The Hard Shoulder

We’ve all seen the rising costs due to the war in Iran and the energy crisis. While the Government has stepped in with measures to tackle fuel and heating costs, what can you do at home yourself?Nick Charalambous is Managing Director at Alpha Wealth, and joins Ciara with tips and tricks to spending less.

It’s heartbreak for Ireland as the football team failed to beat Czechia in the World Cup qualifier semi-final.Newstalk’s Henry McKean met with Irish fans on their journey home to get their reactions…

Yesterday, the International Olympic Committee announced that the women’s category of Olympic sports will be limited to “biological females” from the Los Angeles Games in 2028. IOC President Kirsty Coventry said that the policy was led by medical experts.Joining Ciara to share her reaction is Sharron Davies, who won Silver for Team GB at the 1980 Olympics and who is also a member of the House of Lords.

Sarina Bellissimo, Broadcaster and Presenter of the Bellissimo Files Podcast and David O’Callaghan from the Here and Back Again podcast joined Ciara on The Hard Shoulder to review the latest TV and movie releases…

Tonight the Republic of Ireland have to beat Czechia in order to stay in with a chance to qualify for the World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico in the summer. If they win tonight, they will face Denmark or North Macedonia on Tuesday in the Aviva.Right now, Prague is jam packed with over 10,000 Irish fans, most don’t have a ticket to the game. One of them is Henry McKean who is ‘Czech-ing’ in with Ciara!

Israel says it has killed Iran's Navy Chief overseeing the Strait of Hormuz blockade.Joining Ciara to discuss this and more is Sean Bell, former fighter pilot, military analyst and co-host of the ‘Red Matrix’ podcast.Image: Reuters

Former Mayo Footballer and eleven-time All-Star Winner Cora Staunton joins Ciara for this week’s Thursday Interview!

Off The Ball’s John Duggan joined Ciara on The Hard Shoulder to review the week in sport and look ahead to the rest of the week's action…

Emergency funding is needed to save Rosslare Strand beach following an ongoing battle with coastal erosion. The popular tourist spot Kelly’s Hotel in Rosslare Strand is now under threat, with the last remaining section of its adjoining beach expected to disappear in the coming months…Joining Ciara to discuss is Lisa McDonald, Fianna Fáil Cllr for Rosslare.Image: Visit Wexford

Dodgy box users could face legal action from Sky after the company obtained the names, addresses and bank details of 304 dodgy box users, but what does this mean for individuals?Joining Ciara to discuss is Eoin O’Dell, Associate Professor of Law in Trinity College Dublin.

The anticipation is building as Ireland are set to play against Czechia this evening in Prague for the World Cup play-offs.Shane Coleman is in Prague, and joins Ciara to give a sense of the excitement on the ground. Also joining to look ahead to the game is former Ireland International Footballer, Ray Houghton…

The Minister for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drugs Strategy, Jennifer Murnane O’Connor TD, has today published two reports on commercial sunbed use in Ireland with a view to ban commercial sunbed use as part of Ireland’s cancer prevention framework.Joining Ciara to discuss this is Prof Aoife Lally, Consultant Dermatologist in St Vincents University hospital and clinic Professor in UCD and Gillian Costell, who is living with terminal cancer due to sunbed use.

A non-adversarial compensation scheme for more than 200 CAMHS patients found to have been exposed to potential harm, following a review of the service in North Kerry, has been extended.Davin Godfrey, Leading Campaigner for the Victims of North Kerry CAMHS joins Ciara to discuss.

Lidl and Tesco and Aldi have announced new cuts in the price of their own-brand milk and butter range, with Lidl reducing the prices of 15 of their dairy products.While it might be good for customers and their pockets, many farmers say the cuts come at a time when farmers are seeing a major rise in input costs…Dennis Drennan is President of the ICMSA, and joins Ciara to discuss.

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 take the perfect selfie!

A Los Angeles jury has found Google and Meta liable for $3 million in damages today in a landmark social media addiction lawsuit…Terry Sheridan, Senior Director of News at WSHU Public Radio joins Shane to discuss.

The excitement is real ahead of tomorrow’s World Cup qualifier. Ireland are facing Czechia in Prague, and the Irish fans are arriving in their droves to hopefully witness a victory from the team.Henry McKean has joined them to get a sense of the buzz, and joins Ciara and Shane to discuss!

U.S. President Donald Trump has sent Iran a fifteen point peace plan which a senior official inside Iran has reportedly described as “excessive”. The peace plan was sent to Iran via Pakistan, and it was earlier unknown how widely it was shared within the country, which had previously claimed that the United States was “negotiating with itself”.So, what do we actually know about the plan and its possibilities for success? Patrick Wintour is Diplomatic Editor for The Guardian and joins X to discuss.

You’ll probably best know Ciara and Shane’s next guest from your TV screens, but next month he is returning to where it all started at the Five Lamps Arts Festival.Comedian, actor and writer Karl Spain joins to discuss!

Off The Ball’s John Duggan joined Ciara and Shane on The Hard Shoulder to review the week in sport and look ahead to the rest of the week's action…

Earlier, Ciara and Shane spoke with Doireann Ní Ghlacáin, Host of the How To Gael Podcast on their new six-part series of the podcast which tackles the question ‘How to Unite Ireland?’For more on this, Ciara is joined by Trevor Ringland, former unionist politician & former Irish rugby player.

The ESRI is today warning that higher energy prices as a result of war in the Middle East will push up inflation to an expected 3.2% this year. That outpaces last year’s rate of inflation of 2.2%. They have also pointed out that yesterday’s fuel excise duty reduction fails to target the less well off.Alan Barrett, Research Professor with the ESRI joins X to discuss their latest quarterly economic commentary.

Earlier this month a report from the ESRI found that we are “lagging considerably behind” our targets for decarbonising residential heat. Since then, we have also heard about the cumbersome nature of applying for grants to retrofit homes. So, is the current system fit for purpose? Or even worse, is it failing?Eamon Ryan, former Leader of the Green Party joins Ciara to discuss.

The new National Children's Hospital will not be substantially completed by the end of April, with BAM missing the 18th completion deadline…For more on this, Shane is joined by Catherine Ardagh, Fianna Fáil TD for Dublin South Central.

The How to Gael podcast has been driving conversations through and about the Irish language and they’ve just launched their (not contentious at all) ‘How To Unite Ireland?’ podcast.The six-part series features some big Irish names including Taoiseach Micheál Martin and GAA President Jarlath Burns.Joining Ciara and Shane to discuss the podcast is one of its hosts, Doireann Ní Ghlacáin.

It’s time now Our Ultimate Guide and as ever, our travel guide Fionn Davenport, Travel journalist and Lonely Planet author, joins me now in studio...Fionn joined Ciara and Shane to discuss Easter holidays and what to do with the kids in and around Dublin

Former BBC broadcaster Huw Edwards has said the upcoming Channel 5 drama about his downfall is "hardly likely to convey the reality of what happened".The two-part drama, Power: The Downfall Of Huw Edwards, which starts on tonight on Channel 5  Olivia Fahey, Entertainment Journalist & Creator of Press Play joined Ciara and Shane to discuss the drama.  

The Government will create an additional 42,000 beds for students over the next 9 years.Under the new “National Student Accommodation Strategy 2026 – 2035", the Government will use public-private partnerships and spare bedrooms in private homes to create the additional bedsThe Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science is James Lawless, and he joined Shane and Ciara to discuss this aswell the Government's response to the rising cost of Fuel as a result of the Iran war.

On Thursday Evening Ireland will play Czechia in the crucial World Cup playoff game. Many Thousands of Irish are expected in the Czech capital, Prague, despite very few tickets for the game being available. Henry McKean headed to Dublin Airport, where he caught up with the Irish who are making the journey to support the boys in green.

Author Cathy Kelly discusses her new book The Island Retreat and places her favourite books on The Hard Shoulder’s Bookshelf !

Former President of Ireland and member of The Elders,Joined Ciara and Shane to discuss the ongoing conflict between Iran and the United States and Israel. She spoke about how the international community can react to the crisis and how, in her view, the war is an illegal breach of international law, and the impact the energy crisis brought by the war is having, not just here but also in poor countries.

Petrol and diesel prices are set to fall at midnight tonight as a result of a package of measures introduced by government, but when it comes to grocery prices, can we expect them to rise in the next few weeks? Oliver Browne is a lecturer in accounting in Cork University Business School in UCC and joined Shane and Ciara to explan

Former Garda Superintendent Denis Whelan spoke to the Irish Independent about issues he observed in An Garda Síochána and said that “an environment has been created where gardaí are working with one arm tied behind their back”Whelan stressed that he has nothing personal against former commissioner Drew Harris but he said Harris’ seven-year term had a negative impact on policing in this country.  Joining Shane and Ciara discuss is General Secretary of the Garda Representative Association Ronan Slevin  

All across movies, books and television, we see the importance of and love in female friendships. These friendships are absolutely central in most women’s lives but they also change drastically over time. It’s very different making and maintaining friendships in school or college to as an adult once work and families start becoming busier.  Joining Shane and Ciara to discuss the wonderful, stressful and occasionally embarrassing things about female friendships is Features Writer with the Irish Independent, Saoirse Hanley and Lifestyle Editor at the Irish Examiner Esther McCarthy  

As the weather starts to improve, Dublin City's most popular social locations Drury Street, is already seeing a big increase in the number of people drinking publicly on the street throughout the week, but especially on the weekend. With Public Drinking an offence under local laws, more should be done to combat those engaging in this behaviour. Or does it encourage a vibrant atmosphere in the city ? Joining Shane and Ciara was Mannix Flynn Independent Councillor Dublin City Council  

The Construction Industry Federation has warned that the continuing rise in fuel prices could translate to increased construction costs in the coming months. It is yet another sector that is seeing price rises as a result of the war in Iran, with many raw materials in the industry produced from fuel intensive processes.Andrew Brownlee is the CEO of the Construction Industry Federation, and joins Ciara to discuss.

A pilot and co-pilot have been killed after an Air Canada passenger plane carrying 76 people collided with a fire engine on a runway at LaGuardia Airport in New York.Harriet Alexander, Senior Features Writer for the Daily Mail based in New York joins Shane to discuss.Image: Reuters

This weekend, the clocks will spring forward one hour leading to the bi-annual question: should we still be doing it? And why on earth do we do it in the first place? Sean Kelly, Fine Gael MEP for Ireland South joins Shane to discuss…

For this week’s Kids Clinic, Ciara and Shane are joined by Teresa Foley, Paediatric Occupational Therapist to discuss the important developmental milestones your child should have, beyond the basics of walking and talking.

Gardaí are looking to question a number of men and women in connection with a savage attack on a young mother, in Co Tipperary, last Saturday.For more on this, Ciara is joined by David Raleigh, Freelance Journalist…

U.S. President Donald Trump has backpedalled on his threat to strike Iranian energy infrastructure. In early morning U.S. time in an all-caps post the President said the U.S. has had very good and productive conversations with Iran over resolving the conflict. He had previously set a deadline of just before midnight Irish time for the country to reopen the Strait of Hormuz before he would begin strikes…Sean Bell, former Fighter Pilot, Military Analyst, and Co-Host of ‘The Red Matrix’ podcast joins Shane to discuss.Image: Reuters

How much would you be willing to pay for a 99 ice cream? With the weather improving, people have noticed one costing as much as €4.50!Josh Crosbie has been investigating the prices of these sweet treats, and joins to discuss.

A leaders meeting is taking place this evening so senior Government figures can sign off on measures to alleviate some of the rising energy and fuel costs as a result of the war in the Middle East.Measures on the table today reportedly include a tax rebate scheme for hauliers, a double fuel allowance payment and a reduction in excise duty to cut fuel prices at the pumps.Joining Shane to discuss these measures and the impact they could have on the economy is Political Correspondent at the Irish Examiner, Louise Burne and Economist Austin Hughes.

Posh parents are spoiling the Hot School Meals scheme for the plain people of Ireland…So wrote Fionnán Sheahan in today’s Irish Independent, but is this the case?Shane Loftus, Principal of Our Lady Immaculate School in Darndale joins Shane 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…

Last Sunday night was a spectacular night for Ireland at the Academy Awards in Los Angeles with two wins. One was for first-time winner Jessie Buckley, of course for her role in Hamnet, and then the man who completed the hat trick, now three time Oscar winner: Richard Baneham. Initially hailing from Tallaght and via Ballyfermot College to Hollywood, his work on the three Avatar movies has left him three wins from three nominations at the Academy Awards.He joins Shane from Los Angeles to discuss his success.

What is the best way to financially help your child in today's economy? Is it making sure they stay debt free while they pay college fees, putting money aside as they start out on their career paths or is it helping them later in life with money towards a down payment?Well, joining us to discuss this is financial adviser, Padraic Kissane.

Off The Ball’s John Duggan joined Ciara and Shane on The Hard Shoulder to review the week in sport and look ahead to the weekend’s action…

Dublin City Council is considering a tourist tax of up to €5 per night for visitors - would it be a good idea?Joining Ciara to discuss this is Eoghan Corry, Editor of Travel Extra.ie and Paris-based Journalist, Elaine Cobbe.

The House of Lords has passed an amendment to the UK Crime and Policing Bill which was proposed by former DUP leader Arlene Foster that would criminalise saying “Up the Ra”.Joining Shane to discuss is of Brian Warfield, of The Wolfe Tones…