The Hard Shoulder

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…

Now it’s time to look over to Milano Cortina to catch up with the Winter Olympics.  We have plenty to chat about between sports and scandal.Barry Kenny, Corporate Communications Manager with Irish Rail and Olympics superfan, joined Shane to discuss

Many of you will be picking up some last minute presents for your other half this evening."Well, expect to pay more than you did last year for your boxes of chocolates and flowers.""New research from the CSO shows the price of a box of cholates has increased by 44 percent since 2020."Josh Crosbie has been looking into the cost of love, and he sent us this report.

Vaping has been across the headlines for the past 24 hours... With the UK Government planning to ban vaping in cars carrying children, as well as in playgrounds and outside schools As well as Trinity College Dublin announcing its campus will be a vape free area from the 18th of March. Is it time we introduce harsher restrictions on vaping?Maybe a ban on vaping in public places?Shane was joined by John Crowne, Consultant oncologist at St Vincent's University Hospital Group and Janet Horner Councilor for Dublin North Inner City, Cathaoirleach for The Green Party

Motorists are being urged not to drive through flooding in Dublin as the council monitors high river levels following an estimated 46mm of rainfall overnight.  For more on Shane was joined by Mark Bowe, Meteorologist with Met Eireann and Graham McQueen, DAA spokesperson.    

Sarina Bellissimo, Broadcaster and Presenter of the Bellissimo Files Podcast and Dee Reddy, Entertainment Journalist and Podcaster joined Shane David O’Callaghan,  From the Here and Back Again podcast.

Ireland's Senior Mens international Football team, as members of League B of the  Nations League, have been drawn to face Israel, Austria and Kosovo.  Some have called for the FAI not to fulfil the fixture, if Ireland were drawn against Israel given the conflict in Gaza in recent years. The FAI confirmed tonight it will honor the fixture . Sports Writer Kieran Cunningham joined Shane and the Hard Shoulder to explain the impact of the draw

Ryanair, today called on Micheál Martin to urgently pass legislation to scrap the Dublin Airport cap of 32m passengers before St Patrick's Day Today, the Advocate General of the European Court ruled that even an outdated traffic cap, such as the one at Dublin Airport, may still be enforceable. Shane was joined by Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary to discuss the ruling

Actor Jason O’Mara joins Shane for this week’s Thursday Interview!

The Health Minister, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, said she hopes that the National Children’s Hospital could accept patients from December this year if the hospital construction was completed by April. The Minister was asked at the Oireachtas Health Committee yesterday if construction would actually be finished by the latest deadline of April 30th. To which she replied, 'That's up to BAM'. Committee chair Padraig Rice said the Minister must begin legal proceedings against the company to ensure no more deadlines are missed.Joining Shane to discuss further is Public Procurement Expert from DCU, Paul Davis

New figures show almost 200,000 public patients received care through the National Treatment Purchase Fund last year.So what affect does the NTPF have on waiting lists? How does it operate? And do those working in the healthcare system feel the benefits?Our reporter, Josh Crosbie  has been seeing what people do if they are on a waiting list and  examining the alternative options available for public patients

Gardaí are set to take industrial action over the St Patrick’s Day weekend, with frontline Gardaí refusing voluntary overtime.   A Special Delegates Conference for the Garda Representative Association in Kilkenny yesterday decided on this measure in response to a government dispute over pay and allowances.To discuss, Shane was joined by Niall Hodgins, Vice President of the GRA and Representative for Dublin North Central and Mannix Flynn, Independent Dublin City Councillor.

Ireland is set to take a cold plunge later this week as the long rainy spell gives way to frost and ice, with temperatures expected to hit lows of −4 degrees under the influence of an Arctic air massJoining Shane  to discuss further was Alan O’Reilly of Carlow Weather and Peter Dowdall aka the Irish Gardener on advice for people who are dealing with gardens sodden with water

A German practice of ‘airing’ your home has recently gained popularity – regardless of the weather outside!  The practice of ‘luften’, opening your windows and doors daily, is thought to reduce mold, odors and pollutants.  To explain shane was joined by Professor John Wenger from the Centre for Research in Atmospheric Chemistry in University College Cork...

Ireland have a 25% chance of drawing Israel in today’s UEFA Nations League draw and the FAI have reiterated their plans to fulfil the two fixtures. Shane Coleman was joined by Daniel Lambert, Chief Operating Officer of Bohemian’s Football Club to discuss whether the men's national team should participate in the fixture if we draw Israel.

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 Shane to discuss how to Celebrate success with honour.

Earlier today on the Claire Byrne Show, reporter Alex Rowley revealed that Gardaí missed their target of 75 new Roads Policing Gardaí in 2024, and have also missed their new target of 150 members going into the unit in 2025Just 79 Gardaí have been appointed, which included just 23 in 2024 and 56 last year. That’s a shortfall of 71 gardai. This comes after an increase in road deaths in 2025 which saw 188 people lose their lives on our roadsMeghan Scully is a broadcaster and road safety advocate and joined Shane in Studio

Now, if you have been keeping up with the Winter Olympics this week you may have noticed a particularly peculiar moment after Tuesday’s biathlon... where medalist Sturla Holm Laegreid made a bizarre public confession to his girlfriend about cheating on her, while also publicly asking for a second chance.Joining Shane was Relationship Expert from Two's Company, Jennifer Haskins

James Lawless,  Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. TD for Kildare North joined Shane  to discuss the changes coming to housing legislation and ongoing issues in the market. Aswell as plans to third level tution fees by 500 euros.