Highlights From The Pat Kenny Show

Diplomats in Dublin, London and Washington are working to secure the release of Irish missionary Gena Heraty after she, along with 7 other people, were kidnapped from an orphanage in the capital of Haiti Port-au-Prince. For more on this Pat spoke to Keira Keogh Fein Gael TD for Mayo.

Women sports continues to reach more widespread media, yet there are still barriers compared to their male counterparts. This morning Pat was joined by a women in Sport panel including Meabh de Burca, Former Ireland player and pundit,  Dr. Ciara Losty, Lecturer SETU, Performance Psychologist in the Institute of Sport and on the Jockey Pathway and Kathleen McNamee, Off The Ball, Host of The COYGIG Pod.

New figures show there are 12 times more properties available for short-term letting, compared to long-term living. We discuss these figures further with Louise Byrne, Irish Examiner Political Correspondent and also Michael Healy Rae, Minister for State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine.

Henry McKean looks back at the biggest events and meet the people who made a huge impact in the year 1985!From Live Aid with Bob Geldoff and Nik Kershaw, the biggest stories of the year with Jonathan deBurca Butler, activism with Grace O'Sullivan and David O'Callaghan from the Here and Back Again Podcast on pop culture - there is plenty to look back on!

Our Friday Forum looks back on the main new stories of the week. Joining Pat in studio was Grace Boland TD, Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael, Lynn Boylan MEP, Dublin, Sinn Féin and Jennifer Bray, Political Editor with The Sunday Times. 

Endometriosis is a condition that an estimated that 155,000 women in Ireland are affected by. This condition has a massive impact on women as it decreases quality of life due to severe pain, fatigue, depression, anxiety, and infertility. Some individuals with endometriosis experience debilitating pain that prevents them from going to work or school. In Ireland, the government has committed to a national endometriosis framework and endometriosis hubs around the country, but nothing has been published yet. Because of a combination of the lack of endometriosis services in Ireland, lengthy waiting lists, and the cost of going private is forcing women to seek treatment overseas. Sophie King, fitness instructor and who has endometriosis joined Pat Kenny on the show to discuss.

With the bank holiday weekend ahead, Director of Dunbrody House Kevin Dundon takes us through some of the tastiest summer side dishes including a crispy potato salad and a corn on the cob with Gremolata. Kevin Dundon, Director of Dunbrody House joined Pat Kenny on the show.

Roblox, the online game-building platform, which is popular with children and teenagers, is looking to introduce online dating. The move pushed by Roblox CEO occurs after Ireland, the UK, and Australia attempt to implement stricter age verification conditions for online, social media and adult content. Adrian Weckler, Technology Editor with the Irish and Sunday Independent, joined Pat Kenny on the show to discuss. 

We have heard the positives and negatives of drone deliveries, but unmanned aerial vehicles have many more uses than delivering takeaways. One area that is being considered is the monitoring of coastlines to detect drug smuggling. Josh Crosbie has been meeting those who operate drones for many different reasons…

The Bank Holiday weekend always brings an increase in attendances to our Emergency Departments and Hospitals, so where do you go if you need care? We get advice from the HSE with Grace Rothwell, National Director for HSE Access and Integration with all options available to you over the weekend and JJ Clarke Columnist with the Irish Independent brings us ‘festivalling’ advice ahead of All Together Now. 

Famous youtuber Trisha Paytas has sparked controversy as she named her son Aquaman Moses. The social media star said she chose the name as she admits to being a big fan of the Aquaman comics and the accompanying movie. The question is, are celebrities taking baby names too far? Jen Hogan, Irish Times Journalist and Host of the Conversations with Parents Podcast and Brenda Power, Columnist with The Sunday Times and Irish Daily Mail joined Pat Kenny to discuss.

This weekend will mark the final test for the British and Irish Lions who have dominated against Australia this tournament. Andy Farrell has named nine Irish players in the starting side, with Rónan Kelleher the only Irish player on the bench. In football Meath will face off Dublin in the All-Ireland women’s final as the royals hope to make a repeat of their 2022 win. Cathal Mullaney , Broadcaster with Off the Ball joined Pat Kenny to preview the weekend in sport.

Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, Volodymir Zelensky has maintained a high levels of support from Ukrainians. However, in recent days there has been public outrage with the president. Thousands of protesters rallied in Kyiv and other cities in recent days as his party was set to push through a law to strip two anti-corruption bodies of their independence. However just yesterday Ukraine's parliament has approved a bill restoring the independence of the country's two main anti-corruption agencies. Mr Zelensky changed course after the public outcry and under pressure from European officials. So will this regain support from the people of Ukraine? Emmanuelle Chaze Ukraine correspondent for france24 joined Pat Kenny on the show.

US transport company Lyft is to enter the Europe ride-hailing market as it is buying transport mobility rival, FREENOW for €175 million. FREENOW is the leading taxi platform in several European cities, including Dublin. The deal is closing in the coming weeks. Danny O'Gorman, FREENOW Ireland General Manager joined Pat Kenny to discuss.

The Mental Health Commission has published a report signifying a noteworthy decline in the use of restrictive practices, such as seclusion and physical restraint, across Irish mental health services in the past seven years. The report highlights how the MHC adopted a human rights-based approach to result in the declining trend in these types of practices. Professor Jim Lucey, at Trinity College Dublin and Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Inspector of Mental Health Services joined Pat Kenny on the show to discuss.

Ireland’s first-ever Women’s Rugby World Cup in 1994 where the tournament wasn’t sanctioned by World Rugby, and Ireland and the other countries defied the higher powers to host and play this tournament, it’s a good story. Cameron Hill from OTB joined Pat Kenny to discuss.

You may know the CIA from fiction, but how does the actual agency work around the world? Tim Weiner has reported on the agency around the world and joins us to discuss the work of the agency in the 21st century which he details in his new book ‘The Mission’. Tim Weiner, Pulitzer Prize-winning author joined Pat Kenny on the show.

According to new research from LinkedIn, Ireland has been ranked highest for the availability of remote jobs in Europe. The data shows that in Ireland, 9.4% of all job listings offer remote work options, which is almost double the European average of 5.2%. But is remote working really the most efficient form of work? Peter Cosgrove, Managing Director of Futurewise and Mary Connaughton, Strategic and Engagement Director of CIPD joined Pat Kenny on the show. 

Today marks 50 years since the Miami Showband Massacre which saw the murder of singer Fran O'Toole, guitarist Tony Geraghty and trumpeter Brian McCoy. Two other band members, Des McAlea and Stephen Travers, were also injured but survived the atrocity. The band was travelling home to Dublin after a gig in Banbridge when they were stopped by a fake Army patrol involving Ulster Defence Regiment and Ulster Volunteer Force members. Half a century later, Stephen and Des want to celebrate the lives of their bandmates. Josh Crosbie, Newstalk Reporter has been meeting with those who survived the attack. 

Every day we are engrossed with more imagery of starving, injured and dying children in Gaza. We are often left helpless and are unsure of what to do after viewing these images. That feeling is called ‘moral injury’. Gregg Carlstrom, Middle East Correspondent with The Economist and Brendan Kelly, Professor of Psychiatry, Trinity College Dublin joined Pat Kenny on the show.