The Hard Shoulder

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.

A certain advert in Ontario has caused US President Donald Trump to end trade talks with Canada.Mark Carney, the Prime Minister, is trying to strike a deal to ease US tariffs, but Ontario premier Doug Ford has been behind this new advert, which uses excerpts of a national radio address from former US President Ronald Reagan in 1987.Was Trump justified? Or might he be thin-skinned?  What do you think?Joining Ciara Doherty to discuss is Brian Lilley, Chief political columnist for the Toronto Sun.Image: Reuters

The last 12 months saw the highest number of first-time buyer mortgages since 2007. What does this say about the current housing market?Joining Ciara Doherty to discuss this is Dr Rory Hearne, Social Democrats TD for Dublin North-West and author 'Gaffs: Why no one can get a house’ and Karl Deeter, Financial Analyst.

The Dublin Marathon is taking place this Sunday, in what is sure to be a busy weekend in the capital following the Presidential election! Will you be running?One person who is taking part is Newstalk’s own John Fardy, the Presenter of Screentime! He joins Ciara to discuss why he loves running marathons.

Bon Jovi are set to play in Croke Park next summer!Henry McKean, as well as Newstalk Reporter Emily Keegan, were at the press conference for this big announcement, and even met with Jon Bon Jovi himself! Henry joins Ciara to discuss.

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

Novelist Cauvery Madhavan joins Ciara Doherty for this week’s Thursday Interview!

Today is the last day for our Presidential hopefuls to make their case to the public as to why they should be in the Áras, but what do kids think?Newstalk’s Henry McKenry paid a visit to South City Community National School in Dublin for another edition of Kidstalk!

Kayla is 16 years old, and has autism and an intellectual disability. She has previously struggled in school due to suspensions and changing teachers, having had 3 different ones so far this school year.Ciara Doherty is joined by Kayla’s mum, Aisling, to talk about the challenges facing her daughter, and what can be done to help her.

A number of Gardaí have sustained injuries over the past two nights, as violent scenes have continued at Citywest. How Gardaí are being treated and targeted has been called into question.Ciara Doherty is joined by Assistant General Secretary of the Garda Representative Association, Tara McManus, to discuss this further.

Do you know how to read a payslip? As tax season is now upon us, many people struggle with understanding and managing their own finances.To talk about why this is the case, Ciara Doherty is joined by Emer Kirwan, of Jigsaw Business Solutions.

A verdict returned today has found Soldier F not guilty of the charges against him from Bloody Sunday.The Paratrooper, whose identity has remained anonymous, was charged with committing two murders and five attempted murders in Derry on the 30th of January 1972…Freelance Journalist Amanda Ferguson joins Ciara Doherty to discuss.

A ‘super casino’ has been granted planning permission in Cork, despite strong push back from members of the local community. To discuss this issue in a bit more detail, Ciara Doherty is joined by Cllr Joe Lynch, a Sinn Féin Cllr from the local area, and Patrick Hughes, who ran hotels in Las Vegas for over 20 years.

Should the harp and uilleann pipes be performed for foreign heads of state at the Áras?Well, uilleann piper Eamonn Walsh thinks so. He joins Ciara Doherty to discuss.

Five men have been charged with public order offences following violent clashes outside a Dublin hotel housing asylum seekers.The men, two of whom are aged in their 50s and three in their 40s, appeared before the Criminal Courts of Justice on Wednesday morning.It comes after disturbances at Citywest overnight.Plenty of families, and particularly children, will be more than aware of what happened last night, and what could still happen in turns of protests.So, how do you explain what is happening to young ears?Chris Tennyson is a Clinical Psychologist, and joins Ciara Doherty to discuss.

For this week’s Tech Takeover, Jess Kelly, Newstalk’s Technology Correspondent joins Ciara Doherty to discuss the Department of Education and Youth’s published guidance for AI in schools.

Ahead of the Presidential election on Friday, Ciara Doherty is joined by Presidential candidate, and former Minister and TD for Cavan-Monaghan and North Meath, Heather Humphreys.

Family members of Jozef Puska have been given jail terms for offences connected to the murder of Ashling Murphy in 2022.Joining Ciara Doherty to discuss is Newstalk’s Court Correspondent, Frank Greaney.

It's now the final countdown until the Presidential election, but how will rural Ireland and the farmers vote?Henry McKean met farmers at the Kilcullen Mart in County Kildare, and sent in this report.

The prospect of a United Ireland is becoming an increasingly regular point of discussion, with the concessions that must be made for a new Ireland being central to this.One such concession being dual citizenship on the island, as protected under the Good Friday Agreement for those of Northern Irish birth.If this right is afforded to those born in the six counties, should it also be granted to those born in the remaining twenty-six?Paul Gosling, author of ‘A New Ireland: A Five Year Review’ and Emma De Souza, Writer and Political Commentator join Ciara Doherty to discuss.

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, Fionn joined Ciara Doherty to give his tips on getting the cheapest flights possible!

Former Prime Minister Borris Johnson told a Covid inquiry this morning that the Covid rules “probably did go too far" particularly when it came to the impact on children and young adults.  Ciara Doherty was joined by TNT Presenter, Enda Brady to discuss.

Ciara Doherty was joined by  Holocaust Survivor, Stephen Kapos and by Jonathan Folwer, from UNWRA, to discuss the ongoing situation in Gaza

Singer Flo McSweeney, joined Ciara Doherty to discuss some of her favourite books....

Since Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, there have been many calls for support and aid. The latest comes from Irish citizen and Ukraine native, Luba Healy, who is set to journey to the region later this year. Ciara Doherty spoke to Luba on the Hard Shoulder about her journey.

As the Justice Minister, Jim O Callaghan, gets approval for Jennie’s Law, which seeks the establishment of a Domestic Violence Register. Ciara Doherty is joined by  Dr Caroline Forde, member of the Domestic Violence Advocacy Service, and by David Hall Former CEO of Sonas Domestic Abuse Charity for reaction.

As a man is charged with sexual assault of 10 year old girl, Ciara Doherty is joined by Conor Lally, Crime and Security Editor for The Irish Times with the latest update.  

Following the launch of new bus connects services in recent days across Dublin, several commuters in the Finglas area feel the issues they are facing are more than just teething problems with the routes, urging the NTA to review the rollout immediately.  Ciara Doherty was joined by Brian Caulfield,  Professor of Engineering at Trinity College Dublin and by Finglas resident Cathy Benvin,  to discuss the issue.

With Halloween next week, you may have heard of an increase in fireworks and bangers in your area, but how do you ensure your pets are protected during these weeks?Ciara Doherty was joined by Pete Wedderburn to discuss this.

Reports are suggesting that police are facing a race against time to recover priceless objects stolen by thieves in a heist at the Louvre museum in Paris.The world-famous museum was forced to close yesterday, and remained closed today after thieves accessed a gallery containing the French Crown Jewels at around 9.30am local time.CBS Correspondent for Paris, Elaine Cobbe, joins Ciara Doherty with the latest.Obviously, this isn’t the first famous heist – there have been plenty of famous ones through the years. Irish Times Journalist and Historian Ronan McGreevy also joins to discuss some of them with Ciara.

The European Union Court of Justice ruled last week that pets can be considered as baggage. This was in response to a case where an airline lost a dog, and paid out €5,000 in compensation to the owner.To discuss this, Ciara is joined by Co-Founder of My Lovely Horse Rescue, Martina Hickey and Eoghan Corry, Travel and Aviation Journalist at TravelExtra.ie.

For this week’s Kids Health Check, Ciara Doherty is joined by Aoife Lee, Parenting Coach at ParentSupport.ie, to discuss how you can handle bedtime anxiety with your children.

Yesterday evening, Fine Gael posted a video on its X account where it questions Catherine Connolly’s previous career as a Barrister. Titled ‘Catherine Connolly’s hypocrisy’, the video shows some of Connolly’s Dáil dealings when working on housing and the banks in a legal capacity.Many in opposition have criticised this type of video and type of politics…Joining Ciara Doherty to discuss is Louse Burne, Political Correspondent with the Irish Examiner, and later to give his reaction, Barry Ward, Fine Gael TD for Dún Laoghaire.