Highlights From The Pat Kenny Show

As the new year is here and many are starting a set of new resolutions. Stephanie Regan looks at the 9-science backed small steps to feeling better in 2026. Some of these include to stop striving for perfection, practice self-compassion and invest in better friendships. 

Stromness whaling station, where Shackleton crafted the rescue mission of his men from Elephant Island, is now under restoration.  At the brink of collapse, Shackleton's South Georgia base has indelible ties to Ireland.  

Employment Law Expert and Chief Business Officer at Arachas Julie Galbraith answers listeners employment-related questions and what to do if the cold spell affects your work.

As Nicolas Maduro is set to face appear in court a New York City today after his capture by the us military for drug and weapons charges. But back in Venezuela, the country continues to revel in the disgraced leader’s ousting as neighbouring countries in Latin America raise concerns about any attempt at US governmental control of natural resources.  Pat discusses this further with Alan McPherson, Freaney Professor of History and Director of the Center for the Study of Force and Diplomacy at Temple University.

This week on our motoring slot, Geraldine Herbert discusses the danger of a maxed out M50,the Dublin traffic plan and how Tesla loses ev pole position.

Chronic kidney disease affects around one in ten people in Ireland and is on course to becoming the fifth leading cause of death globally by 2040. Despite the opt-out organ donation system, less people donated organs in 2025 compared to the previous year, Adrian Cummins, Head of the Restaurants Association of Ireland was diagnosed with kidney disease in 2019. He spends more than 10 hours a week on dialysis as he waits for a kidney transplant. Adrian joined Pat on the show the show this morning.

Early on Saturday morning, the United States carried out Operation Absolute Resolve, a raid which killed at least forty people and lead to the capture and removal of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores. We get the latest from on the ground in Venezuela from Víctor Amaya and analysis from Scott Lucas.

French President Emmanuel Macron is pushing forward with new first-in-Europe legislation to prohibit social media access for minors under 15 and a ban on mobile phone use in secondary schools, with implementation expected for the 2026 school year.Pat discusses this further with Elaine Burke, Host of For Tech’s Sake Podcast and also John Lichfield, Veteran Correspondent based in Paris.

Ireland will be confronted by a different world in 2026. A mixture of under-investment compared to European neighbours and concern over unidentified drones in the airspace, have placed defence atop the national agenda for 2026.Pat discusses this further with Cathal Berry, Former member of the Defence Forces.

If you are travelling this morning, you will feel the baltic weather and notice the heavy frost everywhere and if you are in Donegal, then you will be looking out at a blanket of snow. Some schools are set to close, and there could be more snow on the way for other parts of the country.  We get the latest on the weather with Holly O’Neill, Meteorologist with Met Eireann.

Joining Pat on today's Friday Forum was Louise Burne, Political Correspondent with The Irish Examiner, Harry Browne, Senior Lecturer in the School of Media at Technological University Dublin and also Eoin O’Malley, Lecturer in Politics at DCU.

It’s time to look across the pond for the latest US news. This week saw the new mayor of New York, Zohran Mamdani, sworn in on New year's Eve. His speech outside city hall signaled his unwavering ambitions for the city. All to chat about with Terry Sheridan, Senior Director of News at WSHU Public Radio.

 For this week’s Friday Food, the K Club's Gary O’Hanlon leaves behind the classic turkey and ham to try a mango chicken and vegetable Curry for your weekend dinner.

The EU has warned that Israel's threat to suspend aid groups into Gaza under new registration rules would block life-saving aid. What will this mean for the people in Gaza and how has the winter impacted those on the ground?  We heard from Kazem Abu, UNICEF spokesperson in Jerusalem.

After Christmas, we often feel that looming anxiety or impending doom when it comes to our finances. Robert Whelan of Rockwell Financial explains how we can avoid financial stress, and plan for the year and beyond.

Investigations continue into the tragic fire that tore through a bar in a Swiss ski resort that killed 40 people and injured at least 115 people.  Joining Pat with the latest on the tragic fire was Julia Hamilton a Switzerland based reporter.

After weeks of celebrations, late nights, and maybe one too many glasses raised, January often brings a moment to pause. Dry January encourages people to go alcohol-free for 31 days, raising questions about our drinking habits and the impact alcohol has on our health. Joining Pat to discuss further was Catríona Redmond, Columnist with the Irish Examiner and  Malie Coyne, Clinical Psychologist, Author, Broadcaster.

We look ahead to the weekend’s sporting action. The Premier League is back to the weekend after a series of stalemates on Thursday. Inter-provincial rugby action today as Ulster play Munster. all-Ireland club football semi-final. A final to look forward to on Saturday at the Alexander Palace.  Cathal Mullaney, Broadcaster with Off the Ball brings us all the details

Michael Healy Rae, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, is calling for the government to have a “serious rethink” of the planned crackdown on short-term letting. 

During the Christmas break, services through the channel tunnel resumed following power failure caused disruption for passengers. However, despite the major fault there more changes are set to come for the channel tunnel across Europe with different routes across a variety of countries. Eoghan Corry, Editor of Travel Extra.ie brings us the details.