Any European Union retaliation to Donald Trump’s tariffs will be “negative” for European economies, but worsening relations between Europe and the US present an opportunity for the bloc to become more independent, the European Central Bank (ECB) president told Irish radio on Wednesday morning. Christine Lagarde, who is in Dublin to receive an award, was … Read more
Never let it be said that Shane Coleman and Ciara Kelly are lofty elitists. On Wednesday the presenters of Newstalk Breakfast (weekdays) throw themselves at the mercy of the public by inviting listeners to come up with slogans for their show. As suggestions arrive, the pair’s fancy seems particularly tickled by the snappy “Let’s go … Read more
Kieran Cuddihy and I are chatting in Taste cafe near the Newstalk studio. We talk briefly about how I’m neurotically using two different audio recorders. He can relate. “I was interviewing Domhnall Gleeson recently and I forgot to turn the recorder on,” he says. “Halfway through the interview I saw it and he saw me … Read more
With the big day looming, the airwaves are full of fevered anticipation about the imminent St Patrick’s spectacle. That the events will be awash with gaudy pageantry and cheesy stereotypes is a given, but presenters and pundits across all stations worry that the annual festivities might descend into ugly scenes of unruliness. Yes, so all-pervasive … Read more
It hardly needs to be repeated that the world is an uncertain and scary place right now. A certain amount of kudos is therefore due to Kieran Cuddihy for bringing a sense of perspective when the deceptively chirpy-sounding host asks, on Monday’s edition of The Hard Shoulder (Newstalk, weekdays), “Are we all going to be … Read more
As fans of his show can attest, Seán Moncrieff comes across as a pretty chill guy. Whether covering offbeat curios such as stick-appreciation websites or dealing with contentious topics such as anti-Semitism, the host approaches his brief in a spirit of affably phlegmatic inquiry. But occasionally the on-air persona cracks. During Tuesday’s discussion on Moncrieff … Read more
He may have made his name as a current-affairs broadcaster, but did Pat Kenny (Newstalk, weekdays) miss his calling as a consumer affairs advocate? The attention to detail that is the veteran presenter’s trademark when dealing with news stories goes out of the window when the subject is shoddy workmanship, even of the hypothetical variety. … Read more