Highlights From The Pat Kenny Show

Oil prices are shaped as much by politics as by supply and demand, and so events thousands of kilometres away can still hit close to home. In recent weeks, renewed action by U.S. president Donald Trump against Venezuela has once again put the country’s vast oil reserves at the centre of global attention.While Ireland doesn’t buy Venezuelan oil directly, moves in Washington can still ripple through European energy markets, influencing prices, volatility and fuel costs. So how could political decisions in the United States affect what drivers, households and businesses here in Ireland end up paying?CEO of Henderson Risk Group, Duncan Bullivant joined Pat Kenny on the show to discuss.

Yesterday TDs descended onto the Dáil after the winter recess, and issues surrounding Merscour and migration were all on the table. Today, the hot lunch meal scheme and Uisce Éireann are set to be addressed.Pat was joined by Harry McGee, political correspondent with The Irish Times to discuss all things politics.

Pat Kenny was joined by Conor Faughnan, Transport Commentator and Independent Motoring expert for carzone to discuss all things mororing and answers your motoring questions.

Greenland and Denmark will hold high-stakes talks in Washington today over US ambitions to annex the arctic island. US President Donald Trump insists his country will take over Greenland “the easy way or the hard way”, citing security concerns and mineral interests, and his administration has not ruled out the use of force to do so. Greenland's Prime Minister Jens Frederik Nielsen insisted on Tuesday his island, a largely autonomous part of the three-country kingdom of Denmark, “cannot be bought” and its future will be decided only by its people. Scott Lucas, Professor and Political Analyst Clinton institute UCD joined Pat Kenny on the show to discuss.

On this week’s Green Scene Dr Ruth Freeman Director of Research for Society For Research Ireland joined Pat Kenny to discuss the surprising evolutionary origins of sleep, and how time is running out for the world’s glaciers.All with thanks to Repak.

Next Tuesday, 20th of January, is the reduced application fee deadline for students applying to the CAO. If registered before then, students will only be charged €35. That increases to €50 before the traditional 1st of February deadline.These deadlines in the coming weeks will give students and guidance counsellors a chance to get first choices out of the way before turning their focus to the mock exams. For advice on the upcoming deadline and making choices, Brian Mooney, guidance counsellor and columnist with The Irish Times joined Pat Kenny on the show to discuss.

Niamh Smyth, Minister of State with special responsibility for trade promotion, artificial intelligence and digitalization, has said social media platform X should be banned if it won’t comply with online safety laws.Niamh Smyth, Minister of State with special responsibility for Trade Promotion, Artificial Intelligence and Digitalisation and TD for Cavan–Monaghan joined Pat Kenny on the show to discuss. 

Jess Kelly Newstalk's Technology Correspondent answers all your tech questions.

Has the tipping culture in Ireland become more like the US? Is that a good thing? What is the average tipping rate, and how important are your maths skills when deciding what to tip?Tanya Sweeney, journalist and author, and Adrian Cummins, CEO of the Restaurants Association of Ireland both joined Pat Kenny on the show to discuss.

Vincent Durac, Associate Professor, School of Politics and International Relations at UCD, joined Pat on the show to take a deeper look at what sparked the deadly protests in Iran. 

Ireland's recent exchequer returns showed that, despite concerns surrounding Trump’s tariffs, the State was unaffected - and you can thank the corporation tax for that. Corporate tax receipts, excluding the Apple tax money, amounted to a record €32.9 billion last year.  But are we too reliant on it to fund the state and what happens if it collapses? Pat Kenny was joined by economist Colm McCarthy to discuss.

Construction activity continued to decrease in December, according to the AIB Purchasing Managers’ Index. It marked the eighth straight month of decline, despite a slightly slower fall for the final month of the year. However, there were some brighter signs looking into 2026, as new orders increased for the first time in five months. Peter Finn, better known as Pete the Builder, joined us on the show to explain the figures further.

The past week stories of surrounding X and Grok AI have dominated the airwaves both in Ireland and abroad. Degrading images of children and women with their clothes digitally removed by Grok AI continue to be shared on Elon Musk’s X, despite the platform’s commitment to suspend users who generate them. A number of countries are now banning the AI Chabot to protect users and children, but can these heinous artificial images of children actually reach a prosecution?   Mick Moran, CEO of the Irish Internet Hotline and a former Garda, joined Pat Kenny on the show to discuss.

January is usually the time when many of us decide to embrace a healthier lifestyle, whether it's cutting out the booze, joining the gym or even going for a sauna.  Saunas have become increasingly popular over the last yea,r with more people trying to make healthier choices, but do they actually boost your health?  Pat was joined by Dr Heather Massey, associate professor of extreme environments and physiology at the University of Portsmouth, to discuss.

 It’s been over nine years since the UK voted to leave the EU, yet both parties are still working on various trade agreements. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is in the midst of negotiating an agricultural deal and while some see it as the UK edging closer to the EU, politicians worry what a Farage premiership will do to the already fraught relations between the two blocs.  Tim Bale, Professor of Politics at Queen Mary, University of London, joined Pat Kenny on the show to discuss.

: Dermatologist Dr Rosemary Coleman is our Monday Expert and tells us all about microneedling. T he procedure that involves creating multiple, controlled micro-injuries in the skin with devices embedded with fine needles.

We talk a lot about “support”, but what do we actually mean by it? We use the word support all the time, but rarely stop to define it. In real life, support isn’t a slogan or a phrase. It’s a set of behaviours, choices, and ways of showing up. And it looks different depending on what someone is going through.Stephaine Regan, Clinical Psychotherapist, and host of the Tough Love Podcast explains all.

In an age of an online world an increasing amount of people are looking to find love behind screens. Naturally enough, this is leading to burnout and fatigue when it comes to dating apps. But what is a single person to do? Pat chats to Emma Kehoe, Life Coach and host of All Of The Above podcast.

On Saturday, 20 December 2025, Garmin’s emergency autoland was used for the first time in a real-world emergency situation. The emergency autoland system is designed to take control of an aircraft in the event of pilot incapacitation and safely land at a nearby airfield. We discuss further with Kevin Byrne, Retired Lieutenant Colonel and Airport Safety and Security Expert. 

Helmets for e-scooter riders may become compulsory to reduce serious injuries. More than 9,000 people were 'no shows' for driving tests last year and what are the new car for 2026.All to discuss with Geraldine Herbert Motoring Editor with the Sunday Independent.