Podcasts about HSE

2026-01-15 | UPDATES #100 | Sergey Karaganov appears on Tucker Carlson — it's a match made in hell – and they talked about nuclear blackmail, Europe as the enemy, and how the Kremlin may be forced to save humanity and civilisation, by wiping out Europe in a nuclear firestorm. Yes, he said that. Sergey Karaganov — a long-time Moscow foreign-policy heavyweight and nuclear-escalation enthusiast — sat down with Tucker Carlson and did what Kremlin ideologues do best: talk about erasing Ukraine, recasting the war as Russia versus “evil Europe,” and then floated an escalatory ladder that ends in nuclear strikes on European states.And yes, he said the loud bit out even louder: “Europe will be taken away from the map of the humanity.” Let's break down what he threatened, why Karaganov matters, but not in the way that he wants us to believe, and how this fits the Kremlin's intimidation cycle — especially as it comes on the day when Trump (once more) publicly blamed Zelensky for stalled talks while Russia and kept on hitting Ukrainian civilians and energy infrastructure.----------SOURCES: Tucker Carlson interview transcript (The Singju Post, Jan 2026): Karaganov's “map of humanity” line and UK/Germany targeting remarks. upday (UK edition, Jan 15, 2026): summary of Karaganov's threat framing (note: page labels itself AI-generated). Reuters (Jan 15, 2026): Trump says Zelensky is holding up a deal; Zelensky responds reaffirming Ukraine's commitment to peace. Reuters & AP (Jan 15, 2026): Russia expels British diplomat; UK rejects claims as “malicious and baseless.” Reuters (Jan 9, 2026): Russian hypersonic strike near western Ukraine; nuclear-capable signaling context. Karaganov (Russia in Global Affairs, June 13, 2023): nuclear threshold / escalation argument.Carnegie (July 2023): analysis of Karaganov's nuclear-attack advocacy and what it reveals.Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (Aug 2023): critique of Karaganov's nuclear preemption logic.ASPI Strategist (June 2023): discussion of Russia's nuclear rhetoric ecosystem and Karaganov's role in it. HSE staff profile / SVOP context: Karaganov's institutional positioning. ----------Silicon Curtain is a part of the Christmas Tree Trucks 2025 campaign - an ambitious fundraiser led by a group of our wonderful team of information warriors raising 110,000 EUR for the Ukrainian army. https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/christmas-tree-trucks-2025-silicon-curtainThe Goal of the Campaign for the Silicon Curtain community:- 1 armoured battle-ready pickupWe are sourcing all vehicles around 2010-2017 or newer, mainly Toyota Hilux or Mitsubishi L200, with low mileage and fully serviced. These are some of the greatest and the most reliable pickups possible to be on the frontline in Ukraine. Who will receive the vehicles?https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/christmas-tree-trucks-2025-silicon-curtain- The 38th Marine Brigade, who alone held Krynki for 124 days, receiving the Military Cross of Honour.- The 1027th Anti-aircraft and artillery regiment. Honoured by NATO as Defender of the Year 2024 and recipient of the Military Cross of Honour.- 104th Separate Brigade, Infantry, who alone held Kherson for 100 days, establishing conditions for the liberation of the city.- 93rd Brigade "Kholodnyi Yar", Black Raven Unmanned Systems Battalion ----------SILICON CURTAIN LIVE EVENTS - FUNDRAISER CAMPAIGN Events in 2025 - Advocacy for a Ukrainian victory with Silicon Curtainhttps://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasOur events of the first half of the year in Lviv, Kyiv and Odesa were a huge success. Now we need to maintain this momentum, and change the tide towards a Ukrainian victory. The Silicon Curtain Roadshow is an ambitious campaign to run a minimum of 12 events in 2025, and potentially many more. Any support you can provide for the fundraising campaign would be gratefully appreciated. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------

Allen and Joel are joined by Pete Andrews, Managing Director at EchoBolt. They discuss the company’s new BoltWave inspection device, the shift from routine retightening to condition-based monitoring, and how ultrasonic technology helps operators manage blade stud and tower bolt integrity throughout the turbine lifecycle. Sign up now for Uptime Tech News, our weekly newsletter on all things wind technology. This episode is sponsored by Weather Guard Lightning Tech. Learn more about Weather Guard’s StrikeTape Wind Turbine LPS retrofit. Follow the show on YouTube, Linkedin and visit Weather Guard on the web. And subscribe to Rosemary’s “Engineering with Rosie” YouTube channel here. Have a question we can answer on the show? Email us! Welcome to Uptime Spotlight, shining light on wind. Energy’s brightest innovators. This is the Progress Powering tomorrow. Pete Andrews: Pete, welcome to the program. Good to be back. Yeah. See you face to face. Yeah. Yes. This is wonderful. It’s a really great event to catch it with loads of the. UK innovation that are happening in the supply chain. So it’s, yeah, really nice to be here.  Allen Hall: This is really good to meet in person because we have seen a lot of bolt issues in the us, Canada, Australia, yeah. Uh, all around the world and every time bolt problems come up, I say, have you called Pete Andrews and Echo Bolt and gotten the kit to detect bolt issues? And then who’s Pete? Give me Pete’s phone number. Okay, sure. Uh, but now that we’re here in person, a lot has changed since we first talked to you probably two years ago.[00:01:00] You’re a bootstrap company based in the UK that has global presence, and I, I think it’s a good start to explain what the technology is and why Echo Bolt matters so much in today’s world.  Pete Andrews: Yeah, absolutely. So, um, as you said, we’re a uk, um, SME, there’s a team of 13 of us based here in the uk. Yeah. But we do deliver our services internationally, but really focused on Northern Europe. Yeah. But increasingly we’ve done more in the US and North America, a little bit in Canada. Um, but our big offering really is to help wind turbine operators and owners reduce the need to routinely retire in bulks. So we have a quick and simple inspection technology that people can deploy, find out the status of their bolt connections, and then. Reti them if necessary, but the vast majority of the time we find that they’re static and absolutely fine and can be left [00:02:00] alone. So it’s a real big efficiency boost for wind operators.  Joel Saxum: Well, you’re doing things by prescription now, right? Instead of just blanket cover, we’re gonna do all of this. It’s like, let’s work on the ones that actually need to be worked on. Let’s do the, the work that we actually need to, and instead of lugging, like we’re looking at the kit right here, and I can, you can hold the case in one hand, let alone the tools in a couple of fingers. As opposed to torque tensioning tools that are this big, they weigh a hundred kilos, and those come with all of their own problems. So I know that you guys said you’re, you’re focused here. You do a lot of work, um, in the offshore wind world as well. Yeah. I mean, offshore wind is where you add a zero right? To zeros. Yeah. Everything else is that much more complicated. It costs that much more. It’s you’re transitioning people offshore to the transition pieces. Like there’s so much more HSE risk, dollar risk, all of these different spend things. So. The Echo Bolt systems, these different tools that you have being developed and utilized here first make absolute sense, but now you guys are starting to go to onshore as well.  Pete Andrews: Yeah, that’s right. So I mean, as as you said, that there’s really [00:03:00] three main benefit areas we focus on. The first one is the health and safety of technicians, right? As you said, some of the fasteners used offshore now are up to MA hundred. So a hundred millimeter diameter bolts,  Joel Saxum: four inches for our American friends. Yeah, absolutely.  Pete Andrews: And they probably weigh. 30 kilos plus per bolt. Yeah. Um, so just the physical manual handling of that sort of equipment and the tightening equipment for those bolts is a huge risk for people. If you think 150 bolts lifting or maneuvering, the tooling around on on its own can cause all the problems. So as well as the inherent risk of the hydraulic kit failing. So occasionally we see catastrophic tool failure. Is, which have really high potential severity, you know, sort of tensioner heads ejecting or crush injuries from Tor. So that is really a key focus for our customers, just to [00:04:00] keep their teams safe, but also you have to be the cost effective and the the major cost benefit we allow is that we don’t have to revisit every bolt and every turbine like you’d have to do if you were retyping. So we believe there’s something of the order of a million pounds per installed gigawatt saving. By moving from a routine REIT uh, maintenance strategy to a focused condition based inspection, you significantly reduce the amount of intervention you make and keep your turbines running more and reduce the boots on the ground on the turbine. So three real kind of, um, key. Benefits for people adopting our technology  Allen Hall: because we routinely see tower bolts being reworked or retention depending on who the manufacturer is. And I’m watching this go on. I’m like, why are [00:05:00] we doing this? It seems, or the 10% rule, we’re tighten 10% this year, and they’ll come back and see how it’s going. That’s a little insane, right, because you’re just kind of. Tensioning bolts up to see if one of them has a problem and then you just do more of them and we’re wasting so much time because echo bolts figured this out years ago. You don’t need to do that. You can tell what the tension is in a bolt ultrasonically, which was the original technology, the first gen I’ll call it, uh, that you could tell the length of the bolt. If the length of the bolt is correct within certain parameters, you know that it is tension properly. If it’s shrunk, that probably means it’s not tensioned properly. That’s a huge advantage because you can’t physically see it. And I know I’ve seen technicians go, oh, I could take a hammer and I can tell you which ones are not tensioned properly wrong. Wrong. And I think that’s where equitable comes in because you’re actually applying a a lot of science simply [00:06:00] to a complex problem because the numbers are so big. Pete Andrews: Yeah, I mean that, that, that’s been the real. Driving force between our offering is to simplify it. So ultimately we’re based on a non-destructive testing technique. It’s an ultrasonic thickness checking technique, but when from the non-destructive testing background, it’s crack detection, people have time, they can be, it’s a very precision measurement. People have to be trained in the wind industry. We’re trying to inspect. A thousand, 2000 bolts a day at scale. It’s a completely different, um, ask of the technology and the way the technology has been developed historically has required too much technician expertise, too much configuration and set up time, and hasn’t delivered on the, on the speed that’s needed to be efficient in wind. And that’s where our bolt wave [00:07:00] unit we’ve, that we’ve developed over the last. 18 months, let’s say, where all of our focus has gone to make it as slick and as easy for a client technician to pick up with minimal training. It’s through an iOS interface. Everyone understands it intuitively. Um, it’s a bit like using the camera app on your phone. You know, you’re just hitting measure, measure, measure, measure, measure 10 seconds a bolt as you move the, um, ultrasonic transducer across, and then the data gets moved. Automatically to the cloud, to our bolt platform. And customers can view it in near real time. The engineer in the office can see the inspections happened. They can see if there are any anomalous bolts, and then there can be communication there and then whether an intervention is necessary. So it’s sort of really changed the way our customers think about managing their, um. They’re bolted joints.  Joel Saxum: Well, I think these are, these are the kind of innovations that we love to see, right? Because [00:08:00] we regularly talk about a shortage of technicians, and this isn’t, I was just learning this this week too, like this is not a wind problem. This is a everywhere problem. No matter what industry you’re in. Use are short of technicians. But we’re seeing like a tool like this is developed to be able to scale that workforce as well. Right. You don’t need to be an NDT level three expert to go and do these things. ’cause there’s a very few of those people out there. Right? Right. We know the NDT people, a lot of NDT people, and that’s a hard skillset to come by. Yeah. This can be put in the hands of any technician. Yeah, a quick training course. Just, Hey, this is how you use your iPhone. You can check Instagram, right? Yeah. Okay. You can off figure. Yeah, have fun. See you at lunch. Um, but they can, they can make this happen, right? They can go do these inspections and you’re getting that, that, uh, data collected in the field. Centralized back to an SME that’s looking at it and you don’t have to put that SME in the field and try to scale their ability to go and travel and do all these things. They can be in the office making sure that the, the QA, QC is done correctly. I love it. I think that that’s the way we need to go with a lot of things. [00:09:00]Uh, and you’re making it happen.  Pete Andrews: Yeah. And it’s a real kind of. F change in mindset for us. So originally when we started Ebot, we were using third party hardware. Yeah. Which required a bit of that specialism. Yeah. A bit of care about the setup of the project, getting multiple parameters configured before you got going. And it wasn’t really something we could put in the hands of a customer.  Joel Saxum: Yeah.  Pete Andrews: Which meant Ebot scale was limited to what our own team could go and do, and regionally as well. You know, so we’re UK based. Probably 60% of our customers are uk, but now we have this Northern Europe offshore wind is obviously on our doorstep, but then increasingly we’ve done more and more in North America, so we’ve probably been to five or six sites now in North America and expect that to be a growth market because we can, we can now ship the devices over there, give some virtual training help. Uh, [00:10:00] people set themselves up and then that opens up that market, you know, so it’s been a real change in strategy for us, but has allowed us to have far more impact than we otherwise would just try to be a pure service.  Allen Hall: Well, let’s talk about the big problem in the states of a minute, which are the root bushing or inserts that are loose in some blades. When you lose that pushing, you also lose the tension on the bolt that can be measured. Is that something you’re getting involved with quite a bit now because of just trying to determine how many bolts are affected and, and where we are on the safety scale of can we run this turbine or not? Is that something that EE bolt’s been looking into? Pete Andrews: Yeah, absolutely. So I, I’d say there’s sort of two halves of what we do. There’s the, there’s the bulk wholesale monitoring of. Typically static connections to eliminate this routine retitling where it’s not needed typically, typically. But then we have these edge cases of certain [00:11:00] connections and certain platforms that have known bolt integrity problems, and we are working with clients to really, um, manage those integrity risks. Blade stud is an absolute classic, you know, sort of, I think almost every turbine OEM on some, if not all of their platforms has got. Embedded risk into their blades, pitch bearing connections. Um, so yeah, exactly as you said, our customers are using the technology for two things really. One is to ensure the bolts have been tightened to the preload that was specified or the target window. And quite often we find there is an opportunity to increase the preload and therefore increase the resistance to fatigue failure. So. You know, particularly on older sites where the bolts perhaps not in the condition they were on day one. Well, they definitely won’t be. Um, when people have gone and retti them, they haven’t got back to where they, they should be.[00:12:00] So we can prove that and increase a bit of that resilience, but then also start to look for the segments around the joint where, um, the bolt might start loosening or failures are occurring, and find areas where they can really hone in. And actively manage risk. And that sort of leads to what we’ve decided to do for the next year, particularly with Blade Stud in mind, is evolve this technology. So whilst it’s also measuring the elongation, we will do a defect scan at the same time. So you’ll monitor your blade stu, um, connection and we’re hoping that we can set the device to flag to you there and then. We believe this bulk has got a defect while you’re here, get it changed out before it fails and, and all the knock on problems, um, from there. Joel Saxum: So what you’re just pointing to there is a, is a workflow, right? So to me that is typical [00:13:00] of some of the amazing, innovative companies in the UK that I’ve run into throughout my career. And that is, you’re a group of SMEs, you know, bolted connections. That’s what you do, right? But then you’re like, hey. If there’s a tool, we could make a tool that would make our lives a bit easier, then it’s like, well, we could make the entire industry’s lives a little bit easier as well. So let’s iterate on that. And now you’re able to send these kits around the world to look at these things. Hey, you have a problem with this specific model. We can help you with this because we know the failure mode and we know how to look for it. Let’s do that for you. Also here, you’re doing bolt bulk measurements. We got that for you. But it all kind of flows back to the fact that Echo Bolt is a team. A bolted connection, SMEs that are making tools and being able to also provide consulting if need be. Yeah. Right. Um, to, to an entire industry. And I think that, um, this is my take on it, right? Wind is stop number one. I think you guys are gonna do a fantastic year, but there’s a lot of, uh, opportunity out there in bolted [00:14:00] connections as well. Allen Hall: A tremendous amount blade bolts being broken from defects in the crystalline structure. What appears to be a more. Rapidly developing issue across fleets that I’ve seen. I went to a farm this summer and the number of blade bolts that were there on the table that were broken on the conference room table was And the whiteboard office. Yeah. Yeah. This one,  Joel Saxum: this one.  Allen Hall: Your hard head is not gonna protect you from this one. It’s, it’s, it was this, um, I couldn’t imagine the amount of time they were spending hunting these things down. And of course, the only way they were finding ’em was they were broken. You like to catch ’em before they break because it becomes  Joel Saxum: a safety risk. Just not too long ago we saw an insurance case where there’s an RCA going on and it is pointing at an entire tower came down. Right. And it is pointing at a mid, mid tower section bolted connection. How often do you guys run into those problems? Or are you contacted by insurance companies or anything like that to, to take a peek at those? Pete Andrews: We haven’t done anything directly for insurance [00:15:00]companies, but we have been engaged by. Engineering consultancies that are doing RCA type activities. Okay. Um, things like at the end of defect liability periods mm-hmm. A customer has, has seen, they’ve had a lot of, uh, issues from an OEM, maybe an OE EM has offered a modification or an upgrade, assessing whether that upgrade is actually solved the problem or not. We’ve got involved in, um, but the tower. Issue specifically. It’s actually very rare we find, um, problems with tower connections, but where we do is often where they haven’t achieved good flange flatness, ah, during installation or the bolts have been, let’s say, left out in the elements for a period and lubrication has been, has deteriorated before the bolt’s been installed. So there are cases out there, but what I would say is. [00:16:00] To think about your whole life cycle, so ensure the bolt’s installed correctly and we can help with that with a QA to say, yes, this torque or tightening method has got you to the load that you want. Do some through life monitoring, but often if you install it correctly, it will it’s operational life. You will have very little concern. But then in the UK market, we’re increasingly getting involved again at the end of life, right? Life extension where life extension turbines are 20, 25 years old. How does an operator make a decision to carry on running without replacing all bots? Um, and that’s where increasingly we being asked to use the technologist just to say, actually the joint is fine. The bolts have run in a good, um, operational envelope. Run them on. Don’t replace a hundred percent of them like you might have been recommended to from your, um, yeah. Turbine supplier side. [00:17:00] Allen Hall: So Pete, if someone’s doing a repower where they’re basically putting a new one in the cell on an existing tower, they’re making a lot of assumptions about all the bolts from the ground up that they’re gonna be okay. And I know we’re talking about that. We’re in a lot of installations where. If the turbine has gone through a repowered or two. So now those bolts are 20 years old. Yeah. And trying to get ’em to  Joel Saxum: 30 35. 35  Allen Hall: 40. Yeah. I don’t know what they’re doing. By those bolted connections. Are they just like replacing the bolts? Are they hitting ’em with a hammer again? Is that the, yeah,  Pete Andrews: I mean, they might replace ’em, but you’ve got a problem with the foundation bolts. ’cause they’re obviously often anchor bolts set into concrete, so you have to reuse them and. With the projects, both in wind and in process power industry with the chimney stacks to try and ascertain whether foundation bolts that are set into concrete are still suitable for operations. So look for corrosion losses, look for [00:18:00] defects. Um, so yeah, they’re all things that need thinking about before you just make the snap decision to repower. But I think  Joel Saxum: a lot of that, uh, going back to a couple minutes ago, you were talking about at the commissioning phase, making sure that you have proper qa, QC of how these things were installed day one, and then making sure that before commissioning of a turbine, they’re checked. I think that’s really important. We’re starting to see that in the blade world now too, where we’ve been talking about it for a long time, and now when you talk to operators, they’re like, we’re getting inspections done on the blades before they’re hung. Or at the factory before they’re hung. After they’re hung. Like they want a good foundation baseline. Are you seeing that in the bolted connection world too?  Pete Andrews: Yes. Sort of. It’s just emerging for us. What we’ve found is, so most of our customers are in the operational phase ’cause they are the ones feeling the pain. Yeah. Of the routine retitling work. When they do major components, they sometimes engage us to come and say, can you check [00:19:00] before and after the blade was removed? What was it? Before we took it off from a a bolt load perspective, what is it afterwards? Can you then recheck after 500 hours When we retalk it? And what we’ve seen there often is the initial install hasn’t got them to where they needed to be and they’ve had to go and do the break in maintenance or the 500 hour REIT to get the bolts to the right load. So one of the questions that we have is whether. Some of the defects are actually being initiated very early on in that initial running in period and whether if, if actually you’d taken the time at, at the point of assembly to make sure you were correct, whether that avoids some of the knock on integrity concerns. So yeah, it’s interesting area.  Allen Hall: Well, bolts are what hold wind turbines together and you better know you have the right. Tension and [00:20:00] torque on your bolts to get to the lifetime of the wind turbine and to, and to check it once in a while. And I know there’s a lot of operators I can think of right now in the United States that are sort of doing that job somewhat. I I think they have missed out on opportunities to save a lot of money and to call it echo bolt. How do people get ahold of you? Because that’s one thing I run into all the time. Like, Hey, hey, you gotta talk to Ebol, call Ebol. How do they get ahold of you?  Pete Andrews: So the easiest ways are via our website. Which is echo bolt.com. Um, LinkedIn, you’ll find us at Echo Bolt on LinkedIn. Reach out. Our email would be info@cobolt.com. So any of those route and you’ll, uh, reach me and the team and more than happy to speak to you about any of your faulting concerns or problems. We are, uh, yeah, we’re passionate about your problems.  Allen Hall: Pete, thank you so much for being on this podcast. I, it is great to actually see you in person and see the bolt wave technology. It’s really [00:21:00] impressive. So anybody out there that needs bolt tensioning to checking tools, you need to get ahold of Pete at Echo Bolt and get started today. Thank you Pete. Thanks guys. It’s great to be here.

Dry January or Dampuary? 90,000 eligible for HSE pay-out, Road to recovery for Cork Publican

The HSE had warned that cases of flu could peak during Christmas week as families gathered to celebrate, with particular concern for those under 14 and over 65. Dr Colm Henry, Chief Clinical Officer with the HSE, told us where we are in the flu season, and what to expect going forward.

Jerry spoke to the Kerry Sinn Féin TD whose argument that it was unconstitutional for so-called ‘super junior’ ministers be present at Cabinet meetings was rejected by the High Court. Jerry also asked him for his views on the statement by the CEO of the HSE that the process to fire public sector workers, who are not performing, should be speeded up. Pa Daly also outlined why he believes there needs to be a new public building for Tralee.

Tony O' Brien- Former Chief Executive of the HSE

Flu cases are expected to peak this week as Ireland enters the Christmas period amid already intense pressure on hospitals and emergency departments. The HSE is urging caution as influenza, RSV and COVID-19 circulate.Joining Ciara to discuss is GP, Dr Maire Finn and Dr Marc-Alain Widdowson, Team Lead for Communicable Diseases at the WHO.

Dr. Eamonn O'Moore, Director of National Health Protection with the HSE

CareDoc employees will begin a 24-hour strike today due to a dispute over HSE funding not being paid to workers. Caredoc provides GP out-of-hours services in the southeast of the country, Carlow, Kilkenny, Waterford, Wexford and south Tipperary. We heard from Ger McNally, SIPTU Health Organiser.

A West Clare woman is hoping to be a voice for under-represented communities in her region on a new forum focused on community safety issues. Kilmurry McMahon community nurse and West Clare Aontú representative June Dillon has been appointed by Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan to the Clare Local Community Safety Partnership. The LCSP, which has yet to convene, will act as a successor to the now-disbanded Joint Policing Committee and will facilitate discussions on local crime-related between between elected representatives, community members, Gardaí, the HSE and others. June has been telling Clare FM's Seán Lyons that many people in the west of the county don't know where to turn when crime strikes.

The HSE is warning of extra potent drugs entering the Irish market ahead of the Christmas season. Drugs such as MDMA or other synthetic substances being falsely sold as ketamine.Joining Ciara Doherty to discuss this is Patricia Casey, Consultant Psychiatrist in the Mater Hospital and Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry at University College Dublin and Kristy Morrison Keating, who has spoken out online of her own struggles with cocaine and the prevalence among your people.

The HSE is facing calls to invest in upgrading or rebuilding St Joseph's Hospital in Ennis. It's after An Coimisúin Pleanála rejected contentious plans for a 100 bed replacement facility to be constructed on a green space at St Flannan's College. The community hospital was due to cost €25m, but the development has been refused due to wastewater capacity issues. Ennis Fianna Fáil Councillor Pat Daly believes the funds should be redirected to the site of the existing community hospital on the Lifford Road.

The HSE is warning of high-strength MDMA in circulation this Christmas. MDMA is a synthetic drug also known as Ecstasy. Highly potent versions of the drug have been linked to several deaths. Rachel was joined by Professor Eamon Keenan, HSE National Clinical Lead for Addiction Services.

There have been further warnings today about the spread of flu. HSE figures show that last week there were 28 outbreaks in hospitals and 23 in nursing homes, with several nursing homes in the North advising families not to visit. To gauge the situation Rachel talked to Tadhg Daly, Chief Executive of Nursing Homes Ireland.

Drinkaware has launched its new Christmas campaign, “Gift Yourself Tomorrow,” encouraging adults to drink more mindfully over the festive season so they can wake up refreshed and ready to enjoy the moments that matter. New research from the Drinkaware Barometer shows a growing appetite for healthier drinking habits in Ireland — especially among younger adults — but awareness of the HSE's low-risk drinking guidelines remains very low. The campaign aims to bridge that gap with practical tips, alcohol-free options, and tools to help people stay in control during the busy party season. Alan Morrissey had a chat with Maedhbh Firmino da Silva, Deputy Manager at Bushypark Addiction Treatment Centre on Friday's Morning Focus. Photo (c) Drinkaware LinkedIn

As the flu season kicks into full swing, there has been an upsurge in cases which are leading to hospitalisations. It is predicted that the peak of the flu season and hospitalisations will be around Christmas week or even into early January. Could we have done more to prevent this in the form of enhanced vaccines? Well, the HSE didn't deem enhanced vaccines cost-effective this year, but there has been political pushback, particularly from backbench government TDs. We discussed the pros and cons of the standard flu vaccine with local TD and GP Martin Daly. The problem of aggressive seagulls in Galway city centre has been highlighted on a number of occasions on our programme over the past number of years. In severe cases, people have been attacked by the birds, and some have required medical attention. They have also been associated problems like taking food off people, and defecating on locals. We discussed the ongoing problem of bullish seagulls in Galway City with Fine Gael Councillor Frank Fahy. He wants bylaws enacted to fine businesses who are not disposing of their litter correctly, as some businesses leave their rubbish out in bags which can be pecked and opened up by the birds. We also discussed the potential of a 'puppy patrol' or falconry to deter these birds from terrorising the city centre. Australia has announced a social media ban on certain platforms for teenagers under the age of 16. It came into effect in the middle of the week. We discussed whether this should be introduced here in Ireland and the European Union with a number of contributors. We heard first from a 17-year-old schoolgirl from Gort who admits that more needs to be done to safeguards teens on social media, but doesn't believe an outright ban is the way to go. We also heard from Alex Cooney, the CEO of Cybersafe Kids, who gave her thoughts on the issue, and we got the political opinion of Independent Ireland Councillor Noel Thomas. All agree that things need to change when it comes to social media, but they have varying views on whether or not there should be an outright ban for under 16s. It's that time of year again! Oh no it isn't! Oh yes it is! Renmore Pantomime Society are celebrating 45 years in existence. They're putting on a performance of Jack and the Beanstalk, the iconic panto. We were at their launch night in the Connacht Hotel and we spoke to the director, the choreographer, playwright, and Jack himself. They are due to open their show in the Town Hall Theatre at the end of the month. Find tickets and all the details on tht.ie

Over 900 medical card holders in Newmarket-on-Fergus will see their care transition to Clarecastle from the first of January. The HSE has confirmed that following an extensive unsuccessful search for a new GP premises in the south Clare village, medical care for the 927 card holders on the panel of Dr Colum Gavin will be provided at Saffron and Blue Medical Clinic in Clarecastle from the start of next year. Since June 2020, GP services for this cohort have been based out of Carrigoran Nursing Home outside the village, and the move will see roughly 50 Carrigoran residents now forced to travel to Clarecastle to see a doctor. Meelick Fianna Fáil TD Cathal Crowe says the Minister for Health and HSE must redouble their efforts to find a suitable premises in Newmarket.

Today on Galway Talks with John Morley:  9am-10am  Orange wind alert for Galway as Storm Bram hits Ireland   We get an update from Met Eireann  Road closures and car park closures in the city   We hear how Galwegians can protect their homes and businesses  The Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment joins us - get your questions for him in  RSA urge parents not to Gift E-Scooters, Quad Bikes or Scrambler Bikes to Children This Christmas  10am-11am It's been revealed the HSE did not offer enhanced flu vaccine for over 65s as 1,500 people hospitalised   Comedy campaign victory signals ‘chink of light' in Arts Council  Galway to light up in green as Samaritans highlight human connection on the longest night   11am-12pm Galway theatre group KATS brings its annual supper theatre show to the Galway Bay Hotel  Evergreen slot   Music Mornings - Renmore Panto

This year's flu season has arrived a few weeks early, with a new highly virulent varient (H3N2 subclade K) in circulation. Bernard Gloster, Chief Executive of the HSE, speaks to This Week.

The health service excutive has again apologised to the family of Niamh McNally who died in the emergency department in UHL. In a statement this afternoon the HSE mid west said a review had made a number of recommendations and that these were being implemented. To discuss the details,Sandra Broderick Regional Executive Officer for HSE Mid-West.

A new and potent strain of flu is taking hold across the country, with the HSE urging people to get vaccinated before Christmas.The increase in cases means the health service could be under sustained pressure in the coming weeks.Joining Ciara Doherty to discuss is Priscilla Lynch, Clinical Editor with the Medical Independent and Monaghan-based GP, Illona Duffy.

Figures published this lunchtime show that presentations to emergency departments and hospitalisations from flu have doubled in one week. To discuss this Dr. Eamonn O'Moore, HSE's director of health protection.

A date for the full transfer of governance of a West Clare nursing home to the HSE has been set. At the most recent meeting of the Regional Health Forum West, HSE Midwest has confirmed the target completion date of the transfer of business legal agreement for St Senan's Nursing Home in Kilrush is May 2026. The centre, which currently cares for 20 residents, has been subject to significant capital upgrades as part of a €2 million investment from the HSE in January 2024. Doonbeg Fianna Fáil Councillor Rita McInerney says it's crucial to get one of the cornerstones of West Clare back to full operating capacity.

Ireland's birth rate has fallen by 20% in just 11 years according a new report from the HSE which shows 53,185 babies were born last year compared to 67,263 in 2014.Dr Carmel Hannan, associate professor in the Department of Sociology at University of Limerick, and Dan O'Brien, chief economist at the Institute of International and European Affairs, join The Last Word to discuss why birth rates continue to fall and what economic and social challenges are created by this.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

Sean Barnes, President of Wolf Executives and former VP of IT, HR, ESG, and Leadership Development in oil and gas, shares how building a personal brand became the biggest unlock of his life. From introverted “IT nerd” hiding behind a keyboard… …to an executive leading multiple functions and launching his own company… Sean walks through the exact mindset shifts and strategies that helped him build a reputation as a problem solver, leader builder, and trusted executive partner. Using examples from brands like Nike, Lamborghini, and Louis Vuitton, Sean breaks personal branding down to its simplest form: What are you known for when you're not in the room?   Podcast Show Notes – Episode 257 | 11.25.2025 Episode Title: From Introverted IT Nerd to Executive Leader: Building a Powerful Personal Brand   Key Moments 00:00 – Opening and introduction 01:14 – Who actually has a personal brand? 01:53 – Nike vs. Reebok: what brand really is 03:29 – The introverted kid in the corner 04:21 – Discovering technology and drive 05:48 – Ladder climbed… purpose missing 07:06 – “I think I can lead HR” (and getting shut down) 10:39 – The email that changed everything 11:44 – Becoming VP of IT and HR overnight 12:08 – Learning to lead people, not just systems 13:11 – “All ships rise with the tide” 13:36 – Adding PMO and ESG to the mix 14:00 – Stacking domains: IT, HR, PMO, ESG, HSE, leadership development 15:08 – Entrepreneurship and adversity 15:40 – What this has to do with personal brand 16:06 – Lamborghini and Louis Vuitton: one-word associations 16:37 – Brand in its simplest form 17:20 – The three pillars: Clarity, Visibility, Value 17:37 – Clarity: getting real feedback (even from your nemesis) 18:55 – Aim your brand: who do you want to become? 19:29 – Visibility: how you show up in rooms and inboxes 20:28 – LinkedIn done simply 21:21 – Turning events into content 21:38 – Value: give more than you take 22:22 – The results: reputation, influence, and invitations 23:50 – Why this is a marathon, not a sprint 24:23 – Being spoiled for choice 25:33 – The playbook & closing challenge Key Takeaways Everyone already has a personal brand — it's what people say about you when you're not in the room, whether you've been intentional about it or not. Clarity comes first: you need to know what you're known for today and what you want to be known for tomorrow, then close that gap with deliberate growth. Visibility matters: how you show up in meetings, emails, conferences, and on LinkedIn shapes your executive presence and reputation. Value is the engine: approach every interaction by giving more than you take, even when it's tiring, that's how trust and reputation are built. Adversity and stretch roles are brand accelerators: saying yes to hard, unfamiliar opportunities forces growth and creates powerful stories about who you are as a leader. A strong personal brand gives you options: when you're known and trusted, you're no longer trapped in toxic cultures, you're “spoiled for choice” in your career.   Host: Sean Barnes Website: https://www.wolfexecutives.com   https://www.seanbarnes.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanbarnes/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/wolfexecutives https://www.linkedin.com/company/thewayofthewolf/ LinkedIn Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7284600567593684993/ The Wolf Leadership Series: https://wolfexecutives.com/wolf-leadership-series/ YouTube: youtube.thewayofthewolf.com Twitter: https://x.com/the_seanbarnes https://x.com/wolfexecutives Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_seanbarnes https://www.instagram.com/wolfexecutives https://www.instagram.com/the_wayofthewolf TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@the_seanbarnes Email: Sean@thewayofthewolf.com Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Way-of-the-Wolf-Podcast/B08JJNXJ6C Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2BTGdO25Vop3GTpGCY8Y8E?si=ea91c1ef6dd14f15

A new flu strain has started to circulate with six people having died this winter from the flu already. EU health experts are saying the strain has arrived much earlier this year than usual, with the number of cases increasing by over 40% last week.Dr Éamonn O'Moore, Director of National Health Protection from the HSE explains how we can protect ourselves from the new subclade k flu strain.

Last week, the HSE launched its Caring for Kerry campaign in which it emphasised the need to address overcrowding in wards and long delays in the emergency department at UHK. The campaign was criticised for stating that people should not overstay their time in hospital and that they should only go to the ED in genuine emergencies. Jerry spoke to Julie O’Neill who’s HSE manager for Kerry.

There's a call for pressure to be kept on the HSE to re-establish a full-time GP practice on the main street of a Clare village. Newmarket-on-Fergus has been without a permanent general practitioner since the resignation of the previous occupier of the office in May of 2019. Saffron and Blue Medical Centre in Clarecastle currently operates a temporary practice at Carrigoran House which serves a medical card list of in excess of 800 people. Newmarket-on-Fergus Fianna Fáil Councillor David Griffin claims a "void" is felt by locals.

Defibrillators when used are often lifesaving. With many registered defibrillators provided in towns and villages, they are a great resource.While registered, however, it can often be hard to locate. By adding these to Google Maps, residents and visitors will be able to find the nearest defibrillators in the event of an emergency…Do you think Google should make defibrillators available on Google Maps? And if so, how do we use them when needed?Joining guest host Anna Daly to discuss is Patrick Higgins, who called on the HSE and Google to work together, David Hall, CEO of Lifeline Ambulance and listeners.

Cath was joined by art psychotherapist Gerardine Boyle in this episode. Cath and Gerardine talked about how generational trauma impacts families, the legacy of emotional neglect, what is unspoken, shame and the complexity of unwinding functional freeze in the system. Gerardine generously shared her own stories of generational trauma and what she believes has impacted her on her journey. We talked briefly about primitive reflexes and how the retention of these can be extremely impactful for nervous system and mental health. Gerardine Boyle is an Art Psychotherapist who has worked for over twenty years in Adult Psychiatry in the HSE (health service in Ireland) and in private practice. She is also trained in the Diamond Approach, the Hearing Voices Approach and she was part of a specialised HSE team delivering Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) for seven years, supporting individuals with high levels of emotional dysregulation. Gerardine trained as a Transforming Touch Practitioner with Dr Stephen Terrell world expert in working with developmental trauma at the first training workshop in Ireland (in Cork in 2019) and this training has been life-changing for her and her clients. She continues to marvel at how supporting the nervous system powerfully lends itself to healing on all levels. Supporting the nervous system means the client, over time gets to know and trust their own nervous system better and shame is addressed on a somatic level. Gerardine's website is https://morninglighttherapy.ie/She works in person and offers intensives, which is multiple therapy sessions over a number of days (with client staying locally in east Cork, Ireland). She also delivers the therapy on line via zoom as well.The link to the training in Dublin with Dr Stephen Terrell is, https://www.austinattach.com/transforming-the-experience-based-brain/dublin-ireland/ and this training welcomes parents, therapists and individuals on their own healing journey.If you're enjoying this podcast. Please leave a review and rate the podcast, this really helps others to find it.To sign up for the journal prompts and Nurture.Heal.Grow (on Substack) please head to www.cathcounihan.com or @cathcounihan on Instagram. Follow Cath on social media here:Instagram: @cathcounihanSubstack: Nurture.Heal.GrowFacebook: Cath Counihan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jerry spoke to Paddy Kevane of Meals on Wheels Tralee about its expansion into Killarney and the launch of community laundry service there as well, with the support of the HSE. Paddy is also treasurer of the St Vincent de Paul in Kerry.

Concern has emerged that the digital health records of most Clare patients won't be available for at least another five years. It follows confirmation from the HSE's Chief Technology Officer that the Dublin North East Region will be the first to go live under the Digital for Care Plan 2030, and will not be operational until around 2029. At present, electronic health records are available in the MidWest for maternity, neonatology, and gynaecology services. Clare Sinn Féin TD Donna McGettigan says much more progress is needed.

Google Maps is facing calls to physically map defibrillator locations in Clare. There are over 9,000 Automated External Defibrillators in Ireland, but even the National Ambulance Service acknowledges that many are never used as there wherabouts are unkown. Accessible data bases are available for the NAS and HSE paramedics, but no list exists for the general public. Newmarktet-On-Fergus Fianna Fáil Councillor David Griffin believes there would serious benefits in doing so.

The Ireland Chapter of the Project Management Institute (PMI) has announced the winners of this year's PMI National Project Awards, in association with PwC. Among the winners was Lidl for its first net zero energy supermarket in Ireland. The annual awards recognise the contribution and excellence of project management in Ireland, showcasing the best innovation and talent in the profession. This year, 10 awards were presented at the black-tie event hosted at PwC's Dublin office on Thursday 6 November. From a workforce management transformation project in the retail sector to a telehealth programme, the event celebrated a variety of projects across numerous industries and demonstrates the growing influence and success of project management in Ireland. Lidl was celebrated in the special "Future of Work Excellence" category for Ireland's first net zero energy supermarket. Based in Maynooth, the store is net zero in both operational and embodied carbon. Furthermore, the supermarket's design promotes wellbeing and productivity among employees by incorporating natural light, landscaped surroundings and low noise systems. Electric vehicle chargers, bike racks, and e-bike stations have also been installed to promote sustainable commuting. Other organisations that were successful on the night included Primark, ESB and the HSE. Individuals were also celebrated, including three under-35 changemakers. These were Rachel Bothwell of GP Practice Ally, Sainath Vasantha of Deloitte, and David Garry of KSN Project Management. The full list of winners for 2025, chosen by an independent judging panel, can be found below. PMO of the Year - National Broadband Ireland. Project Professional of the Year - Niamh McAuliffe, NMA Consulting Ltd. Private Sector Project of the Year - Primark: Workforce management transformation "myTime". Public Sector Project of the Year - ESB: PI Vision: Unlocking data, empowering decisions, transforming ESB. Project Management for Social GoodP- AquaB Nanobubble Innovations Ltd: Nanobubble technology lifecycle project. Under-35 Changemakers of the Year - Rachel Bothwell (GP Practice Ally), David Garry (KSN Project Management), and Sainath Vasantha (Deloitte). eHealth Project of the Year - HSE: Community and primary care telehealth programme. Special category: "Future of Work Excellence" - Lidl Ireland and Northern Ireland: Lidl Zero Maynooth Store. Special category: "2025 awards submission most compliant with the 17 x UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)" - AquaB Nanobubble Innovations Ltd: Nanobubble technology lifecycle project. Ireland Chapter of the PMI Volunteer of the Year - Mariana Zanivan. Speaking about the awards, Peter Glynne, President of the Ireland Chapter of the PMI, said: "The project profession in Ireland seems to go from strength to strength every year. This year was no different, with the quality and creativity of projects pushing the boundaries in terms of ambition and innovation. Not only that but these initiatives and individuals are driving real impact both within organisations and for society as a whole." John Dwyer, Partner in PwC Ireland, added: "As the landscape of business and work continues to evolve, project professionals are at the forefront, driving innovation and technology-led transformation across Irish and international organisations to prepare for the future. Both the Ireland Chapter of the PMI and PwC are deeply committed to the transformation agenda, and we at PwC are delighted to again be the headline sponsor of the Awards this year and support two specific awards - the Future of Work Excellence Award and the eHealth Project of the Year. "This sponsorship highlights our dedication to advancing project management through a complex and fast-changing environment with resilience and optimism, to ensure that we are fit for the future. We commend each and every one of the finalists and a huge congratulations to the winners." See more stories here. More about Irish Tech News Irish Tech...

In the past 20 years, the rate of children and teenagers living with high blood pressure globally has nearly doubled because of a toxic combination of unhealthy diets, mass inactivity and soaring levels of obesity. That's according to a new meta analysis of data from 96 studies published in The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health journal. Joining Shane now to discuss this further is the Clinical lead on Obesity for the HSE, Dr Donal O'Shea.

A Clare mother of a child with multiple intellectual disabilities says she can finally get a nights sleep following the opening a new respite centre. Children and Disabilties Minister Norma Foley travelled to Clare today to officially open Enable Ireland's Hazeldine facility in Barefield The moment Minister Foley officially cut the ribbon at Hazeldine, the centre located on the outskirts of Ennis, will provide 1,400 nights of respite care to families across Clare, Limerick and North Tipperary every year. The facility itself a state of the art former B&B, which contains two sensory gardens, a sensory room, a self contained living apartment, three bedrooms and multiple accessible ensuite bathrooms. For the families at the heart of Enable Ireland's support services in Clare, today is a momentous occasion. Leanne Tracey's son Max has been using Hazeldine for the last three months. An Ennis mother meanwhile says the new centre will finally enable her to get at least one night's sleep a week. Janet Sheehy is a single parent caring for her eighteen year old son Conor who has autism and ADHD. Janet says it's a vital relief for her family. Between January and June, just 11% of children in Clare that required an initial assessment of needs were assessed in the HSE's targeted timeframe of six months. Minister Norma Foley says there's a lot more work to be done in Clare and it will be.

Fiona Lyons, National Clinical Lead with the HSE Sexual Health Programme on the latest HSE survey on STI testing among young people.

As RSV season peaks, parents are being warned to watch for early symptoms of the virus. According to the HSE, RSV symptoms often begin with what appears to be a common cold. RSV infects most children by age two and is a leading cause of respiratory infections in infants. To find out what signs to look out for, Alan Morrissey was joined Máire Finn, GP at Ennis Centric Health on Wednesday's Morning Focus. Photo (c) Photo (c) by Kaspars Grinvalds via Canva

Over half of 18 to 30 year olds have never tested for STIs. That's according to a new survey from the HSE.It shows that 7 in 10 find testing stressful, because of the possible implications of having an infection, and are also nervous of the home kits not being discreet.Dr. Derek Freedman is a Specialist Consultant in Sexual Health and Sexually Transmitted Diseases. He joins Ciara Doherty to discuss.

Reporter, Aisling Kenny discusses new HSE figures which show that in August this year there were children in Dublin waiting 13 years to be seen by a primary care psychologist.

Clare has the highest home care waiting list relative to population...but why exactly is the question? The latest research from Home & Community Care Ireland (HCCI), “Home Support Waiting List Per 1,000 People,”, marks the first-ever county-by-county population analysis of HSE home support waiting lists. This study reveals that Clare is the county with the highest waiting list per 1,000 people, at 2.836 per 1,000 people. This population analysis shows that waiting lists in Clare are 157% higher than the national average. To find out more, Alan Morrissey was joined by HCCI CEO Joseph Musgrave on Friday's Morning Focus. Image (c) HCCI

Dr Éamon O'Moore, Director of National Health Protection, HSE outlines how the flu vaccine can help to protect people.

Bernard Gloster, HSE Chief Executive, spoke to the Oireachtas Health Committee about the future needs of the HSE.

The decision to opt out of organ donation should be respected.That's the view of the President of the Medical Council of Ireland, Dr. Suzanne Crowe.It follows the publication of figures in response to a recent parliamentary question, which revealed over 55,000 people have signed on to a HSE register to opt out of automatic organ donation upon death.Under current revised legislation, everyone is assumed to be an organ donor unless they have expressed otherwise on the register.Dr Suzanne Crowe joins Seán to discuss.

Limiting media access to new council policing committees 'doesn't make sense' according to the National Union of Journalists. The Government is advising the restrictions for the new Local Community Safety Partnerships. The LCSPs, which will replace the old Joint Policing Committees, aim to bring together a broader range of stakeholders than before, including local residents, HSE and Gardaí. Alan Morrissey was joined by Maghera Fianna Fáil Councillor and former member of the Joint Policing Committee Pat Hayes to discuss this further. Image (c) Fianna Fáil

 The Piper Alpha oil platform explosion killed 167 men and changed offshore safety forever. This is how a chain of ignored warnings turned the North Sea into a firestorm. And how another disaster, Deep Water Horizon, was foreshadowed by Piper.On July 6th, 1988, the North Sea lit up like a second sun. The Piper Alpha disaster wasn't just an accident—it was engineered by complacency, cost-cutting, and a system built to fail.This An Ounce episode dives into the chain of decisions that made disaster inevitable: missing paperwork, disabled safety systems, and production pressure that drowned out caution.From the first spark to the last survivor, this is the story of a night that reshaped offshore drilling worldwide.If you've ever wondered how safety rules are written in blood, this is it.

A North Clare community is taking an innovative approach to combatting emergency response deficits. It follows a public meeting held by residents of New Quay and Bellharbour this week aimed at establishing a HSE recognised Community First Responders Group. The meeting included a presentation from the National Ambulance Service, outlining the relevant steps needed to bring the outfit to fruition. Bellharbour Resident and New Quay Community Development member John Sweeney says it's urgently needed.

Dr. Abigail Collins, National Clinical Lead for the HSE's Child Health Public Health Programme and Consultant in Public Health Medicine

The Dutch Hip and Knee Clinic is dedicated to helping you regain mobility and improve your quality of life—quickly and seamlessly. If you're an Irish resident in need of hip or knee surgery, they can connect you with HSE-funded treatment within just a few weeks!

Bernard Gloster, Health Service Executive CEO, disclosed to the Dáil Committee that the HSE spent around €15 million with a medical devices company which subsequently went into liquidation.