On today’s podcast, Niall is joined by journalist Fatima Gunning from Gript Media to discuss a deeply sensitive and divisive situation sent in by a listener.

A mother has contacted the show after discovering that her 15-year-old daughter is pregnant by her 17-year-old boyfriend. While the young couple have reportedly been together for two years, the parents are now sharply divided on what to do next. The father believes the only responsible course of action is to go to the Gardaí and report the boyfriend. The mother strongly disagrees, fearing that involving the authorities could alienate their daughter, fracture the family, and ultimately do more harm than good. She believes the boyfriend intends to stand by their daughter and that the family must now face the reality of the situation together.

With legal, moral, and emotional questions colliding, Niall and Fatima examine the complexities of consent, age of responsibility, parental duty, and the unintended consequences of involving the criminal justice system in a family crisis.

Listeners then join the conversation live, offering mixed and often conflicting views on what the father should do — from those who say the law must be followed regardless, to others who argue that compassion, trust, and keeping the family together should come first.

What would you do?

Would you report the boyfriend — or handle it within the family?

A difficult conversation, with no easy answers.

On today’s show, Niall begins with the latest on the Mercosur trade deal, getting an update directly from Brussels with TD Paul Lawless as concerns continue to grow about its potential impact on Irish farming and food standards.

Then we turn to today’s main topic — and it’s one that’s igniting fierce debate across Europe. Following developments in the UK, where MPs have voted in favour of tighter restrictions that could effectively ban under-16s from accessing social media platforms, many are now asking whether Ireland is next.

The move comes after months of warnings about the harm social media can cause to children’s mental health, exposure to adult content, and online exploitation. But it also raises uncomfortable questions. Why are governments now stepping in to ban children from private platforms in order to keep them safe? Is this really about protecting young people — or about filling a gap left by parents?

Have we reached a point where parenting has been outsourced to legislation? Has this generation of parents been too permissive, allowing children unchecked access to adult conversations and content, only to demand state intervention when the consequences become clear?

And ultimately, are children today suffering from a lack of good parenting — or is this simply a new challenge that society is still learning how to handle?

We’ll be discussing it all, live from 12pm.

Today on the podcast, Niall is joined by Jackie Flannery from the Irish Rural Farmers Association to discuss the growing backlash from family carers following a major move by the Revenue Commissioners.

Revenue has written to 34,000 carers, confirming that Carer’s Allowance and Carer’s Benefit have always been taxable, and that from 1 January last year the tax is now applied in real time. Carers who did not previously declare the payment as income are now being told they may face back-tax bills, some of them significant.

Carers are pushing back hard. Many argue they provide round-the-clock care for payments of just:

€270 per week for caring for one person under 66

€308 per week for caring for someone aged 66 or over

They question how an allowance they rely on to survive can now result in unexpected tax demands years later.

Revenue maintains the payment is taxable income and subject to means testing, while critics online ask why carers should be treated differently to other taxpayers.

Niall and Jackie examine the human impact, the fairness of the system, and the wider implications for rural and family carers — and Niall asks listeners to weigh in:

👉 Should the Carer’s Allowance be exempt from tax regardless of household income, or should it remain means-tested and taxable?

Callers are invited to have their say.

Today on the podcast, Niall is joined by financial commentator and public policy analyst Karl Deeter to tackle a provocative legal and social question:

Should Ireland introduce a statute of limitations on certain criminal prosecutions — excluding murder and rape?

In Ireland, there is currently no time limit on bringing criminal charges for many offences. This means crimes such as sexual assault against an adult, assault, theft, fraud and trespass can be prosecuted many years — even decades — after the alleged incident. By contrast, only civil cases for compensation are subject to time limits.

In other jurisdictions, including parts of the United States, strict time limits apply to less serious offences, while the most serious crimes like murder and rape remain exempt.

So should Ireland follow suit?

Would a 6-year limit improve fairness, legal certainty and due process — or would it deny justice to victims who come forward late?

Niall and Karl debate the legal, ethical and practical implications — and invite callers to have their say.

👉 Should Ireland introduce time limits on criminal charges for offences other than murder and rape?

In this episode, Niall is joined by David Quinn, journalist and spokesperson for The Iona Institute, to discuss a stark new paper warning that Ireland is on the wrong course when it comes to marriage, family life, and population growth.

Drawing on newly released CSO data, the paper shows that Ireland now has its lowest-ever marriage rate and fertility rate, outside the Covid years. Births have fallen sharply across almost all age groups, with only a modest rise among over-40s — nowhere near enough to offset the overall decline. Fertility now stands at 1.5 children per woman, well below the replacement level of 2.1, raising concerns about serious demographic imbalances in the near future.

David explains how marriage and birth rates continue to move in tandem, even as more children are born outside marriage, and why delayed marriage and parenthood — driven by housing costs, job insecurity, and shifting social norms — are playing a crucial role. Today, the average age of marriage is nearly 38 for men and 36 for women, around ten years older than in the 1980s, despite tougher economic conditions back then.

The conversation also explores a striking contradiction: surveys show that most people still want two or three children, yet many are falling short of those aspirations, leading to what researchers now call “unplanned childlessness.”

Niall puts the central question to David:

Can Ireland change the direction of its downward birth rate — and if so, what economic, social, and cultural changes would it take to make marriage and family life realistically achievable again for younger generations?

A thoughtful discussion on demographics, personal choice, social pressure, and the long-term consequences for Irish society.

In this episode, Niall is joined by Daragh Cassidy of Bonkers.ie to unpack the relentless rise in car insurance costs — and the real-life consequences for ordinary families.

The discussion is sparked by a powerful email from a listener who is deeply worried about his brother: a married father of three who, after a minor car accident, saw his insurance jump from €500 to €2,500 a year. Unable to afford the increase — and with no public transport where he lives — the brother has continued driving to work and school runs without insurance, using a fake cert in the windscreen. Not out of recklessness, but desperation.

Niall and Daragh explore why insurance premiums can rise so sharply after even small claims, what options (if any) exist for families pushed to the edge, and whether the system adequately reflects people’s real-world dependence on their cars — especially in rural Ireland.

The episode also opens up a wider moral and social debate. Niall asks listeners directly:

Do you have sympathy for this man’s situation, or is there no justification for driving uninsured — no matter the circumstances?

A tough, nuanced conversation about affordability, risk, responsibility, and how rising costs are forcing people into impossible choices.

This week on the show, Niall is joined by John McGuirk of Gript Media to tackle a question that goes right to the heart of Irish diplomacy — and Irish pride.

If Taoiseach Micheál Martin is invited to the White House for St Patrick’s Day, should he refuse to go?

For decades, the shamrock ceremony has been one of Ireland’s most cherished diplomatic traditions — a chance to celebrate Irish identity on the world stage and strengthen ties with the United States. But this year, the invitation comes with serious controversy attached.

The US President has threatened sweeping tariffs on the EU and the UK — starting at 10% and rising to 25% — unless Europe agrees to a deal that would see the United States purchase Greenland from Denmark. European leaders have pushed back hard, standing shoulder to shoulder with Denmark and insisting that no country can be bullied out of its territory.

So where does that leave Ireland?

Should we keep smiling for the cameras, or should Ireland finally draw a line?

Is attending the White House a necessary act of diplomacy — or a silent endorsement of behaviour that undermines European sovereignty?

Niall and John debate what a snub would mean politically, economically, and symbolically — and then the phones are opened, as listeners are invited to have their say.

Is it time to make a stand, even if it means tearing up one of our most beloved diplomatic traditions?

On today’s programme, Niall is joined by Eilís Mulroy, pro-life campaigner and commentator, to revisit one of the most consequential decisions in modern Irish history — the repeal of the Eighth Amendment.

New figures show that 10,852 abortions were carried out in the Republic of Ireland in 2024, the highest number ever recorded since abortion was legalised following the 2018 referendum. Across the water, the UK has also seen record numbers, with almost 300,000 abortions in 2023 alone.

Buried within those statistics are figures that raise difficult and deeply emotional questions:

3,205 disability-selective abortions

735 babies with Down’s syndrome

40 babies aborted due to cleft lip or cleft palate

Niall and Eilís discuss what these numbers mean, how Ireland arrived at this point, and whether the reality of abortion access today matches what voters were promised in 2018.

Was the public told the full truth during the referendum campaign?

Has what was described as “rare, safe, and legal” become routine?

And how should a society measure compassion, care, and choice in light of these figures?

After the discussion, the phones are opened, and listeners are invited to take part in a frank and respectful conversation.

If the referendum on the Eighth Amendment were held again tomorrow — knowing what we know now — how would you vote?

A challenging discussion, strong opinions on all sides, and a chance for the public to have their say.