The Pat Kenny Show

Yesterday, Pat went out on Westport Cruises in Clew Bay to hear about the history of this coastal town. From St Patrick throwing a bell down his mountain to cute seals, Pat hears it all from the crew of Westport Cruises.Our OB live from the Westport Townhall Theatre was with thanks to Destination Westport.

It’s the final day of the Ploughing Championship in Screggan just outside Tullamore and Henry McKean is there for us.

After over forty years in public office, Michael Ring bowed out at General Election 2024. Michael joins us in Westport to look back at his career and talk about his adjustment to life outside politics.Our show broadcasting live from Westport was with thanks to Destination Westport.

Like so many parts of the country, Westport has also been impacted by the housing crisis. Many people are now returning to the county due to the emergence of working from home, which is putting pressure on the existing supply. Our reporter, Josh Crosbie, has been meeting with locals to hear how much demand there is for housing.Josh joined Pat on the show as we broadcast live from the Westport Townhall Theatre with thanks to Destination Westport.

We take a dive into British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and US President Donald trump's press conference during his state visit. They glossed over their ‘disagreement’ on recognising the Palestinian state which was apparently just ‘one of only a few’ things they didn’t agree on. Pat discusses all with Enda Brady, International TV News Anchor, TRT World.

Author Jung Chang on escaping communist China and adjusting to life in Britain. All featured in the follow on to her best selling memoir Wild Swans icalled Fly Wild Swans.

Tuesday marked the 156th anniversary of the first recorded hole-in-one in golf, achieved by Tom Morris Jnr at the Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Morris, only 18 years old at the time, was on his way to winning a second Open Championship, and had already been earmarked for one of the greatest careers in golfing history. One which was tragically cut short. Cameron Hill from Off The Ball can tell us more:

Joining Pat this morning was Professor John Crown Consultant medical oncologist St Vincent's Hospital Group Professor of Translational Cancer Research DCU. John discusses the 18th International Symposium On Translational Research in Oncology taking place next week and the developments on cancer treatments.

A busy agenda ahead for trump on his state visit to the UK. Enda Brady, International TV News Anchor, TRT World gives us reaction to the state visit.

Jimmy Kimmel removed from his late night show after threats from media commissioner following comments made about Charlie Kirk. Pat discusses this move with Lorcan Nyhan, Head of Training at the Communications Clinic, Columnist at the Sunday Independent.

Conor Lally, Security and Crime Editor, The Irish Times brings us the latest as Gardaí discover human remains in the the search for a missing boy in Donabate.

The six-part RTE TV series The Walsh Sisters is based on Marian Keyes' best-selling novels Rachel’s Holiday and Anybody Out There. It follows five sisters, Anna, Rachel, Claire, Maggie and Helen as they navigate addiction, family crises, and the ties that hold them together. Two stars of the series joined Pat this morning Aidan Quinn and Louisa Harland.

Weddings can generate a significant amount of waste, including single-use plastic wedding favours and accessories, food waste from meals, and emissions related to clothing and travel. In this weeks sustainability slot Jo Linehan explains how to make weddings more sustainable.  

Presidential election, the budget and returning to the Dáil. All to discuss with Minister for Finance Paschal Donohue.

Joining Pat live from the Ploughing  championship to answer all your gardening questions  was Diarmuid Gavin award award-winning garden designer  

Heather Morris, known for writing powerful books about hope and resilience and her bestselling book ‘The Tattooist Of Auschwitz’, has another book for you to add to the list.  her new novel ‘The Wish’, is a heartfelt story that might make you tear up but the bigger picture is about hope and love.  Jesse, a 15-year-old-girl, has a terminal illness. But Alex, a young adult, is the only person who can make her wish come through before her time ends.  The number one best-selling author joined pat to discuss her latest release.

Pressure is mounting on the international community to take action after a UN commission of inquiry announced on Tuesday that Israel is carrying out genocide in Gaza. And with Israel starting a ground offensive in Gaza City, Pat was joined by s Paul Rogers, Emeritus Professor Of Peace At Bradford University to discuss the latest on Gaza.

Today on Inside Hollywood we're diving headfirst into one of the greatest films ever made. No debate. Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas. It's not just a gangster film, it's a cinematic thunderclap. One of those rare, razor-sharp movies that feels just as fresh now as it did when it swaggered onto our screens back in 1990. The suits, the sauce, the soundtrack it's gangster cinema at its finest, with more attitude than a mobster on payday. Pat was joined as always by Lisa Cannon, TV Host & Executive Producer of ‘SPOTLIGHT

What role can AI play in the future of medicine? Health researcher and author DR. Charlotte blease believes it’s time to be engaging in conversations about AI and its use in healthcare. Her new book ‘DR. Bot, why doctors can fail us – and how AI can save lives’ examines the limitations of human judgement in medicine, emerging uses and shortcomings of AI, and how our imperfect medical system can let us down. Charlotte and Pat discussed this and everything else in her new book.

US President Donald Trump begins his first full day of engagements on his second State visit to the United Kingdom. Four were arrested last night for projecting images of Trump and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein onto Windsor Castle. Enda Brady, International TV News Anchor at  TRT World joined Pat for the latest as the UK prepares to host the president.

This week on the green scene, we are talking all about gene editing Pat and Ruth explore enhanced polo ponies, agricultural animals, and glow-in-the-dark plants for lighting.

Carguments' Spouses are the Most Annoying Passengers, and it can end  relationships, according to research And the RSA is issuing study results today on the use of phones while driving. With Distracted driving due to handheld mobile device usage is one of the dangerous behaviours that leads to road traffic collisions.All this and more to discuss with Conor Faughnan Transport Consultant.

Christian Brückner, the man German authorities have named as the prime suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, is set to be released from prison today. Brückner, having served his 7-year sentence for the rape of a 72-year-old American tourist in Portugal, has refused to be interviewed by the metropolitan police in connection to Madeleine’s disappearance. Brückner is still considered a major suspect, with a former associate claiming to be “100% sure” Brückner was involved in Madeleine’s kidnapping.  German prosecutors are now seeking ‘supervisory oversight’ in the regional court to monitor Brückner’s future activity. Joining Pat to discuss this was Nick Pisa, Senior Reporter, Global, MailOnline

Pharmacies are increasingly dealing with crime. That’s according to a survey conducted by the Irish Pharmacy Union. The survey found that a third of thefts are not reported due to a lack of faith in Gardaí and the justice system, while pharmacies found 89 per cent were victims of crime in the last 12 months. Joining Pat to reflect on the worrying findings was Kathy Mahe, Chair of the IPU PCC Committee

Adrian Weckler, Tech editor, Irish and Sunday Independent and Big Tech Show podcast presenter brings us all the tech news and updates. Adrian tells us about Apple’s shiny new gadgets and how why tech is much cheaper in the US.

Don’t go to bed on an argument and love is all you need! Clinical Psychotherapist and Co-Host of the Tough Love Podcast Stephanie Regan busts the love myths with facts.

The trial of Soldier F begins in Belfast charged with murder and attempted murder on Bloody Sunday. Freelance journalist Amanda Ferguson brought us up to speed with what has happened in the trial so far.

A UN Commission of Inquiry has found that Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. We get the latest on this with Fawaz Gerges, Professor of International Relations at the London School of Economics.

The EU-US relationship has undergone a number of geopolitical shifts since the start of this year. Most notably, the agreement of 15% trade tariffs back in July. But what exactly does the future of business in Ireland look like amidst the economic uncertainty of shifting global trade policies?All to discuss with Larry Donnelly Law Lecturer at University of Galway, columnist with The Journal.

New research shows that there is massive support from the public to ease the planning rules for farmer’s children. According to the latest Farming Independent Ireland thinks poll, 83 per cent said they believe it should be made easier to build on family farms. To discuss further Pat spoke to Denis Drennan, President of the Irish Creamery and Milk Suppliers Association. 

Eoin Hayes has found himself at the centre of another controversy, this time for wearing blackface at a 2009 Halloween party. Political Editor, The Irish Times Pat Leahy brings us the latest on this and the Presidential election nominations.

Later today, US President Donald Trump and his wife Melania Trump will arrive for their visit to the UK.  Trump will be making his second state visit to the UK, which is a formal trip to the UK by a head of state. We get the details on the visit with Enda Brady, TRT World Presenter.

Limerick native, Conor Murray, is an Irish Rugby Union legend who made his name as an all-conquering scrum-half for Munster, Ireland and the British and Irish lions. His journey from Patrickswell to Landsdowne road placed him at the pinnacle of rugby. now, in his new book “cloud nine”, subtitled “My life in Rugby”, Murray reflects on the highs and lows of his career.

Depaul this morning launches its 2024 Impact report highlighting the almost 10,000 people it helped last year among 50,000 interventions. Their CEO, David Carroll highlights the figures and what needs to be done to improve the current situation.

Auto-enrolment is a new pension savings scheme for certain employees who are not paying into a pension. They will be automatically included in the scheme but can opt out after 6 months.  The introduction of the auto-enrolment retirement savings scheme, called my future fund, will start from 1 January 2026. To explain all the details and to answer listeners queries was Keith Dundon, Head of financial services at SYS Financial.

Is the part time job dying? How important is a part time job? Are young people looking for them or are they relying on the bank of mum and dad? Do they offer financial independence and build confidence or are they a distraction from study? Henry McKean sent us this report.  

The social media platform where people share videos from tales to trends. But the latest addition to the app, Tik Tok shop Ireland, has allowed Irish businesses to boom. But how exactly does it work and what does it do for Irish businesses? All to chat with Katey McElroy from TikTok Shop Ireland and Denise Buckley, Founder of Sugar Plum Sweetery.

Since the introduction of project math in 2012, the proportion of females getting a H1 has declined significantly, with roughly two-thirds of H1’s going to males and just one-third to females. New research from the Tuition Centre and the Society Of Actuaries in Ireland found out why girls are underperforming at leaving cert higher level math compared to boys. Joining Pat to discuss these findings further Eoghan O'Leary, Head of Math's at the Tuition Centre.

As the campaign for the presidential election begins to heat up, the focus on the office often tends towards the domestic role of An Uachtarain. However, ever since Sean T. O’Kelly became the first Irish president to undertake a state visit abroad, the office has frequently made an impact on the world stage. Reporter Simon Tierney has been investigating and he joined Pat this morning

Leo Varadkar, Former Taoiseach joined Pat this morning to chat about his book 'Speaking My Mind'.

Pope Leo criticised corporate pay packages that offer executives much higher salaries than their employees in excerpts from his first media interview released on Sunday, citing Tesla's recent $1 trillion compensation plan for CEO Elon Musk. The Pope was speaking to Elise Ann Allen, Senior Correspondent in Italy for the Crux, for her new book 'Leo The Sixteeth, Citizen Of The World, Missionary Of The Twenty first century'.

We take a look into the presidential race as the battle continues this morning for independents as they look for support to become the latest presidential candidate. Today has been described as “super primary” day with eleven councils due to hold special meetings so they can consider nominating another candidate. But the latest news surrounding the presidency is Conor McGregor’s withdrawal from the contest. All to discuss with Harry McGee, Political Correspondent with The Irish Times.

Jennifer Whitmore TD, Wicklow, Social Democrats. Spokesperson for Climate, Energy and Biodiversity; and Spokesperson for Agriculture, Fionnán Sheahan, Ireland Editor of Irish Independent and also Shay Brennan TD, Dublin Rathdown, Fianna Fáil was our Friday Forum today. 

Created by Australian businessman Aron D'Souza, the Enhanced Games, which are set to take place in Las Vegas from the 21st to the 24th of May next year, will allow athletes to use performance-enhancing substances without being subjected to drug tests. This begs the question, what exactly does this mean for traditional “clean” athletes going forward?  All to discuss with Kieran Cunningham, Chief Sportswriter for the Irish Daily Star.

We now look ahead to what promises to be a busy weekend of sport, with the Irish women’s rugby team set to take the field for their World Cup Quarter Final, a 28 person strong Irish squad in Tokyo for the World Athletics Championship, and the return of the Premier League with a Manchester derby set for Sunday.Shane Hannon previews all the sport happening this weekend.

Gareth Mullins talks us through two slow-cooked comforting French dishes. On the menu today is Lamb Shank and Duck Leg.

Japan's biggest convenience store is looking to employ robots. It comes as the country faces a serious worker shortage in the country as a result of an ageing and shrinking population. The robots will be able to stack shelves and even clean windows. For more on this Pat was joined by Anthony Cuthbertson is deputy Tech Editor and Correspondent at the independent.

Ireland and Britain’s relationship is as intertwined as it has so often been violent and traumatic. In these Divided Isles, the award-winning author and journalist Philip Stephens charts the dramatic century since the political leaders David Lloyd George, Michael Collins, Winston Churchill and Éamonn De Valera alongside those of millions of Irish emigrants.  With the complicated relationship between Ireland and Britain, could it ever end up with a United Ireland? All to discuss with Philip Stephens - Writer, Historian and Author of 'In These Divided Isles'.

In the UK this morning, Taoiseach Micheál Martin meets with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to discuss troubles legacy issues as well as support for Ukraine.  Peter Mandelson writes a letter to the US embassy staff after being sacked for his close connections to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. We get all the UK news updates with Enda Brady, International TV News Anchor, TRT World.

Residents of local authority flat complexes in Dublin are appealing for improved living conditions.  They say there are issues with overcrowding, dampness and unmaintained facilities.Our reporter Josh Crosbie has visited some of these developments and he reported back to Pat this morning.