The Pat Kenny Show
Newstalk
Pat brings you the sharpest analysis of news and current affairs on the radio and fresh perspectives on the issues that will define a generation. Breaking news is interwoven with reflective news features and reports from a variety of reporters based across the country. Experts are on hand to guide listeners on everything from consumer and employment rights and health issues to savvy holiday options. And Pat is joined by all the best personalities from the entertainment world.CONVERSATION THAT COUNTS | Ireland’s national independent talk station for news, sport, analysis and entertainmentListen to Newstalk at http://newstalk.com/listenlive | Download the GoLoud app now, the new home for Newstalk
Episodes
Mentioned books
Apr 5, 2026 • 19min
What could Trump’s slump in the polls mean for the midterms?
Larry Donnelly, law lecturer at the University of Galway and columnist with thejournal.ie, breaks down Trump’s tumbling approval and what it might mean for the midterms. Short takes cover impeachment chances, concerns about Trump’s fitness and visibility, shifting MAGA reactions to war rhetoric, and how budget priorities could reshape voter alliances.
Apr 5, 2026 • 14min
Seán Lemass: The Lost Memoir
Ronan McGreevy, journalist and editor who reconstructed Seán Lemass’s recorded voice into a memoir. He unpacks how 22 hours of recordings were found and shaped into text. He traces Lemass’s revolutionary past, family tragedies, and self-taught turn to economic modernisation. He highlights Lemass’s knack for provocation and decisive politics that helped reshape modern Ireland.
Apr 5, 2026 • 19min
Pat's Sunday Paper Review April 5th
Mark Hennessy, Ireland and Britain editor at The Irish Times, gives a brisk tour of national and global headlines. He flags the US rescue and Iran tensions, rising cost-of-living and fuel worries, energy and supply-chain risks, political fallout around Trump loyalty and Irish policy debates. He also covers asylum super-centres, metrolinx leadership changes, and resomation as an environmental topic.
Apr 5, 2026 • 10min
The new government saving scheme: What can people expect?
Kathleen Gallagher, Markets correspondent at the Business Post with expertise in finance and investment, breaks down the new government savings scheme. She explains why the state wants to push investing over deposits. She covers Irish mistrust of markets, tax-wrapper ideas inspired by Sweden and the UK, how providers and fees might work, and the likely 2027 timeline.
Apr 5, 2026 • 7min
Artemis II Mission update with Dr Niamh Shaw
Dr Niamh Shaw, scientist and science communicator active in space outreach, breaks down Artemis II and lunar research. She covers mission timeline and orbital mechanics. She explains launch window luck, onboard toilet testing, and communications blackout behind the Moon. She highlights crew science during the lunar eclipse and plans for lunar infrastructure and in-situ resource studies.
Apr 5, 2026 • 9min
Alleged $20 million Mt Everest insurance scam: What has happened?
Simon Calder, travel correspondent and aviation expert, unpacks a major alleged $20 million scam tied to Everest rescues. He outlines claims of staged helicopter evacuations, methods said to induce illness, falsified records and hospitals' roles. He also discusses how post‑COVID pressures may have driven the scale and what this could mean for insurance and future travellers.
Apr 4, 2026 • 14min
US & Iran: What happened this week?
It’s the end of another dramatic week in America and Israel’s war on Iran. Threats, counter-threats, and plenty of missiles have flown in all directions. Joining Pat to discuss the latest developments is Professor Paul Rogers, emeritus professor of peace at Bradford University.
Apr 4, 2026 • 13min
Annual teacher conferences next week: What can we expect?
Next week, the annual conferences of the TUI and the INTO will be taking place in Killarney, while the ASTI annual convention will be taking place in Wexford. On the agendas for each conference are issues affecting teachers up and down the country, from salaries and allowances to conditions of work and school resourcing. Joining Pat to discuss what will be coming up over the next week and what could and should be discussed is Brian Mooney, Guidance counsellor and columnist with the Irish Times.
Apr 4, 2026 • 10min
The alarming failures of facial recognition technology
A case in the United States that raises serious questions about the use of artificial intelligence in policing - a Tennessee grandmother arrested at gunpoint, jailed for months, and accused of crimes in a state she had never even visited, all after being misidentified by facial recognition software. Joining Pat to discuss this case and the wider issues of using FRT is Dr Elizabeth Faries, tenured assistant professor in the School of Information and Communication Studies, UCD, where she serves as director of the UCD Centre for Digital Policy
Apr 4, 2026 • 9min
Easter chocolate recipes with Gareth Mullins
Gareth Mullins, executive chef at the Anantara Hotel, joins Pat with some mouth-watering Easter chocolate recipes.
