The Pat Kenny Show

Ali Ansari is Professor of Iranian history and director of the Institute for Iranian Studies at the University of St Andrews. He’s one of the leading authorities on modern Iran and has written widely on Iranian politics, history, and relations with the West. He joins Pat to discuss the current conflict, the international response, and how events are being interpreted both inside and outside Iran.

Shane Ross joins Pat to chat about his latest book ‘RTÉ: Saints, Scholars and Scandals’.

Anne Chambers is a celebrated biographer, having written about lives as diverse as pirate Queen Grace O’Malley and Tom Cruise -not the actor - but her own, unknown uncle. Now she has written her own story, which looks at how her writing has impacted her own life. She joins Pat to discuss.

From rising cancer rates in younger people to increasing infertility, scientists are warning that many of us may be ageing faster than we should, and our diet could be a major factor. In his new book ‘The Age Code’, Dr David Cox explores the emerging science showing how what we eat can influence the ageing process at a cellular level, and even determine the age of our organs - he joins Pat to discuss.

Joining Pat to run through the main stories in the Sunday papers is Craig Hughes, political editor of the Irish Daily Mail.

The Irish Academy of Engineering has just published two reports calling for significant changes to our energy security planning, which fly in the face of our legally-binding commitment to eliminate carbon emissions. To discuss this, Pat is joined by a member of the academy, Eamonn O’Reilly.

Screentime’s John Fardy joins Pat for another instalment of Boxed.

Pat had a chance encounter with a man he had last interviewed 35 years ago, and recently learned that their chat back then helped preserve a delicate ecosystem in a National Park in Ghana. Marine Biologist, Kealan Doyle, joins Pat in studio to tell him all about it.

In 1695, a Dublin merchant ship set sail from Ringsend to Smyrna on what should have been a routine trading mission. It didn’t return within three years of its departure, and so the ship was presumed lost. Insurance was paid out, and life moved on until two years later, when the ship reappeared. Joining Pat to tell the story of the Ouzel Galley is historian and content creator Jane Casey.

Sir Keir Starmer is under mounting pressure after Labour suffered heavy losses in the UK’s local elections, with Nigel Farage’s Reform UK making major gains across traditional Labour and Conservative strongholds. As the political map shifts dramatically, and with key results still to come, George Parker, Financial Times political editor, joins Pat to sift through the wreckage.

Horslips were the original Celtic rockers back in the 1970s, and they have just released a new live album, although they have stopped playing live gigs. How does that work? Barry Devlin and Jim Lockhart join Pat to explain everything.

For many people, cooking at home can feel repetitive - using the same ingredients, the same recipes and the same routines. But Chef Mark Moriarty says understanding just a few simple techniques can completely change the way we cook and eat. He’s built a career around making high-level cooking practical and accessible - he joins Pat to talk about it all.

Joining Pat to discuss the recent outbreak of hantavirus is Dr Luke O’Neill.

Joining Pat to run through the main stories from the Sunday papers is Gabija Gataveckaite, BBC Dublin Correspondent.

This week’s news of drug gangs and related gun culture was a stark reminder of the challenges facing young people and their parents living in some of the tougher neighbourhoods in our cities. The problems are complex, and the answers are not simple, but community support and a solid education are undoubtedly an important part of any solution. Daire Hennessy, CEO of Citywise Education, is living proof of that and is working to share his success back in his home community in Tallaght. He joins Pat to discuss.

King Charles’ address to Congress this week landed at a delicate moment in UK‑US relations - a relationship that’s close, occasionally strained, and shaped as much by tone and symbolism as by policy. The speech was widely seen as an attempt to strike the right balance, and it raises an interesting question: what actually makes a speech work? Joining Pat to discuss is Derek Mooney, a former ministerial adviser and speechwriter.

This week marks the end of the first year in the pontificate of Pope Leo XIV, and it has not been without its headline moments. Massimo Faggioli, Professor in Historical and Contemporary Ecclesiology at the Loyola Institute in the School of Religion, Theology and Peace Studies at Trinity College, Dublin, joins Pat to discuss.

Yesterday on the programme, we heard from Rachel McNicholl, whose husband Fiacc Ó Brolcháin was among the Irish citizens on board the latest Gaza-bound aid flotilla, intercepted by Israeli forces as it attempted to sail humanitarian supplies toward Gaza. The vessel was stopped at sea, those on board were detained, and the mission was cut short. This morning, Fiacc joined Pat to describe what happened during the interception, his time in custody, and why he believes the voyage was necessary despite the risks.

Professor and dermatologist Nikki Ralph joined Pat to answer all your skin health questions and offer some advice on how to protect ourselves

Former diplomat and White House advisor sits down with Pat to discuss his career and what he thinks of US politics at the moment

Professor Luke O'Neill sits down with Pat to discuss the future of robots and when we might be able to see them with the ability to reproduce

Rachel McNicholl joins Pat to talk about her husband Fiach O Braolain who was aboard the latest Flotilla to be seized by the Israeli military as they sailed to Gaza

Founder of Holocaust Awareness Ireland and son of a Holocaust survivor Oliver Sears joins Pat to discuss rising levels of fear in the Irish Jewish community.

Coming up on the Pat Kenny Show this Saturday & Sunday between 10am and 12 noon:The man who coined the term “war of choice”, Richard Haass, will be giving us his assessment of where the US stands now as we enter the third month of the Iran warAntisemitism is on the rise in the UK, but what is the situation here in Ireland?Anne Chambers joins us to talk about her own story and her new book ‘Living Lives: A Biographer's Journey’We’ll be reflecting on the first year of the reign of Pope Leo XIV Regulars Luke O’Neill & Paul Harrington will be stopping by, plus much, much more.That’s the Pat Kenny Show this Saturday & Sunday between 10am and 12 noon.

The war in Ukraine is entering a new phase where technology is increasingly defining the fight. from drone swarms to unmanned ground vehicles, Kyiv is reshaping how wars are waged in real time.  Pat was joined by Defence expert at the University of Bath, Patrick Bury to discuss 

Associate editor at The Hill, Niall Stanage joins Pat to discuss an overnight shooting at the Washington Correspondents' dinner

King Charles III is to head to the United States on Monday for a landmark visit, amid transatlantic tensions over the Iran war and the fallout of the Epstein scandal BBC News’ Royal Correspondent, Sean Coughlan joined Pat to discuss 

This weekend marks the tenth anniversary since the national children’s hospital was granted planning permission, and not a single child patient has yet been treated there.  why is it seemingly impossible to get big infrastructure projects done in this country, and how do other countries manage it? Maeve Jennings was head of development at temple bar properties and now works on infrastructure projects across France and she joined Pat 

Joining Pat to run through the main stories in the Sunday papers is Political Correspondent with The Irish Times, Jack Horgan-Jones

If you remember the Hucklebuck, you’ll probably love this show. and if you don’t, then now is your chance to learn all about Ireland's showband era. Carol Gleeson is one of the women behind the show ‘Are ya dancin?’, and one of its stars, alongside retired school principal and award-winning amateur actor, Paul Mescal both joined Pat in studio 

The accident ruined lives when it happened and continued its destruction in the days, months and years that followed. However, there was one beacon of hope.  A young Irish woman was determined that the children suffering the devastating consequences of radiation would be given a chance to live a life as ‘normal’ as possible even for 5 or 6 weeks a year. CEO, Chernobyl Children International Adi Roche joins Pat. 

John Fardy joined Pat to take a dive into a new Netflix series called Bad Mistakes  

Professor Luke O’Neill joins Pat to unpack growing fears that science in the US is being systematically undermined, with billions in funding cuts and advisory committees being reshaped.

Dublin City Council CEO, Richard Shakespeare, joins Pat in studio as the council confirms it has completed a €581 million purchase of the former DIT site on Kevin Street. The landmark deal will see a new 14-storey civic headquarters for thousands of staff and hundreds of apartments developed by the end of the decade. 

Pat is joined by Motoring Editor of the Sunday Independent Geraldine Herbert to discuss the latest on EVs 

Few figures in Irish sport have cast as long a shadow as Roy Keane. To some, he’s the embodiment of elite standards and uncompromising honesty. to others, he represents something else - a kind of cultural hard edge that’s seeped far beyond football.  New book argues that keane’s influence didn’t just shape teams but helped to shape modern ireland itself.We need to talk about Roy: The Keaneification of Modern Ireland, the author of which joins Pat, Dave Hannigan, contributor with the Irish Times based in New York

President Catherine Connolly paid tribute to the approximately 20,000 Irish people living in Spain at an event in Barcelona yesterday evening.Newstalk’s Tom Douglas reports on the visit

UK Prime Minister Starmer to face MPs tomorrow as he returns to Parliament, as fallout continues on his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as UK ambassador to the US. Pat was joined by Financial Times Political Editor, George Park to discuss

Bassam Aramin and Rami Elhanan are fathers from either side of the Palestinian Israeli conflict, united by each having lost a daughter to the conflict. Despite their loss, they work together to promote peace and reconciliation in their region, and their organisation, parents circle families forum, has been nominatated for the 2026 Nobel peace prize.

Joining Pat to run through the main stories in the Sunday papers is Political Correspondent with The Irish Times, Ellen Coyne

Irish dancing has long been seen as one of Ireland's most recognisable and wholesome cultural exports, but in recent years, that image has been shaken by allegations of cheating and corruption at the very highest levels of competition. In her new book dirty dancing, journalist Ellen Coyne traces how a so-called “feis-fixing” scandal exposed deep-rooted issues within what many describe as an insular and intensely competitive world, where the line between cultural tradition and elite sport has become increasingly blurred.

Joining Pat to go through what has been a tumultuous week for Michael Martin and the government more broadly is Kevin Doyle, Group Head of News at Mediahuis Ireland.

Forty-one years ago, John Corcoran was murdered in West Cork. Corcoran was an IRA member and a secret garda informer. No one has ever been charged with his murder. No inquiry has been held. J.P. O’Sullivan was the special branch detective who recruited Corcoran as an informer, and he believes there has been a huge cover-up of garda involvement in Corcoran’s murder at the highest level. J.P. has written a book about it called 'Veil of Silence', and joins Pat to discuss.

As volatility grips global energy markets, a stark divide has opened up across Europe’s electricity prices. Ireland now finds itself at the very top of the cost table, while Spain, once equally exposed to energy shocks, has emerged as one of the cheapest. So, what’s driving this growing gap? Naomi O'Leary, Europe correspondent of The Irish Times & Lisa Ryan, Professor in Energy Economics in the School of Economics at UCD, join Pat to discuss.

What’s the connection between the fuel protests and young people emigrating to Melbourne? Sinead O'Sullivan is an Irish business economist, formerly of the Harvard Business School, who posted her theory online, and it was soon being discussed by Steve Bannon on his podcast. She joins Pat to discuss.

Pat is joined by Billy Hann, CEO of Dublin, to look at where the service stands - from their current recruitment drive to plans for expanding routes and fleet capacity, alongside the challenges of rising fuel costs, decarbonisation, congestion in the city, the misuse of bus lanes, and ongoing concerns around antisocial behaviour.

While a ten-day ceasefire has been agreed to by Lebanon and Israel, the humanitarian situation is still deteriorating, with more than a million people displaced and critical infrastructure under strain. On the ground, overcrowded shelters are becoming flashpoints of a different kind of crisis, where access to basic care, particularly for older people and those with disabilities, is increasingly out of reach. What’s emerging is not just a story of conflict, but of a system struggling to cope with the scale and complexity of human need. Sally Hayden, award-winning journalist with The Irish Times, joins Pat to discuss.

Joining Pat to discuss some promising advances in treating pancreatic & ovarian cancer is Dr Luke O’Neill.

More than 300 children in Ireland are currently waiting for life-changing wishes. The figure comes as Make-A-Wish continues to expand its reach, granting 229 wishes in 2025 - its highest number to date - thanks to the generosity of the Irish public and corporate partners. This year's nationwide fundraising campaign is now up and running, which will culminate in a dedicated donation day on Friday, April 17th. To discuss, Pat is joined by Susan McQuaid O'Dwyer, CEO of Make-A-Wish & Emma Dempsey, Make-A-Wish fundraiser.

Rory McIlroy heads into the final day at Augusta having relinquished a commanding lead on Saturday, but can he recover to go back-to-back and retain the green jacket? Philip Reid, Golf Correspondent of The Irish Times, joins Pat to discuss.