Location:
Ireland
Genres:
News & Politics Podcasts
Description:
Claire Byrne explores the big stories through the lens of real life. This podcast brings context, consequences and clarity to the issues shaping Ireland today. Covering politics and current affairs alongside the human stories behind them, Claire asks the questions people are thinking, but don’t always hear answered. From housing and health to work, family life, well-being and culture, you’ll hear smart, engaging discussion and moments of light relief - connecting the dots between what’s happening and what it means for you.
Language:
English
Email:
digital@newstalk.com
What Made Me? Mary Coughlan
5/13/2026
Jazz, blues and soul singer Mary Coughlan for What Made Me? Claire heard about Mary's long career of song writing, singing and touring.
Duration:00:10:44
Living with Friedreich's Ataxia
5/13/2026
Emily Felix was on the programme a few weeks ago talking about the decision by the National Centre for Pharma-coeconomics not to finance medication for Friedreich's Ataxia.
Emily spoke to Claire again to explain what it is like to live with the condition.
Duration:00:16:58
Author and former Irish Children's Laureate Patricia Forde
5/13/2026
Children’s Books Ireland this week warned that children are missing out on a lifetime of reading because the government doesn’t fund school libraries properly. Someone who is passionate about encouraging children to read is children’s author Patricia Forde who was previously the former Irish Children’s Laureate.
Duration:00:13:23
The importance for people to become organ donors
5/13/2026
This week is Organ Donation Week. Joining Claire to talk about the importance of it along with the advancement in the field of transplants was Consultant Transplant Surgeon at St Vincent’s University Hospital, Professor Emir Ho-ti.
Duration:00:10:41
Where you can see basking sharks and whales in Ireland!
5/13/2026
Basking sharks have returned to Irish waters. Where can you to catch a glimpse of not just basking sharks, but dolphins and whales too?
Padraig Whooley, Sightings Coordinator with the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group explained the best places you can see these wonderful sightings.
Duration:00:08:41
Is our tax money being spent well?
5/13/2026
The Irish state collected 106 billion euro in taxes last year and a half-a-billion euro earned in fuel taxes that had yet to be spent. Is our tax money being well spent?
Claire asked Albert Dolan, Fianna Fail TD for Galway East and Dan O'Brien, Chief Economist with the Institute of International and European affairs and columnist with The Currency.
Duration:00:16:00
Are lifts unsafe due to obesity?
5/13/2026
A new study has shown that many lifts are now becoming unsafe, due to the rise in obesity. The report by University College London states that lift capacities have not changed over the past two decades, and that they’ve failed to take into account the weight increase of the population.
We discuss further with Dr Mick Crotty is the Clinical Lead for Obesity with the Irish College of GPs, Dr Mick Crotty.
Duration:00:07:39
Are prize bonds worth the investment?
5/13/2026
Prize bonds feel like something from a bygone era but people spent €365m buying the bonds last year. Are they worth the investment? Claire asked Leah McMahon is Senior Financial Planner with Fairstone.
Duration:00:08:42
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer fights on!
5/13/2026
Keir Starmer is still fighting to stay on as British prime minister, as he meets Health Secretary Wes Streeting, his likely leadership rival, this morning. Claire gets the latest from Channel 4 presenter Matt Frei, who has been watching this unfold all week.
Duration:00:11:26
Dog fouling fines to rise
5/13/2026
On-the-spot fines for littering and dog fouling will rise from €150 to €250 from the beginning of September. But will this make a difference if enforcement is still an issue? I am joined now by Donal Ryan, Vet from City Vet in Limerick.
Duration:00:18:08
To freeze or not to freeze that is the question!
5/12/2026
What you should freeze, and what you shouldn’t. With some tips on how to get the most out of our freezer was Orla Drumgoole is the author of ‘Irish Mammy Cooks’.
Duration:00:07:32
The oil revolution happening in the United States
5/12/2026
America is producing huge amounts of oil, more than it uses, and fracking has also led to so much gas being produced that they don’t have the pipelines in place to transport it.
Could this have made Donald Trump’s decision to go to war in the Middle East a more feasible option? Claire discusses this with Ed Conway, Economics and Data Editor at Sky News.
Duration:00:12:56
Ninety-Six Hours: A Wife and Mother’s Desperate Search for the Lost Titan Sub,
5/12/2026
Three years ago five people who went to see the wreckage of the Titanic, lost contact with their support crew Hours and days ticked by, until it was confirmed that the vessel had imploded 500 metres above the wreckage.
Christine Dawood’s husband and her son, Suleman and Shahzada, died on the Titan. waiting for days and watching the horizon for the submersible to surface. Christine has written a book about her experience of that time and she joined Claire this morning.
Photo Credit: Cristine Dawood
Duration:00:19:21
The true impact of the HSE “Conti” ransomware attack
5/12/2026
On the morning of May 14th 2021, “Conti” ransomware infiltrated the HSE IT system. This cyber-attack led to all IT systems within the service shutting down, forcing staff to revert to pen and paper, and it impacted people across the country.
Newstalk’s Technology Correspondent Jess Kelly took a look back at the true impact of this cyber-attack, and why it’s front of mind as Ireland prepares for the EU Presidency.
Duration:00:10:21
The Ireland’s links with Barbados run deep
5/12/2026
The Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley has officially opened the nation’s embassy on Baggot Street in Dublin. Ireland’s links with this Caribbean nation run deep, with thousands of our forefathers being forcibly sent to Barbados four hundred years ago, to serve as indentured servants.
Writer, Academic and Filmmaker, Professor Bríona Nic Dhiarmada told the story of the Irish in Barbados.
Duration:00:08:35
The building of homes in Ireland has slowed!
5/12/2026
New figures out today show that the building of homes in Ireland SLOWED last month, due to the fuel protests and ongoing middle east conflict. To discuss the impact of this Claire spoke to Engineer and Director of KMC Homes in Cork, Kieran McCarthy.
Duration:00:03:56
Are supershoes on the Parkrun ethical?
5/12/2026
Parkrun has become a huge non-competitive community event where you can walk, jog, run, volunteer or spectate But is it still a level playing field when some runners turn up in 500 euro carbon-plated ‘supershoes’ while others are in battered trainers that have seen their day?
Claire askes Joe Humphreys, Deputy News Editor at The Irish Times.
Duration:00:09:42
Have infrastructure projects in Adare been prioritized over others?
5/12/2026
Adare will have temporary train station and bypass completed before the Ryder Cup in September 2027. Questions have been raised over the speed of these projects, while other infrastructure plans seem to get mired in delays. Claire brought these questions to Minister of State and Limerick TD, Niall Collins and Sinn Fein Public Expenditure spokesperson and Chair of the Finance Committee, Mairead Farrell.
Duration:00:18:20
What to do if sibling rivalry is affecting your house?
5/12/2026
Sibling rivalry can go from zero to one hundred in an instant, and back down as quickly again. What is it that makes these relationships so tricky, and how do we navigate it? To try and get some insight Claire was joined by Psychotherapist Michelle Flynn.
Duration:00:09:15
What you need to know about Hantavirus
5/12/2026
Following the cruise ship hantavirus outbreak, many of us are hearing about this disease for the very first time. To separate fact from fear and fiction was Christine Loscher, the Head of the School of Biotechnology and Professor of Immunology at Dublin City University
Duration:00:10:29