Newstalk Breakfast Highlights

I am steadfast in my commitment to holding a grudge. I once paid to name a cockroach after a friend's ex-boyfriend. So says Irish Independent Columnist Saoirse Hanley.

Hamas has confirmed it will respond to the Gaza peace plan proposed by the US and Israel tomorrow, following warnings from US President Donald Trump that the group has "three or four days" to reply. We discussed this further with Yezid Sayigh a fellow at the Carnegie Middle East Centre in Beirut and a former adviser and negotiator for the Palestinian delegation for peace talks with Israel.

Housing for Key workers good plan? Do you support it? Ciara and Shane discussed this proposed plan this morning.

Key workers, including nurses, gardaí and teachers, could have the opportunity to rent low-cost homes in the heart of Dublin City under a new plan from Dublin City Council. All to discuss with Richard Guiney CEO of Dublin Town.

Mental Health Charity Turn2Me is urging people to participate in “Sober October” as research shows over half of young adults have already made positive changes to their drinking habits. We heard from Fiona O'Malley, CEO of Turn2Me.Newstalk's Ellen Kenny took to the streets to find out how many people are going dry for October and if their habits have changed over the years.

Students who are dyslexic should be able to avail of extra time in Junior and Leaving Cert exams. That's the call from advocacy group Dyslexia Ireland, whose CEO Rosie Bissett spoke to Shane this morning.

There was an 11 per cent decline in visitors to Ireland in the first seven months of the year, according to CSO figures. This comes as key figures across the tourism industry meet for a major conference on tackling this decline Speaking to Newstalk Breakfast to discuss further was Catherine Flanagan, Director of the Irish Tourist Industry Confederation and CEO of the Association of Visitor Experiences and Attractions.

Robert O'Connor has appeared in court charged with murdering three members of his own family at their home in Co Louth. Bringing us the latest on this was is Conor Lally Irish Times Crime and Security Editor.

Waiting lists, sold out courses and extra dates added It might sound like promotion for a concert in the 3 arena, but we're actually talking about adult Irish language classes, which are having a year like never before. Newstalk's Sarah Madden is one of the students driving demand beyond expectation and she sent us this report:

European and Middle Eastern leaders have welcomed a US peace plan for Gaza. The plan, agreed with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, calls for an immediate end to fighting. It includes the release of 20 living Israeli hostages and the remains of over two dozen believed to be dead, in exchange for hundreds of detained Gazans. For more on this Ciara spoke to Paul Rogers, Emeritus Professor of Peace Studies at Bradford University.

Meta boss says Irish parents should take charge of kids' Instagram and Facebook usage more. All to discuss with Ciara and Jonathan this morning.

Post-mortem examinations will be carried out on three family members found dead at their home in Drumgowna, Co Louth. Mark and Louise O'Connor, both in their 50s, and their son Evan, who was in his 20s and had additional needs, are believed to have died from violent attacks at their home. We get reaction to the shocking attacks with Local Fianna Fail Councillor John Sheridan.

New research from Laya healthcare has revealed that fear of not being taken seriously is leading to over half of women delaying seeking medical help. Jonathan discusses this further with Dr Sumi Dunne, a GP specializing in women's health.

The first presidential debate took place last night between Catherine Connelly, Jim Gavin and Heather Humphreys, with neutrality, Gaza, and the purpose of the Irish flag among the main topics of discussion. But who came out on top? We discussed with Alison O'Connor, Journalist, Broadcaster and Commentator.

The government must address shortcomings in its response to severe storms. That's the call this morning from the Climate Change Advisory Council. Speaking to Newstalk Breakfast was Professor Peter Thorne, Chairperson of the Council's Adaptation Committee.

Gardaí have arrested a man in his 30s in connection with an incident in a rural area of Co Louth in which three people were killed. The victims were named locally as Mark and Louise O'Connor and their adult son Evan. Joining us with the latest is Conor Lally Irish Times Crime and Security Editor.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is due for talks on Gaza with Donald Trump in Washington today, with a new Gaza peace proposal expected to be on the agenda. Fawaz Gerges, Professor of International Relations at the London School of Economics, joined us on the show this morning.

“AI Slop” is one of the terms of the year, referring to the junk created by AI, taking up space on online platforms. Spotify has announced some measures it's taking to tackle the issue on its platform. Newstalk's Technology Correspondent Jess Kelly joined Ciara Kelly on the show.

Cuan, the Domestic, Sexual and Gender Based Violence Agency, is launching a new campaign encouraging victims of sexual violence to speak out. It comes as new ESRI research has found that women are significantly more likely to experience all forms of sexual violence, both as children and adults, compared to men. Dr Stephanie O'Keeffe, chief executive of Cuan, joined Jonathan Healy on the show.

Yesterday saw the Pittsburgh Steelers claim victory at Ireland's first NFL game, but on Friday night, their reserve quarterback Skylar Thompson was reportedly assaulted and robbed in Dublin city centre. Gary Gannon, Social Democrats TD and the Party's Spokesperson for Justice, joined Ciara Kelly on the show.

Nature in Ireland is in a “very poor” state, with the country's economic growth achieved at the expense of the environment, according to the latest State of Europe's Environment report from the EU. Professor John Sweeney, Emeritus Professor in the Irish Climate Analysis and Research Units at the department of geography at Maynooth University joined us on Newstalk Breakfast this morning.

Europe persevered in the Ryder Cup over the weekend in New York thanks to a crucial putt from Shane Lowry. But what caught the attention of so many wasn't the golf… It was the behavior of some American fans who were hurling abuse at the players. Ciara Kelly was joined by Law Lecturer at the University of Galway Larry Donnelly.

A gunman opened fire inside a Michigan church during a Sunday service before apparently setting the building on fire. David Smith, Washington Bureau Chief of The Guardian joined us on the show with the latest on the case.

The first presidential debate will take place today on The Tonight Show at 10 pm. What can we expect to see? Louise Burne, Political Correspondent with the Irish Examiner, joined us on Newstalk Breakfast this morning.

Gardaí are treating the death of a father and his five-year-old daughter in Finglas as a suspected murder-suicide, according to the Irish Times. However, the investigation is still at an early stage and postmortem examinations will decide the next steps. Conor Gallagher, Crime Correspondent with the Irish Times joined Jonathan Healy with the latest on the investigation.

Dublin City is awash with the colours of the Minnesota Vikings and the Pittsburgh Steelers, who will go head to head in Croke Park this weekend. This is the first NFL game played in Dublin, and they are pulling out all the stops. With us to explain more is Michael McQuaid, founder of Pro-Football Ireland.

One in four Dublin home sales are now landlords exiting the rental sector. That's according to the latest residential market review from property advisors DNG, which also found the rate of price increase seen in the capital has moderated for a third successive quarter. We discuss the findings with Marian Finnegan is CEO of Sherry Fitzgerald.

Are we facing an overreaction epidemic? Ciara and Jonathan had an interesting discussion this morning.

Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, better known by his stage name Mo Chara, is due back before Woolwich Crown Court today in relation to a charge under the Terrorism Act. He is accused of allegedly displaying a flag in support of proscribed organisation, Hezbollah at a concert in the city in November 2024. Emily Keegan, Newstalk Reporter who is outside the court gave us an update.

Drones have attacked an aid flotilla in international waters off Greece as it tried to break Israel's Gaza blockade, in what is seen as an escalation of Israeli efforts to stop it. Speaking to Newstalk Breakfast was Sarah Clancy, Poet, Community Worker and civil society participant on the Global Sumud Flotilla.

Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment Darragh O'Brien is meeting with the four main biggest energy suppliers today to discuss the impact of rising energy prices and what can be done to ease the burden on households. David Kerr, Founder and CEO of Bonkers.ie discusses this further.

‘I believe we are facing an overreaction epidemic, and in order to address it we must first acknowledge that the problem isn't our emotions—it's how we deal with them.' That's according to Dr Marc Brackett, the Founding Director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and author of “Dealing with Feeling”.

This year saw a 43 per cent increase in applications for Leaving Cert appeals compared to 2024. The results of the 2025 Leaving Certificate Appeals will be available from 11am this morning. For more on this we spoke to Brian Mooney, Guidance Counsellor, Irish Times Education Columnist.

How important are financial matters when choosing a romantic partner? All to chat with Mairead Loughman, Matchmaker at Love HQ Matchmaking.

The Government has been warned of the danger of overheating the economy with its planned €9.4 billion spending increase in the Budget next month by the Economic and Social Research Institute. Speaking to Newstalk Breakfast was John Fitzgerald, Adjunct Professor in Economics at Trinity College Dublin.

Tens of thousands of US visitors are travelling to Ireland this week for an NFL game in Croke Park on Sunday. The Pittsburgh Steelers are taking on the Minnesota Vikings in the first-ever regular season game in Ireland. Our reporter Josh Crosbie has been meeting with fans and those who play American football here at home.

There has  been a 24% increase in the number of drink driving offences caught in the first half of this year. That's according to new data from the Central Statistics Office. So why is the message not ringing through to motorists, and what more needs to be done?   All to discuss with Meghann Scully, Freelance Journalist and Broadcaster.

Joining Ciara in studio this morning was Independent Presidential Candidate, Catherine Connolly.

We need to do more to protect clean air in towns, villages, and cities across Ireland. That's the message from the Environmental Protection Agency as it publishes it's latest Air Quality report Speaking to Ciara this morning was Niamh Connolly, Senior Scientific Officer in the Environmental Monitoring and Surveillance Unit at the EPA.

In the wake of Maria Steen's failed bid to get on the ticket for this year's presidential election, Independent Ireland is now calling for a referendum to change the nomination process for future elections. Jonathan discussed this further with Michael Collins is Leader of Independent Ireland and a TD for Cork South-West.

Now, 24 players entered Slane Castle three weeks ago, and last night we saw Kelley, Oyin and Vanessa emerge victorious as the very first winner of the Traitors Ireland. The show has taken the nation by storm, but did the series finale deliver, and why was the series so iconic? Faye Louise Brennan, who made it all the way to the penultimate episode joined us on Newstalk Breakfast.

US President Donald Trump issued a scathing indictment of immigration in European countries, clean energy projects, and the efficacy of the United Nations in his speech at the UN General Assembly in New York yesterday. Our Political Correspondent Seán Defoe has this report.