
Hosted by Newstalk · EN
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 entertainment
Listen to Newstalk at http://newstalk.com/listenlive | Download the GoLoud app now, the new home for Newstalk

The World Health Organisation has declared the Ebola outbreak in the Congo and Uganda an international public health emergency, amid fears the virus could spread further across the region. Kingston Mills, Professor of Experimental Immunology in the School of Biochemistry and Immunology at Trinity College Dublin, joins Pat to discuss.

Joining Pat to run through the main stories in the Sunday papers is Gina London, CEO of Language of Leadership, Sunday Independent Columnist, and former CNN Correspondent.

One third of Irish children are not making their first holy communion, according to some parishes. So, with the cost of living crisis biting across Ireland, how are parents affording communion this year and are they cutting back? Henry McKean has this report.

From the grand boulevards of fascist Italy and nazi Germany’s monumental plans to the symbolism behind modern political projects like Donald Trump’s White House ballroom, architecture has long been used as a statement of power, control, and ideology. But how do buildings and monuments influence the way citizens see themselves in relation to the State? Joining Pat to discuss is Dr Hannah Malone, Assistant Professor in the History of Modern Architecture.

Two by-elections, two very different political tests for the government parties. In Dublin Central, Fianna Fáil is under real pressure, while in Galway West the contest remains wide open. Joining Pat to discuss is Seán Defoe, Newstalk’s Political Correspondent.

Yesterday’s Fianna Fáil Ard Fheis celebrated the centenary of the founding of the party. While it was once guaranteed that the leader of Fianna Fáil would become Taoiseach, the fractured nature of contemporary politics may make that less and less certain. Joining Pat to reflect on the legacy of the party is Ronan Mc Greavy, journalist with The Irish Times and author of ‘Sean Lemass: The Lost Memoir’.

Joining Pat to discuss Parkinson's disease is Professor Luke O'Neill from Trinity College Dublin.

Following Donald Trump's high-profile visit to China, political tensions back home have been intensifying over claims of election fairness and redistricting. The U.S. Supreme Court is now being asked to intervene in a bitter legal battle in Virginia, after millions of votes tied to a controversial redistricting referendum were effectively thrown out. The case could have major implications ahead of the 2026 midterms and raises fresh questions about democracy, gerrymandering, and political power in America. Brett Bruen, White House advisor during the Obama administration, joins Pat to discuss.

While many Irish viewers have welcomed RTE’s decision to boycott the Eurovision due to Israel’s participation, what role does ‘not’ doing something have in today’s world? Pat is joined by Clare Moriarity, enterprise postdoctoral fellow working at UCD and the National Library of Ireland, to discuss.

Joining Pat to discuss the collapse of the short-lived ceasefire between Ukraine adn Russia is Emmanuelle Chaze, Ukraine Correspondent for France 24.