Down To Business

The founder of CityJet, Pat Byrne, joins Bobby in this week's Executive Chair.

To go through the main stories from the Saturday papers, Bobby is joined by Susan HayesCulleton aka The Positive Economist and presenter of Taking Stock, as well as Doug Keatinge from Avolon.

Have you ever sat on an interview board and the candidate facing you is just too good to be true? In the age of AI and online interviewing, the reality is that more candidates are using AI tools to impress or even fool interviewers into giving them the job. Bobby is joined by Sinead English, Founder and CEO of HILT, to look at both sides of the recruiting equation and to explore how common this scenario is becoming.

The Michelin Awards are set to be hosted in Dublin for the first time this coming Monday. There’s much talk about who might be added to the list or if Ireland will finally get its third star, but what is the significance of getting a star, and how are they awarded? One man who knows a thing or two about it is Ross Lewis of Chapter One, who received his own coveted star many years ago.

For this week’s Industry Review, we turn to Ireland’s booming distillery sector, finding out how Irish whiskey has been growing at home and abroad, and what that means for producers on the ground and the wider industry.Joining Bobby to discuss is:Eoin Ó Catháin, Director of the Irish Whiskey AssociationPádraic Ó Griallais, Co-Founder at Micil Distillery in GalwayPat Rigney, founder & owner of The Shed Distillery of PJ Rigney in Drumshanbo

Bobby is joined by Paul Sloane to talk about his book 'The Art of Unexpected Solutions: Using Lateral Thinking to Find Breakthroughs', a guide to fostering innovation by embracing unconventional and indirect thinking methods.

Ireland’s economy shrank in the last three months of 2025, in a time when we hear about bursting government coffers, but how can this be? Joining Bobby to talk through the details is economist, Austin Hughes.

Joining Bobby to go through the Sunday papers is Gina London, Leadership communication expert and Bob Hoffman of Vista Executive Search.

John Corley, CEO and co-founder of Spanish Point Technologies, joins Bobby in the Executive Chair.

How do you tip and who do you tip to are two of the hardest questions to answer on a night out. This week, the consumer watchdog tried to make things clearer as the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) issued a report which said technology has changed the tipping landscape. It also issued guidelines to ensure that people more clearly understand where their money is going and why. Conor Pope, Consumer Affairs Editor from The Irish Times, joins Bobby to discuss.

Liam Collins, journalist for Mediahuis Ireland covering the Irish Independent and Sunday Independent, joins Emmet Oliver to chat about the publication of his late father's book 'Kings, Druids, and Traitors'.

Following one of the strangest weeks in geopolitics, where the eyes of the world were on Davos, Emmet Oliver wanted to look at where Ireland now stands in the world when it comes to American relations. Cliff Taylor, Managing Editor of the Irish Times, has been watching events all week - he joins Emmet to discuss.

How threatened by AI do you feel? Will it take away large chunks of your employment skills? Andrew Bryant, author of 'Potential-Ize: How Leaders Unlock Human Potential in the Age of AI' thinks we may be overthinking things, and that humanity can never be matched by AI. He joins Emmet Oliver to discuss.

For this week’s Industry Review, we looked at businesses that operate partly or entirely through the Irish language and asked what that choice means in practical terms for growth, customers, and competitiveness in the modern economy. Joining Anton to discuss is: ● Deirdre Ní Thuathail, Managing Director with Cló Iar-Chonnacht ● Darren Ó Rodaigh, CEO & Founder of Coláiste Gaelchultúr ● Deirdre Ní Choistín, Director General at TG4

Joining Emmet Oliver in the Executive Chair is Jenny Johnston, CEO at Azure Communications.

Joining Emmet Oliver to go through the main business stories from the Saturday papers is Linda Daly, business reporter with the Sunday Times and Robert Whelan of Rockwell Finance.

For this week’s Industry Review, we’re looking at the business behind sports journalism. It’s an industry driven by deadlines, digital subscriptions and intense competition - but what’s it really like to build a career covering sport in Ireland today? Joining Emmet Oliver to discuss is: Roy Curtis, Sportswriter & Columnist for The Irish Daily Star and The Irish Mirror David Kelly, Chief Sports Analysis Writer with the Irish Independent Alanna Cunane, Sportswriter with the Irish Independent

Across the world, governments are exploring ways to boost food reserves as political instability and climate concerns bring food resource management into sharp focus. Emmet Oliver is joined by Susannah Savage, Commodities Correspondent for the Financial Times, who has been writing about this and how it may affect the market.

Joining Emmet Oliver to go through the main stories from the business pages of the Saturday papers is Ciara McDonagh of Healy Communications and Ronan Reid of Cantor Fitzgerald.

Joining Emmet Oliver in the Executive Chair is Sheila O’Donnell and John Tuomey of O’Donnell + Tuomey Architects.

Creativity is something we all understand, but does it differ across cultures and societies worldwide? Frederick Heren, author of The World of Creativity, A Journey Across 37 Countries to Discover the Secrets of Creative Minds, joins Emmet Oliver to discuss.

Down to Business has a long association with the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award, and that will continue this year. This year’s awards programme has just been launched, and joining Emmet Oliver to discuss is Roger Wallace, Head of Assurance and EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Ireland.

Joining Bobby in the Executive Chair is Daniel Rubin, founder of Dune London and author of ‘Sole Survivor: How I Built a Global Shoe Brand'.

In C.O.U.R.A.G.E., Christopher O. H. Williams reveals how to harness innate courage in everyday life to make a lasting impact and live authentically, without regret. He joins Bobby to discuss.

As a family doctor, Dr Mark Rowe has seen first-hand the impact of investing in your future self with simple, small changes to your daily routine that leverage the science of habits for lasting results. He joins Bobby to chat about his book, ‘Things Your Future Self Will Thank You For’.

Joining Bobby to chat about his new book 'How To Think About AI: A Guide for the Perplexed’ is Richard E. Susskind.

Kopper Kreations is an industrial homewares brand that uses reclaimed and recycled materials to create unique and eye-catching homewares. Bobby stopped by their site just off Capel Street in Dublin, where founder Emmet Bosonnet told him all about the business.

For this week’s Industry Review, Bobby looks ahead to the year in travel. Joining him are three industry leaders: Claire Doherty, Product and Operations Director at Travel DepartmentPeter Cullen, Chief Operating Officer of Click&GoMartin Skelly, Director of Navan Travel

This week on the Executive Chair Bobby sits down with Justin van der Spuy & Ray Armstrong, Co-CEOs of Saros Consulting

More than 40 years ago a man called Robin Knox-Johnson became the first to sail singled handed and solo around the world. Back in 1969 Sir Robin earned the ‘golden globe’ award for completed the journey as one of the last great uncharted maritime feats 2026 is set to be a busy year with Sir Robin’s Clipper entering 2 boats in the Round Ireland Race. He also due to speak at a special event in Dublin raising money for UNICEF in FebruaryRobin spoke to Bobby about is life and the year ahead

Staying motivated when life gets tough isn’t easy, but it’s often those moments of adversity that define us. For this week’s Industry Review with a twist, Bobby explored the mindsets and strategies that help us keep going when the going gets tough. He was joined by Motivational Speaker Mark Fennel, Motivational Speaker & Endurance Athlete Enda Doherty and Psychotherapist & Founder of The STLL Daniella Moyles

Bobby is joined by economists Colm McCarthy and Barra Ronantree to examine the economic prospects for 2026

Bobby sits down with founder and managing director of Poachers drinks from Wexford They chat through the business and some of their most popular products

Bobby is joined by Olytico's Stephen O'Leary and Artist and Digitization Consultant Joan Mulvihill to discuss the biggest business stories of the day

Joining Bobby to run through the main stories of the year are Susan HayesCulleton, presenter of 'Taking Stock', Conor Faughnan, Transport Commentator and Host of the Driving Life Podcast; and Bob Hoffman of Vista Executive Search.

Joining Bobby to chat through some of the best gadgets to buy the tech-lover in your life is Andy O'Donoghue, technology broadcaster and columnist.

Joining Bobby in the Executive Chair this week is Tom O'Brien, Group CEO of Nephin Energy.

Bobby is joined by Cormac Lucey, Economics Commentator with The Sunday Times, to discuss the idea that the Irish economy is simultaneously in the best of times and the worst of times.

Motivational speaker, David Meade, joins Bobby to chat about how he got into keynote speaking, helping people to analyse the challenges around them critically, and running what he calls 'lightbulb teams'.

For this week’s Industry Review, Bobby focuses on the very serious business of Christmas Dinner - not just what ends up on the plate, but the whole experience around it. He is joined by four leaders who bring expertise from every angle:David Whelehan of Whelehan’s WinesAdrian Martin, Chef, Author, who is one of the longest serving resident chefs on the Six O'Clock show on Virgin Media 1Aoife Comerford, Pastry Sous Chef at Glover’s Alley (One Michelin Star)Etiquette expert, Noel Cunningham

Mike Hanrahan, Singer-songwriter and guitarist with Stockton's Wing, joins Bobby to play 'Wishing You Were Here'.

Bobby takes a walk down Dublin's Grafton Street, where he talks to retailers like The Camera Centre, Dubray Book, flower vendors, Weir's, The Irish Design Shop, and Patrick Sheary Menswear.

Inflation is at its highest level since February 2024, after growing by 3.2% in the year to last month. Business reporter at the Irish Times, Ian Curran, joins Bobby to discuss.

Joining Bobby in the Executive Chair this week is Michael Kelly, CEO of FAIN Ireland & Subsidiaries.

Bobby is joined by Breda Brown of Unique Media and Louisa Meehan of Woodview HRM to go through the big business stories from the Saturday papers.

Bobby is joined by John Lowe, aka 'The Money Doctor', to get some of his tips ahead of what is the busiest spending period of the year.

Pitch '25 invites Irish start-up's and budding entrepreneurs to pitch for their chance to be mentored in the world of retail with Arnotts. Bobby took a trip out to the Arnotts in Dublin city centre to chat to a few of the finalists to see how they’ve been getting on.

Christmas is a wonderful time of year, and here in Ireland, we have an incredible array of products made by homegrown talent to choose from.To find out a little bit more about some of the kinds of food producers we have at our disposal, Bobby is joined by:Andy Pratt from The Raw Juice CompanyAlice Tevlin from Rua FoodLisa Quinlan from Clever Foods

For this week’s Industry Review, Bobby takes a deep dive into Ireland’s recruitment landscape - a sector that’s evolving rapidly as talent shortages, hybrid work, and shifting employee expectations reshape how organisations hire. Bobby is joined by three leading voices in the Irish recruitment sector to discuss:Frank Farrelly, CEO & co-founder of Sigmar RecruitmentRachel Tubridy, Managing Director of PeopleSourceElaine Brady, Managing Partner, Barden in Leinster

Joining Bobby to run through the main business pages from the morning papers are Caroline Reidy of the HR Suite & Doug Keatinge, Head of Communications at Avolon.