{"id":344139,"date":"2026-03-13T11:53:11","date_gmt":"2026-03-13T11:53:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/344139\/"},"modified":"2026-03-13T11:53:11","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T11:53:11","slug":"whether-grilling-guests-or-praising-fried-food-david-mccullaghs-delivery-is-proper-order-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/344139\/","title":{"rendered":"Whether grilling guests or praising fried food, David McCullagh\u2019s delivery is proper order \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Though he made his name in heavyweight journalistic roles such as political correspondent and news anchor, David McCullagh<\/a> has shown his versatility as host of Today (RT\u00c9<\/a> Radio 1, weekdays). <\/p>\n

Since taking on the role<\/a> last November, McCullagh has deftly handled the magazine show\u2019s disparate elements, sounding equally comfortable with news stories and lifestyle items. Still, when the chips are down he can\u2019t help betraying where his real priorities lie.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere really is nothing like a proper bag of chips from a proper neighbourhood chipper,\u201d the presenter says authoritatively, \u201cwith salt and vinegar, maybe a bit of fish, a battered sausage or a quarter-pounder.\u201d <\/p>\n

While the sentiment is heartfelt \u2013 it sounds like an order that\u2019s been given many times \u2013 this isn\u2019t a random proclamation. Rather, McCullagh is prefacing Tuesday\u2019s segment on the future of traditional chip shops, a topic he approaches with relish \u2013 or some class of condiment, anyway. <\/p>\n

When one texter commends the enticing smells that emanate from the chipper, McCullagh is unambivalent in his opinion: \u201cYou\u2019ve got that right, for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

McCullagh\u2019s fondness for such grub is eclipsed by that of the DJ Thomas Crosse, who waxes lyrical about the convenience, nostalgia and \u201cproper thick chips\u201d of old-school takeaways. So fulsome is Crossy\u2019s enthusiasm for deep-fried fare that McCullagh feels compelled to add a caveat. \u201cWe often do items about healthy eating on this programme,\u201d he drily remarks.<\/p>\n

Such half-hearted provisos aside, it\u2019s an enjoyable item for both listener and presenter \u2013 \u201cI\u2019m starving now,\u201d he concludes \u2013 that highlights not only McCullagh\u2019s fast-food tastes but also the drolly engaged manner with which he approaches all his items. <\/p>\n

True, he adopts a sterner mien when covering the soaring cost of home heating oil, but his acerbic humour is never far away.<\/p>\n

Asked by McCullagh why the price of this fuel has increased eight times more here than in the rest of the EU, Kevin McPartland of Fuels for Ireland is robustly defensive. \u201cThere\u2019s a bit of a danger here of adding two and two and getting 734\u00bd,\u201d he says, with odd specificity. \u201cYou\u2019re adding two and two and getting an 80 per cent rise in heating oil,\u201d McCullagh shoots back.<\/p>\n

The ensuing discussion follows these lines, the host sounding dubious while his guest strives to explain why prices have risen so dramatically. Kerosene is more expensive to refine than the fuels used elsewhere in Europe, McPartland says, while carbon taxes further add to costs for the customer.<\/p>\n

[\u00a0Ray D\u2019Arcy will need to do more than ponder aimlessly to draw listeners to his daily podcastOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

He sounds a wounded note at the notion of price gouging by his sector. \u201cI didn\u2019t make any suggestion of any wrongdoing. I\u2019m just trying to understand the maths,\u201d McCullagh responds. If he sounds vaguely irritated, it\u2019s possibly because the sums always seem to work out well for the Irish fuel industry.<\/p>\n

The impact of oil hikes caused by the Iran war is a theme that the host pursues throughout the week. He challenges Ger Hyland of the Irish Road Haulage Association<\/a> about proposed (and subsequently suspended) protests, and attempts to elicit the thoughts of an evasive Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill<\/a> on targeted supports for beleaguered consumers, albeit with limited success: \u201cI didn\u2019t ask you for a Government response, I asked for your personal view,\u201d he sighs in frustration.<\/p>\n

Perhaps surprisingly, the issue of rising fuel prices doesn\u2019t arise when the host talks to the motoring journalist Geraldine Herbert. Instead they discuss whether the touchscreens of modern cars are distracting to drivers, with Herbert noting that the tactile controls of older vehicles require less attention. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019ve got a physical button you can change the radio or the heating control without taking your eyes off the road,\u201d she observes, prompting a gentle rejoinder from her host. \u201cWe don\u2019t want people changing the radio. Please do stay here whether you have buttons or a touchscreen.\u201d <\/p>\n

There\u2019s not much danger of that. Whether he\u2019s grilling guests or praising fried food, McCullagh\u2019s distinctive delivery is the proper order.<\/p>\n

\"NewstalkNewstalk presenter Pat Kenny. Photograph: Newstalk <\/p>\n

Having departed from his weekday morning slot in January, amid tributes and uncharacteristic hints of emotion, Pat Kenny<\/a> \u2013 just like that \u2013 returns to the airwaves. \u201cIt\u2019s good to be back,\u201d the host says, opening the new weekend iteration of The Pat Kenny Show (Newstalk, Saturday and Sunday). <\/p>\n

Aside from the new time slot, part of a wider weekend reshuffle on Newstalk<\/a>, not much has changed. Kenny seeks to replicate the content of the daily show, with even the old theme tune being retained. Kenny also promises \u201cfamiliar voices\u201d, and sure enough the biochemistry professor Luke O\u2019Neill<\/a> returns as resident science expert, discussing stress in breezy and conspicuously unstressful fashion.<\/p>\n

More pertinently, Kenny remains a forensic and compelling broadcaster. On Saturday he talks at length with Anthony Scaramucci<\/a>, in which Donald Trump<\/a>\u2019s former White House communications director \u2013 he\u2019s now an anti-Trump pundit \u2013 offers his unvarnished insights into the US president\u2019s personality: \u201cHe\u2019s perhaps one of the most evil people I\u2019ve come in contact with.\u201d <\/p>\n

The absorbing conversation is further enlivened by Scaramucci\u2019s vocal appreciation of Kenny\u2019s well-briefed \u2013 and frequent \u2013 interventions: \u201cI love you.\u201d<\/p>\n

There\u2019s more praise for the host when he speaks to Barry Keoghan<\/a> on Sunday. \u201cYou legend,\u201d the actor says by way of greeting. In truth it\u2019s a slightly rote encounter, with more emphasis on the professional than the personal \u2013 celebrity interviews have never been Kenny\u2019s strongest suit \u2013 but it undeniably adds a bit of stellar interest.<\/p>\n

[\u00a0\u2018I\u2019m not going anywhere,\u2019 says gloriously cranky Pat Kenny as he prepares to move onOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

Good though it is to have the evergreen host back on radio, it remains to be seen if he can compete with the ratings behemoth that is Brendan O\u2019Connor<\/a>\u2019s weekend show on RT\u00c9 Radio 1. One certainly wonders about the wisdom of running his headline Scaramucci interview in the second hour of Saturday\u2019s edition, which overlaps with O\u2019Connor\u2019s own encounter with the American pundit. It\u2019s maybe better to pull listeners in immediately at this early stage.<\/p>\n

Taken on its own terms, however, Kenny\u2019s show makes a fairly seamless return \u2013 as well it might, given that the host has only been away six weeks. Indeed, so easily does Kenny slot into his new berth, and so effortlessly does he command the mic, that one forgets he\u2019s 78. Veteran he may be, but he\u2019s chipper as ever.<\/p>\n

Moment of the week<\/p>\n

With fuel costs rising, Katie Hannon<\/a> and Colm \u00d3 Mong\u00e1in<\/a> uncover which kitchen appliances use the most energy on Drivetime (RT\u00c9 Radio 1, weekdays). The consumer journalist Caitri\u0301ona Redmond lists the least economical devices \u2013 fridges guzzle power \u2013 and the most efficient, with microwaves particularly commended.<\/p>\n

Hannon eventually asks about the air fryer, only to learn that the ubiquitous kitchen device consumes a lot of energy. It is, Redmond points out, a small fan oven. Hearing this, \u00d3 Mong\u00e1in strikes a gratified note. \u201cThe air fryer industrial complex is indeed an influential lobby. They\u2019re everywhere,\u201d he says, chuckling, with the vindicated air of a sceptic. <\/p>\n

\u201cDo you have one?\u201d Hannon promptly asks. \u201cOh God, yes,\u201d \u00d3 Mong\u00e1in replies. So much for fighting the power.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Though he made his name in heavyweight journalistic roles such as political correspondent and news anchor, David McCullagh…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":344140,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[153799,49654,24559,72,20166,47886,969,61,60,42818,1421,24558,157281,24562,6131,6085],"class_list":["post-344139","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-anthony-scaramucci","tag-barry-keoghan","tag-brendan-oconnor","tag-business","tag-colm-o-mongain","tag-david-mccullagh","tag-donald-trump","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-irish-road-haulage-association","tag-jennifer-carroll-macneill","tag-katie-hannon","tag-luke-o-neill","tag-newstalk-radio","tag-pat-kenny","tag-rte"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/344139","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=344139"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/344139\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/344140"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=344139"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=344139"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=344139"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}