Newstalk Daily – Details, episodes & analysis

Michael D. Higgins has been President of Ireland for almost 14 years. As his second term draws to a close, the hunt is on for a new head of state. With July now upon us, it’s remarkable how few would-be candidates are offering themselves ahead of the election (which must take place by November). For a while, it seemed like the Presidency was the best-paid Irish job nobody wanted.

Now, several names from Fianna Fáil have emerged in connection with a tilt at the Park. Fine Gael says it WILL run a candidate for an election the party has never managed to win. And a number of prominent names from the charity sector and media seem at least open to conversations about a run for the Presidency. Ciara Doherty and Seán Defoe get together to take a look at the early runners and riders in the race for the Áras.

Presented by Ciara Doherty with guest Seán Defoe, group political correspondent with Bauer Media Audio Ireland.

You can contact the podcast by email to newstalkdaily@newstalk.com.

A recent report from Women’s Aid found that, in 2024, all categories of violence against women rose considerably. Research shows that one of the drivers of this increased violence is the easy availability of hard-core pornography, especially via smart phones, which is changing perceptions of women and sex.

Dr Richard Hogan is a family psychotherapist, author of ‘Parenting the Screenager’ and a long-time campaigner against early sexualisation of children. He claims that “to be sex-positive is to be porn-critical.” He talks to Ciara Doherty about why explicit material has become more widespread in society, the links between pornography and violence, and what parents can do to protect their children.

If you’ve been affected by any of the issues raised in this podcast you can contact the Women’s Aid 24-hour national freephone helpline on 1800 341 900 or womensaid.ie. The National Male Advice Line is 1800 816 588.

Get in touch with the Newstalk Daily team by email on newstalkdaily@newstalk.com.

Jury deliberations in the federal trial of hip-hop mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs are set to begin in New York. The Harlem-born rapper and founder of Bad Boy Records is charged with racketeering conspiracy and two counts each of sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution – charges he denies.

Combs’ alleged victims include his former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, who testified for the prosecution during the lengthy trial, alongside dozens of others, including former employees who gave graphic evidence about what happened at the infamous ‘freak-off’ parties. The musician chose not to testify in his defence. Now, after more than six weeks of gripping testimony, it’s finally over to the jury.

Anastasia Tsioulcas is culture correspondent with NPR. She tells Ciara Doherty about the case against Combs, discusses some big moments from witnesses’ testimony, and describes the massive public and media interest in the trial.

Contact the podcast by email to newstalkdaily@newstalk.com.

The Trump administration has problems with Ireland’s regulation of what people see on social media and the internet more broadly. According to reports, US officials threatened to impose visa bans on Irish officials who impose strict EU rules on online content because that - according to the MAGA philosophy - is censorship.

Meanwhile, Irish students heading to the States on summer visas face having their own social media accounts analysed for content the US State Department regards as hostile “toward the citizens, culture, government, institutions or founding principles of the United States.”

Today on Newstalk Daily, we look at the importance of the social media giants to the Irish economy, ask how our regulators might respond to the American demands, and consider what freedom of speech really means.

Ciara Doherty is joined at Newstalk Daily HQ by business editor Joe Lynam and journalist and entrepreneur Mark Little, who co-founded Storyful and Kinzen and worked for tech giants Twitter and Spotify.

Email us at any time on newstalkdaily@newstalk.com.

It’s festival season, drawing hundreds of thousands of revellers to fields and camp sites across Ireland and the UK. Glastonbury gets underway today, with Irish rap trio Kneecap at the centre of a political storm, ahead of their appearance at Worthy Farm on Saturday. Closer to home, smaller festival organisers face multiple challenges, as they battle increased costs, inclement weather, and an increasingly packed schedule of competing events.

So today on Newstalk Daily, we ask: why do festivals and the artists that perform there – acts like Kneecap – remain such so compelling for music lovers?  Should artists ever be censored for their political points of view? And how might you go about creating a festival of your own?

Ciara Doherty speaks to DJ and music critic Louise Bruton, Fiachna Ó Braonáin of Hothouse Flowers, Dr Michael Murphy from IADT, and Craig Hughes, political editor at the Irish Daily Mail and founder of the Night and Day Festival, which takes place this weekend in county Roscommon.

Get in touch with the team at any time by email to newstalkdaily@newstalk.com

The Middle East is teetering on the brink of large-scale war, following the decision by the United States to enter the conflict between Israel and Iran, deploying 'bunker buster' bombs and Tomahawk cruise missiles against suspected nuclear sites. 
 
The world holds its breath, waiting to see how the conflict develops. European leaders, including Taoiseach Micheál Martin, have called for ‘de-escalation,’ but is the European Union irrelevant - impotent even - when it comes to this particular war? And what is it like for Iranian exiles living in Ireland to see their home country come under attack from both Israel and the United States? 
 
For Newstalk Daily, Ciara Doherty speaks to Shona Murray, European Affairs correspondent with Euronews, and Dr. Roja Fazaeli, Established Professor of Law and Islamic Studies at the University of Galway and chairperson of the Immigrant Council of Ireland. 
 
Get in touch with the team at any time by email to newstalkdaily@newstalk.com 

Welcome to Newstalk Daily, a brand-new podcast in which Ciara Doherty takes a deep dive into the stories that matter, bringing you richer insights, wider analysis and compelling voices. 
 
Up first – just what IS happening at Children’s Health Ireland, a key player in the provision of care to the nation’s sickest young people? Unnecessary operations, use of unapproved devices, resignations from the board, multiple apologies, talk of a ‘toxic work culture'... and the small matter of a still-unfinished, very expensive National Children’s Hospital. 
 
The bosses of CHI appeared before the Oireachtas Health Committee last week, where one TD with direct, personal experience of the problems claimed this ‘could be one of the biggest medical malpractices in the history of the state.’ 
 
Ciara Doherty and Seán Defoe gather in Newstalk Daily HQ to reflect on the issues at CHI and speculate about how Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill might respond. 
 

Presented by Ciara Doherty with guest Seán Defoe, group political correspondent with Bauer Media Audio Ireland. 
 
Get in touch with the team at any time by email to newstalkdaily@newstalk.com 

Newstalk Daily - the podcast that takes a deep dive into all kinds of stories. Presented by Ciara Doherty, Newstalk Daily is available first thing, every weekday morning. Start your day with a conversation that counts.

Oasis will take to the stage tonight at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff to begin an mammoth, 41-night stadium tour, estimated to earn Liam and Noel Gallagher a cool £50 million each. The Mancunian brothers last performed together in 2009, but have patched-up their differences for the Oasis Live ’25 tour, which will visit Ireland for two, sold-out dates at Croke Park in August.

In this episode of Newstalk Daily, Ciara Doherty and her guests return to the Britpop era, recalling the band’s massive run of hits in the mid-1990s, the rivalry with Blur, the endless rows between the Gallagher siblings, and the reasons why their music reached a global audience. They also consider whether or not this reunion tour is a shameless money-grabbing effort, designed to pay-off divorce debts or bulk-up their retirement funds!

Ciara’s guests are Simon Maher, founder of 8Radio.com, and Oasis uber-fan Shauna O’Reilly from the Today FM Breakfast Show.

You can email the podcast at any time on newstalkdaily@newstalk.com.

Politicians are fighting over the future of the GPO on Dublin’s O’Connell Street, now that An Post has moved its headquarters to a new site. But while TDs bicker over whether or not a revitalised GPO should contain commercial units and cafes, they all agree that a major museum or cultural space is essential to the iconic building’s future.

Here at Newstalk Daily, we wondered: might the GPO make a suitable home for the proposed Irish women’s museum? An expert committee set up to examine the idea is expected to send its report to Minister for Culture Patrick O’Donovan shortly. However not everyone agrees that Ireland needs such an institution, so today Ciara Doherty speaks to two women with differing views on a national women’s museum.

Ciara’s guests are Dr Georgina Laragy, assistant professor in Public History and Cultural Heritage at Trinity College Dublin, and Finn McRedmond, columnist with the Irish Times and New Statesman.

Email the podcast at any time on newstalkdaily@newstalk.com.