The Pat Kenny Show

An exciting frontier in biological research at the moment is the ability to grow meat, skin and even other organs in the lab. It’s early days but a lot of work is going on with that goal in mind. We get all the details with Professor Luke O'Neill Professor of Biochemistry at the School of Immunology, Trinity College. 

Catherine FitzGerald joins The Pat Kenny Show to talk about the Festival of Gardens and Nature at Ballintubbert House in Co Laois — where horticulture meets performance and design.Listen here.

Dermot Goode of Total Health Cover, part of the Lockton Group, joins The Pat Kenny Show to explain how insurers are hiking premiums while cutting plan benefits — and what consumers need to watch out for.Listen here.

Deborah Cole, Berlin Correspondent with The Guardian, joins The Pat Kenny Show as attacks on asylum seekers surge and Germany prepares to swear in a new chancellor, Friedrich Merz.Listen here.

Barry Whyte reports for The Pat Kenny Show as retailers call for tougher sentences amid a surge in organised shoplifting. We hear from business owners and one former addict who used to shoplift daily.Listen here.

Dermatology nurse specialist, Selene Daly, joins The Pat Kenny Show to explain what causes excessive sweating, how it affects daily life, and how it can be treated.Listen here.

Lisa Cannon joins The Pat Kenny Show for this week’s Inside Hollywood, looking at big-screen flops that later became cult classics — from The Shawshank Redemption to Blade Runner.Listen here.

Conor Faughnan, transport commentator, joins The Pat Kenny Show for the commuter slot to explain how London’s approach to HGV blind spots could help prevent cyclist deaths on Irish roads.Listen here.

Colm Flynn, Vatican Correspondent for EWTN News, joins The Pat Kenny Show live from Rome as Pope Francis’s body is transferred to St Peter’s Basilica for public viewing ahead of his funeral.Listen here.

Dr Ruth Freeman from Science Foundation Ireland joins The Pat Kenny Show to explore seawater cement technology and how pharmaceutical pollution is affecting Atlantic salmon.Listen here.

Adrian Barry Managing Editor at Off The Ball and Peter Sherrard, CEO of the Olympic Federation of Ireland, join The Pat Kenny Show to talk about rising costs, paywalls, and whether sport is becoming unaffordable for ordinary fans.Listen here.

Minister for Education Helen McEntee joins The Pat Kenny Show to discuss Junior Cert reform, permanent contracts for teachers, and potential industrial action as education conferences take place across the country.Listen here.

Ciara O’Brien, Technology Correspondent with The Irish Times, joins The Pat Kenny Show to answer your latest tech queries.Listen here.

Nick Pisa, Senior Reporter with Global Mail Online, joins The Pat Kenny Show to profile the frontrunners who could succeed Pope Francis.Listen here.

Carl O’Brien, Education Editor at The Irish Times, joins The Pat Kenny Show to discuss Ireland’s overcrowded classrooms and the growing calls to curb education overspending before lowering class sizes.

Terry Sheridan, Senior Director of News at WSHU Public Radio, joins The Pat Kenny Show to discuss leaked strike details in Yemen and Harvard’s legal fight with the Trump administration.Listen here.

Lucy Fisher, Whitehall Editor with the Financial Times, joins The Pat Kenny Show following large-scale UK protests after a Supreme Court ruling on the legal definition of a woman.

Archbishop Dermot Farrell, Archbishop of Dublin, joins The Pat Kenny Show to reflect on Pope Francis’ passing and look ahead to the election of his successor.Listen here.

Kevin Byrne, retired lieutenant colonel and airport safety expert, joins The Pat Kenny Show to discuss the return of Emirates' oldest Airbus A380 to passenger service after years of storage and test flights.Listen here.

Lara Marlowe, Paris-based journalist and author, joins The Pat Kenny Show to discuss the disturbing international trend of detaining academics critical of authoritarian regimes aligned with Trump’s allies.Listen here.

Elise Ann Allen, Senior Correspondent for The Crux, and Fr Richard Gibbons, Parish Priest at Knock Shrine, join The Pat Kenny Show to reflect on the death of Pope Francis and his legacy in Ireland and abroad.Listen here.

Henry McKean looks back at the biggest events and meet the people who made a huge impact in the year 2000!It was the year of Y2K,  Bush VS Gore, Westlife dominating the charts, Brian O’Driscoll getting a hat-trick in Paris & arriving on the global rugby scene, Sonia O’Sullivan winning Silver at the Sydney Olympics and the arrival of reality TV with Big Brother.

The tears, the joy, the medals, the courage and the snow.In March, Team Ireland brought home pride as well as gold, silver and bronze. We bring you their story every step of the way, that’s the Special Olympics World Winter Games in Turin, with Henry McKean.

After being fired in disgrace, a hedge fund manager resorts to stealing from his neighbours' homes in the affluent Westmont Village, only to discover that the secrets hidden behind the wealthy facades might be more dangerous. John Fardy tell us all about this new Apple TV comedy 'Your Friends and Neighbours' staring Jon Haam and Oliva Munn. 

We look into the blue origins conspiracy theories and a take a deeper dive into how autism misinformation causes serious harm. All to discuss with David Robert Grimes Author and Disinformation Expert.  

On Monday, a former mistress of notorious Italian mafia boss, Matteo Messina Denaro, was arrested on suspicion of aiding and abetting him after being implicated in a letter by another of his mistresses. The documentation reveals that one of his mistresses, Laura Bonafede, was intensely jealous of another, Floriana Calcagno. Italy Correspondent, The Telegraph Nick Squires tells us the story.

Chris tells a powerful tale of pulling yourself back from the brink, and escaping even the darkest moments. Chris found himself trapped in a spiral of drink and drugs that led to extreme paranoia and psychosis. Today Chris runs 5km (at least) every day, and he has done that for over 700 days in a row now. The road between these two points was winding, often rough, and ultimately inspiring. Chris told his story to Pat on the show this morning.

Dublin is one step closer to finally getting a tourist tax, but what impact will it have on hotels across the city?  Pat discusses this with Janet Hornet, Green Party Councillor for Dublin City Council and also Eoghan Corry Editor of Air and Travel Magazine.   

The long awaited inquiry into the treatment of a young woman with severe disabilities has published its final report. The Farrelly Commission of investigation found insufficient evidence to support claims of sexual, physical and emotional abuse of this woman, known as Grace, during her time in foster care.  However it did find neglect of grace in relation to her personal and dental hygiene. The eight year investigation brings the issue of adult safeguarding into the spotlight once again.  Our reporter Jessica Woodlock has been looking into adult safeguarding in the wake of this case. 

Fuel prices are failing to fall at the pumps despite crude oil hitting a four year low following Donald Trump’s tariffs. We get more details on this with Charlie Weston, Personal Finance Editor, Irish Independent.

Fresh from his week long trade trip to the US, Minister for Agriculture Martin discusses the view of American businesses and politicians of Donald Trump’s now paused tariffs.

Jo Linehan brings us tips to have sustainable easter. We hear about sustainable chocolate, the waste that comes with easter. Also just how many eggs will be eaten this year. 

Judge throws out Christian Carter's attempts to use anti-stalking laws to gag journalist Amy Molloy. We get the latest on this with Shane Phelan, The Legal Affairs Editor, at the Irish Independent.

In the heart of Dublin’s bustling city centre lies St Stephen’s Green, a place of calm amid chaos, a patch of peace in a fast-moving metropolis. Known simply as “the Green” to Dubliners, it’s where students loll on sunny afternoons, office workers grab quiet lunch breaks, and tourists pause for breath amid their sightseeing. But behind its ornamental lake, elegant railings and leafy paths lies a fascinating and, at times, fiery history stretching back nearly a millennium. Diarmuid Gavin brings us the story of St Stephen's Green.All with thanks to Tirlán.

We hear how to get the best deal on your travel insurance, the details of what is and isn't covered and in what way and also how best to make a claim, be it for travel disruption, lost luggage or medical expenses. All to discuss with Jason Whelan, MD of Multitrip.com. 

We get reaction to the surprising findings in the Grace Case report from Fergus Finlay, Former CEO of Barnados,

With Black Mirror returning to our screens Dee Reddy takes a look at the best dystopian movies, from Clockwork Orange to Blade Runner and Idiocracy. 

We get an update on the health of Pope Francis and we also hear the story of Carlo Acutis the first millennial saint. Colm Flynn Vatican Correspondent for EWTN News joined us live from Rome.

Monkeys choose babysitters based on who has more parenting experience. Young female black-and-white snub-nosed monkeys often want to hold other females’ infants, but mothers are much more permissive of experienced caregivers. A 97- year-old has become the oldest first-time mother with four babies, and potentially more on the way!The mother in question is an endangered Galápagos tortoise and her four hatchlings have become beacons of hope for the species.  All to discuss with Dr Ruth Freeman Director of Research for Society on this week's 'Green Scene'.All with thanks to Repak For Research Ireland 

Threatening to deport us residents to El Salvador, arresting people as they attend citizenship interviews, withdrawing funding for public broadcasting, expecting universities to report students who commit conduct violations All exactly what you’d expect of an authoritarian regime. But all those examples don’t come from Nazi Germany or victor Orbán’s Hungary, they come from Donald Trump’s America. Scott Lucas looks at the Trump administration’s increasing drift towards authoritarianism.

Learning to drive in Ireland involves several stages, each with associated costs. The bottom line is that the realistic cost is about €1,500 if you are lucky enough to have access to a parent or spouse’s car. It is a burden on young people who have plenty of other economic challenges. But it is also an important life skill, worth investing in, and no-one can disagree that a new driver should receive proper training.Pat discusses this and more with Conor Faughnan, Transport commentator. 

Over the past two weeks, Ireland, along with the rest of the European Union, was hit with 20% tariffs by Donald Trump, and then had those same tariffs rescinded to the lower base level of 10% to allow for negotiations. That international turmoil came amidst a continuing row over Dáil speaking rights that was put to bed in a confidence vote in the Ceann Comhairle. So with quite a bit of unrest domestically and internationally, are calmer waters on the horizon? Or is this just the beginning? To discuss all was An Taoiseach Micheál Martin live in studio.

First there was HIIT training, then CrossFit and now there’s Hyrox. Hyrox has quickly become one of the latest fitness trend that is taking the world by storm. To tell us more about this fitness trend was John Belton, Personal Trainer and Wellness Coach.

The importance of wellbeing in the workplace has shifted significantly since the pandemic. That’s according to recent survey which found that more than two-thirds of Irish workers see hybrid or flexible work arrangements as essential to their health and wellbeing. Peter Cosgrove discusses if workplace wellbeing is essential for all companies now.

Managing Director at Alpha Wealth, joins an upcoming show to discuss the viral saving trend Zero-Based Budgeting and how it stacks up against traditional methods. Nick Charalambous, Financial Expert

Meta is announcing plans to train AI at Meta using public content shared by adults on Facebook and Instagram in the EU. Jess Kelly will explain how it will be used to improve their products.

Juliet, Erica and Maeve are the three separate protagonists of Anne Tiernan’s new novel. But as we learn throughout the book, they are not at all separate, but entirely intertwined. ‘The Good Mistress’ follows Anne’s first book, ‘The Last Days of Joy’ in which a personal experience found its way unexpectedly onto the opening pages. Anne Tiernan joined Pat in studio this morning.

Donald Trump once again has suggested that Ukraine started the war with Russia despite the opposite being true. The assertion comes just days after a Russian airstrike killed at least 34 people in Sumy. Pat discusses this and more with John O’Brennan, Professor of European Politics, Jean Monnet Chair of European Integration.

According to CSO statistics the number of passengers flying from Dublin airport to Kerry airport has increased four-fold in the past number of years. With trains, buses and a road network available why are commuters and tourists alike choosing to fly over the other options? To discuss with Pat was Padraig Ó Céidigh, Former Senator and Founder of Aer Lingus Regional.

EU trade chief seeks joint effort with U.S. on fair tariff deal. Publication of the final report of an inquiry into the alleged abuse of an intellectually disabled young woman in a foster home setting is expected today. Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers will update ministers on the new dedicated Infrastructure Division in his department and a taskforce that will support it. Also Minister for Climate, Environment and Energy Darragh O'Brien will seek Government approval to publish the Climate Action Plan for 2025.All to discuss with Sean Defoe, Political Correspondent with Newstalk and host of the Let Me Explain podcast.