Áine Lawlor and Chris Donoghue join forces to launch new politics podcast
Former RTE and Newstalk hosts promise a fresh look at politics and current affairs in Ireland.
Áine Lawlor, former presenter of RTE’s The Week in Politics, Morning Ireland and The News at One, and Chris Donoghue, former Government Press Secretary and presenter of Newstalk Breakfast, are launching a new politics and current affairs podcast. The new podcast will be called State of Affairs.
Ivan Yates, radio and podcast host, current affairs commentator, author and former Government Minister will be a regular contributor to bring his own take on current affairs and political developments.
State of Affairs will be on Apple Podcasts, Acast, Spotify and all main Podcast providers from this coming Friday (2 nd October). The podcast will be available twice weekly on Fridays and Mondays going forward.
Speaking today, Áine and Chris said the podcast would focus on lively debate and discussion on political developments in Ireland and abroad and on broader current affairs issues.
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Chris Donoghue
Chris Donoghue is an Irish broadcaster, journalist and communications professional with more than two decades’ experience in news, politics and current affairs.
He began his career with Newstalk in 2004 and went on to become one of the station’s best-known voices. He co-presented Newstalk Breakfast with Ivan Yates, later presented Newstalk Drive alongside Sarah McInerney and hosted the Sunday current-affairs programme On the Record. He also served as Group Political Editor across Communicorp’s radio stations.
Chris also moved into television, joining UTV Ireland as a news anchor and subsequently working on its documentary series Insight.
In 2017, he left broadcasting to become a special adviser to Simon Coveney, working with him across Brexit and a number of senior government portfolios. In 2024, Chris was appointed Government Press Secretary when Simon Harris became Taoiseach.
Now returning to broadcasting, Chris brings his extensive experience of journalism, politics and life behind the scenes in government to State of Affairs, alongside Áine Lawlor.
Chris said that he was particularly looking forward to the bringing years of experience inside government to the political and current affairs developments of the day; “Áine is my friend but I’m pinching myself that she wants to do this podcast. We know each other well and always talk politics, so I’m excited about bringing my experience inside the system into the light, alongside one of Ireland’s finest political journalists. Ivan and others will regularly contribute, and we want State of Affairs to be honest, insightful and trusted.”
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Áine Lawlor
Áine Lawlor is one of Ireland’s most respected broadcasters and journalists, with a career in news and current affairs spanning more than four decades.
Áine joined RTÉ as a trainee journalist in 1984 and went on to become one of the country’s most recognisable voices. She joined Morning Ireland in 1995, presenting the flagship programme for more than 17 years before later returning to the show in 2020. Her broadcasting career has also included News at One, The Week in Politics and extensive coverage of elections and major political events.
Her work has extended well beyond political broadcasting. Áine narrated the landmark television series States of Fear and has presented programmes including Big Week on the Farm, Ploughing Live and Bloom Live. She was named Best News Broadcaster of the Year at the PPI Radio Awards in 2012 and was inducted into the PPI Radio Awards Hall of Fame in 2014.
After more than 40 years with RTÉ, Áine presented her final edition of The Week in Politics in July 2026, bringing her career at the broadcaster to a close.
Now, Áine brings that wealth of experience, curiosity and insight to State of Affairs, joining Chris Donoghue for conversations about politics, current affairs and the stories shaping Ireland and beyond.
Áine said that she was particularly looking forward to the additional freedom that podcasts provide compared to public-service broadcasting. She said, “I enjoyed every moment of my time in RTE but I’m looking forward to the greater freedom that is available in the podcast world. I’m also keen to bring a women’s perspective to the issues we will be covering and challenging some of the traditional “lad’s” view of politics that we still see too much of.”