Newstalk Weekend

Anton is joined by Peter Leonard, a barrister specialising in Employment Law and Judicial Review and Mamobo Ogoro, presenter of Unified on NewsTalk to discuss the big news stories this past week.Hit ‘Listen’ for more.

Anton is joined by Brian Nolan from Leinster Open Sea, who is competing in his 31st Liffey Swim. The annual Liffey Swim takes place in September each year, and boasts over 400 competitors. Hit ‘Listen’ to hear more about Brian’s ‘family tradition’ of swimming the length of the capital’s river. 

Having spent over 25 years as Religious Affairs Correspondent with the Irish Times, there are few people more equipped than Patsy McGarry to comment on the current place that religion and religious organisations occupy in Irish society. Patsy has just penned his memoir titled, ‘Well, Holy God’ and he joins Anton for a chat.

Depending how you look at it, Botox is a safe and certain way to smooth wrinkles and fine lines, boosting your self-esteem and sense of self-worth. On the flip side of that, it is a toxin that fixes your skin into a permanent "frozen" expression, further adding to a culture of increasing beauty standards. So, what are the considerations when approaching cosmetic procedures such as Botox and filler? Liz Dwyer is the Co-founder of the Future Beauty and Health Show & Co-host of the ‘Fess Up’ podcast on GoLoud & Dr Emma Cunningham is an Aesthetic Doctor and Founder of Dr Emma Clinics in Newry and Slieve Donard. Both join Anton for a chat.

Anton is joined in studio by Minister for Public Expenditure and TD for Dublin Central, Paschal Donohoe to discuss the upcoming Budget 2025. The Minister has said that this week’s EU ruling ordering Ireland to collect €14 billion in back taxes from Apple will not impact on the upcoming budget.

Joining Anton to discuss the main stories in the Sunday papers is Ireland and Britain Editor of The Irish Times, Mark Hennessy, Frances Fitzgerald and Political Commentator Ursula Savage.

Anton is joined 'In conversation' with folk singer, songwriter, and harpist, Moya Brennan.

Joining Anton for this week's Ask The Expert is Dr Mary O’Kane, lecturer in Psychology and Early Childhood Education, who is here to answer your parenting questions.

The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA), has proposed limiting passenger seat capacity at Dublin Airport over next summer because of the passenger cap at the airport. Michael O'Leary, Ryanair CEO joins Anton to discuss.

Home renovations are challenging and with a dearth of builders, architects and designers out there, planning ahead is crucial in making the whole process as seamless as possible. Shay Lally of Houses to Restore joins Anton to discuss.

Joining Anton to run through the main stories from the Saturday papers is journalist, Lise Hand & Gina London, Leadership communications expert and Sunday Independent columnist.

Jane Cregan, Deputy Corporate Communication Manager with Irish Rail joins Anton to discuss Irish Rail disruption seen this week and what the future plans are for the rail network as a whole.

When he’s not jet setting off to Italy, Spain or Portugal, or foraging around the Greenway’s of Ireland, you may just spot a wild Neven Maguire wandering around the Irish coast in search of Ireland’s best coastal restaurants, cafes, food stalls and trucks. It’s all part of his latest TV series, 'Neven's Coastal Food Trails' .Neven joins Anton to chat.

Simon Raymonde is a musician, producer, and one-third of the seminal band Cocteau Twins. His recently released memoir is titled ‘In One Ear: Cocteau Twins, Ivor Raymonde and Me’ .Simon joins Anton for a chat.

Earlier this week, Sinn Féin launched its A Home of Your Own paper, a 109-page document that sets out how, if in government, Sinn Féin would deliver 300,000 public and private homes over five years. But with political opponents referring to it as ‘an almost Frankenstein arrangement’ and simply ‘not possible’, just how feasible is it in reality? Eoin Ó Broin TD, Sinn Féin spokesperson for housing joins Anton to discuss.

Joining Anton to discuss the main stories in the Sunday papers is Former Director of One in Four, Colm O'Gorman, Former Minister for Justice, Equality & Defence, Alan Shatter and Woodview HRM HR and Dispute Resolution Expert, Louisa Meehan.

Anton is joined by 80s royalty Marc Almond, formerly of synth-pop/new wave duo Soft Cell, to talk about dealing with fame in his younger years, his latest album, 'I'm Not Anyone', and his upcoming show in the 3Olympia Theatre in Dublin on Thursday, September 26th.

Joining Anton to answer all of your DIY related questions for this week's installment of Ask the Expert is Peter Finn, better known as 'Pete the Builder'.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will pay a visit to Ireland today following an invitation by Taoiseach Simon Harris issued at their meeting in Chequers on 17 July. This is part of efforts on both sides of the Irish Sea to reset relations following Brexit. Joining Anton to discuss is Bobby McDonagh, former Irish ambassador to the EU and UK & Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, Fine Gael TD for Dún Laoghaire and Minister of State for European Affairs and Defence.

Joining Anton to go through the main stories from the Saturday papers is Killian Woods, Senior Business Reporter with the Business Post & Alison Comyn, Fianna Fáil candidate for Louth.

The Galway Comedy Festival will be taking place between October 22nd and October 28th. Anton is joined by comedian Dylan Moran to talk all things standup, the festival itself, and how he wishes more people would heckle him on stage.

Keir Starmer is set to become the first British Prime Minister to visit the Ireland in five years marking a "new era of cooperation and friendship" between the two nations. Joining Anton to look ahead to today's events is Newstalk reporter, Alex Rowley.

This Wednesday the National Concert Hall is hosting a special performance, The Sound of Hollywood, which will see iconic MGM musicals performed in concert. Such as Singin’ in the Rain and the The Wizard of Oz,  But many of the iconic sounds that came out of the golden era of musicals in the 40s and 50s were nearly lost. Joining Anton to tell the story was story Niall Kinsella Conductor of the concert

The scramble and mania for Oasis tickets Yesterday has left many fans of the iconic band disappointed and ticketless.. The experience yesterday from many was frustration, as the Ticketmaster website reportedly kicked users out of queues and faced numerous technical issues. Additionally, Ticketmaster has come under fire concerning the pricing structure of the tickets which saw ‘in demand’ standing tickets double In price. Joining Anton to reflect was Conor Pope, Irish Times Consumer Affairs Correspondent and Dave Fanning, Veteran broadcaster and music journalist.

Earlier in the week the Central Statistics Office (CSO) released figures detailing immigration and emigration in and out of the country.  149,200 people immigrated to the Republic of Ireland in the 12 months leading up to April 2024 while 69,000 people emigrated in the same period. These stats have gotten lots of attention in the last week from those across the political spectrum, but joining Anton to give statistical context behind the figures was Keira Murphy, European Migration Network Policy Officer with the ESRI.

Joining Anton to discuss the main stories in the Sunday papers is Lynn Boylan Sinn Fein MEP for Dublin, Fiona Looney, Columnist with the Irish Daily Mail and Paul Hosford, Political Correspondent with the Irish Examiner

Yesterday the scramble for Oasis tickets got away and immediately the backlash against Ticketmaster from the public was rife. With tens of thousands unable to purchase tickets for the reunion of the iconic band, anger against the ticket distribution company was palpable. But was the Rhetoric around Ticketmaster after yesterday's fair given the demand for tickets? Joining Anton was Tommy Higgins, former executive vice-president of Ticketmaster Europe as well as his paper panel Lynn Boylan Sinn Fein MEP for Dublin, Fiona Looney, Columnist with the Irish Daily Mail and Paul Hosford, Political Correspondent with the Irish Examiner

Today marks National Cinema Day, meaning that you can go to the cinema today to watch a film on the big screen for the price of five euros. However, is the business of cinemas in Ireland today in good condition? Anton was joined by Producer with Treasure Entertainment Rebecca O’Flanagan and by John Kelleher of Producer and Former Director of Irish Film Classification Office to discuss this.

Joining Anton for this week's installment of Ask The Expert is joined by Sarah Keogh, Dietician and founder of Eatwell.

Today marks the 30th anniversary of the IRA ceasefire. Former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern joined Anton on the show to reflect on that time.

Heinz has announced that Spaghetti Carbonara will be launched in stores starting next week. However, can this new product by the brand be as good as a homemade recipe?Anton was joined by Manuela Spinelli Head of Community at EEuro-Toques Ireland and  Former interpreter for Giovanni Trapattoni and by Gary O’Hanlon, Chef at the K Club, to discuss this.

Joining Anton to go through the main stories from the Saturday papers are broadcaster and writer Barbara Scully and Jack Horgan-Jones, political reporter with The Irish Times.         

As thousands wait in Ticketmaster queues in an attempt to buy tickets for Oasis's hugely anticipated reunion concerts next year, Anton was joined by Political Correspondent with Virgin Media News and Oasis superfan, Gavin Reilly, and by Newstalk's own Bella Finn.

This week Anton sits down with 'brainhacker' Keith Barry.

Anton speaks with Kat DeLorean, who is reviving her father’s dream by launching a sports car. 

The Restaurant Association of Ireland (RAI) have counted 577 restaurant closures between September 2023 and this past July - around two per day. Beloved Dublin eatery UKIYO, is another restaurant having to close its doors after 20 years of business. Co-owner Duncan Maguire and CEO of the RAI, Adrian Cummins join Anton to tell us more about these closures. 

Joining Anton to discuss the main stories in the Sunday papers is broadcaster Matt Cooper, Zara King, Virgin Media News Correspondent and journalist Valerie Cox.

Joining Anton to answer all of your gardening questions is Brian Burke, RTÉ Super Garden Judge and Woodie’s DIY and Garden Expert.

Joining Anton to chat about his work as a chef and pitmaster is Evan LeRoy, co-owner of LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue in Austin, Texas.

The Aer Lingus College Football Classic will be taking place at the Aviva Stadium later on today. John Antony, co-founder of the Aer Lingus College Football Classics & Ty Henry, Captain and Quarterback of the Dublin Rebels join Anton to preview the festivities.

Democrats Abroad Ireland has set an ambitious goal of registering 10,000 voters for the upcoming US Presidential election. Patti Schnably Shields, Chair of Democrats Abroad Ireland joins Anton to discuss this and to reflect on the Democratic National Convention which took place this week.

Broadcaster, author, and wildlife expert Eanna Ni Lamhna joins Anton to chat about what we can do to keep spiders out of the house as the weather begins to get a bit cooler.

Joining Anton to go through the main stories from the Saturday papers is Michelle Murphy, Research and Policy Analyst at Social Justice Ireland & John Lee, Executive Editor of the Daily Mail Group.

The first of the measures contained in the adopted Dublin City Transport Plan will come into effect from the 25th of August 2024. Anton is joined by Geraldine Herbert, Motoring Editor with the Sunday Independent to discuss this.

For Team Ireland the Paris Olympics was the most successful ever Games with seven medals in total - four gold, three bronze - not to mention 26 top-10 finishes. One of the athletes in amongst it all representing Ireland on the athletics track was Phil Healy - she joins Anton to talk about the experience.

Heinz and Barnardos have teamed up again to support vulnerable families in Ireland with the launch of their limited-edition 'Heinz Meanz Mealz' Beanz three-packs. As part of the campaign research commissioned by Heinz has shed light on the important role of shared mealtimes in fostering connections and happiness for families. Joining Anton to discuss this is Chartered Clinical Psychologist, Dr Malie Coyne.

The Democratic National Convention starts tomorrow August 19th and will run until August 22nd. Joining Anton to discuss what we might expect this coming week and beyond is writer, communicator, and strategist, Alastair Campbell.

Joining Anton to discuss the main stories in the Sunday papers is political commentator, Ursula Ní Shabhais; Paul Reid, Chair of the Citizens Assembly on Drug Use and Former HSE Chief; and Craig Hughes, Political Editor of the Irish Daily Mail.

Joining Anton 'In conversation' this week is author and journalist, Amanda Cassidy whose latest book is The Perfect Place.

Joining Anton for this week's installment of Ask The Expert is Sonia McEntee, Principal Solicitor at Sonia McEntee Solicitors and Chair of the Law Society PR Committee.