Newstalk Breakfast Highlights

“The phrase “straight white men” seems to have been imported into Ireland from the United States as a way for certain people to flaunt their right-on credentials but all it ends up doing is antagonising people.”   So wrote one disgruntled reader in a letter to the Irish Times this week.  But have identity politics and labels really gone too far? Ciara and Shane discussed on the show today.

“The phrase “straight white men” seems to have been imported into Ireland from the United States as a way for certain people to flaunt their right-on credentials but all it ends up doing is antagonising people.” We discussed this further with Ian O’Doherty, Columnist with the Irish Independent.

Leaving Cert reforms are being ‘rushed’ before schools have capacity. That’s the warning from the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland  To discuss this further Ciara spoke to Conor Murphy, English teacher in Skibbereen Community School.

Esther McCarthy, Lifestyle Editor and Saturday Weekend Magazine Columnist with The Irish Examiner, joined us on the show for our new weekly Red Carpet Roundup.

The final report of the Farrelly Commission has found a "fundamental failure" by the South Eastern Health Board and the HSE in their duty of care to a severely intellectually disabled young woman, known as “Grace”  However, the report has concluded that it is "not satisfied" that the level of evidence was such to fully establish sexual, emotional or physical abuse of Grace during her time in the foster home in the south east of the country.   Shane spoke to "Emma” whose sister “Sarah” was in the same Foster home as Grace.

No, you’re not imagining it Easter eggs have started getting smaller and do taste different. So, is it still worth shelling out on the treat? We asked Caitriona Redmond, Consumer Columnist with the Irish Examiner. 

Coined “The Homes for Ireland Savings Account”, the proposal would offer higher interest rates and tax-free returns to help fund affordable housing by tapping into record household deposits.  Could it be the key to unlocking funding for new housing?  We discuss this idea further with Fiona Cormican, Managing Director of Fioncor Consulting Limited and Brendan Burgess, Founder of the consumer forum Ask about money.com 

EpiPens should be every defibrillator’s next-door neighbour so says Fine Gael Senator Evanne Ní Chuilinn who explained why to Newstalk Breakfast.

A teenage boy has died and another has been hospitalised following a tractor crash in Carrigalene, Co Leitrim on Tuesday afternoon  We speak to Paddy O’Rourke, Fianna Fáil Councillor in Carrigallene.

Dublin City Council has published a plan to develop a new town in north Dublin between Glasnevin, Cabra and Finglas. The town of Ballyboggan would be located along the Royal Canal west of Glasnevin Cemetery and east of Ratoath Road, which is currently occupied by the Dublin Industrial Estate. A public consultation on the plan opened yesterday and is inviting submissions until May 12th. We hear all about it with Tom Philips, Managing Director of Tom Phillips and Associates and Adjunct Associate Professor of Town Planning, UCD.