The Hard Shoulder

The Irish Council for Civil Liberties is appearing before the Oireachtas Committee on Justice today, calling for the age of criminal responsibility to be raised to 14, but what is the appropriate age for people to have full responsibility for their actions?Joining Seán Defoe to discuss is Child Welfare Consultant, Kieran McGrath.

The Halloween decorations are down for another year, but straight up are the Christmas decorations. Is the Christmas season too long and too commercialised?Newstalk’s Henry McKean has been out asking the public, and joins Seán to share what he’s heard.

Recent protests in Citywest and the suspected arson attack at an IPAS center in Drogheda calls into question our approach to tackling these violent protests. While there is a heavy focus on how they are policed, should there be a shift to identifying what draws people to extreme protests?Joining Ciara to discuss is Keire Murphy, Senior Policy Officer with the ESRI, who had this piece in the Irish Independent.

Justin Baldoni’s $400 million lawsuit against his former co-star Blake Lively has officially been closed by a judge.It’s after it was ruled that the actor and director missed the deadline that had been set to pursue his claim.Journalist Harriet Alexander joins Ciara Doherty to give the latest updates.Image: Britannica

For this week’s Kids Health Check, Richard Hogan, Family Psychotherapist, Clinical Director of Therapy Institute and author of ‘Home is Where the Start Is’ joins Ciara Doherty to discuss how much privacy you should give your child, both at home and with their phone.

The Government is considering charging rent for IPAS centre residents who are in full-time employment.Ministers are meeting to discuss signing off on the proposals.It comes as the Government seems to be hardening its stance on immigration; it also follows an attack on an IPAS centre in Drogheda in the last couple of days.Joining Ciara Doherty to discuss is Nick Henderson, Chief Executive of the Irish Refugee Council and Independent MEP, Michael McNamara.

The CSO has said that a record number of babies were born to women aged 45 years and over in 2023.The average age of a mother giving birth is 33.2, up from 32.2 ten years previously, with those giving birthdays over 40 increasing by 25%.Maeve Eogan is an Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at the Rotunda, and joins Ciara Doherty to discuss.

Laura O’Connell, who survived a prolonged period of harassment, says that home security systems, including CCTV, should be provided by the State for stalking survivors.She joins Ciara Doherty to discuss further.

Malcolm Byrne is Fianna Fáil TD for Wicklow-Wexford and has written in the Irish times today about the Fianna Fáil party, questioning where the Party has gone so wrong. He argues it was the Party that got things done, and is questioning its focus…He joins Ciara Doherty to discuss.

A Christmas Market that was proposed for Limerick City has been cancelled, that is despite plans being made throughout the year to open the market.To discuss this, Ciara Doherty is joined by the Mayor of Limerick, John Moran.

This week, Ciara Doherty was 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…

Ireland will face off against New Zealand tomorrow in Chicago as part of the Autumn Nations Series.But, can we expect the boys in green to overcome the mighty all blacks?Joining Ciara Doherty to discuss is Rugby Pundit, Brent Pope.

Aisling Larkin, Mindful Eating Coach and TV Chef joins Ciara Doherty to discuss some recipes perfect for the Halloween season!

Off The Ball's Eoin Sheahan joined Ciara Doherty on The Hard Shoulder to review the week in sport and look ahead to the weekend action.

Former Kilkenny hurler and nine-time All-Star Award winner DJ Carey has been remanded in custody today for defrauding a number of people by falsely claiming he had cancer.It is expected he will be sentenced on Monday.Newstalk’s Court Correspondent Frank Graney joins Ciara to discuss the latest updates.

HMV is set to open it's third store here in Ireland - a major reverse from it's 2016 countrywide music store shut down. But why are cds and vinyl having a revival in the age of digital media - and is the future of culture to be found in the past?Newstalk's Sarah Madden reports.

King Charles has "initiated a formal process" to remove Prince Andrew’s title.The King's younger brother has continued to face more questions about his private life in recent months, and his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.Joining Ciara Doherty to discuss this further is Royal Commentator, Jennie Bond.

Pregnancy loss affects around one in every four pregnancies, most often before 12 weeks of pregnancy. Pregnancy loss at any time can have physical impacts on the pregnant woman, and emotional and social impacts on the woman and her partner.It can happen at work, and people can continue working while experiencing physical and/or emotional impacts, but is that right?Joining Ciara Doherty to discuss this further is Labour TD, Marie Sherlock.

A University of Westminster study found that watching a horror movie burns as many calories as a 30-minute walk, but with the day that’s in it - are horror movies ‘Halloween movies’ or are they in a category of their own?Newstalk’s Henry McKean has been asking the public, and joining Ciara Doherty in studio to discuss is Chris Wasser, Arts Journalist and Sunday Independent Film Critic and Comedian Jim Elliot.

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

There are ongoing concerns that an overhaul may be needed for mental health services for young people. Such services are finding themselves stretched due to ongoing demand.To discuss, Ciara Doherty is joined by Dr. Patricia Byrne, Chair of the Faculty of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland.

Bassist Stephen Travers, formerly of the Miami Showband, joins Ciara Doherty for this week’s Thursday Interview, discussing his new book ‘The Bass Player : Surviving the Miami Showband Massacre’.

Last week, a Boston Jury found Dublin firefighter Terence Crosbie guilty of raping a 29 year old woman in the early hours of Friday March 15th 2024 in a Boston hotel.Today, Crosbie was sentenced to at least seven years in prison.Joining Ciara Doherty to discuss is Susan Zalkind, Investigative Journalist in Boston covering the trial.

Residents of a small village in Waterford say they’ve been blindsided by plans to build a massive multi-billion-euro data center on the site of a former cheese factory.More than 300 people have objected to the proposed data centre, citing traffic, aesthetic, and environmental concerns.But, why do we need them? Are they environmentally efficient? And just how essential are these data centres when it comes to foreign direct investment?Joining Ciara Doherty to discuss this is Peter Lantry, Managing Director of Equinix, and Jerry MacEvilly, Head of Policy at Friends of the Earth.

Architect and host of ‘Room to Improve’, Dermot Bannon, joins Ciara Doherty to discuss his recent health scare, the return of his show and his partnership with WillowWarm!

The Department of Justice is considering handing over land to An Garda Siochána to be used for a new Garda station at Citywest, which comes in the wake of the scenes in Saggart last week.To discuss this in more detail, Ciara Doherty is joined by Independent Cllr for Tallaght-Central, Mick Duff, and former Garda Inspector and Risk Security and Event Manager of Ashtree Risk Group, Tony Gallagher.

New figures have shown that over 55,000 Irish people registered their objection to be considered an organ donor once they die.To chat through these numbers and the significance of them, Ciara Doherty is joined by Colin White, National Advocacy and Projects Manager of the Irish Kidney Association, and Adrian Cummins, who is currently on a waiting list for a transplant.

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 to discuss how you can learn to love cats!

Ciara Doherty’s guest has taken up a new role in Ireland but is no stranger to Dublin or indeed Ireland, having lived here before.Kara Owen is the new British Ambassador to Ireland, and took over the reins in September from Paul Johnston.She joins Ciara in the studio to discuss the new role.

You may have already heard, but Lily Allen’s newest album, ‘West End Girl’, has been stealing all the headlines. And this is because in her songs, she details, with complete openness, the decline of her marriage with actor David Harbour.To dive into this, Ciara Doherty is joined by Pop Culture Journalist and Broadcaster, Jenn Gannon, and Journalist with The Irish Independent, Saoirse Hanley.

For this week’s Tech Takeover, Jess Kelly, Newstalk’s Technology Correspondent joins Ciara Doherty to discuss Amazon’s plan to cut 14,000 jobs globally, and how AI seems to be the driving reason behind this.

Toll prices are set to rise from January first next year with all vehicles travelling on the M50, except for those without a tag or registered account, rising by 10 cent.Joining Ciara Doherty to discuss this is Sean O’ Neill, Director of Corporate Communications for Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), Neil Ring, former Lord Mayor of Dublin and City Councillor and Ger Hyland, from the Irish Road Hauliers Association.

Celebrity Traitors continues tonight on BBC, with an average of 14 million people tuning in for every episode live.In a world where you can watch what you want, when you want, on demand, the format seems to be proving that appointment television is alive and well!Olivia Fahy, Editor of Geek Ireland is obsessed with the show, and joins Ciara Doherty to discuss.

300 jobs are under threat as Fastway today announced it has gone into receivership. The company handles roughly 20 million deliveries in Ireland each year, so what does that mean for the consumer?Joining Ciara to discuss is Conor Pope, Consumer Affairs Correspondent with The Irish Times.

Currently it is not a requirement for teachers and school staff to be trained in how to administer an epipen for children with severe allergies, but should this be a mandatory requirement?Joining Ciara to discuss is Sharon, mum of two with life-threatening allergies.

New toilet facilities in St Anne's Park in Raheny were recently installed following a long running campaign, however, just a week after being unveiled, they were set alight on Saturday night…Joining me now is Dublin Bay North TD, Barry Heneghan to discuss.Image: @DubFireBrigade on Twitter

Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty has been commemorated with the launch of a new postage stamp. With this, An Post aims to celebrate the man who saved more than 6,000 Allied prisoners of war, anti-Fascists, and Jews from Nazi concentration and prisoner-of-war camps.Author Joseph O’Connor, joins Ciara Doherty to explain a bit of the significance behind this.Image: An Post

As Michael D Higgins' time as President of Ireland comes to an end, how will his period in the Áras be remembered? To discuss this, Ciara Dohety by Member of President Michael D Higgins’s Council of State, Dr Cara Augustenborg, former Presidential Candidate, Gavin Duffy, and Political Reporter with The Irish Examiner, Tadgh McNally.

Author Catherine Ryan Howard joins Ciara Doherty to place her favourite book on The Hard Shoulder Bookshelf!

Last week, we spoke to John Joe McGinley, parent and Founder of autismdad.ie, about having children with the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services.Today, Noleen Eustace of Families for Reform of CAMHS joins Ciara Doherty to share her experience as a mother whose son was in the system from the ages of 5 to 13. Noleen lost her son to suicide in May of this year…

The Department of Health has been told that alcohol needs to be included in the next Drugs Strategy, with particular focus on the prevention and tackling of it in everyday use.To discuss the importance of this, Ciara Doherty is joined by Sheila Gilheany, CEO of Alcohol Action Ireland, and Paddy Creedon, Co-Founder of Voices of Recovery.

Thousands of dodgy box users could be facing hefty fines.It’s reported that Sky is considering how feasible it would be to start issuing fines that could reach up to €5,000 euro in Ireland next year. Is this actually something to be worried about?Newstalk Reporter Josh Crosbie has been looking into this and joins Ciara Doherty to discuss.

The Dublin City Marathon was a huge success over the weekend, with over 20,000 runners and over 300,000 spectators cheering them on. The day has been hailed as a major success by many. However, one issue that came to light during the event was the struggle to get across the city.To talk a bit more about this, Ciara Doherty is joined Jason Cullen of the Dublin Commuter Coalition.

This week, Ciara Doherty was joined by Off the Ball’s Ger Gilroy and Host of the ‘For Tech’s Sake’ podcast Elaine Burke to look back on the week that was, but with a few twists…

Halloween is fast approaching, and you may be scrambling to put costumes together, whether that be for yourself or for your little ones!Know that you are not alone in this!Saoirse Hanley, Features Writer at The Irish Independent and Siobhan O’Neill-White of mams.ie join Ciara Doherty to talk about Halloween costumes for all ages!

Aisling Larkin, Mindful Eating Coach and TV Chef joins Ciara Doherty to discuss soup, and how wonderful it can be!

Off The Ball's Eoin Sheahan joined Ciara Doherty on The Hard Shoulder to review the week in sport and look ahead to the weekend action.

Driverless taxis could be operating in London from next year, making it the first European city to have driverless taxis. They have been operational in cities such as San Francisco and LA, but what are the pros and cons of them?Joining Ciara Doherty to discuss is Irish Examiner Columnist Jane Cowan and Ciara O’Brien, Technology Correspondent with The Irish Times.

This Bank Holiday Monday, Henry McKean returns with 'The Rewind'! This time, he's taking a trip back to 1997.From Princess Diana to Michael Flatley, he joins Ciara to discuss what you can expect when you listen in.

Westlife have extended their residency at the 3arena from 5 nights to 13(!), due to demand. So, this poses the question, do Westlife belong in the Irish Music Hall of Fame? And if so, where on that list do they rank?To discuss this, Ciara is joined by Arts Journalist, Pat Carty.