Newstalk Weekend

'Kormac' went from making guitar demos in his bedroom to Hip Hop DJing and eventually to composing soundtracks for TV and Film - he joins Anton to discuss his artistic process and what it's like to be a soundtrack and film composer.

A European Parliament vote calling for a ceasefire to the Israeli offensive against Hamas in Gaza illustrated some dividing lines between Fianna Fail and Fine Gael MEPs this week. Fianna Fail MEP Barry Andrews said on this issue that “the inclusion of conditionality clauses with respect to a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, supported by right-wing MEPs, was a red-line issue for us” - he joins Anton to discuss.

Adam Kay went from being a struggling doctor to a wildly successful comedian and a best-selling children’s author with a BAFTA award-winning TV series about his life in which Ben Whishaw played him. His new show is coming to Ireland on February 7th which sees him give a hilarious and often moving account of that transition - he joins Anton to discuss.

Joining Anton to discuss the proposed new plans to replace Ireland’s TV licence fee as well as the value of having a public broadcaster in general is ShinAwil CEO, Larry Bass.

Joining Anton to review the main stories in the Sunday papers is broadcaster and commentator, David Davin Power; John Lee, Executive Editor of the Daily Mail Group Ireland; and journalist & author, Valerie Cox.Anton is also joined by Alan O'Reilly of Carlow Weather to give us an update as Storm Isha makes its way across the country.

Anton is joined by Derval O’Rourke, Olympian, businesswoman and columnist to discuss Derval being the guest editor of the Irish Examiner's Weekend magazine.

Paul McKenna went from being a DJ, to being a stage performer, to being a huge TV success as a hypnotist, to ultimately then becoming the author of tens of millions of self-help books, the latest of which, ‘Success For Life’, has just been published. He joins Anton to chat about how he first became interested in hypnosis, his love of radio, and more.

Joining Anton for this week's installment of Ask the Expert is Brian Burke, RTÉ Super Garden Judge, and Woodie's DIY and Garden Expert.

A total of 184 people died in 173 fatal collisions in 2023. When you compare this to 2022 which saw 155 deaths in 149 collisions, this represents a 19% rise in road deaths. Joining Anton to discuss this increase, assess what has changed, and what needs to change going forward is RSA Chairperson, Liz O'Donnell.

Newstalk has teamed up with Laya Healthcare to explore wellbeing in the workplace, and one of the key trends that their recent index found was that the cost of living is among the top stressors for employees. Joining Anton to discuss is financial planner, Paul Merriman, with some tips on how we can better manage our money. The Laya Healthcare Workplace Wellbeing Index, available at layahealthcare.ie/wellbeingindex.

Joining Anton to go through some of the top stories from the morning papers are author and broadcaster, Barbara Scully & Fionnán Sheahan, Ireland Editor of the Irish Independent.Anton also spoke to Barry Kenny, Corporate Communications Manager with Iarnród Éireann about reports that the €140m plan to get trains running on time has been delayed by up to two years.

Gangland crime is an issue that has dogged Dublin, and indeed the country as a whole, for some time and it can be hard to see an immediate way to solve the problem. This is true both for the government and often for the individuals involved but one man who was able to move away from that life of crime is George McCabe, the owner of G Force Fitness - he joins Anton to discuss.

Derek Rowen aka 'Guggi' is an artist, painter, and sculptor, and once a member of the post-punk band Virgin Prunes. His artistic style has evolved throughout the years making him one of the most accomplished and recognized Irish artists of his generation. He joins Anton to reflect on his early years, his life as an artist, and his upcoming exhibition at the Kerlin Gallery in Dublin.

Anton is joined by Roderic O’Gorman, Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration, and Youth.Together they discuss Ireland's immigration policy, the ongoing resistance to housing refugees in certain communities, and the fight against misinformation and disinformation online in relation to this issue.

Joining Anton to review the main stories in the Sunday papers is Fergus Finlay, former CEO of Barnardos; Gina London, international communications strategist & trainer; and John Cunningham, former Chair of the Immigrant Council of Ireland & Relationship Director at Morgan Mckinley.

Joining Anton for this week's episode of Ask the Expert is dietitian and founder of Eatwell, Sarah Keogh.

Mandy Hickson is a pioneering fast jet pilot, who was just the second woman ever to fly a Tornado GR4 on the front line. She is now a renowned keynote speaker and expert in Strategic Leadership who has been MCing at the Pendulum Summit this week. She joins Anton to discuss her time in the RAF and the challenges she faced along the way.

It has been described by the UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, as one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in UK history: the prosecution of thousands of Post Office owners for alleged fraud between 1999 and 2015 - the overwhelming majority of whom were falsely accused. So, how did this happen and who is responsible? Anton is joined by Enda Brady, TRT World presenter to discuss.

Joining Anton to run through some of the main stories from the Saturday papers are Hugh O’Connell, Deputy Political Editor at the Irish Independent & Adrienne Sweeney, Director of Powerscourt Springs Health Farm and News Reader at Newstalk.

Yesterday saw the news that Nash 19, one of Cork’s best-known restaurants closed its doors with immediate effect after more than three decades in business. It comes as more shops and restaurants in Cork City, and across the country, are closing their doors for good. Joining Anton to discuss the challenges facing business owners in the hospitality sector is Kevin Herlihy, Cork Business Association President & Chef, Gary O'Hanlon.

2024 promises to be a big year for global politics and we here in Ireland are no different as we gear up for the local and European elections later this summer. But with a general election also on the horizon, how are we to make sense of all the coalition permutations? Joining Anton to discuss this as well as their new podcast 'Path to Power’, is Ivan Yates, broadcaster and former Fine Gael Minister & author and broadcaster, Matt Cooper.

Irish rugby players have been enjoying a rare weekend off with big challenges ahead in both provincial and international rugby over the next few weeks, but for former Irish international, Frankie Sheahan, a huge event looms large on the horizon. Wednesday, January 10th, will see the opening of the 10th edition of the World’s No.1 leadership & self-empowerment event, the Pendulum Summit. Frankie Sheahan, the CEO and founder of Pendulum Summit joins Ivan Yates to discuss.

On Thursday UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, signaled that the UK's next general election will take place in the autumn, saying his “working assumption” was that the UK would go to the polls in the “second half of this year”. But with his Conservative Party trailing Labour by an average of 18 points in the polls, is Kerr Starmer a safe bet to be the next UK PM? Writer, communicator, and strategist, Alastair Campbell joins Ivan Yates to discuss this and more.

Ivan Yates is joined by the Labour Party Leader and TD for Dublin Bay South, Ivana Bacik.Together they discuss Labour plans for the upcoming local and European elections, speculation regarding a possible merger with the Social Democrats, as well as the ongoing issues surrounding immigration in Ireland.

Joining Ivan Yates to review the main stories in the Sunday papers is Cara Augustenborg, Assistant Professor in Landscape Studies and Environmental Policy at University College Dublin; Larry Bass, CEO of production company, ShinAwiL; and Peter Leonard, Barrister and presenter of the Fifth Court, Ireland’s Legal Podcast.Ivan is also joined by comedian, Alison Spittle to talk about her New Year's resolutions.

The RSA released its “Provisional Review of Fatalities” report for 2023 earlier this week. The report showed that road deaths surged by almost 20% last year with 184 people losing their lives representing the highest number of deaths on Irish roads since 2016. And with seven deaths on the roads this week alone already, what can be done from a legislative point of view to reduce this figure in 2024? Jack Chambers, Minister of State at the Department of Transport joins Ivan Yates to discuss.

January 6, is Nollaig na mBan, traditionally a day that rewards women for their hard work over the Christmas season. While that idea might now seem somewhat antiquated, it is still important to recognise the role women play in Irish society and to reflect on just how far we’ve come and how far we have to go when it comes to creating true equality. Joining Steffanie Preissner to discuss is journalist Mary Kenny, who was among those on the Contraception Train in 1971 & singer, Mary Coughlan who is taking part in this year’s Nollaig na mBan festival.

Joining Stefanie Preissner 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.

Yesterday the Department of Housing released stark statistics showing that the number of men, women, and children in homelessness in Ireland reached a new high of 13,514 in November and a record 4,105 children faced Christmas without a home. Joining Stefanie Preissner to reflect on this and discuss whether enough is being done to solve this crisis are Brandon O’Connor, founder of Dublin Homeless Awareness & Wayne Stanley, Simon Community’s Executive Director.

This weekend will see the Golden Globe Awards take place with many Irish actors being nominated, from Cillian Murphy and Andrew Scott to Barry Keoghan. But what’s it like to receive this kind of global recognition and how much bearing does it have on the Oscars? Joining Stefanie Preissner to discuss is Nora Twomey, Oscar and Golden Globe-nominated director from Cartoon Saloon.

Joining Stefanie Preissner to go through some of the top stories from the Saturday papers is Mark Hennessy, Ireland and Britain Editor with the Irish Times & Philip Ryan, Political Editor with Mediahuis Ireland.

It's January, it’s dark, it’s cold, and most of us have zero motivation to do anything else but sit on the couch and wait out the winter. But how can we sustain our motivation throughout the year? Gerry Hussey, one of the country’s leading Health and Performance coaches joins Stefanie Preissner to discuss.

Baz Ashmawy talks to Anton about his life and career as well as his new show 'Faithless' on Virgin Media.

Brian Lloyd, Movies Editor at entertainment.ie is in studio with Anton to look back on the biggest moments from film, TV and music throughout 2023.Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

Off the Ball's Ger Gilroy joins Anton to look back on the biggest moments in sport through 2023.

Anton is joined by Broadcaster Valerie Cox, Consumer Editor of The Irish Times Conor Pope and Ireland Editor of The Irish Independent Fionnán Sheahan to reflect on the biggest stories that happened in 2023.

Joining Luke O'Neill to go through some of the top stories from the morning papers is author and broadcaster, Barbara Scully & Hugh O’Connell, Deputy Political Editor at the Irish Independent.

Luke O'Neill is joined in studio by the Dublin Gospel Choir to sing 'You're the Voice' as we say farewell to 2023.

It's New Year’s Eve tomorrow and with that comes a lot of anticipation around what the coming year might bring but also for the night itself and all the fun and excitement that comes with it.Joining Luke O'Neill to chat through some of the best things to watch and to do for New Year’s Eve is Ali Ryan, founder & CEO of Goss Media.

Joining Luke O'Neill for this week's installment of Ask the Expert is Dr Mary O’Kane, Lecturer in Psychology and Early Childhood Education.

Even though we're not quite finished with 2023, many people will be planning their next trip in 2024 but where are the best places to go and how do we get the best value for money? Eoghan Corry, Editor of Air and Travel Magazine joins Luke O'Neill to discuss.

We are well and truly post-Christmas now but that doesn't mean the spending stops as this is often the best time of year to get the best bang for your buck. But have our spending habits changed and what lies ahead for 2024?Joining Luke O'Neill to discuss the state of play in the retail sector is retail strategist, Miriam Simon.

Mandy is joined in conversation with Spencer Matthews.Together they discuss his start in television, the runaway success of his podcast career, as well as the making of his film 'Finding Michael'.

Mark Moriarty is an award-winning chef, TV host, and author of 'Flavour: Every Day Food Made Exceptional' - winning the Cookbook of the Year award at the An Post Irish Book Awards - and he’s also doing the 'Off Duty Chef Christmas Show' next week for RTÉ. Mark joins Mandy to chat about the success and inspiration behind his book, and he also gives us a few tips on how to get things right on Christmas Day.

The government has approved plans to recognise international surrogacy for the first time, giving much-needed legal protection to intended parents and children. Fine Gael Senator, Mary Seery Kearney joins Mandy Johnston to discuss.

Joining Mandy Johnston this morning to review the biggest stories in the Sunday papers is Aideen Finnegan, Podcast Producer with the Irish Times; Brianna Parkins, journalist and columnist with the Irish Times; and Feargal O’Rourke, who recently retired as Managing Partner of PwC.Mandy also speaks to Donal MacNamee, Senior business reporter with the Business Post to discuss leaked documents that reveal how staff of Elon Musk's X were stripped of powers to remove toxic content from its platform.

This week Anton hit the road with the one and only Mario Rosenstock. Together they discuss his time at Trinity College Dublin, his relationship with Tony Fenton, and what drew him to acting and performing early on.With thanks to NiftiBusiness one of Ireland’s most experienced and innovative fleet management providers.

Joining Anton for this week's episode of Ask The Expert is GP Dr Eleanor Galvin.

How much are you planning to spend on your gifts, food, and drink this festive season? The latest survey by Newstalk’s Amárach Christmas poll has revealed that those of you in Dublin and also those with children are more likely to spend more than €500 on gifts – and the majority plan to spend around €100-€150 on the Christmas food shop. Joining Anton to discuss this is Conor Pope, Consumer Affairs Correspondent with the Irish Times & Darina Allen from the Ballymaloe Cookery School in Cork.

50 years ago, eight Americans were climbing Aconcagua in Argentina. Tragically, two of the party perished in their attempt to make it to the summit but the circumstances surrounding their fate have been subject to intense scrutiny and speculation ever since. Recently, the camera of one of the climbers was found and the New York Times has published the images from her final hours. Joining Anton to share the story is New York Times reporter, John Branch.