The Hard Shoulder

It’s the first ever National Compliment Day organized by the young people’s mental health charity Jigsaw. But how can a compliment change our mood and our path in the day and do we hand out enough compliments?  Henry McKean has been out finding out do people give compliments?

The Hard Shoulder is LIVE from The Palace Bar on Fleet Street in Dublin. The pub is celebrating it's 200th anniversary.To celebrate the iconic Irish pub culture and The Palace Bar's anniversary, Kieran Cuddihy was joined by writer and broadcaster Keith Walsh, Irish Times columnist Brianna Parkins crime journalist with the Irish Independent, Paul Williams, owner of The Palace Bar, Willie Ahearn, Journalist Roy Curtis and many more...

The Hard Shoulder is LIVE from The Palace Bar on Fleet Street in Dublin. The pub is celebrating it's 200th anniversary. Dublin has changed so much in that period and only in the last few years has this city seen such change from culture, architecture or business.  To discuss the changing face of Dublin and Kieran was joined by Frank McDonald, Former Environment Editor with the Irish Times, Donal Fallon Host of the Three Castels Burning Podcast and Influencer, Holly Carpenter...

We broadcasted live from the Palace Bar on Fleet Street to mark its 200th anniversary.Many guests contributed to the programme for the launch of the Palace Porter.Newstalk reporter Josh Crosbie spent the day meeting with some of the local characters who share many fond memories of the establishment.

Newstalk's Technology Correspondent Jess Kelly joined Kieran LIVE in The Palace Bar in Dublin to chat through some tips on how to save a few quid with rewards schemes and loyalty programmes

We’ve seen over the last two days how €157m worth of drugs was seized off the MV Matthew ship off the coast of Cork. Paul Williams, crime journalist with the Irish Independent joined Kieran LIVE in The Palace Bar in Dublin to discuss...

The Hard Shoulder is LIVE from The Palace Bar on Fleet Street in Dublin. The pub is celebrating it's 200th anniversary. To fully understand the influence of this bar and the history of it’s origin and success, Kieran was joined by the owner, Willie Ahearn, and licensed trade historian, Eamon Casey to discuss...

Rank and file Gardaí have voted to withdraw from voluntary overtime throughout October. The GRA has been holding a special conference in Kilkenny following a no confidence vote in Commissioner Drew Harris in a dispute over rosters. Anton Savage was joined by James Morrisore, Deputy General Secretary of the Garda Representative Association to discuss...

Newstalk's own, Simon Tierney joined Kieran Cuddihy for the series 'The Shopping Trolley Hotline'. The series will give listeners pause when they’re filling their trolleys, to consider their options. This week Simon and Kieran take a look a some of the options for lunch meats on the shelves...

It’s the largest drug seizure in the history of the state according to one senior garda - a total of over 2 kilogrammes of suspected cocaine with a street value of €157 million has been seized off the south-east coast last night. Gardaí have said today that about 25 people were on board, but said they cannot comment on the possibility of further arrests. Anton Savage was joined by Cathal Berry, Independent TD for Kildare South and former Army Ranger and Duncan Bullivant, CEO of the Henderson Risk group in the UK, and former British army officer and diplomat to discuss...

'Winnie the Pooh: The Deforested Edition', is the latest version of the iconic children’s story and it is aiming to increase awareness and to teach issues around climate change to children.  But is children’s literature a good place to discuss complex issues such as climate change or are we just clutching at our pearls?  Helena Duggan, Children’s Author joined Anton Savage to discuss..Image: Who Gives A Crap

If you stepped outside, or even looked out your window, at any stage today, you’ll have noticed the weather hasn’t been particularly great all day. Well, that’s all thanks to Storm Agnes, the first storm of this winter season.Anton Savage was joined by Andrew Sherlock, a meteorologist with Met Eireann and our reporter Jamie O’Hara in Cork, where the weather has been particularly bad...

Can you remember the last time you checked your voicemail? Well, apparently you shouldn’t have to worry about that anymore, because, according to etiquette experts, the way we use our phones is changing. Phone calls are out, text messages are in. But are there times when a call is just necessary?Writer and broadcaster Stefanie Preissner and Mary McCarthy, columnist with the Irish Independent joined Anton Savage to discuss...

Every week for Tuesday Travel on The Hard Shoulder, Fionn Davenport takes a closer look at some of the fantastic destinations to visit around the world. This week, Fionn joined Kieran to give him tips for a trip to Istanbul....

The Shine Festival is set to kick off this October with a range of events that aims to inspire young women across Ireland.  The festival is run by The Shona Project: Empowering and Inspiring the girls of Ireland and will feature events and talks from speakers across many sectors including health, sport, politics and business.   One of the speakers, Ellen Gunning, CEO of MetaComms joined Kieran on The Hard Shoulder to discuss...Image: The Shona Project/Debbie Hickey.

Kieran Cuddihy was joined by Fine Gael Senator, Regina Doherty, and Socialist Party TD for Cork North Central, Mick Barry. Continuing the series, ‘Common Ground’, they will debate some of the biggest, most divisive topics around. The series continued with a debate on 'Is the far left as bad as the far right?'

The Oireachtas Committee on Assisted Dying has been told today that twelve Irish people have travelled to Switzerland to die with Dignitas since 2003 Also, nearly 100 Irish people have become members of the group, which provides physician-supported accompanied suicide. This is almost double the rate it was two years ago.  Gino Kenny, People Before Profit TD for Dublin Mid-West, and member of the Committee joined Kieran to discuss...

Fans of the Great British Bake Off are counting down the hours to the start of season 14 of the show, which kicks off this evening. The show is always a massive success when it returns to our screens, but what is it actually like to be on the other side of the camera for a show like this? Kieran was joined by 2021 winner of the series, Giuseppe Dell’Anno to discuss...

Landlords could pay less tax on rental income going forward.  Proposals are being put forward in advance of budget talks intensifying this week.    One proposal circulated by the Department of Housing suggests a lower rate of tax or increased exemptions for landlords. Kieran was joined by Mike Allen, Director of Advocacy at Focus Ireland and Mary Conway, Spokesperson for The Irish Property Owners Association...

The issue of assisted dying was back before an Oireachtas committee on the issue today. Dignitas which operates in Switzerland where the practice is legal was one of those before the committee today Dignitas member Silvan Luley told TDs this morning that its Irish membership grew from 57 to 80 between 2020 and last year, and that 13 people have travelled to Switzerland to end their lives since 2003, most recently in 2020. Independent Senator Ronan Mullen is on the committee and joined Kieran to discuss this along with comments made by Joe Brolly on The Hard Shoulder about the need for hate speech legislation … 

Ireland’s air quality is not good enough. That’s according to the World Health Organisation who said that the quality of Irish air is just below the standard of the organisation.  One of the ways suggested to promote cleaner air is to introduce more sustainable ways to heat our homes and to stop burning of solid fuels but is that practical - can we actually ban fires in our homes?  Kieran was joined by John Sodeau Emeritus Professor of Chemistry at UCC and Seamus Boland CEO of Irish Rural Link to discuss...

Author Manchán Magan joined Kieran on The Hard Shoulder to discuss his new book 'Wolf-Men and Water Hounds: The Myths, Monsters and Magic of Ireland'...

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said there will be a public inquiry into the State’s handling of the Covid 19 pandemic in order to “learn lessons” for the future. For more on this Kieran was joined by Peadar Toibin, TD and Leader of Aontú and Kingston Mills, Professor of Experimental Immunology and Director at Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute... 

The CSO have released this year's migration figures for Ireland.  Some of the key takeaways is that Ireland’s population has grown by 2 percent with over 120,000 people coming to Ireland. Alongside that we saw that of Irish people leaving our shores and returning home, there is a net zero of Irish people leaving.  Kieran was joined by Alan Barrett, CEO of the ESRI... 

Should there be an inquiry into how we handled Covid in this country? Kieran was joined by Paul Moynagh, Head of the Department of Biology and Director of the Kathleen Lonsdale Institute for Human Health Research at Maynooth University and Michael McNamara, Independent TD for Clare, and the former Chair of Oireachtas Covid 19 Committee to discuss...

Whenever you’re a spectator at a sporting event, it can hard to control your emotions and passion often gets in the way. Quite often, that can result in foul language or a rising temper, which can easily get out of hand. Behaving that way at a big game like Ireland vs South Africa is one thing, but are we forgetting to change our attitude towards our kids sporting games? Kieran was joined by journalist, columnist and author, Jen Hogan and Newstalk's Technology correspondent, Jess Kelly to discuss...

It may be best known for embarrassing dance challenges, but Tiktok is fast becoming the information app of a new generation. News is broken on twitter, journalists are filing on Instagram - but should we fear the tiktokification of news, or is social media creating a better-informed youth than ever before?Newstalk's Sarah Madden reports.

The Hard Shoulder was LIVE from The Bridge 1859 in Ballsbridge ahead of the Rugby World Cup clash between Ireland and South Africa.TV Chef and Mindful Eating Coach Aisling Larkin joined Kieran to discuss pub grub ahead of the big game tomorrow, joined on this occasion by none other than travel expert Fionn Davenport to discuss the sights to see and places to travel in South Africa...

The Hard Shoulder was LIVE from The Bridge 1859 in Ballsbridge ahead of the Rugby World Cup clash between Ireland and South Africa.BJ Botha, World Cup Winner with South Africa joined Kieran to preview the game... 

The Hard Shoulder was LIVE from The Bridge 1859 in Ballsbridge. Tonight celebrates Culture Night 2023 all around the country and Jo Mangan, Director of the Performance corporation and Willie White, Artistic Director, Dublin Theatre Festival joined Kieran to discuss...

Ryle Nugent, former Head of Sport at RTÉ and legendary commentator, joined Kieran Cuddihy LIVE in The Bridge 1859 in Ballsbridge to preview the Rugby World Cup clash between Ireland and South Africa...

The Hard Shoulder was LIVE from The Bridge 1859 in Ballsbridge ahead of the Rugby World Cup clash between Ireland and South Africa.Newstalk's Technology Correspondent Jess Kelly joined Kieran to discuss the presence of technology and AI in sport...

The Hard Shoulder was LIVE from The Bridge 1859 in Ballsbridge ahead of the Rugby World Cup clash between Ireland and South Africa.Henry McKean joined Kieran LIVE from Paris ahead of the game...

The Hard Shoulder was LIVE from The Bridge 1859 in Ballsbridge ahead of the Rugby World Cup clash between Ireland and South Africa. Kieran was joined by by two armchair rugby fans, Sinead Ryan, presenter of The Home Show on Newstalk and Ian O’Doherty columnist with the Irish Independent to preview that massive match tomorrow and to hear why the love the game...

Speaking on The Pat Kenny Show on Newstalk today, Eddie Wilson, CEO of Ryanair, was not happy with the DAA, after cancelling 17 routes and moving 19 more to alternative EU airports. Kenny Jacobs, CEO of DAA joined Kieran to discuss...

Around 200 protesters held a demonstration outside Leinster House yesterday. Those in attendance beared signs and banners featuring anti-immigration slogans.Kieran was joined by Joe Brolly, co-host of the Free State Podcast to discuss...

The final day of the National Ploughing Championships takes place in Ratheniska in Co Laois today and over the course of the past three days there have been a number of activities taking place, including a world record welly throw and brown bread competitions. But today, one event will answer the long burning question, who is Ireland’s favourite saint?Fr David Vard, parish priest in Stradbally, joined Kieran to announce the result of the vote.

Kieran was joined on The Hard Shoulder by David Davin Power, former RTE Correspondent and Trade Unionist, Brendan Ogle to discuss yesterday's protests outside Leinster House...

Some 200 protesters held a demonstration bearing signs and banners featuring anti-immigration slogans outside Leinster House yesterday. Politicians, journalists and staff were verbally abused as they entered the parliament and those inside were advised by Gardaí to be careful when leaving.Kieran was joined on The Hard Shoulder by Razan Ibraheem, a journalist specialising in misinformation to discuss...

How high should we build in Dublin? Yes the debate has been sparked again. Some say developments need to go up to increase housing stock others say it will ruin Dublin’s image. Newstalk reporter Josh Crosbie has been getting the pulse of the city.

What is the cost of contentment in each country?That’s what a recent study out of Harvard University focused on, finding the highest cost of happiness was in Iran at nearly €232,000 and the lowest was in Sierra Leone at just over 8 grand.Ireland was rudely left off the list of 173 countries, but our own reporter Sarah Madden has been looking into it for us instead.

The Dáil resumed following the summer break today. However, politicians, journalists and staff have been advised not to leave amidst protests that are happening outside Leinster House. Independent TD for Kerry Michael Healy Rae and Louise Burne, Political Correspondent with the Irish Daily Mirror joined Kieran to discuss...

Today marks 25 years since the establishment of TV3. To celebrate this and look back on the memories down the yers, Kieran was joined by Anna Daly, former presenter on TV3 and Virgin Media, former CEO David McRedmond and Aidan Cooney, former presenter on Ireland AM from 1999 until 2018, and now presenter of Q102 Breakfast...

A trans rights march took place at the weekend, and one of the images that caught some attention was the face of Vladimir Lenin on transgender flags. Senator Michael McDowell has been writing about it in The Irish Times and he joined Kieran on The Hard Shoulder to discuss...

Today is National Fitness Day in the UK and they’re encouraging everyone to get out and be active as much as possible. Do we need this same encouragement here? Particularly for young people, what are we doing to keep our kids fit? And what’s the difference between being fit and being physically active. Kieran was joined by Brendan O’Keefe, assistant professor of Physical Education in the Department of Physical Education and Sports Sciences at UL...

As we have been hearing throughout the day, the proposed plans to the Leaving Cert examinations have been shelved.  One the cited reasons was the increased prevalence of GenAI, that’s your ChatGPTs, in examinations and school projects but how strong has the impact of AI been on education sector and is it too late to reverse the damage? Kieran was joined by Michael Madden, Professor of Computer Science & Head of Machine Learning Research Group, University of Galway to discuss...

Finance Minister Michael McGrath has today asked all state owned bodies to continue to accept cash payments. It came following criticism of the NCT service for attempting to move to a cashless system. One such body which has moved cashless in recent times is the GAA, a move which has garnered much criticism. Two former Presidents of the GAA, Sean Kelly and Liam O’Neill joined Kieran on The Hard Shoulder to discuss..

Tens of thousands attended the second day of the Ploughing Championships in Ratheniska, Co Laois, for what was a mostly dry day.There may be vintage tractors and brand new machinery on display, but one growing trend among young farmers is online content creation.Social media apps are now full of cows being milked, tractors baling silage and sheep being sold.Newstalk reporter, Josh Crosbie, is at the Ploughing meeting with those who are flying the flag for Ireland on Farm Tok.

From Vibrant pink shirts in the Dáil to Dublin football kits in Seanad – there has been a fair share of fashion faux pas in the government buildings. But should there be a dress code? That’s not the thinking in the US, where Senators are now allowed to wear whatever they want to when debating or voting on bills.  Michael Healy Rae Independent TD for County Kerry and Gino Kelly, People Before Profit TD for Dublin Mid-West joined Kieran to discuss...

Every week for Tuesday Travel on The Hard Shoulder, Fionn Davenport takes a closer look at some of the fantastic destinations to visit around the world. This week, Fionn joined Kieran to give him tips for a trip to the oldest of the Canary Islands, Fuerteventura...