Christmas Day can be loud, busy, and full of expectations. But for some people — by choice, or by circumstance — it’s quiet. This Christmas Day edition of Newstalk Daily is made for anyone spending the day on their own. It’s not here to fix anything, or to tell you how to feel. It’s simply here to keep you company.

Beatty talks first to journalist Jennifer McShane, who has written about time alone at Christmas can be underrated, even joyful. She reflects on the difference between being alone and feeling lonely, the pressure to “perform” Christmas, and why opting out can sometimes be an act of rest rather than rejection.

Then, Shane is joined by Dr Joanna McHugh Power from the Department of Psychology at Maynooth University. She offers gentle, practical advice for anyone who didn’t expect to be alone today and may be finding it difficult — from creating simple structures, to managing social media, to finding connection without overwhelm.

Wherever you are today, and however you’re feeling, you’re very welcome here.

🕯️ ALONE
Support and companionship for older people experiencing loneliness, including over Christmas.
https://alone.ie
Helpline: 0818 222 024

📞 Samaritans Ireland
A listening ear, day or night — you don’t need to be in crisis to get in touch.
https://www.samaritans.org/ireland
Freephone: 116 123

💙 Aware
Support and information for people affected by depression, anxiety, and low mood.
https://www.aware.ie
Support line: 1800 80 48 48

They were children when the Celtic Tiger collapsed. Teenagers when the IMF arrived. And now, they’re adults in an Ireland that in many ways still hasn’t fully recovered.

The “Bailout Babies” are the generation born into the boom and shaped by the bust. They never benefited from the good times, but they’ve lived with the consequences ever since, in housing, work, relationships, politics, and mental health. And in 2025, it feels like something has shifted.

From CMAT’s Euro-Country to Kneecap’s cultural breakout, from housing protests to emigration, this generation suddenly seems to be everywhere — angrier, funnier, more creative, and more politically engaged than before.

On this Christmas Eve podcast, Sean Defoe is joined by journalist Adam Maguire, author of The Bailout Babies, to ask who this generation really is, and why this year feels like their coming-of-age moment.

They talk about growing up during the crash, the long shadow of austerity, the housing crisis as a barrier to adulthood, and how living in box rooms into your thirties reshapes dating, work, and family life. They also explore why inheritance has quietly become a housing plan.

Adam Maguire’s The Bailout Babies is published by Gill Books.

What happens when millions of people online seem to decide, almost overnight, that they don’t like you? A harmless Christmas special. Fifty-six minutes of cooking, crafting, and cosy domestic cheer. And yet, once again, Meghan Markle found herself at the centre of a full-scale online pile-on.

The reviews were ferocious. The tone was personal. And the backlash felt wildly disproportionate to the crime — if there even was one. On today’s podcast, Sean Defoe looks at why certain public figures become lightning rods for outrage, and why Meghan Markle continues to provoke such an emotional reaction.

He’s joined by journalist and writer Mary McCarthy, whose crime was watching With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration on Netflix — and actually enjoying it. Together, they talk about snobbery, misogyny, racism, and the strange expectations placed on women in the public eye. From British tabloids to social media dogpiles, from lifestyle branding to Christmas escapism, this is a conversation about who we choose to hate — and why.

With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration is streaming now on Netflix.

For decades, Irish food suffered from a reputation it struggled to shake. Overcooked vegetables, low expectations, and the idea that good eating was something you travelled abroad to find. Then something changed.

Irish restaurants grew more confident, more creative, and far more ambitious. Today, Ireland is home to dozens of Michelin-listed restaurants, an internationally respected dining scene, and a generation of chefs who take Irish ingredients — and Irish food culture — seriously. So, when did Irish restaurants actually get good?

On today’s podcast, Sean Defoe is joined at the restaurant table by chef, food historian, and TU Dublin lecturer Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire. From Ballymaloe to modern neighbourhood bistros, from Michelin stars to vegetable-led menus, Máirtín traces the long evolution of Irish dining — and explains why this was less a sudden revolution than a slow, cultural shift in how Ireland eats, cooks, and thinks about food.

They talk about the role of foreign travel and chef training abroad, how Michelin fits into the story, and whether Ireland’s current golden age of restaurants is sustainable amid rising costs and staff shortages.

📘 Book recommendation

Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire is the co-editor of Irish Food History: A Companion, published by the Royal Irish Academy — an award-winning deep dive into how Ireland eats, cooked, and understood food across centuries. A serious contender for the foodie Christmas list.

📩 Get in touch

Have thoughts, memories, or strong opinions about Irish restaurants past and present? You can email the podcast at newstalkdaily@newstalk.com.

This weekend marks forty years since the founding of the Progressive Democrats — the small, outspoken party that reshaped Irish politics, then vanished.

Born out of revolt against Fianna Fáil’s culture and economics, the PDs injected ideology into a system long defined by civil war loyalties rather than left-right debate. Pro-market, socially liberal, and unapologetic about the limits of the State, they punched far above their electoral weight for more than two decades.

Today, Irish politics is more fragmented than ever, but it is also strikingly pro-spending and pro-State across almost every major party. So, is there now a gap where the PDs once stood? Is there room — electorally and culturally — for a low-tax, small-state party in modern Ireland?

On today’s podcast, Sean Defoe is joined by Professor Gary Murphy, Professor of Politics at Dublin City University and biographer of Charles Haughey, to reflect on the PDs’ origins, influence, controversies, and their lasting legacy.

Over the past week, the world has once again watched the horror of mass shootings unfold — from the United States to Australia — and the fear they leave behind, particularly for Jewish communities and students on campuses.

Each time it happens, the same questions return. Why does this violence keep recurring? Is it random? And crucially, does gun control make a difference?

On today’s podcast, Sean Defoe is joined by two leading experts to examine what the evidence really tells us. Professor Peter Squires, criminologist and public policy expert at the University of Brighton, explains what international data from countries like the UK, Australia, and Canada show about gun laws, and why access to firearms consistently shapes outcomes. Meanwhile, Professor Orla Muldoon of the University of Limerick explores the psychology behind mass shootings, the well-documented risks of imitation, and the role media coverage can play in amplifying or reducing harm.

While Europe has largely avoided the scale of gun violence seen elsewhere, Orla warns that complacency is dangerous. Ireland is not gun-free — there are seven guns for every one hundred people — and no society is immune if warning signs are ignored. Patterns around age, gender, access to weapons and social conditions matter, as does how these attacks are reported in the days that follow.

Have thoughts on the conversation? You can email the show at newstalkdaily@newstalk.com

Trying to buy a home in Ireland can sometimes feel like a bad joke. Prices are still rising, and homes are still selling well above asking. Mortgage rates, at least, are easing. So, a simple question keeps coming up: does it make sense to buy now, if you can — or would you be mad not to wait until the next recession drives down prices?

Today on the podcast, we look past the noise and ask what the signs point to next year. Will Irish house prices still be rising in 2026? Have mortgage rates hit the bottom of the cycle? And does biding your time, waiting for an economic crash to bag a bargain, make sense in this version of the housing market?

Sean Defoe is joined by Michael Dowling, senior mortgage adviser with Irish Mortgage Brokers, to cut through the headlines and explain what buyers should really be watching — and why timing the market perfectly may matter less than people think.

It’s the political mess Fianna Fáil can’t escape. Months after Jim Gavin’s presidential bid collapsed in spectacular fashion, the party is finally preparing to publish its long-awaited internal review — and nerves are jangling.

Gavin was meant to be a safe choice. A proven winner. A figure above party politics. Instead, a controversy dating back to 2009 detonated his campaign almost overnight, forcing a humiliating withdrawal and leaving Fianna Fáil badly bruised.

Now, as leaks swirl about when decisions were made, who knew what — and how much money was spent — the big question is where responsibility will land. TDs and Senators are still furious over the sidelining of Cork MEP Billy Kelleher, the secrecy around Gavin’s recruitment, and the role played by Micheál Martin and Jack Chambers in pushing the candidacy through.

With around €400,000 reportedly poured into a campaign that barely got off the ground, party members want answers — and some are wondering whether this is merely a face-saving exercise or a genuine reckoning.

On today’s podcast Sean Defoe is joined by Shane Coleman from Newstalk Breakfast to dig into what the review is likely to say, whether Micheál Martin’s leadership is really under threat, and whether this fiasco changes anything at all for Fianna Fáil.