The Hard Shoulder

Last week, Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Peter Burke, if he will amend the National Minimum Wage Act 2000 to include apprentices in its remit.Joining Ciara Doherty to discuss is Aaron, an electrical apprentice, and Brian Nolan, Assistant General Secretary of Connect Trade Unions.

Sarina Bellissimo, Broadcaster and Presenter of the Bellissimo Files Podcast and Dee Reddy, Entertainment Journalist and Podcaster joined Seán Defoe on The Hard Shoulder to review the latest TV and movie releases…

Hilary Devlin joins Seán Defoe to discuss her journey playing visually-impaired rugby.

Dylan Bradshaw, award-winning Hairstylist and owner of Dylan Bradshaw Salon joins Seán Defoe for this week’s Thursday Interview!

November 20th is World Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Day, and specialists along with Pancreatic Cancer Ireland are calling for rapid access to diagnostic clinics, as it is projected to become the second leading cause of cancer-related death by 2030…Joining Seán Defoe to discuss this is Professor Tom Gallagher, Consultant Surgeon at the National Surgical Centre for Pancreatic Cancer at St. Vincent’s University Hospital.

A primary school in Louth has been forced to send emails to Government representatives detailing how under pressure the school is financially.In this instance, the school asked parents to ensure students bring in their own toilet roll and their own hand towels to school due to insufficient funding…Joining Seán Defoe to discuss is Eoin Dolan, Principal of Mother of Divine Grace National School in Finglas and Pearse Doherty, Sinn Féin TD for Donegal and Spokesperson on Finance, who raised this issue in the Dáil.

Bringing a baby into the world should be a blissful time of nurture, calm and care - but for the women travelling to the National Maternity Hospital and enduring the traffic, potholes and lack of parking in the area, the experience can be anything but that. Newstalk's Sarah Madden reports.

Minister for Transport and Climate Darragh O’Brien joins Seán Defoe from COP30 in Brazil to discuss what progress is being made there, as well as matters at home such as the situation in Dublin Airport.

A light aircraft has crashed on the Waterford coast, as multiple units of emergency services attend the scene.Joining Seán Defoe to discuss is Ralph Riegel, Southern Correspondent for the Irish Independent.

Ireland’s pathway to the World Cup has been confirmed this morning, following a playoff draw at FIFA headquarters…So, does it look good for team Ireland?Joining Seán Defoe to discuss is Cameron Hill from Off The Ball. Also joining is Travel Journalist Eoghan Corry, to discuss your options on getting to the Czech Republic game.

Grief is something we’ve all experienced, and it was pushed into the spotlight on Tuesday night when Scotland player Andy Robertson was immediately interviewed after his country qualified for the World Cup, and talked about his friend and former teammate, Diogo Jota.Joining Seán Defoe to discuss the grief process is Founder of Shapes of Grief, Grief Educator and Psychotherapist, Liz Gleeson.

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 to properly walk the red carpet!

It’s been 15 years since the arrival of the IMF to Ireland after the financial crash. The IMF programmes after 2008 were the first European programmes for the body since 1953. This, along with the major work the IMF has done in developing countries, make it one of the most influential world organisations in times of crisis.Joining Ciara Doherty to discuss is Colm McCarthy, Economist and Pat Leahy, Irish Times Political Editor.

For this week’s Tech Takeover, Jess Kelly, Newstalk’s Technology Correspondent joins Ciara Doherty to discuss how you can avoid scams online, especially during the period of Black Friday and Christmas shopping…

A Status Yellow snow and ice warnings are in place in 11 counties in the north and northeast. How should you prepare for the potentially hazardous conditions?Joining Ciara Doherty to discuss is Cathal Nolan from The Weather Channel and Joey Donnelly, of Crofton Motors.

Ryanair has today called on Taoiseach Micheál Martin to fast-track legislation to scrap Dublin Airport’s passenger cap before the end of 2025.Ryanair boss, Michael O’Leary, joins Ciara Doherty to discuss.

Anglesey, which is just across the ocean from us here in Dublin, has been chosen as the site for the UK’s first small nuclear power station, with work on the site due to start in 2026.To discuss the risks associated with this and the importance of it, Ciara Doherty is joined by Professor Emeritus of Chemistry at UCC, John Sodeau.

The Health Insurance Authority is increasing the stamp duty levy on private health insurance policies by 10% from April 2026, to fund a subsidy scheme for older and higher risk people with health insurance.Is this putting too much pressure on families?Henry McKean has been out asking the public, and joins Ciara Doherty to discuss.

A new Lancet report has found that eating excessive ultra processed foods is leading to increased risk of chronic diseases. They are calling for a global response to put pressure on the production of processed foods, and improve access to healthier alternatives. How bad are these foods for us, and what can we do to avoid the worst of them?Joining me now to discuss is Consultant Endocrinologist and HSE National Clinical Lead for Obesity Donal O’Shea, Dietician and Founder of Eatwell Sarah Keogh and Gerry Devlin, Chef & owner of Dublin Cookery School.

Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe has resigned from Irish public life and is taking a job at the World Bank.Newstalk’s Henry McKean chatted to people in Cork about changing their careers in middle age, and sends in this report.

The Hard Shoulder is looking back on 2025’s biggest moments in the news, and who were at the heart of it.So, where else to start but at the beginning of the year, where the country faced the devastation brought by Storm Eowyn?Joining Ciara Doherty to discuss is Independent Ireland TD for Roscommon-Galway, Michael Fitzmaurice, and Independent Cllr for Kerry County Council, Jackie Healy Rae.

In the latest development of the Enoch Burke case, the High Court has ordered his immediate imprisonment.To chat through this and more, Ciara Doherty is joined by Newstalk’s Court Correspondent, Frank Greaney.

Author Sinead Moriarty joins Ciara Doherty to place her favourite book on The Hard Shoulder Bookshelf!

Fine Gael Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe has stepped away from his role in Government to take up a position at the World Bank.To chat about the significance of this decision, Ciara Doherty is joined by Fine Gael Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeil, as well as Newstalk’s Political Correspondent, Seán Defoe.

As pressure mounts in the US for the release of the Epstein files, there are many wondering what exactly these files are, and information they contain.To discuss this, Ciara Doherty is joined by the Lawyer who represented victims of Jeffrey Epstein, Yasmine Meyer.

It’s that time of year again where dictionaries begin naming their words of the year. Cambridge Dictionary has gone with ‘parasocial’ while Collins has chosen ‘vibe coding’. With previous words of the year including ‘brat’ in 2024 and even ‘austerity’ in 2015.How well do these words capture the years they’re chosen, and why are we so obsessed with the words of the year?Joining Ciara Doherty to discuss is Journalist and host of the ‘No Encore’ music podcast, Dave Hanratty.

Temperatures will dip close to zero for the remainder of the week; however, the wind chill factor could make it feel more like minus 10! So, how can you keep your house warm and your bills down this winter?Joining Ciara Doherty to discuss is Caitriona Redmond, Consumer Columnist with The Irish Examiner.

Huntington's disease is a progressive brain disorder that affects people emotionally, mentally, and physically. Sufferers usually show symptoms in their thirties and forties. Unfortunately, there is currently no known cure for the condition.  Joining Ciara to reflect on the impact the disease can have and how to manage it was Dr. Niall Pender, Professor of Psychology at the RSCI, along with Fiona, who lost her husband to Huntington's disease.  

This week on our kids Clinic Ciara was joined by Iseult White, Psychotherapist and author to discuss How to support your kids through major life changes - divorce, house and school moves.    

All day today, the nation has been looking back on Ireland’s win against Hungary yesterday, but now we’re going to look ahead as to what could be awaiting us in the World Cup playoffs, and what our chances will be? To chat, Ciara was joined by joined by former Irish international, Ray Houghton, who was at the game on commentary duty yesterday. And Mick McCarthy from Off the Ball

Now, Donald Trump has urged Republicans in the House of Representatives to back a vote to release files related to the Jeffrey Epstein case. Trump, who has previously dismissed calls to release the files, says he has nothing to hide. But what does this mean and what might happen now?  Joining Ciara was Harriet Alexander, a Features writer with the Daily Mail based in the US

Now, despite all of us learning to sneeze and cough into our elbow during the pandemic, new research has emerged with different advice. A study from the University of Utah has shown that coughing into your shirt or jumper actually prevents more germ molecules from escaping.Joining Ciara to  discuss the findings is Brendan O’Shea, a GP, Adjunct Assistant professor of Public Health and Primary Care at Trinity College, and Medical Director of KDOC – the out-of-hours emergency care service.

A new law setting a 6km/h speed limit for cyclists, skaters, scooter and e-scooter riders on pavements in Slovakia has received parliamentary approval.  The new measure aimed at improving safety means pavement users who exceed the limit could be fined up to 100 euros.Just how problematic are cyclists who cycle on pavements? Should we do the same?  Joining Ciara to discuss this is Columnist with the Irish Independent and daily cyclist, Liam Collins.

According to a new  CCPC survey  30% of people are influenced by influencers when making purchases. So, how big a role can influencers play in marketing ? And should there be more regulation when it comes to online advertising ? Newstalk's Josh Crosbie reports

Ireland’s World Cup hopes are still alive, after the most remarkable game against Hungary in Budapest yesterday. Ireland needed a win, and that’s exactly what they got in the 96th minute when Troy Parrott poked home the winner after a Liam Scales flick on. To chat about the game, I’m now joined by Former Irish International, Jason McAteer, and former coach of Liam Scales at Arklow Town FC, Lar Mahoney.

The deaths of five young friends, all under the age of 25, in a road crash in Co Louth at the weekend have left communities in Louth and Monaghan devastated.  The friends have been named as: Chloe McGee, Alan McCluskey, Dylan Commins, Shay Duffy and Chloe Hipson.     Joining Ciara to reflect on the terrible tragedy was  Monaghan Councillor, Peter Conlon and Psychologist, Richard Hogan

The deaths of five young friends, all under the age of 25, in a road crash in Co Louth at the weekend have left communities in Louth and Monaghan devastated.  The friends have been named as: Chloe McGee, Alan McCluskey, Dylan Commins, Shay Duffy and Chloe Hipson.    Barry Whyte, Newstalk’s Chief reporter, joined Ciara from Louth.  

This week, Jonathan Healy was joined by Ralph Riegel, author and Southern Correspondent with the Irish Independent and Jennifer Horgan, Irish Examiner Columnist to look back on the week that was, but with a few twists…

Aisling Larkin, Mindful Eating Coach and TV Chef joins Jonathan Healy to discuss dried fruit - their benefits, and how you can use them!

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

Calls are ongoing for measures to ensure that children in single-parent families have access to the same amount of parental leave as those in two-parent families.To chat more about this, Jonathan Healy is joined by Carly Bailey from One Family.

US President Donald Trump has been responding today to the latest trove of emails by Jeffrey Epstein with a Truth Social post calling it “THE JEFFREY EPSTEIN HOAX”. He has asked the FBI, Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Department of Justice to launch an investigation into those Epstein reportedly had a relationship with. This includes, as listed in Trump’s social media post: “Bill Clinton, Larry Summers, Reid Hoffman, J.P. Morgan, Chase, and many other people and institutions”.For more on this, Jonathan Healy is joined by BBC News’ North American Correspondent, Anthony Zurcher.Image: Reuters

We can keep dreaming of following Ireland to the World Cup in North America next Summer, as Ireland claimed a historic victory against Portugal last night in the Aviva…Newstalk’s Henry McKean got thoughts from the public, and joining Jonathan Healy to chat about the game and our hopes for Sunday is former Irish International, Ray Houghton, and Commentator and Broadcaster, George Hamilton.

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…

Over the past few years, AI is becoming more and more apparent in our daily lives. It's used in all factors of people's lives, but how much is it being used in critical digital infrastructure? And, how many jobs are at risk?Newstalk Reporter Josh Crosbie has been investigating, and joins Ciara Doherty to discuss.

Throughout the show today, we have been discussing the government's new housing plan launched today, which promises 12,000 new-build social homes each year, and the delivery of an additional 300,000 new houses by the end of 2030.How realistic is this, and what problems might the Government face in delivering it? Joining Ciara Doherty to discuss is Architect Róisín Murphy and Pat Dennigan, CEO of Focus Ireland.

Senator and author Lynn Ruane joins Ciara Doherty for this week’s Thursday Interview!

Earlier in the show, Minister of State for Local Government and Planning, John Cummins, joined to discuss the Government's new Housing Plan, which was launched today.But, does this new plan do enough?Joining Ciara Doherty to discuss this is Eoin O’Broin, Sinn Féin Housing Spokesperson, Conor Skehan, former Chair of the Housing Agency and DIT Lecturer in Planning and Killian Woods, Senior Business Reporter with The Business Post.

Ahead of their new tour ‘Skittish’, Ciara Doherty is joined by the comedy trio Foil Arms & Hog: Sean 'Foil' Finegan, Conor 'Arms' McKenna and Sean 'Hog' Flanagan to discuss all!

Limerick Influencer Shauna Lindsay suffered a stroke when boxing at the gym - even capturing it on video, which she shared on Instagram.She joins Ciara Doherty to discuss the terrifying moment.