How Equal A Society Is Ireland?

Catch The Last Word on Business weeknights from 6pm on Today FM, with Capital Flow. [audio mp3="https://media.radiocms.net/uploads/2021/04/09185326/LW-Business-Friday.mp3"][/audio]

Buckingham Palace announced the death of Prince Philip this morning at the age of 99. The Duke of Edinburgh passed away at Windsor Castle. He had spent a month in hospital being treated for an infection before undergoing a procedure for a pre-existing heart condition. The longest-serving royal consort in British history, Prince Philip was married to Queen Elizabeth for more than 70 years. Former President of Ireland Mary McAleese met them both on several occasions, including on their first state visit to the Republic in 2011. She joined us on The Last Word to share her memories of Prince Philip and discuss his interest in Irish history and politics. [audio mp3="https://media.radiocms.net/uploads/2021/04/09174347/LW-Prince-Philip.mp3"][/audio]

Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg has been fined €2,000 for breaching her own government's COVID-19 restrictions. Solberg planned a meal with 13 other people for her 60th birthday in February, despite public gatherings in Norway being limited to 10 people. Meanwhile in Ireland there is evidence of increased movement by the public, according to the ESRI's Social Activity Monitor. Pete Lunn, head of the ESRI's Behavioural Research Unit, joined us to discuss whether people are continuing to adhere to restrictions and if our behaviour is changing the longer lockdown continues. [audio mp3="https://media.radiocms.net/uploads/2021/04/09173742/LW-Erna-Solberg.mp3"][/audio]

Two Dublin women who refused to quarantine in a hotel after returning from a trip to Dubai will persist with a legal challenge to Ireland's mandatory quarantine system. However, by the time a date can be set for the hearing, they will have completed the 12-day quarantine they initially sought to avoid. The women, who have been dubbed the 'Dubai Two', were charged with breaching the Health Act after refusing to go to a quarantine hotel upon arrival at Dublin Airport. They claimed they had been unaware of the rules when they left for Dubai and could not afford to pay for a hotel. Dave Hanratty and Caitlin McBride joined us for The Week Trending to look at this and some of the other stories making headlines this week. [audio mp3="https://media.radiocms.net/uploads/2021/04/09170244/LW-Dubai-Two.mp3"][/audio]

Gardaí are making enquiries following the emergence of footage showing Monaghan senior footballers breaching COVID-19 restrictions during a training session. It's the latest controversy surrounding a GAA team, after Cork, Down and Dublin footballers were also caught holding training sessions. Kieran Cunningham, chief sports writer with the Irish Daily Star, and Peter Canavan, former All-Ireland winning captain with Tyrone, joined us to discuss this. They also spoke about the GAA's revised roadmap for the 2021 season. [audio mp3="https://media.radiocms.net/uploads/2021/04/08180422/LW-Monaghan-GAA.mp3"][/audio]