Newstalk Breakfast Highlights

Rory McIlroy has won the 2025 Masters in Augusta and dons the green jacket. Speaking to Shane this morning was Ciaran Lavery, Head Professional at Holywood Golf Course.  

Demanding that the board of Children’s Health Ireland be fired is political showboating at its worst. That’s according to Tony O’Brien, former Director General of the HSE and columnist with The Sunday Independent.

Later today, a crew of six women including pop star Katy Perry will blast off on Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket from the company’s launch site in Texas, on an 11-minute, suborbital flight to the edge of space and back. So, is space tourism going to become the holiday of the future? We asked Danielle Wilcox From Blackrock Castle Observatory. 

The government is shelving plans to introduce a directly elected mayor for Dublin over fears it could become a launchpad for contentious would-be politicians such as Conor McGregor.    So reported the Sunday Times yesterday. We discussed this further with Eoin O’Malley, Associate Professor of Politics at DCU. 

With growing concern over global economic uncertainty and Trump’s trade tariffs. The government is now considering delaying the rollout of the living wage.   But is this a necessary move to protect business, or a step back on promised worker protections?  To discuss this further was Dr Laura Bambrick, Social Policy Officer with the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and also Finbarr Filan, Centra owner in Sligo and incoming chair of ISME.

In Ukraine at least 34 people are dead and dozens are injured following a Russian attack on the city of Sumy. It is the worst strike so far this year. We get the latest on this with journalist Emmanuelle Chaze. 

Ireland will face up against defending champions England in the Women’s Six Nations in Cork. Ireland’s captain Amee-Leigh Costigan spoke to Jonathan this morning ahead of the big game.

A Russian Navy intelligence-gathering ship was being tracked through Irish-controlled waters yesterday after refusing to respond to communications from the Naval Service. We get more on this with Declan power, Former Irish Army Soldier, Defence Analyst and Writer. 

The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission has expressed grave concern over a decision by the Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan to sign an order commencing legislation allowing for naturalised Irish citizenship to be revoked in serious cases.     It’s Chief Commissioner Liam Herrick 

Red pills, purple hearts, blue circles. Emojis have become an entirely different language for younger people online. But how do parents make sense of it all?   To explain all was Keith Broni, Editor in Chief of Emojipedia, the world’s leading source for interpreting and translating emojis.