Newstalk Weekend

The UN General Assembly opens next week, bringing together leaders and ministers from across the globe. Ireland will be represented by Minister of State for International Development and the Diaspora, Neale Richmond, Fine Gael TD for Dublin Rathdown. He joins me now to talk about Ireland’s agenda and what he hopes to achieve on behalf of the country.

Born in the boom, raised in the crash, and coming of age in the bailout, journalist Adam Maguire’s new book The Bailout Babies asks: what happens when an entire generation grows up paying for a party they never attended? Adam joins Anton to discuss.

Joining Anton to go through the main stories from the morning papers is Lynn Boylan, Sinn Féin MEP for Dublin & Jack Horgan Jones, Political Correspondent with The Irish Times.Anton is also joined by the Irish Independent’s Personal Finance Editor, Charlie Weston, to discuss SSE Airtricity announcing its second electricity price hike this year & how Budget 2026 is shaping up.

Three Russian fighter jets entered Estonian airspace without permission on Friday, prompting an immediate NATO response, which involved sending Italian Air Force F-35 fighter jets to intercept. Joining Anton to discuss is Cathal Berry, former Independent TD and former Commandant in the Armed Ranger Wing.

For more than three decades, Justin Currie has been front and center of Del Amitri. Now, he’s turned the spotlight on himself with a new book, sharing not just the stories behind the music, but also his recent Parkinson’s diagnosis and how it’s shaped his outlook. He joins Anton in conversation.

The National Ploughing Championships start next Tuesday and will run across three days from the 16th to the 18th in Co. Offaly. Anton is joined by the Assistant Director of the National Ploughing Championships, Anna-Marie McHugh, to preview the event.

A new study led by the University of Sidney with researchers from University College Cork has found that family-based programmes aimed at promoting healthy eating for children are not effective in preventing the risk of obesity. According to the HSE, 1 in 5 children across the country is overweight or obese, and it’s worse for children from lower socioeconomic areas, where 1 in 3 are overweight or obese. Anton is joined by Donal O’Shea, Consultant Endocrinologist and HSE National Clinical Lead for Obesity, to discuss.

In the wake of the murder of U.S. political commentator Charlie Kirk, questions about the deepening political divide in America have once again come to the fore. But this isn’t just an American story; here in Ireland, we’ve also seen how political figures are increasingly subjected to threats, intimidation, and even violence. Joining Anton to discuss is West Wing Reports founder and White House Bureau Chief, Paul Brandus; Roderic O'Gorman, Green Party leader & TD for Dublin West; and Liz Carolan, publisher of The Briefing.ie. 

Joining Anton to go through the Sunday papers is Frances Fitzgerald, former Tánaiste and Member of the European Parliament, who is a senior advisor at Teneo; Paul Hosford, Deputy Political Editor with the Irish Examiner; and Eoin O’Broin, Sinn Féin TD for Dublin Mid-West & party spokesperson for Housing

From Dawson’s Creek to Euphoria, teen TV dramas have shaped whole generations, giving us characters we grew up with, storylines that felt like our own, and soundtracks we’ll never forget. Tom Dunne is joined by broadcaster and presenter, Sarina Bellissimo & Brian Lloyd, film critic, to discuss why these shows meant so much to us then, and why they still resonate today.