The Pat Kenny Show

Consultant Ophthalmologist Arthur Cummins is our Ask the Expert this week and outlines the importance of a regular eye exam. 

Newfoundland may feel far away, but would you be surprised to know it’s as close as the Canary Islands, and home to some of the most Irish communities outside Ireland? Well, a direct flight from Dublin, is now in place. Pól Ó Conghaile, Travel Editor with Irish Independent brings us the sights and sounds of Newfoundland.Travel is with thanks to Ryanair.

Working in a family business can be both rewarding and challenging. It’s a unique situation where personal and professional lives often overlap — and that affects relationships on every level. But there are many issues such as of trust, resentment, entitlement etc. There are 930,000 family business covering a wide variety of business firms, micro small and medium enterprises.So what are the difficulties of working in a family business? Pat discuss all this with Stephanie Regan, Clinical Psychotherapist.

BBC chair is expected to respond to MPs after Director General and News CEO resign following a criticism of a Panorama documentary. We get the details from Enda Brady, International TV News Anchor, TRT World.

The high-cost burden of skin disease for patients in Ireland skin disease is among the most common and psychologically distressing health problems in Ireland.  While many skin conditions are medically benign, their financial and emotional burden can be profound. We discuss this all with Selene Daly, Registered advanced Nurse and Nurse Tutor.

New research shows that fifty percent of Irish households ae more worried about a break-in compared to a year ago.   Despite the rise in concerns, there has actually been a decrease in the number of burglaries, over the past ten years.  So even with a drop in burglaries, how can people feel safer in their homes? Pat was joined on the show by Eoin Dunne, PhoneWatch Managing Director.

The 30th edition of the COP Climate Summit officially begins today in Belém, Brazil, 33 years after the landmark Rio Earth Summit in 1992. But what have they achieved since their first edition? And what could this edition achieve? All to discuss with Sadhbh O’Neill, Project Lead for Feminist Communities for Climate Justice.

Looking back over this past weekend in sport, Shamrock Rovers beat Cork City securing their first league-cup double since 1987, Ireland defeat Japan in Rugby, Manchester City victorious over Liverpool in the Premier League, Rory McIlroy falls just short of Abu Dhabi title in golf, and Donegal native Catriona Jennings has set a new 100 mile world record. Colm Boohig from Off The Ball looks back on the weekend of sport.

Tomorrow marks the 14th presidential inauguration in Ireland. Simon Tierney has been investigating the evolution of inauguration day over the decades and he joined Pat in studio to tell us all.

This week marks the 30th year of Science week with opportunities to explore events on space, women’s health, sports science and much more across the country. Dr Diarmuid O’Brien is CEO of Research Ireland, the agency that leads Science Week. Dr Diarmuid O’Brien, CEO, Research Ireland

The expected delay into Fianna fail’s review of the presidential election is causing disappointment within the party and leading to criticism of the Yaoiseach. We get all the details and more in our political roundup with Fionnán Sheehan, Ireland Editor with Irish Independent

Our Friday Forum looks back on the news stories of the week! Joining Pat today was Joe Neville TD, Kildare North, Fine Gael, Gary Gannon TD, Spokesperson for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Dublin Central, Social Democrats and also Tabitha Monahan, Political Reporter, Irish Independent and Presenter of the Indo Daily Podcast.

It's been three weeks since jewels worth an estimated 88 million euro were stolen from the Louvre art gallery in Paris. With four suspects in custody, focus is now shifting to the museum. The Louvre has been heavily criticised for neglecting security following a report from the court of auditors.  We get the details from Elaine Cobbe, Paris based journalist.  

This week, Gary O’Hanlon is looking at a classic Beef Stroganoff as the evening gets colder. 

Michael Palin joined Pat in studio to chat about his brand-new book ‘Michael Palin in Venezuela’, from the diary he kept while filming the travel series of the same name. The book takes from the bustling capital of Caracas to the summit of Cordillera de Mérida, and gives us a look at the politics and people of Venezuela.

A busy weekend of sport ahead, with Ireland taking on Japan in the rugby, Manchester City facing off with Liverpool in the Premier league, Rory McIlroy heads to Abu Dhabi for the HSBC Championship, the F1 heads to Brazil, and Shamrock rovers aim for a double as they play Cork City. Colm Boohig from Off The Ball looks ahead to the weekend of sport.

COP30 in Brazil. Can it have any impact without major polluters present? We heard from our reporter Jessica Woodlock who is at COP30 in Brazil and also Oisín Coughlan, Policy Advisor for Environmental Pillar.

Over half a million people will receive renewal notice for their insurance but with premiums set to increase. How can consumers get their bang for their buck? Bringing us a wealth of advice was  Dermot Goode, Health Insurance Ireland.ie.

he market for electric vehicles in Ireland is continuing to grow with EV’s overtaking diesel sales. One new EV hitting the market is the BMW ix3. This latest model is expected to have less of a carbon footprint than the petrol-powered X3, so how sustainable is it?  

New Apple TV Thriller series Down Cemetery Road starring Emma Thompson and from the creators of Slow Horses features in this weeks 'Boxed' with John Fardy, Presenter of Screentime. 

Cork comedian Chris Kent will be performing his last few shows from his ‘offline’ tour this month.  From touring across the UK, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, with two small kids and 100 shows. Life has been very busy for Chris. Chris joined Pat in studio to talk about how he’s been getting on and what life has been like since he went back online. 

Ice hockey team, the Belfast Giants, received a huge boost last week with the news that former Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech will rejoin the franchise for this season’s Elite Ice Hockey League. The links between Ireland and ice hockey may not be immediately obvious – but the sport was actually adapted from a 18th-century form of hurling. Off The Ball’s Cameron Hill can tell us more:

Mary ‘May’ McGee, activist who won landmark court case against the State’s ban on contraception. She left the country a little better than how she found it'‘ Her nephew writes a tribute to the incredible woman who fought the state on contraception ban so she wouldn’t die by pregnancy. Her nephew is David Robert Grimes, Author and Disinformation expert.   

A new podcast chronicling the serial fraudster, Amy McAuley. ‘Unravelling Amy’ will tell, over two parts, the story of Amy and the trail of deceit that followed her as she scammed a mental health charity, among many other individuals and institutions. Joining Pat on the show was Crime Editor of the Irish Sun Stephen Breen, Producer of the podcast, hosted by Damien Lane of the Irish Sun. 

There has been progress in this effort with immunotherapy becoming more common in the treatment of cancer, but many patients don’t respond to the immune boosters being used. Now comes news that patients with lung cancer are surviving twice as long in those who have also been given the mRNA Covid19 vaccines. All to discuss with Professor Luke O Neill , Professor of Biochemistry at the school of Immunology, Trinity College.   

The Department of Agriculture yesterday confirmed a second outbreak of bird flu at a commercial turkey flock in Meath, following confirmation of the disease among a Carlow flock. From next Monday, all poultry and captive birds will be under a compulsory housing order to minimise further risk of bird flu spreading. So will this have any impact on the supply of Christmas turkeys and what is the risk posed to the public? Pat asked Martin Heydon TD, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

Fianna Fáil’s infighting continues this week, with Micheál Martin flying to Brazil for the COP30 summit. With revolt in the air and Martin across the pond, could the rebels seize the moment and remove the Taoiseach? Joining Pat to discuss the latest news on the ongoing Fianna Fáil drama is Craig Hughes, Political Editor for the Irish Daily Mail. 

With fresh talk of the latte levy coming in after years of delays we take a look at coffee cup waste, alternatives and we hear about towns who have already banned them completely. All to discuss with Jo Linehan Climate Journalist 

The Movember  “Dispose with Dignity” campaign is being launched this morning, calling for male sanitary bins nationwide. At the moment they are only in ladies toilets. The Irish Cancer Society and PHS - a sanitary bin company, have come together to have a conversation and to reduce stigma around the subject. Henry McKean met a delivery driver recovering from prostate cancer, he tells Henry about his experience of having a catheter bag and finding it difficult to bin it, out and about.

Over the past number of years we have covered the lack of green spaces and play areas for children in Dublin 8, highlighting the difficulties the local community has had in making any progress towards a playing field in a community that is constantly growing in population. This morning, we return to that story once more but, this time, we have some good news to bring you on it with funding provided for a pitch at St James’ School. Pat spoke to JJ O’Mahony, Chairperson, Sporting Liberties on this good community news.

Ireland’s new auto-enrolment pension system is coming in 2026, with most of the public’s focus on the January start date. However, Caroline Rowan, Head of Retirement Consulting at Aon Ireland, believes that it is actually now, the beginning of November, that is the critical window for the auto-enrolment rollout.

In the middle of the Scottish hills, far from the museums and polite drawing rooms of Edinburgh, there’s a garden unlike any other on earth. It’s called Little Sparta, and it was created by one man. Ian Hamilton Finlay who turned a bleak stretch of moorland into a living battlefield of art and ideas. Diarmuid Gavin tell us more about LIttle Sparta.

Former Hurling superstar DJ Carey received his sentence on Monday, after defrauding those who trusted him claiming he had cancer. Joining me now is journalist and author Eimear Ní Bhraonáin, whose brand-new book, ‘The Dodger, DJ Carey And The Great Betrayal’, is out now. The book follows DJ’s life, from his childhood obsession with hurling, to his GAA career, and his swindling of supporters who believed they were funding lifesaving treatment. 

We all love a good classic the kind of film that defined a decade. But every so often, Hollywood decides to dust one off and remake it for modern audiences and the result doesn’t quite live up to the original. All to chat about with Lisa Cannon, Head of Studio at DMG Media.

Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani has been elected Mayor of New York City, defeating former Governor Andrew Cuomo, and becoming the first Muslim to ever hold the office. For this and more Pat spoke to Terry Sheridan, a Peabody-nominated, award-winning journalist, and Senior Director of News at WSHU Public Radio.   

Motorways are statistically very safe but they have particular dangers – especially in bad weather, and especially on the hard shoulder. All to discuss with Conor Faughnan, Transport Consultant. 

The Department of Finance has said that our housing crisis is likely to persist for at least another 15 years. Pent up demand will not be fully eliminated until at least 2040. However, this all depends on housing supply reaching sixty thousand a year by. But is this prediction that things will be better in fifteen years even realistic?Pat discusses this further with Lorcan Sirr, Senior Lecturer in Housing, TU Dublin and also Karl Deeter, Irish Mortgage Brokers.

This week on the Green Scene we take a look at the health benefits of outdoor schools and how stinkbugs coat their eggs in fungus to protect them.All to chat with Dr Ruth Freeman Director of Research for Society For Research Ireland .With thanks to Repak.

Have you ever wondered how the Irish speak English? Or maybe why we say words and phrases like ‘sure look’, ‘what’s the craic’ or ‘gway out of that’.  Colm O'Regan is an author, comedian and broadcaster and his new book called ‘gallivanting with words’ has the answer. 

Coast Guard pilots have said that conditions have worsened since the Rescue 116 tragedy. To discuss the issue with Pat was is Sinn Féin TD Conor D. McGuinness from Waterford, who is Chair of the Oireachtas Committee on Fisheries and Maritime Affairs.   

There have been fire safety concerns raised at more than 50 asylum centres according to a review by the Irish Times. Pat discusses this further with Ellen Coyne Political Correspondent.

November is typically marked by some nice new OS updates that add polish and a few minor features to the big release of the year, along with new shows and games on Apple’s services.Occasionally, we’ll get some hardware release in November as well. This year is shaping up to follow the expected pattern. Newstalk Technology Correspondent Jess Kelly tell us what might be coming this month from Apple.All with thanks for Renault.

Richard Satchwell was found guilty of murdering his wife in May of this year after deliberately lying to Gardaí, investigators and journalists since the day she went missing. Ralph Riegel, who covered this case since the beginning and who is from Youghal in county Cork, the same town as Tina, has told the full story along with co-author Paul Byrne in their new book ‘Beneath The Stairs’.  Ralph joined Pat in studio this morning.

Up to one in five women will experience a mental health problem in pregnancy or in the first year after birth. V-I-G or video intervention guidance is a special therapy for women with perinatal mental health difficulties. We hear about it with Dr Sabrina Coyle, Principal Specialist Psychologist in Perinatal mental health at the Coombe hospital, on the topic of perinatal mental health.

One of the names floated as a potential leader of a future Palestinian state is Marwan Barghouti . A 67 year old currently in Israeli jail following convictions including for murder and membership of a terrorist organisation. But who is Barghouti and why are so many calling for his release? Pat asked Fawaz Gerges, Professor of International Relations, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Claims that exam papers were being sold to electrical apprentices for 50 euro the night before a test have created questions around public safety. The alleged cheating in the trade also raised serious concerns of alleged criminal activity. We get more details on this story with Ellen Coyne, Political Correspondent with The Irish Times.

President Donald Trump has endorsed former Governor of New York Andrew Cuomo in his bid for mayor, having labelled his main opponent, Zohran Mamdani, a communist. The president has even threatened to cut off funding should Zohran win.Pat discusses this further with Professor and Political Analyst from the Clinton Institute, at University College Dublin, Scott Lucas. 

Sometimes, it happens in whispers, ignored messages, or quiet exclusions and in today’s world of remote work, it’s often just a click away. We discuss workplace bullying with Stephanie Regan, Clinical Psychotherapist.

Ministers have agreed to reduce the amount of time Ukrainians can stay in state accommodation from 90 days to 30 days. The decision comes as a deportation flight left for Georgia last night. To discuss all this and more Pat was joined by Craig Huges, Political Editor, Irish Daily Mail and alsoColm Brophy TD, Minister of State for Migration, Fine Gael.

Irish people are as afraid of public speaking as they are of death according to a new survey by The Broadcast Institute. 1,000 Irish adults were asked to name their biggest fear. 31 per cent, topping the poll said a fear of heights, with public speaking and death tied for second place at 30 per cent. Henry McKean chatted to people about their worst fear and spoke to Paul Connolly from the Broadcast Institute. He sent this report.