As 2023 draws to a close, it’s time to take a look back on yet another year of highs, lows and memorable moments.

Newstalk Breakfast has been with you through it all – and here are some of the best bits from the show this year:

Justice Minister: Dublin rioters used horrific attack as ‘excuse to cause havoc’ 

With Dublin reeling from the violence that erupted in the city in the aftermath of the Parnell Square attack, Justice Minister Helen McEntee joined Newstalk Breakfast.

She said the Dublin rioters had used the horrific attack on schoolchildren in Dublin as an “excuse to wreak havoc” in the city.

The minister said anyone found to have been involved in the violence should be treated as criminals, adding that she had “no doubt” that many more people would be arrested and jailed.

A double decker bus and a car are set alight on the edge of O’Connell Bridge during riots in Dublin, 23-11-2023. Image: Sam Boal/RollingNews

Ireland fans go full ‘Zombie’ at the Rugby World Cup

As the Irish team went from strength to strength at the Rugby World Cup in France, concerns were raised in some quarters about the use of The Cranberries hit 'Zombie' as the fan’s unofficial anthem.

While Newstalk Breakfast host Shane Coleman was quick to reject claims the song was partitionist, others interpreted it as showing indifference to the suffering of Northern nationalists.

Comedian Tadhg Hickey joined the show to explain his concern about the choice of song.

No guarantee Tubridy will return €150,00 payment - Bakhurst

After RTÉ confirmed that negotiations with Ryan Tubridy had broken down, Director General Kevin Bakhurst joined Newstalk Breakfast to discuss the future of the State broadcaster.

He told the show that trust had ‘broken down’ in the talks and admitted that there was no longer any guarantee Tubridy would return a €150,000 payment in connection with the controversial Renault deal.

He said he entered the talks aware that the most important thing for RTÉ was to begin rebuilding the trust of its audience.

He said it was unlikely that Tubridy would ever return to the broadcaster – but not impossible.

Ireland’s nightclubs and venues facing ‘gradual cultural erosion’

In July, we heard that the ‘gradual cultural erosion’ of Ireland’s nightclubs was denying young people the same rites of passage enjoyed by those that came before them.

Irish Independent Entertainment Correspondent Melanie Finn told the show that there were only 85 nightclubs left open in Ireland – down from the 522 that were operating in the country 23 years ago.

She said nightclubs are where many young people made some of their best memories – both good and bad – down through the years, and it is “really sad” to see the industry in decline.

She was speaking to the show after Dublin nightclub Tramline closed its doors after seven years on D’Olier Street.

Author Hannah Barnes on her book ‘Time to Think’

In her new book ‘Time to Think’ author and journalist Hannah Barnes explores what went wrong at the Tavistock Gender Identity Development Service for children in London.

The centre is due to be shut down in March 2024 after a review found that long waiting lists were leaving young people “at considerable risk” of distress and deteriorating mental health and warned that not enough data was being collected on the use of puberty blockers and the long-term outcomes of the children going through the service.

It then emerged in April that 72 Irish children were still on the waiting list for services.

Ms Barnes joined Newstalk Breakfast to discuss her findings on the centre.