Newstalk Breakfast

This October, the Irish Cancer Society is calling for people to host a Big Pink Breakfast and help fund their vital cancer supports and services, like night nurses, counselling and life-changing breast cancer research.  To hear more about the services the Irish Cancer Society provides, and how you can host a Big Pink Breakfast, we heard from Patrice Morrisey, a mother of three who was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2023, and Amy Nolan, Director of Clinical Affairs at the Irish Cancer Society.For more information www.cancer.ie/pink.

Catherine Connolly remains the most popular presidential candidate, according to the latest poll from the Business Post and Red C at 36 per cent support. Heather Humphreys gains the most from Jim Gavin dropping out of the election, even if so far, it isn’t enough to get her ahead of Connolly in the polls.  All to discuss with Sean Defoe, Newstalk Political Correspondent.

Just 3 per cent of residents on over 500 streets in Belfast are actively against dual Irish and English signs in the city while nine in ten support them. That’s according to new research from Conradh na Gaeilge.  It comes as the PSNI are investigating “hate-motivated” damage to a street sign with Irish on it in east Belfast. We discuss further with Ciaran Mac Giolla Bhéin, Coordinator of the West Belfast Language Plan and President of Conradh na Gaeilge and Ben Lowry, Editor of the Belfast Newsletter.

The Green-Schools Travel Programme is calling on people to ditch the car this week and walk to school. The theme for National Walk to School week is Connections and to explain more about the programme was Aengus Kennedy, Green Schools Travel Officer. 

Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill has today announced the Assisted Human Reproduction Regulatory Authority.  It aims to protect the health and legal rights of children born through assisted reproduction or surrogacy, as well as the rights of intending parents and donors involved.   We got the details from Dr Brian Tobin, Associate professor at University of Galway and member of the board.

Israel says it expects all remaining living hostages in Gaza to be freed today under a new ceasefire deal with Hamas. While Palestinians await the release of hundreds of prisoners from Israeli jails. We get the latest on this with Mark Weiss, Israel Correspondent with the Irish Times. 

“Wouldn’t it be great if we could build rail lines as fast as roads?”  Planning permission for the long-awaited Metrolink was given the go-ahead, but it may be another decade before we reap any benefits.Brian Caulfield, Professor in the School of Engineering at Trinity College Dublin, joins Newstalk Breakfast to discuss.

Tax and welfare measures introduced in Budget 2026 will result in average 2 per cent loss in disposable income. That’s according to a new analysis published this morning by the Economic and Social Research Institute. 

Dublin City Council has announced the installation of new waste compactors, an initiative which will see the removal of one thousand plastic bags per day.  Speaking to Newstalk Breakfast was the Executive Manager in Environment and Transport Derek Kelly.

The Israeli Government has officially approved a ceasefire for Gaza, after it reached an agreement with Hamas for the Palestinian militant group to release all the hostages it holds.  We discuss all this with Daniel Levy President of the U.S./Middle East Project and Former Israeli peace negotiator.