did you have a summer job? Do your children currently have one? When is too young to start working or should teenagers just be given the summer off? Saoirse Hanley of the Irish independent recently did a deep dive into the area - she joins Bobby to discuss as does Sinead English a career management specialist from ‘HILT'.

Solar power has gone from being a niche technology to one of the fastest-growing parts of Ireland's energy landscape. But as the sector expands, there are big questions around investment, grid capacity, planning, and whether Ireland has the infrastructure needed to make the most of this renewable resource. So, to look at the future of solar in Ireland, Bobby is joined by three people working across the industry: ● Morgan Pierce, CEO of Solar Smart ● Declan Cullinane as Managing Director, Amarenco Ireland ● Justin Brown, CEO & Co-Founder of Power Capital Renewable Energy

Joining Bobby in the executive chair this week is Diarmuid O'Brien, CEO of Research Ireland.

Joining Bobby to go through the main business stories from the Saturday papers is Susan HayesCulleton. Presenter of Taking Stock here on Newstalk &Ciaran Hancock, Business Editor of The Irish Times.

10 years ago Bobby interviewed a man called Emmet Savage, who was building a subscription service for stock recommendations. After a decade, and a few brand transformations, the company, now called MyWallSt, has finally taken off. Emmet joins Bobby to discuss.

Bobby popped out to Dunboyne in Co. Meath to check out a company providing modular solutions for new builds - Steel Frames Direct Ireland.

Wages are rising, unemployment is relatively low, lots of people are making Ireland home, and tax receipts are buoyant thanks to our US cousins who manufacture or headquarter here. What could possibly go wrong? One person who thinks things aren't as rosy, is economist and columnist with The Sunday Times, Cormac Lucey. He joins Bobby to discuss.

As it's agricultural show season, Bobby takes a trip to Tipperary to visit Clonmel Show 2026.

Joining Bobby in the Executive Chair this week is Professor Nicola Ralph, Consultant Dermatologist and Co-founder of the Institute of Dermatologists, Surgical Institute Dublin and ID Formulas & Professor Caitriona Ryan, Consultant Dermatologist and Co-Founder at Institute of Dermatologists, ID formulas, and Surgical Institute Dublin and a Clinical Professor at University College Dublin.

Food trucks have become a major part of Ireland's food scene, bringing everything from gourmet burgers and wood-fired pizza to seafood, Asian cuisine, and locally sourced produce directly to customers. But behind the popularity of the movement is a challenging business model, with rising costs, licensing issues, competition, and the ongoing struggle to find suitable locations. Today, Bobby looks at the opportunities and obstacles facing food truck operators in Ireland with:Kwanghi Chan, Bites by KwanghiJulia Hemingway, Julia's Lobster TruckNathan Diamond of Ginger's BBQ

Joining Bobby to go through the main business stories from the Saturday papers is Ciara McDonagh of Healy Communications & communication consultant Doug Keatinge.

Sarah Stone McDevitt was made to sit at the back of the class when she was a child in school due to her dyslexia but this experience helped her on the road to writing her book ‘The Round Table- How Relational Intelligence Will Become Your Human Advantage in the AI Age'. She joins Bobby to discuss.

Joining Bobby to go through the main business stories from the Saturday papers is journalist and author, Valerie Cox & Deputy Business Editor of the Sunday Times Ireland, Jon Ihle.

For this week's Industry Review we look at the stock market - what it actually is, what drives it up and down, and why it matters even if you've never bought a share in your life. From interest rates and inflation to global tech giants and pension funds, we'll unpack how money really moves through the system and who is making the big decisions behind the scenes. Joining Bobby to make sense of it all are three experts with very different perspectives on how markets work today. Rory GIllen, Investment Strategist at Quilter CheviotAidan Donnelly, Head of Global Equities at DavyKathryn Hannon, Investment Manager with RBC Brewin Dolphin

Joining Bobby in the executive chair this week is Tony Lanigan, MD of Creative Technology Ireland.

Andy Burnham is expected to become Labour leader at a special conference on July 17th and hence the Prime Minister. One of his plans is to have a Number 10 in the North and he's attempting what's being called ‘ Manchesterism” that attempts to rid England of the North South divide - but is that possible? Political Economist Will Hutton joins Bobby to discuss.

ApexGolf is your personal AI coach for golf and fitness - helping you train smarter, move better, and lower your scores. Bobby speaks to its creator, Barry Moroney to find out more.

Paul English is a serial tech entrepreneur best known as the co-founder and former CTO of Kayak.com. He is also the author of The Meeting Book: How the Best Companies Meet Better, which outlines his strategies for cutting out wasteful corporate meetings and improving decision-making. He joins Bobby to talk about his life in business, philanthropy, and more.

Bobby continues his chat with some of Kilkenny's movers and shakers in the business world as part of Newstalk's 2026 Summer Tour with Peter McCreery, Managing Director at Sherry Fitzgerald McCreery; Edward Hayden, Chef and owner of Edward Hayden School of Cookery; and Naoise Nunn, festival creator, producer, and co-director at Schweppe Curtis Nunn.

Joining Bobby to go through the main stories from the Saturday papers is Eimear Ní Bhraonain, author of ‘The Dodger: DJ Carey and the Great Betrayal' and owner of communications firm Eimear.ie & Claire McInerney Brown, President of Kilkenny Chamber of Commerce and export development consultant at Suas Mane consulting.

Joining Bobby in the Executive Chair this week is Paul Young, CEO of Cartoon Saloon.

Joining Bobby to chat about the health of local tourism in Kilkenny as part of Newstalk's 2026 Summer Tour is Sheena Dignam, founder and owner of Kilkenny and Galway Food Tours; Colin Ahern, GM on the Kilkenny Ormonde Hotel and co Chair of Kilkenny DEDP (Destination Experience Development Plan); and Anthony Morrison, owner of Christy's Bar and former chair of the Vinters Federation of Kilkenny.

This week, Down to Business was coming to you live from the River Court Hotel in Kilkenny as part of Newstalk's 2026 Summer Tour, all with thanks to ESB - Ireland's largest EV charging network. There, we heard from local band Lincoln Skins as well as Anthony Smith, General Manager at the Kilkenny River Court Hotel to chat about how the hotel is faring in 2026, tourism numbers, and more.

This week, Down to Business was coming to you live from the River Court Hotel in Kilkenny as part of Newstalk's 2026 Summer Tour, all with thanks to ESB - Ireland's largest EV charging network. There, he had the chance to chat with Kilkenny hurling legend, T.J.Reid.

Bobby was out & about again this week at Druid Padel in Kimmage to find out why padel has become the fastest-growing sport in the world, and why it's taking off in Ireland.

Next Tuesday marks 10 years since the UK voted to leave the EU. Bobby is joined by award-winning journalist and author of A History of Brexit in 256 Disasters, Jonty Bloom, to look back at the morning after the result, the immediate shock in markets, and why he wasn't surprised by the vote.

Rising costs, higher interest rates, and continued uncertainty are putting fresh pressure on Irish farming - but what does the outlook really look like in 2026?Bobby is joined by Eoin Lowry, Head of Agri at Bank of Ireland to discuss.

This week's Industry Review on Down to Business, Bobby digs into the world of the garden centre - the, "one-stop shops" behind one of the nation's favourite pastimes.Oliver Schurmann, Owner of Mount Venus Nursery LtdBarry Doyle, CEO of ArboretumPaul Harvey, of Windyridge Garden Centre

Joining Bobby to go through some of the main business stories from the week is Bob Hoffman Managing Partner Vista Executive Search & Gina London Sunday Independent Columnist and Communications expert.