The Hard Shoulder

With the release of summer blockbusters Barbie and Oppenheimer last week people have been flocking to the cinema now more than ever. However, some cinemas are charging upwards of €19 for tickets, is a trip to the cinema becoming unaffordable? Kieran was joined by John Fardy, Presenter of Screentime on Newstalk and Olivia Fahy, movie reviewer and editor of Geek Ireland to discuss…

98fm’s Suzanne Kane was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis in early 2020. Suzanne joined Kieran on The Hard Shoulder to discuss...

Sinéad O’Connor is being remembered as “the kind of person we all should have been”. The Dublin singer and musician died yesterday at the age of 56. Bass Guitarist of Sinead’s debut album Richard ‘The Spike’ Holifield and Aslan’s Billy McGuinness joined Kieran to discuss her life and legacy…

In May, one TikTok user’s video of her dinner of bread, cheese, grapes, and pickles, went viral and led other girls to post videos of their “girl dinners”. Since then, the girl dinner trend has become increasingly popular, revealing a “girl dinner” can be anything from a plate of your favourite snacks to a bowl of instant noodles, or a combination of it all. In response, the boy dinner trend emerged, which takes an entirely different, probably less appealing form. Kieran was joined by Holly Dalton, Chef and Director of Conbini Condiments to discuss…

The housing crisis was the focus of the latest tranche of statistics from last year’s Census which has been released today. The census found that just under 48,000 homes that were vacant in the 2016 census were also vacant in 2022 - while the same period saw a 37% increase in the average rent. Eoin Ó Broin TD, Sinn Féin Spokesperson for Housing joined Kieran to discuss…

Singer and musician, Sinéad O'Connor died yesterday at the age of 56. Kieran was joined on The Hard Shoulder by broadcaster Dave Fanning and BP Fallon, Irish DJ, author, photographer and musician to remember her...

Today was not to be for the Irish women's team as they lost 2-1 to Canada. This result means Ireland will not be progressing to the knockout stages of the World Cup. Here at home fans came together to support the team at various 'Watch Parties' taking place across the country. Newstalk reporter, Josh Crosbie went along to an event at Dalymount Park to meet with fans, coaches and former Irish players.

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 brown sauce on the shelves...

A major report has found that there are “ongoing and serious deficits” in Ireland's child mental health services that are increasing the risk to children and young people. Kieran was joined by Fiona Coyle, CEO Mental Health Reform, Hannah from Families for the Reform of CAMHS and Megan O’Rourke, who was a user of the service as a child...

Over the past week there has been a spotlight on crime within Dublin City centre following a number of assaults in the capital. Kieran was joined by Ger Brennan, Former Dublin footballer who grew up in Dublin City, to discuss...

There was heartbreak for Ireland today in the World Cup as 2 second half goals for Canada ended their World Cup dreams. Katie McCabe had sent the Irish fans in Perth delirious as she gave the Girls in Green the lead in the first half. Kathleen McNamee, Off The Ball and Presenter of the COYGIG Podcast joined Kieran for some post-match analysis...

A major report has found that there are “ongoing and serious deficits” in Ireland's child mental health services that are increasing the risk to children and young people. Kieran was joined by John Farrelly, Chief Executive of the Mental Health Commission and Dr Brendan O'Shea, Kildare GP & Assistant Adjunct Professor in Public Health and Primary Care at Trinity College Dublin to …

Every week for Tuesday Travel on The Hard Shoulder, we take a closer look at some of the fantastic destinations to visit around the world. This week, Michelle Walsh Jackson aka The Novel Traveller, joined Kieran to give him tips for last minute holiday deals this summer...

Henry McKean visited Dublin 1 and the surrounding homes around Talbot Street. Over the last few days we have concentrated on shopkeepers in the area but what about the locals? Henry McKean met them and sent this report...

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 there still a place for zoos?'

The Government has today announced new supports have been introduced for people undergoing IVF Treatment. The move will see an IVF cycle funded for those who have had no more than one privately funded cycle. However there will be an age and a BMI limit on the treatments. Health Minister Stephen Donnelly joined Kieran Cuddihy on The Hard Shoulder to discuss the Government's new publicly funded IVF scheme and also the ongoing anti-social behaviour in Dublin City...

Can silly little habits really ruin a marriage? How do we cope with our partner’s annoying habits in an otherwise perfect relationship? Systemic psychotherapist David Kavanagh joined Kieran to discuss this and how to deal with your partner’s odd habits...

A worldwide stat shows that one in every 175 babies born is done so via IVF. And as technologies advance, IVF is becoming safer and more successful year on year. Today is World IVF day and what a better day for the government to announce a program for publicly funding IVF for the first time in this country. Kieran was joined by Dr. John Kennedy, Medical Director at Thérapie Fertility and Stephanie McNamara who is a former IVF patient in Therapie Fertility Clinic...

Two people have been attacked on Dublin City streets in the past 24 hours, according to reports. This follows the attack on a US tourist in Dublin’s north inner city last week. Padraig Carroll, who was the victim of an attack in the city in the past, joined Kieran in studio to discuss...

Investigations are continuing into the assault of a US tourist in Dublin last Wednesday. Over the weekend, a teenager was arrested in connection with the incident on Talbot Street and has been charged. Newstalk reporter Josh Crosbie has been in the area of the attack this afternoon meeting with those who work in the city.

Now as we broadcast to you live from my home county, the hurling stronghold of Kilkenny, there is a buzz of excitement leading up to the All-Ireland final. Kilkenny faces a strong team on Sunday and they are optimistic and confident in the South West. Newstalk reporter, Josh Crosbie went to Limerick to meet with fans and family of the hurling team.

The Hard Shoulder is LIVE from the Hibernian Hotel in Kilkenny on All-Ireland weekend as part of Newstalk's Summer Tour. Kieran was joined by Producer of the Kilkenny Arts Festival Marjie Kaley, and General Manager of the Ormond Hotel Colin Ahern to discuss the arts and culture that's on offer...

The Hard Shoulder is LIVE from the Hibernian Hotel in Kilkenny on All-Ireland weekend as part of Newstalk's Summer Tour. To preview Sunday's All-Ireland Hurling final between Limerick and Kilkenny, Kieran was joined by David Herity, Former Kilkenny hurler, Paul Murphy, Former Kilkenny hurler and Paddy Stapleton, Former Tipperary Player...

The Hard Shoulder is LIVE from the Hibernian Hotel in Kilkenny on All-Ireland weekend as part of Newstalk's Summer Tour. While in Kilkenny, Newstalk's Bobby Kerr took Kieran on a boat tour of the Marble City...

The Hard Shoulder is LIVE from the Hibernian Hotel in Kilkenny on All-Ireland weekend as part of Newstalk's Summer Tour. Kieran was joined by author Helena Duggan to discuss the release of her new book 'The Light Thieves Search for the Black Mirror', the second book in its series...

John Fardy, Presenter of Screentime on Newstalk joined Kieran to discuss what viewers can expect from Barbie and Oppenheimer...

The Hard Shoulder is LIVE from the Hibernian Hotel in Kilkenny on All-Ireland weekend as part of Newstalk's Summer Tour. Kieran was joined by a superb panel of Kilkenny locals, dormer Munster and Ireland player, Mick Galwey, Owner of Paris Texas Bar and Restaurant, Pat Crotty and former Kilkenny camogie player, Tracy Milea...

Ireland lost out 1-0 to Australia in the first game of the World Cup but hopes are still high. There have been ‘Watch parties’ taking place across the country to support the Girls in Green. Newstalk reporter, Josh Crosbie went to an event in Kilnamanagh where Irish captain Katie McCabe started her football journey.

You may have seen this week that there was an increase of almost 10,000 referrals to Tusla between 2021 and 2022. According to Tusla's latest annual report, there were just over 82,000 referrals to child protection and welfare services in 2022 - a 13% rise on the previous year. So, what is the reality of the State care situation, and how can children be helped going forward? Anne Rabbitte is Minister of State for Disability in the Dept of Health & Dept of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, as well as Fianna Fáil TD for Galway East Tanya Ward is the Chief Executive of the Children’s Rights Alliance. Wayne Dignam is the founder of the Care Leavers Network. They all joined Kieran on The Hard Shoulder to talk through the issues.

Kieran was joined by environmental activist and Guardian Columnist George Monbiot to discuss impending food systems collapse and what is or isn’t being done to tackle this crisis by people in power…

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 Custard Creams on the shelves...

Next month the special 9 percent VAT rate for tourism and hospitality, introduced as a COVID support, is due to be scrapped. But is this yet another blow to the tourism and hospitality sector and should we look to extend the 9 percent rate? Kieran was joined by Elaina Fitzgerald Kane, Chairperson Irish Tourism Industry Confederation and Barra Roantree, Economist at the ESRI to discuss...

With constant delays, cost overruns reaching billions and now a lawsuit launched against the main contractor - most people have left in otter bewilderment at the current state of the National Children’s Hospital. So how far along is the construction and is there an end in sight? Paul Davis, Lecturer in Public Procurement joined Kieran to discuss...

Is it acceptable to wear sports jerseys outside the home or a match? This was part of a discussion that was had on OTBAM where some arguments were made around grown adults wearing jerseys as everyday wear. For more on this, Kieran was joined by Off The Ball's Colm Boohig and Journalist and Celebrity Stylist Laura Mullett to discuss...

Diageo confirmed today that the price of a pint of Guinness is going up by four cents in August. They have been citing higher input costs as a reason for the increase. Kieran was joined by Michael O’Donovan, owner of The Castle Inn in Cork, and Chair of the Cork City and Cork County Branch Vintners Federation of Ireland and Adrienne McCarthy, owner of McCarthy Bar in Castletown Bere in West Cork to discuss...

Ireland are opening the Women's World Cup with a fixture against tournament hosts Australia in Sydney tomorrow, with a record crowd of 82,500 people expected. Kieran was joined by Off The Ball’s Kathleen McNamee, Presenter of COYGIG Podcast and Neil O’Riordan, Chief Sports Writer with The Irish Sun to discuss…

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 'Should we still be building data centres?'

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 beautiful Boston...

This Thursday Aslan will release their first single since the passing of the great Christy Dignam. Their cover of 'The Fields of Athenry' will be released on Thursday, their last single featuring Christy. Aslan’s Billy McGuiness joined Kieran to discuss...

There was a notable drop in the number of TV licences issued in the first week in July compared to the same time last year. Just over 11 thousand licences were issued compared to just over 15 thoudand in 2022. The fall in TV licence numbers comes as the controversy continues over with RTE over Ryan Tubridy’s earnings. Kieran was joined by Economist Colm McCarthy and Independent TD for Clare, Michael McNamara to discuss...

Today, Met Éireann have published a summary of Ireland's latest climate averages, from 1991-2020. The key findings have revealed that Ireland is warmer and wetter now than 30 years ago. Met Éireann said the average yearly air temperature in Ireland stands at 9.8 degrees, an increase of 0.7 degrees from the previous 30-year time frame. Kieran was jonied by Mary Curly, Climatologist and the project lead of this new report from Met Eireann to discuss...

Yesterday on The Hard Shoulder, Johnny Healy Rae joined Kieran to respond to the changes being made to the King Puck tradition at the Puck Fair. Instead of remaining up in the tower for the duration of the three-day festival, the King Puck goat will only be hoisted up for one hour the first day and one hour the last day. Healy-Rae thinks these changes are disappointing and believes the goat comes down from the festival better than it goes up. Gerry Boland, founder of Animals Behind Closed Doors joined Kieran to discuss...

Is it time to increase Ireland’s sugar tax? In 2018, the sugar tax was introduced to make high-sugar drinks more expensive in an attempt to tackle obesity. But with the lack of price difference with and without the tax, is this goal possible? Irish Independent Columnist Mary McCarthy joined Kieran to discuss...

There was a notable drop in the number of TV licences issued in the first week in July compared to the same time last year. Just over 11 thousand licences were issued compared to just over 15 thoudand in 2022. The fall in TV licence numbers comes as the controversy continues over with RTE over Ryan Tubridy’s earnings. Kieran was joined by John McGuirk, Editor of Gript.ie and Dr Eileen Culloty, assistant Professor at the DCU FuJo Institute and School of Communications...

A new drug has been found to slow the progression of Alzheimer's, with experts hailing it as a "turning point". Donanemab was shown to reduce cognitive decline by up to 35 percent, if the disease is detected early. Roger Highfield, Science Director at the London Science Museum joined Kieran to discuss...

Earlier, Kieran spoke with Dr Catherine Day, chair of the Advisory Group on Direct Provision, and former Secretary General of the European Commission. She spoke about the shortfalls of the current Direct Provision system, and what can be done to address some of the issues. One of those suggestions was around engagement with communities, and how much planning might be done before asylum seekers arrive. Kieran was joined by Cathal Crowe, Fianna Fail TD for Clare to discuss… Image: Facebook via Cathal Crowe TD

Willie O’Dea, in an article he wrote for the Irish Independent, criticised the Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee of “playing to the woke gallery” instead of doing what the public want and to “focus more on delivering safe streets.” Is the Minster neglecting one area for another as she deals with the Hate speech legislation? Kieran was joined by Dr Pat Leahy, Former Garda Assistant Commissioner and Adam Long, Board Director at the National LGBT Federation…

Simon Tierney joined Kieran earlier on the show to discuss the severe lack of streets and memorials in Dublin that are named after women. For more on this, Kieran was joined by Diarmuid O'Cadhla, former Cork County Councillor, Frank McDonald, Dublin author and journalist and Ruth Coppinger, former Socialist TD to discuss...

Europe is in the midst of a heat wave today – Rome has hit 40 degrees, Athens has closed the Acropolis for a portion of the day with temperatures also over 40 while Sicily could break the continent's temperature record of 48 degrees this week. However – Ireland is not in the midst of this heatwave. Many parts of the country saw more than 50mm of rain this weekend while temperatures have remained consistently below 20. Kieran was joined by John Sweeney Climatologist and Professor Emeritus at Maynooth University...

Has the Direct Provision system reached its limits? Dr Catherine Day, chair of the Advisory Group on Direct Provision and former Secretary General of the European Commission joined Kieran to discuss some recommendations for what should happen moving forward...