Some budgets deliver stability — others end in political disaster. Ireland’s history is full of both. With Budget 2026 about to be unveiled, Ciara Doherty and Daniel McConnell, editor of the Business Post and co-author (with John Lee) of Hell at the Gates: The Inside Story of Ireland’s Financial Downfall, reflect on moments when budgets went awry.

From Ray “Mac the Knife” McSharry’s brutal cuts in the 1980s, to Charlie McCreevy’s boom-era generosity — and his short-lived attempt at tax individualisation that sparked a backlash from families — right through to Brian Lenihan’s crisis budgets during the financial crash, the podcast explores how misjudged measures can haunt governments for years.

Ciara and Danny also dig into why “budget kites” are floated in the media, what’s really happening in the lobbying frenzy at Merrion Street, and how secrecy around the speech itself can make or break public reaction. With over €2.2 billion in temporary cost-of-living supports on the line this year, can Paschal Donohoe and Jack Chambers avoid repeating the mistakes of their predecessors when they reveal their plans later today?

Stay with Newstalk for full coverage of Budget 2026 across the day, on air, online at newstalk.com, on Instagram @newstalkradio, and on the GoLoud app.

The space race didn’t end with Apollo. It just changed rivals. This Space Week, the podcast dives into the new contest playing out far above our heads — between the United States and China.

Billions are being poured into rockets, satellites and lunar missions, but behind the dazzling science is a darker reality: allegations of spying, stolen technology and military ambitions that could decide who controls the future of space. NASA has barred Chinese nationals from its facilities citing security fears, while Beijing accuses “foreign agents” of targeting its scientists. At the same time, both sides are racing for the Moon, not just to plant a flag, but to secure resources and set the rules for decades to come.

Is this really about exploration, or are we witnessing the early moves in a new Cold War in orbit? And what role does Europe play as NASA’s partner but also as an ambitious space power in its own right?

Ciara Doherty is joined by Dr Mark Hilborne, Senior Lecturer in the School of Security Studies at King’s College London and a lecturer on the Irish Defence Forces’ Advanced Command Staff Course, to discuss espionage fears, Moon ambitions, and the risks of turning space into the next battlefield.

Want to feed back on the episode or suggest future topics? Email us at newstalkdaily@newstalk.com.

Ask anyone in Ireland about the Freemasons and you’ll probably hear the same three words: secrecy, symbols and myth. The so-called “secret society” has long been blamed for everything from pulling political strings to controlling world banks. But how much of that is reality – and how much is conspiracy theory?

On today’s podcast, Ciara Doherty is joined by David J. Butler, Provincial Grand Librarian and Archivist with the Provincial Grand Lodge of Munster Freemasons, to separate the fact from the fiction. Where did Freemasonry begin, and what does it take to join? What happens inside a Masonic lodge – and do those famous handshakes and rituals exist?

From the medieval guild roots of the Masons to modern-day charity work, from Elizabethan traditions to Irish paper trails that go back centuries, this conversation explores how a fraternity of stonemasons grew into one of the most mythologised organisations in the world. Along the way, Ciara asks about the most common misconceptions, the famous square and compass symbol, and why the UK’s Metropolitan Police is now debating whether officers should publicly declare Masonic links.

So, are the Freemasons truly puppet-masters behind the scenes, or simply a fraternity that enjoys old customs and community spirit? This is your chance to hear directly from one Irish Mason.

Got thoughts or questions about this episode? Email us at newstalkdaily@newstalk.com.

Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu unveiled a sweeping 20-point plan they say could end the war in Gaza after two years of devastation. The centrepiece is a ceasefire and reconstruction programme — but it comes with a surprise twist. The so-called “Board of Peace” that would oversee Gaza’s future is chaired by Trump himself and joined by none other than former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Blair’s appointment has provoked outrage in some quarters and eye-rolling in others. To Palestinians, his name is synonymous with the Iraq invasion and years of failed diplomacy. Hamas has rejected his involvement outright, calling it “foreign guardianship.” Even within his own Labour Party, many regard him as politically radioactive. Yet Blair’s allies insist he has a rare ability to speak to Washington, Jerusalem, and the Gulf capitals, and point to his role in Northern Ireland’s peace process as proof of his credentials.

So is Blair really the man to bring peace to Gaza — or is this just another distraction in a region scarred by war and distrust? And what does the Trump-Netanyahu plan actually mean for the people of Gaza, where tens of thousands have been killed and millions displaced?

Joining the podcast from Beirut is award-winning journalist and author Rania Abouzeid, whose reporting has traced the fault lines of the Middle East from Iraq to Syria to Gaza. Ciara Doherty also listens-back to comments made by Donald Trump, Tony Blair himself, and Blair’s long-time adviser Alastair Campbell.

🌍 Visit Rania Abouzeid’s website: https://www.raniaabouzeid.com

The threats are no longer abstract. In recent weeks, Tánaiste Simon Harris and his family were targeted with bomb hoaxes, kidnap threats and explicit intimidation that forced Gardaí and Interpol to step in. Across the Atlantic, Americans watched live as conservative activist Charlie Kirk was gunned down while carrying out his work in Utah. And four years ago this month, British MP Sir David Amess was murdered during a constituency surgery in Essex, stabbed 21 times in an attack that shocked Westminster and his local community.

The pattern is clear and it's getting worse: politicians and their families are becoming targets in a new wave of violence that blurs the line between online rhetoric and real-world attacks. The cost is measured not just in lives lost but in the growing fear that public service itself is becoming a deadly risk.

In today’s podcast, Ciara Doherty speaks to Katie Amess, daughter of the late Sir David Amess. From her home in California, she reflects on the trauma of losing her father, the unanswered questions about why he was left vulnerable, and her campaign for accountability from the British authorities. She also warns that the same failures within terrorist monitoring and complacency about policing she saw in the UK are now mirrored in Ireland and the US.

This episode examines the rising tide of political violence — from Westminster to Dublin to Washington — and asks whether democracies can protect their representatives without sacrificing openness and accessibility. Four years on from her father’s killing, Katie Amess argues that leaders must not look away, because without systemic reform, the attacks will not stop.

The Taoiseach has poured cold water on the idea of a border poll by 2030, but the debate about when — and how — such a vote might happen isn’t going away. In the early flurry of commentary on the presidential election, some even suggested it could fall within the term of the next occupant of Áras an Uachtaráin. Yet the truth is murkier: few people know the rules, and the Good Friday Agreement’s language is vaguer than many assume.

So, who decides when the moment is right? What does “appears likely” really mean in law? And how much power rests with Westminster to stop or stall the process? In fact, as Sam McBride from the Belfast Telegraph recently highlighted, the Westminster parliament in London may still hold the final legislative key — something that even seasoned commentators have overlooked.

On today’s podcast, Ciara Doherty speaks to Dr Jennifer Kavanagh, law lecturer at South East Technological University, about the Taoiseach’s remarks, the legal grey zones of the Northern Ireland Act, and why the debate is as much about politics and the vagaries of opinion polls as it is about law.

If you’ve got thoughts on today’s episode or where the border poll debate is heading, drop us a line at newstalkdaily@newstalk.com.

Comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension from his late-night slot on American network ABC sparked outrage, boycotts, and furious claims of censorship. His return lasy week, however, pulled in a huge audience — more than six million live viewers and 26 million more online — and reignited a national debate about who really controls America’s television networks.

At the heart of this row are the powerful corporations that own U.S. broadcast television: Disney (which owns ABC and ESPN), Comcast (which owns NBC and Telemundo), Paramount Global (which controls CBS), Fox Corporation (parent of the FOX network), and Nexstar Media Group (the country’s largest owner of local affiliate stations). Their decisions shape not only the fate of comedians like Jimmy Kimmel or Stephen Colbert, but also how political coverage reaches millions of Americans every night.

Former President Donald Trump has accused the networks of bias and threatened their licences — a power regulated by the Federal Communications Commission. Meanwhile, billionaire figures like Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison and media dynasties such as the Murdochs and Redstones remain closely tied to both the business and political sides of broadcasting.

So how much of what Americans watch is decided by creative freedom, and how much by political pressure, business interests, or regulatory oversight? And what does the Kimmel controversy tell us about the future of free speech on television?

In today’s podcast, Ciara Doherty is joined by U.S. media analyst Claire Atkinson, host of The Media Mix, to untangle the complicated, deeply political world of media control.

👉 Follow Claire’s work on her Substack here: https://claireatkinson.substack.com

Guinness is back in the spotlight - not for what’s in the glass, but for the family saga now streaming on Netflix. House of Guinness tells the story of the so-called Royal Family of Stout, beginning with the death of Sir Benjamin Lee Guinness and the fortunes — and misfortunes — of his heirs. But how much of what we’re binge-watching is rooted in truth, and how much has been dramatised for television?

Novelist Emily Hourican joins Ciara Doherty on the podcast to separate history from fiction. From the monumental funeral of Sir Benjamin to the family’s mix of philanthropy and strategy, from the rise of Edward Cecil Guinness to the scandal-tinged glamour of the Guinness Girls, we trace how a Dublin brewing dynasty became a cultural mythology. We also explore the family’s surprising resilience through Ireland’s political upheavals, their role in shaping Dublin’s landscape, and how their legacy still echoes today.

Emily Hourican’s own novels inspired by the dynasty, The Guinness Girls, offer another window into this extraordinary family. So, what do we learn when history, literature and television collide? And is there any truth to the so-called 'Guinness Curse'?

Newstalk Daily reporter Alex Rowley went to the Dublin premiere of the show where he met three of its stars: Danielle Galligan, who plays Lady Olivia Hedges, Dervla Kirwan (Aunt Agnes Guinness), and Fionn O’Shea (Benjamin Guinness).

🔗 Emily Hourican’s website

📸 Follow Alex on Instagram @alexxrowley