Highlights From The Pat Kenny Show

The 49 day Prime Minister is back! Liz Truss has launched her new YouTube Show, The Liz Truss Show, where she promises to expose those who brought an end to her premiership in 2022. Enda Brady reviews 

The entire country is now under a Status Orange weather warning as Storm Bram makes landfall. We get the latest on the storm with Cathal Nolan, Founder, Ireland’s Weather Channel, Ralph Riegel, Southern Correspondent, Irish Independent and Graeme McQueen, Media Relations Manager, DAA.

The Christmas period is often the busiest time for retailers, both on the high street and online. One online store that is on a mission to boost its sales is ASOS. in the hopes of bringing back customers, they have introduced an ai stylist to their app. But how does it work?  To tell us was Laura Jordan, Image and Brand Consultant, Owner Of Style Savvy.

This week, talks are due to be held with the Government over taxi drivers go-slow protests and Uber’s fixed fare system after they paused their six-days of protests. But should they just accept the fact that fixed fare and dynamic pricing is the norm across other countries and get on with it? All to discuss with Economist David W. Higgins.

Arthur Cummings, a consultant eye surgeon at Wellington Eye Clinic joins me now to talk about all things Oculomics The science of using the eye as a window to reveal information about the body.  Arthur also answered listeners eye related questions.

Airports really ramp up for Christmas, with hundreds of thousands of passengers on the way in and out. Cork and Knock are having their busiest ever years. December 23 is ‘Take-off Tuesday’ according to On the Beach. It says this will be the busiest day for holidaymakers jetting off to escape the season.With tips on where to go this holiday season Pat was joined by Travel with Pol Ó Conghaile Irish Independent Travel Editor.All with thanks to Ryanair.

We hear about the US’ new national security strategy that’s worrying allies and being welcomed by Russia. Speaking to Pat about this was David Dunne, Professor of International Politics, University of Birmingham.

Geraldine Herbert, Motoring Editor with the Sunday Independent explains the best and most sensible way to finance a car, explains why the driving test waiting time is still up as high as 22 weeks in some areas. Also we hear how hauliers may protest. 

Women are twice as likely as men to get stuck in and organise Christmas. A survey found 76 per cent of women took responsibility for prepping most of the Christmas workload. Doing it by themselves and also buying most of the presents. By Christmas Day they feel wrecked. Henry McKean met Christmas shoppers and sent this report.

Amidst the drone and missile strikes in Ukraine, music and the arts are still managing to survive and helping many, including kids, during the trauma of war. Chloe Craft, a reporter with HotPress is just back from Ukraine where she visited the Ukrainian Suzuki Association. 

We were speaking to our own reporter Kyle Butler a little earlier on the show of the tragic events that took place in Offaly over the weekend.  After a petrol bomb aimed at a house in Castleview park, Edenderry tragically claimed the innocent lives of two, four-year-old Tadhg Farrelly and his 60-year-old great aunt Mary Holt. We get reaction from John Clendennen, Fine Gael TD for Offaly 

McLaren driver Lando Norris has won the World Drivers Championship after a close fight across the season, the first to win it for the team since Lewis Hamilton in 2008...Joining Pat to look back on the biggest stories of the season, and what to get excited for in 2026 is Newstalk's Rory Galvin.

It was a dramatic weekend of Liverpool as Mo Salah hit out at Arne Slot for benching him at the weekend. The 33-year-old claimed he was ‘thrown under the bus’ by the club, as he was benched for Liverpool away game to Leeds United. In rugby, the Champions cup returned with a bang as Bath dominated against Munster. Also in F1 McLaren's Lando Norris won the Formula One championship in Abu Dhabi.  All to chat with Cathal Mullaney with Off The Ball and Newstalk's own Rory Galvin.

Local residents of Brittas in Dublin are seeking orders to remove a set of modular homes that were allegedly built in the area without any planning permission. The developer is claiming the project is exempt from needing any sort of planning permission. To discuss this further was Mary Carolan Legal Affairs Correspondent of the Irish Times and Orla Hegerty Architect and Assistant Professor at UCD School of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Policy.  

Gardaí have opened a double murder investigation after a young boy and his great-aunt were killed in a suspected petrol bomb attack on a house in Co Offaly. Pat was joined on the show by Newstalk reporter Kyle Butler who was in Edenderry yesterday morning.

A look back on the stories of the week on our Friday Forum. Joining Pat this morning on the panel was Fine Gael TD for Louth Paula Butterly,  Labour TD for Dublin Fingal East and spokesperson on Foreign Affairs and Defence Ducan Smith and Christina Finn, political editor with Thejournal.ie.  

The Government is launching a new research programme to determine the risk of Russian sabotage on our undersea cables. With a rise in Russian ships visiting our seas, the project hopes to map out all or Ireland’s subsea cables, offshore windfarms and energy pipelines to assess how vulnerable we would be to an attackJoining Pat to discuss the research programme is Conor Gallagher, Crime and Security Correspondent of The Irish Times.  

Friday Food Creamed Celeriac soup with toasted walnuts and garlic croutons, Classic Prawn cocktail and Roasted king scallops, black pudding, apple salad.  Some tasty Christmas starter recipes with Gareth Mullins.

A Nobel prize winning economist has said there is no true European single market. Phillipe Aghion says Europe is falling behind the US in terms of innovation because the market is over-regulated and punishes failure at every turn. If the EU is to keep up with Washington and Beijing, the barriers to entry need to be lowered. Economics lecturer from Technical University Dublin, Emma Howard joined Pat in studio to discuss whether a “true single market” is possible in Europe. 

Is Panto the highest artform? Up and down the country Pantos are showing. Henry McKean visited the Helix Panto in Dublin and this year they are putting on the Snow Queen. Henry sent us this report. 'Oh no he didn't, Oh yes he did.'