Newstalk Weekend

Joining Anton to go through the top stories from the morning papers is journalist, Lise Hand & Philip Ryan, Political Editor of the Irish Independent.

Have you ever wondered what makes you a morning person? Research released this week shows that ancient DNA may contribute to your enthusiasm for an early start. Joining Anton to discuss is Luke O’Neill, Professor of Biochemistry at the School of Immunology, Trinity College Dublin.

This morning Anton was joined by Colm Meaney to talk Politics, Acting and 'The Snapper'.

This morning Anton was joined by Feargal Harrington, Dating Expert, CEO Intro Matchmaking to get a better understanding of why December 11th is the biggest break-up day of the year

Minister Darragh O’Brien joined Anton to talk about housing, refugees and capacity.

Joining Anton this morning to review the biggest stories in the papers was: Siona Cahill- Account director DHR Communications, Aoife Barry, Journalist and Author of ‘Social Capital: Life Online in the Shadow of Ireland's Tech Boom’, Craig Hughes, Political Correspondent, Irish Daily Mail.

Irish Examiner columnist and former ‘Home of the Year' winner Jennifer Sheahan joins Anton to discuss the do’s and don’ts of regifting, especially around this time of year.

The regulation of content on social media was brought into sharp focus following the recent Dublin riots. Coimisiún na Meán have just published a draft of Ireland’s first Online Safety Code which aims to provide binding rules for video-sharing platforms to keep incendiary commentary regulated. The Executive Chairperson, Jeremy Godfrey, joins Anton to discuss.

Skincare specialist Jennifer Rock, owner of TheSkinNerd.com and Skingredients, is in the studio today to answer how we can look after our skin.

Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson appeared before a public Covid inquiry this week where he denied backing a ‘let the virus rip’ policy, as Taoiseach Leo Varadkar says he hopes the terms of reference for an Covid inquiry on Irish shores ‘will happen soon’. So what would we need to see from it here? Kingston Mills, Professor of Experimental Immunology in the School of Biochemistry and Immunology in Trinity College Dublin, and Michael McNamara, Independent TD for Clare, who chaired the Oireachtas Covid Committee in 2020 join Anton.

Joining Anton to go through Saturday’s biggest stories is Mark Hennessy, Ireland and Britain Editor for the Irish Times and Barbara Scully, author and broadcaster.

Shane MacGowan’s funeral yesterday gathered thousands paying their respects, and means the number of Irish music icons continues to shrink. Newstalk’s Tom Dunne joins Anton to discuss whether or not this country can platform future stars.

John Lloyd is a veteran television/radio producer and writer, famous for bringing the likes of Not the Nine O'Clock News, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Spitting Image, Blackadder, QI to our screens and airwaves.He joins Anton to reflect on his career, the importance of satire in UK culture, and the attitudes that underpin the success of his various works.

Joe Shannon can often be seen cooking up a storm for Ireland AM or be heard on the airwaves on Ocean FM, but more recently he has become an advocate for cancer awareness following his diagnosis of bowel cancer in 2021.Joe joins Anton to discuss his terminal diagnosis and staying positive in the face of adversity.

It’s been a challenging time for restaurants and retail around the country with the cost of living affecting consumer pockets and making all the input costs for restaurateurs and retailers significantly more expensive.To discuss the state of the restaurant and retail landscape ahead of the busy Christmas period is Neale Richmond, Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade, and Employment with special responsibility for Business, Employment, and Retail; Sharon Yourell Lawlor, MD of Think Plan Do Consulting; and Adrian Cummins, CEO of the Restaurant Association of Ireland.

Joining Anton to take a look at the biggest stories from the Sunday papers are John Lee, Executive Editor of the Daily Mail Group; Gabija Gataveckaite, News reporter at Independent.ie; and John Cunningham, Relationship Director with Morgan McKinley & former Chair of the Immigrant Council of Ireland.

Anton is joined by four of the stars of Glenroe: Mary McEvoy, Isobel Mahon, Alan Stanford and Geraldine Plunkett to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the TV show.

Now we saw last week what many people have been flagging for months now, if not years, that we here in Ireland are not immune to the rise in far-right ideologies or conspiracy theories. One man who has been following this trend is David Gilbert, reporter at WIRED who covers disinformation and online extremism. He joins Anton to discuss why this trend is happening.@daithaigilbert on Twitter.

In this week’s Ask the Expert, Anton is joined by Dr. Roisin O’Loughlin of Fertility HQ to talk all things fertility, testing and health.

98FM’s Ciaran O’Connor joins Anton to discuss what it means to be a Christmas chart-topper and the history of them. Do any of them actually reach number one in the charts? And how many artists are one-hit wonders when it comes to the festive season?

Joining Anton to go through some of Saturday’s biggest stories is Eileen Dunne, journalist and broadcaster, as well as Hugh O’Connell, Deputy Political Editor at the Irish Independent.

Joining Anton to assess the state of the Irish retail sector in the run-up to Christmas and following on from the events of last week is Jean McCabe, CEO of Retail Excellence Ireland.

You might be familiar with the Isle of Man TT which sees motorcycle racers compete on closed public two-lane country roads at speeds exceeding 300kph, making it one of, if not the, most dangerous motorcycle race in the world. One man who has been involved in these races for decades, albeit from the other side of the hedge, is Stephen Davison. He is a photographer, journalist, and author of a number of books on motorbike road racing, the latest of which being ‘The Dunlop Dynasty: The World’s Greatest Road Racing Family' - he joins Anton to reflect on 40 years covering the sport and the legacy of the Dunlop family.

Anton is joined by Paschal Donohoe, Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery & Reform.Together they discuss the aftermath of the Dublin city riots, the root causes of the unrest, the fast-tracking of facial recognition legislation & the release of Emily Hand by Hamas.

Earlier this month, Frances Fitzgerald announced that she will not contest the European Parliament elections next year. Ms Fitzgerald has been an MEP for Dublin since July 2019 having previously served as Tánaiste; Minister for Business Enterprise and Innovation; Minister for Justice and Equality; Minister for Children and Youth Affairs; and a TD from 1992 to 2002 and 2011 to 2019 - she joins Anton to discuss the future and her past achievements throughout her political career.

Joining Anton to take a look at the biggest stories from the Sunday papers is Former Garda Commissioner, Nóirín O'Sullivan; Former Minister of State, Conor Lenihan; and Peter Leonard, barrister and presenter of the Business Post's 'Law in Trial' podcast.Anton also speaks to Kieran Cunningham, chief sports writer and current affairs columnist with the Irish Daily Star about Katie Taylor's victory over Chantelle Cameron in the 3Arena last night.

For this week's ask the expert Anton was joined by Brian Burke as he talks us through gardening during the winter months.

Anton was joined by John O'Hegarty the man regarded as Ireland's most notorious bank robber alongside Kevin Doyle, Group Head of News at Mediahuis. Together the pair have created 'I'm not here to hurt you' the podcast which retells the shocking story of John O'Hegarty's life as a bank robber.

Anton was joined by Boxing Promoter and Chairman of Matchroom Sports, Eddie Hearn to look ahead to Katie Taylor's huge fight tonight.

Anton was joined in studio by Minister Eamon Ryan to talk about the recent Dublin Riots, travelling to COP28 in Dubai and Elon Musk's comments about Ireland.

Joining Anton to go through some of the main stories from the Saturday papers is  Brenda Power, columnist with the Sunday Times and the Irish Daily Mail & Fergus Finlay, Irish Examiner columnist.

Last night was Patrick Kielty's first late late toy show so today Anton was joined by Newstalk's own Simon Tierney & author and broadcaster Barbara Scully

GB News host and former UKIP leader Nigel Farage will enter the jungle for this year’s edition of 'I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here!''. While he’s a notable entry this year, he is certainly not the first UK politician to be parachuted into the Australian outback, but will it hurt or enhance his public profile? Edwina Currie, former Conservative Minister and former participant of 'I’m a Celebrity...' joins Anton to discuss.

We are three months shy of a full two years since Russian military forces launched an unprovoked attack on Ukraine. To discuss the ongoing conflict, the experience of Ukrainian refugees in Ireland, and whether there is a sense that support for the war is on the wane, Anton is joined by Ukrainian Ambassador to Ireland, Larysa Gerasko.

Broadcaster and author, Matt Cooper, joins Anton to reflect on the turbulent business life of Ben Dunne, following his death at the age of 74.

Joining Anton to take a look at the biggest stories from the Sunday papers is Hugh O'Connell, Deputy Political Editor at the Irish Independent; Valerie Cox, Journalist and author; and business strategist, Miriam Simon.Anton also speaks to Brian Carey, Business Editor at The Sunday Times & Newstalk's own, Bobby Kerr, about the life and legacy of Ben Dunne following his death at the age of 74.

Daniel Mulhall spent over 40 years in Ireland’s diplomatic corps having served as Ambassador to the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Malaysia. He is currently a Resident Fellow at the Institute of Politics at Harvard University and is the author of ‘Pilgrim Soul: W.B. Yeats and the Ireland of His Time’. He joins Anton to discuss Yeats’ impact on Irish cultural heritage as well as the overall state of play in UK and US politics.

Joining Anton for this week's episode of Ask the Expert is Dr Mary O'Kane, psychology and early childhood education lecturer.

Opportunities and challenges facing rural Ireland and the agriculture sector will be discussed at a Fine Gael special conference in Maynooth today. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar will be joined by Ministers and Fine Gael members to discuss a range of issues including how delivering for rural Ireland is one of the party’s top priorities. Joining Anton to discuss is Paschal Donohoe, Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery & Reform.

Conor Pope, Consumer Affairs Correspondent with The Irish Times, joins Anton to give us some tips on what to look out for come next week’s ‘Black Friday’ sales on November 24th.

Joining Anton to go through some of the main stories from the Saturday papers is Richie Oakley, former Business Post editor and now with PR firm Murray Group & Stefanie Preissner, writer, and broadcaster.

Later today Fine Gael will hold a ‘special conference’ in Maynooth, Co Kildare with a focus on delivering for rural Ireland. To explain what farmers will be looking for today is Francess McDonnell, Deputy News Editor of Agriland.ie who is in attendance.

Anton spoke to Colonel Chris Hadfield about this lengthy career and his latest book 'The Defector'.

Anton was joined in studio by Mark Little to talk about his new Docu-Drama "Tomorrow Tonight" airing this Wednesday.-

Anton was joined in studio by Simon Harris TD is the Minister for Further & Higher Education, Research, Innovation, and Science & Justice to talk education, Sinn Féin and housing.

Joining Anton this morning to take a look at the biggest stories of the day are Daithí de Róiste, The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Sarah Benson, CEO of Women's Aid, and Adrienne Sweeney, Director of Powerscourt Springs Health Farm and News Reader at NewstalkAlso joining the panel is George Parker, Political Editor of the Financial Times to give us the latest update on the protests in the UK.

A new book, an award-winning podcast, and a sold-out gig to come later this month, life seems to be treating Blindboy pretty well these days. He joins Anton for a chat about the creative process, mental health, and the necessity of failure in the pursuit of success.

For this week's installment of Ask The Expert, Anton is joined by Pete the Vet to answer all of your veterinary questions.

Sinn Féin's two-day Ard Fheis continues in Athlone, Co. Westmeath today with Party leader, Mary-Lou McDonald, set to deliver her presidential address to the conference at 6.30pm this evening. Louise O’Reilly, Spokesperson on Workers' Rights, Enterprise, Trade and Employment, and TD for Dublin Fingal joins Anton to discuss this and the prospect of going into government in the near future.

When his first book was published nine years ago, Terry Hayes was hailed as the ‘new’ Freddy Forsythe. Hayes’ second novel, The Year of the Locust, has just been published - he joins Anton to tell him about it and more.