The Hard Shoulder

“A third of the population lives in a rural community, yet we have one of the worst public transport networks in Europe. That’s not by accident; it’s a political choice”. So says Writer Emma De Souza.What needs to be done by the Government to support rural communities?Emma joins Shane and Martha Gilheaney, Lecturer in Dublin, to discuss.

This week, Ciara and Shane were joined by the presenter of Weekend Breakfast on Today FM, Alison Curtis and Off the Ball’s Ger Gilroy to look back on the week that was, but with a few twists…

He may be better known as Dr Derek Shepard at the Seattle Grace Hospital, but since departing our screens on Grey’s Anatomy, Patrick Dempsey has turned his attention to slightly darker, more sinister roles. His latest venture is that a photocopier salesman and father… but has just been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. And he is also a hitman…‘Memory of a Killer’ is out now on Amazon Prime and Patrick joins Ciara to discuss!

Off The Ball Senior Producer Mick McCarthy joined Shane on The Hard Shoulder to review the week in sport and look ahead to the weekend action…

The United States Supreme Court has struck down the majority of President Donald Trump’s tariffs. The court, which has a conservative majority, saw two of the conservative justices side with their liberal counterparts to strike down the tariffs in a six three ruling.Joining Ciara to discuss is David Smith, Washington Bureau Chief with The Guardian, Dr Nora Strecker, Associate Professor of Economics at UCD and Pat Rigney, owner of Shed distillery, which makes Drumshanbo whiskeys and gins.Image: Reuters

After week one of cheating on and off the ice, what are the big stories of week two of the Winter Olympics?Joining Ciara and Shane to discuss is Barry Kenny, Communications Manager with Iarnród Éireann, and Olympics superfan!Image: Reuters

This week the National Bus and Railworkers’ Union called for high visibility clothing for cyclists and e-scooter users to reduce the risks for both drivers and riders, but is this more of an enforcement issue given that high vis clothing is already supposed to be worn at night time?Joining Ciara to discuss is Jason Cullen, of the Dublin Commuter Coalition.

John Fardy, Presenter of Screentime on Newstalk and Sarina Bellissimo, Broadcaster and Presenter of the Bellissimo Files Podcast joined Ciara and Shane on The Hard Shoulder to review the latest TV and movie releases…

The headline in the UCD paper, The University Observer reads: ‘UCD Fails to Safeguard Against Image-Based Sexual Assault’ after image of student who had been raped sent to staff and students”.The article outlined the incident of a medical student in UCD who had a “nude, bruised and unconscious image of herself shared and circulated to a significant number of UCD staff email addresses and then some months later to a student WhatsApp group.The issue was raised in the Dáil by Ruth Coppinger; the People Before Profit TD stated that “The image was procured after she was raped by a student, a rape that she chose not to report”.Earlier in the show Shane spoke to the in question student, Katelyn, which is not her real name.For more on this, Shane is joined by Ruth Coppinger of the People Before Profit Solidarity & Rachel Morrogh, Chief Executive of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre.

Lisa Canny, the creator of the all-female trad group Biird joins Ciara for this week’s Thursday Interview!

The Minister for Transport has rejected calls from the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission to remove the barriers that are preventing Uber and Bolt from fully entering the Irish taxi market and allowing drivers to use their own cars to provide taxi rides without a special license.The CCPS said that the current regulation is holding the industry back and means a lack of choice for consumers, but would it be a solution to our current taxi shortage? Danny O’Gorman is the General Manager of FreeNow Ireland and joins Ciara to discuss.

“UCD Fails to Safeguard Against ‘Image-Based Sexual Assault’ after image of student who had been raped sent to staff and students”.This is the headline on the article written by Adam Schmitz and Orla Mahon for the UCD University Paper, the University Observer.It details the incident of a medical student in UCD who had a “nude, bruised and unconscious” image of herself shared and circulated to a significant number of UCD Staff and student email addresses and then some months later to a student WhatsApp group.Shane sat down a little earlier with this student, who we will call Katelyn for the benefit of this interview, and we have also changed her voice to protect her anonymity…If you have been affected by this interview, help is available.You can reach Dublin Rape Crisis Centre on their 24 hr national helpline on 1800 778 888.Or contact Women’s aid on their 24 helpline 1800 341 900.

‘Leg danglers are the swimming pool equivalent of people who stand at the end of an escalator’ so says Ceire Sadlier, Irish Times contributor who suggests that we all need a lesson in pool etiquette. It is an opinion shared by Dr Clare Moriarty, a Research Fellow at the TCD Long Room Hub, so is it time we all got a lesson in how to behave in the pool?Céire and Clare join Ciara to discuss the etiquette and importance of access to pools across the country.

With the multiple weeks of heavy rain and general poor weather, how is this impacting farmers and their ability to work?Newstalk Reporter Josh Crosbie has been investigating, and joins Shane to discuss…

US tech giant Apple have announced an expansion to their Irish operations with a new Dublin office set to open later this year.Newstalk’s Technology Correspondent Jess Kelly has been speaking to Apple’s VP of Places Kristina Raspe to find out more, and joins Ciara to discuss.

Today, former Prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been arrested for suspicion of misconduct in public office.Joining Shane with the latest information and commentary is Iain Dale, LBC News & Radio Presenter, Royal Commentator and author and Victoria Howard, Royal Commentator and Editor and Founder of The Crown Chronicles.

Life can be full of confusing things, but no need to worry! Every Wednesday, Simon Tierney will be showing you ‘How to do Stuff’ - bringing his best tips for those things you might not think about.This week, Simon joins Ciara and Shane to discuss how to properly kiss someone! As in, how much tongue is too much tongue?

The cost of buying a home in Dublin has now reached €500,000. That’s according to the latest figures from The Central Statistics office. But, how is this pushing out our young people that are trying to get onto the property ladder?Joining Ciara to discuss is Newstalk's own Kathleen Keane and James Kavanagh, Podcaster and Presenter.

The Government is being urged to expedite its publishing of an updated national Climate Action Plan which is meant to be updated annually and include updated targets and initiatives to keep our long-term emission targets in sight. A group of five academics have written to the Taoiseach and Minister for the Environment urging them to expedite its updating as the budget for this year has not yet been published.Darren Clarke is an Assistant Professor in Climate in DCU, and joins Shane to discuss.

For this week’s Tech Takeover, Jess Kelly, Newstalk’s Technology Correspondent joins Ciara to discuss a proposal for digital infrastructure to make the internet safer for young people, and what that would look like.

Dublin City Council is looking into the possibility of turning vacant retail premises around the city into staffed “concierge-type” public toilets.Claire Byrne, Green Party Councillor for Dublin South East Inner City joins Shane to discuss.

A major review of the North Kerry Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service has found there was a risk of moderate or major harm in respect of more than half of the cases on the service’s books in 2022.For more on this, Ciara is joined by Dr Kieran Moore, Medical Paediatric Consultant Liaison Psychiatrist and an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at UCD & Davin Godfrey, Leading Campaigner for the Victims of North Kerry CAMHS.

Why men telling women to “smile” and “look happy” has nothing to do with happiness, and everything to do with control, so says Newstalk's own Simon Tierney  in a recently published article. But, is this something that is starting to die out, or is it as blatant as ever?Joining Shane to discuss is Saoirse Hanley, Features writer with The Irish Independent.

Directly-elected Mayor for Limerick, John Moran, has said some local councillors are being “hostile” towards him and have been acting on a strategy to make his role “unbearable”.His time as mayor so far has been described as divisive, and it all came to a head after a seven-hour meeting regarding the council’s corporate plan, which John Moran took ill and had to leave.Mayor for Limerick, John Moran, joins Ciara to discuss…

As cash continues to die, we wanted to see if it was possible to spend a day just paying in cash and a day just paying with a card or contactless?Henry McKean was put to the task, and joins Shane to discuss how he got on…

Every week for The Ultimate Guide on The Hard Shoulder, Fionn Davenport takes a closer look at some of the fantastic destinations to visit around the world.This week, as part of his 12 best cities in the world, Fionn joined Ciara and Shane to give the ultimate guide to Bangkok in Thailand!

AI has infiltrated many industries, and the music industry is no exception but how easy is it to identify an AI generated song?Joining Ciara to discuss is Dr. Martin Clancy, IRC Research Fellow at the Center for Digital Humanities, Trinity College Dublin.

Jesse Jackson, one of America’s most influential civil rights figures after the death of Martin Luther King Jr, has died at the age of eighty four. Mr Jackson was present on the day King was assassinated and also fought for the Democratic nomination for president twice, in 1984 and 1988.Larry Donnelly, Law Lecturer, University of Galway and Columnist with the Journal joins Ciara to look back on his life…Image: Reuters

A protest began on George’s Street in Dublin this evening outside The Hoxton Hotel as campaigners seek to voice their opposition to legal action taken against the neighbouring Yamamori Izakaya, which was spoken about on the programme yesterday.At the protest is Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin, musician, protest organiser and People Before Profit member. He joins Shane to discuss.

Family Psychotherapist, Columnist and co-host of the Go Loud podcast ‘They Mess You Up’ Richard Hogan joined Ciara to place his favourite book on The Hard Shoulder Bookshelf!

Mayor of Limerick John Moran has alleged that local councillors are deploying tactics to make sure his term is not successful…Joining Ciara to discuss this is Nick Rabbitts, Reporter with the Limerick Leader.

Last week Ireland was drawn to play Israel in this year’s Nations League with a home leg at the Aviva Stadium on 4th October and an away leg before that on 27th September. Much debate has ensued since about whether we should partake in the fixtures in the backdrop of the Israel/Gaza war. Bernard O’Byrne is the former FAI CEO, former Basketball Ireland CEO and a former board member of FIBA, the European Basketball Federation and has previously tried, without success, to see Israel banned from basketball competitions and joins Shane to discuss.

This year marks 7 years of All Together Now, and today they announced 60 acts that you can expect to see at the weekend festival.The list includes Pulp, Kneecap, Disclosure, The Mary Wallopers, Christy Moore and more.Joining Ciara to discuss all is Will Rolfe, Creative Director of POD Festivals, and the man behind All Together Now…

The Minister for Education has announced a pause to the review of Special Needs Assistant allocations following concerns raised by parents and schools.Joining Shane to discuss this is Michelle Cotterill, Principal of Our Lady of Good Counsel Boys National School in Glenageary.

What are the small maintenance fixes you need to do regularly to save yourself money in the long run?Joining Ciara with his tips is Peter Finn, aka Pete the Builder.

Following opening night of 'The Monk' play at Dublin's Ambassador Theatre last night, a production by Rex Ryan along with Gerry Hutches appearance and Q&A, is this simply art or an example of glorifying crime?Joining Shane to discuss  is Eimer McAuley, News Reporter with the Journal.ie and Crime Journalist, Paul Williams.

The Hoxton Hotel, a new hotel on Dublin’s Exchequer Street is seeking an injunction over music noise levels from an adjoining restaurant and late night music venue, Yamamori Izakaya. The hotel is alleging that noise has resulted in the closure of 31 of its 129 bedrooms and wants further acoustic protection installed by Yamamori. But, where does the onus lie when it comes to noise in city centre developments? And is noise just something that has to be accepted in a city centre?Ray O’Donoghue is Dublin City’s Night Time Economy Advisor and Andrea Horan is the Owner of Tropical Popical nail salon. They join Ciara to discuss.

Today marks the release of ‘Inside America’s Next Top Model’ on Netflix, a three part documentary that pulls the curtain back on the dark side of the reality show…Shane is joined by Holly Carpenter, Social Media Content Creator and Model, to discuss.Image: Netflix

For this week’s Kids Clinic, Ciara is joined by Siobhan O’Neill White of Mams.ie to discuss the always tricky subject of sleepovers!

Sinn Féin politicians including party leader Mary Lou McDonald will not be attending the White House in the United States, continuing last year’s decision.Mick Clifford, Special Correspondent with The Irish Examiner joins Shane to discuss.

Gardaí investigating the disappearance and murders of Jo Jo Dullard and Deirdre Jacob have today begun searching open ground near the Wicklow / Kildare border.Ciara is joined by Barry Cummins, Author of Missing and RTÉ journalist for the latest.

Today, the Labour Party are hosting a conference calling for a genuine right to remote work in Ireland.For more on this, X is joined by Labour’s Employment Affairs Spokeswoman, Marie Sherlock and Karen Kiernan, CEO of One Family…

More than 800 drivers were arrested numerous times for drink or drug driving between 2022 and 2024, with figures from last year expected to bring that number to over 1,000.That’s according to the latest figures from the Medical Bureau of Road Safety.Joining Ciara to discuss is Professor Dennis Cusack, Director of the Medical Bureau of Road Safety & Ger Herbert, Motoring Expert, The Irish Independent…

"We’re living in the Peak A**hole Era and there’s nothing anyone can do about it", so says Tanya Sweeney, Features writer and Columnist with The Irish Independent.She joins Shane to discuss why people have seemingly become so rude…

The Minister for Education, Hildegarde Naughton has been asked to explain why many schools around the country have been told their allocation for Special Needs Assistants may be cut from this September. Fórsa this morning told The Claire Byrne Show that a number of schools have received contact that their allocation will be cut when the next school year starts…Hildegarde Naughton, Minister for Education and Youth joins Ciara to discuss.

The parents of 16-year-old Grace Lynch, who was tragically killed by a scrambler close to her home last month, say they do not want any other parent to go through what they are going through.This weekend marks three weeks since Grace was killed.Her parents Siobhan and Martin have been speaking to our Chief Reporter Barry Whyte… 

This week, Shane was joined by Saoirse Hanley of The Irish independent and Ger Gilroy from  Off The Ball  

New statistics from The Central Bank show fathers with young children are working less hours than they were in 2019, opting to instead to stay home with their children where possible.  Joining Shane was Off the Balls, Adrian Barry and  Jen Hogan  features journalist and host of the Conversations with Parents podcast

The Republic of Ireland will begin their Nations League campaign with away fixtures against Kosovo and Israel in September, and the home games have been scheduled for October with Israel scheduled to play at Aviva Stadium on Sunday, 4 October, 3 days before the anniversary of the Hamas attack   Shane was joined by Charlie McConalogue, Minister of State at the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport and Fianna Fail TD for Donegal to discuss the fixture

Off The Ball's Mick McCarthy joined Shane on The Hard Shoulder to review the week in sport and look ahead to the weekend action…