Today is Poetry Day Ireland. Why is it so important we celebrate poetry today, and what does poetry mean to modern society? We asked Gabriel Fitzmaurice, renowned poet and writer.

Why do we need to celebrate poetry?

Newstalk Breakfast brings you all the news you need to set you up for the day – from politics, business, sport, entertainment and everything in between. Shane Coleman and Ciara Kelly have all the stories that matter, every weekday from 7-9AM.

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News

Love Island will be back on our screens on Monday.   The eleventh series of the hit dating show has no Irish contestants in its official line up. But this could all change when a hot new bombshell enters the villa.    Joining us this morning on the show was freelance presenter Meghann Scully, who was once considered for Love Island’s first ever season.

Love Island will be back on our screens on Monday

 The first phase of a proof of concept for Body Worn Cameras for An Garda Síochána will take place today. We speak to An Taoiseach Simon Harris on this and more.

Taoiseach Simon Harris joined us this morning

 Separate inquests in Cork yesterday found two Irish women died as a result of weight loss surgery abroad in Turkey in 2021 and 2022. 
 Yet medical tourism has grown in popularity despite these glaring risks. We spoke to Helen Heneghan, consultant bariatric surgeon and Professor of Surgery at St Vincent’s University Hospital.

Warning over dangers of medical tourism

It will be all hands on deck for thousands of students across the country this bank holiday weekend, ahead of the Leaving and Junior Cert exams kicking off on Wednesday.  But are last-minute studiers better off forgoing sleep in favour of hitting the books?  We speak to Tom Coleman is a health scientist and sleep coach. 

Are leaving cert students worse off if they forgo sleep to study?

The first phase of a proof of concept for Body Worn Cameras for An Garda Síochána will take place today. It plans to deploy 600 cameras across the Dublin, Limerick and Waterford Divisions. Speaking to Ciara with reaction to this was Liam Herrick, Executive Director for the Irish Council for Civil Liberties.  

Why do we need to celebrate poetry?

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