The Hard Shoulder

Ireland will face another challenge in the Six Nations against Wales tomorrow in Cardiff. The boys in green have been flying but can’t they keep the momentum going?Joining Kieran to discuss is Tommy Bowe, Ireland AM Presenter and former Irish International and Mike Ruddock, former Ireland U20’s, Leinster and Wales Coach...

Aisling Larkin, Mindful Eating Coach and TV Chef joins Kieran to talk about fibre. You might think it’s boring - but 85% of people don’t get enough of it!

Off The Ball's Eoin Sheahan joined Kieran Cuddihy on The Hard Shoulder to review the week in sport and look ahead to the weekend action…

Sinn Féin will boycott St Patrick's Day events at the White House next month over US President Donald Trump's stance on the Israel-Gaza conflict.Is this the right move? Joe Brolly is a Barrister and Co-Presenter of the ‘Free State Podcast’ with Dion Fanning. He joins Kieran to discuss.Image: Reuters

New runners, tracksuits and gaming consoles are usually high on the gift list for our small ones, but what do you get your children when they are teenagers or beyond, especially if they are earning themselves?Joining Kieran to discuss is Steve Cummins, Comedian and Aoife Lee, Parenting Coach at ParentSupport.ie.

Leader of Sinn Féin Mary Lou McDonald and First Minister Michelle O’Neill have confirmed this morning that they will not be travelling to the White House for St. Patrick’s Day, due to President Trump’s comments and policies on Gaza.Sinn Féin TD and Spokesperson for Justice, Matt Carthy, joins Kieran to discuss.

Women’s Aid has launched a new Ally Action campaign, which is calling on men to become allies in ending gender-based violence.We have been looking at what work is already underway to try and educate/rehabilitate men who have been violent to their partners.Newstalk reporter, Josh Crosbie has been speaking to those working in this area, and he has also met a former participant of the service.If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this report you can contact MOVE Ireland on 065 684 86 89 or Women’s Aid on 1800 341 900

The families of those killed in the Creeslough disaster plan to challenge “every aspect” of the plan to redevelop the site.An application was submitted to demolish the existing building and replace it with a new structure that would include a forecourt, shop, post office and space for a memorial garden.Damien Tansey is Senior Counsel and Solicitor with Damien Tansey Solicitors, who represents family members of victims of the Creeslough explosion. He joins Kieran to discuss.

One of the recommendations by the Social Democrats on Dáil reform is making the Dáil prayer a time for reflection, rather than a Catholic prayer.Is it a good idea?Kieran is joined by Senator Ronan Mullen and Social Democrat TD Gary Gannon to discuss.

Drivers in Ireland forked out over €478 million in road tolls last year.New figures released to Newstalk under the Freedom of Information Act have shown that Transport Infrastructure Ireland collected a record €212 million in M50 tolls last year - marking an 11.5% increase year-on-year.Port Tunnel revenues were €32 million in 2024, up from €28.8m in 2023.Meanwhile, the rest of the road network outside of Dublin collected €190m - increasing to €234m including VAT.So, where is the money going, and what do drivers think? Sean O’Neill, Director of Communications with Transport Infrastructure Ireland joins Kieran to discuss. Jason Cullen, Chairperson of the Dublin Commuter Coalition and Eugene Drennan, Spokesperson for the Irish Road Haulage Association also join to discuss.

Yesterday marked the final day of the first stage of the Omagh Bombing Inquiry…Joining Kieran to discuss is Helen Kerr, who was in a café in Omagh when the explosion occurred.

You’ve heard of fast fashion, but is there such a thing as fast furniture? Do you find yourself throwing out IKEA furniture every couple of months?Joining Kieran to discuss is Architect Róisín Murphy and Climate Change and Environmental Researcher, Sadhbh O'Neill.

Spain's former football federation boss Luis Rubiales has been found guilty of sexual assault for kissing player Jenni Hermoso and ordered to pay a fine of €10,800 and has also has a restraining order attacked to this.Will this have a lasting impact on women’s sport?Meghann Scully is a freelance broadcaster and joins me now…

Housing seems to be the number one issue of attack for the Opposition over the first couple of weeks of Leaders’ Questions.Has it left the Government floundering?Seán Defoe is Newstalk’s Political Correspondent, and he’s been looking into this. He joins Kieran to discuss.

US President Donald Trump has launched a new attack online on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, calling him a "dictator" and saying he has done a "terrible job"...For more on this, Kieran is joined by Volodymyr Solohub, Freelance Journalist in Ukraine and Larry Donnelly Law Lecturer at the University of Galway and Columnist with the Journal.

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 Kieran to give advice on saying curse words properly!

With Donald Trump in office, should the Irish Government keep their opinions on US politics at bay for the next 4 years? Or risk its relationship with the country?Following on from his conversation with Sean Spicer, Kieran is joined by Fianna Fáil TD for East Cork, James O’Connor, to discuss.

You might remember Tracy Carroll, she is the mother of Willow, who has spoken on the show before about issues she faced dealing with the HSE…She has now settled her case with the HSE, and has been working to better the system. Tracy Carroll joins Kieran to discuss.

Today, 40 years ago, a brand new soap opera was launched…Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the East End of London, following the stories of local residents, mainly killing each other and having affairs.But, how realistic is Eastenders to real life?Henry McKean visited London during Bafta Awards week and sent this report from the real Eastenders, speaking with pub landlords, London cabbies and locals!Image: BBC

For this week’s Tech Takeover, Newstalk’s Technology Correspondent Jess Kelly joined Kieran to discuss the Irish Text Relay Service, the importance of accessibility in technology, as well as give her tech recommendations for the week!

The IDA has announced a new 5-year plan which would create 75,000 new jobs if achieved, in hopes to navigate the possibly difficult economic times ahead for Europe…To go into details of the plan, Kieran is joined by the Chairman of the IDA Ireland, Fearghal O’Rourke.Image: Reuters

A new TikTok trend which has been doing the rounds suggests that a spoonful of butter might help your baby sleep through the night.This has since been debunked, but what causes these ideas and trends to spread so quickly, and why do we believe them?Kieran is joined by Stephen O’Leary, CEO of Olytico and Pete Lunn, Founder and Head of the ESRI's Behavioural Research Unit to discuss.

Now, the Government has announced that they intend on living planning exemptions for cabins built on private land to be used by family members in order to alleviate those seeking houses in the current market.Joining Kieran to discuss this potential change is Minister of State at the Department of Housing, John Cummins, as well as one man who has had continued issues with planning permission on his own land, Sean Meehan.

Bosses at the Iceland Supermarkets in the UK have said that they could offer small jobs to those facing conviction to combat overcrowding and help them rehabilitate.Is this a good idea, and are we doing enough to help those in our who are going through our prison service?Joining Kieran to discuss is Comedian Willa White…

It's been reported today that the long-awaited National Children's Hospital will be costing an extra €850 million and not set to open until 2026…Kieran’s guest believes that Simon Harris should resign, or furthermore, be fired for signing off on the project.Leader of Aontú, Peadar Tóibín, joins to discuss.

Executive Chef at The K Club Gary O’Hanlon joined Kieran this week to place his favourite book on The Hard Shoulder’s Bookshelf!

Senior officials from Russia and the United States met in Saudi Arabia today to begin talks on improving ties and negotiating an end to the war in Ukraine…To tell more, Kieran is joined by Europe Correspondent with Euronews, Shona Murray.Image: Reuters

With less than a month away until almost all the Irish Ministers embark on their St Patrick’s Day missions, one of the Ministers holding the fort while they are gone is Minister of State Micheal Healy-Rae.He joins Kieran to discuss.

Did you know that if you flush the toilet with the seat up, you could be breathing in dirty air - along with getting your bathroom surfaces filthy?In that sense, what are the dirtiest things in your home?Microbiologist, Ana Burns, joins Kieran to discuss.

St Patrick’s Day is not far away, and a flock of Irish politicians will be heading over to woo President Trump...But, is this a good tactic?Joining Kieran to discuss is former White House Press Secretary and Host of the Sean Spicer Show, Sean Spicer.

A tourist tax is being explored by the Government as a method to raise tax for local councils.Venice and Lisbon are just a few of the European cities which already impose such a levy.Should we do the same here?Joining Kieran to discuss is Michael Pigeon, Green Party Councillor for Dublin's South West Inner City and Gina Murphy, Hugos Restaurant Owner and Chairperson of Tourist SOS.

Today, renovating a home is a difficult task, and even more so bringing vacant homes into action. One person knows that well, and he joins Kieran to discuss the difficulties of navigating that market - from grants to finance.Shay Lally of @houses_to_restore on Instagram joins the show!

You will have heard that two men have been arrested in connection with the fatal stabbing of an asylum seeker in Dublin at the weekend.The incident happened on South Anne Street in Dublin City Centre in the early hours of Saturday morning.After a couple of incidents last week too, is Dublin at risk of a perception problem? Could this stop people from coming to the city?Ray O’Donoghue is Dublin’s Night-Time Economy Advisor, and joins Kieran to discuss.

For this week’s Kids Health Check we are exploring how to talk to your children if they are having issues with their body image, and how to spot any early signs of eating disorders.Joining Kieran to discuss is Harriet Parsons, Psychotherapist and Training and Development at BodyWhys.

Pope Francis will stay in hospital for as long as is necessary – it's after he entered hospital on Friday to tackle a respiratory infection that has now become more “complex”...For more on this, Kieran is joined by Colm Flynn, Broadcaster with EWTN and BBC World Service.

The Cabinet met today to discuss new measures to get our housing market moving and increase supply. One option on the table is incentives for developers to build apartments and houses, possibly in the form of tax breaks...Joining Kieran to discuss if this is the right direction to go in is Tom Phillips, Managing Director of Tom Phillips and Associates, Adjunct Associate Professor of Architecture and Planning in UCD and Eoin O’Broin, Sinn Féin Housing Spokesperson and TD for Dublin Mid-West.

According to recent UK research, the tidiness of the home is the most common debate households have.Why is that? One of the reasons might be that our households simply have so much stuff – how on earth can we keep on top of keeping things tidy?Broadcaster and Writer Barbara Scully and Hazel Burton of Home Reset join Kieran to discuss.

‘Georgia Harrison: Porn, Power, Profit’ is a new documentary that follows the Reality TV Star as she investigates the world of revenge porn and image-based sexual abuse, which is an issue she knows herself having been a victim in 2023…Georgia Harrison joins Kieran to discuss.

Legal notices have been served to 13 operators of “dodgy box” streamers which could spell doom for those who use them.What is the effect on production companies of these boxes and would a more streamline service of all the streamers be an option to combat the popularity of the boxes?Larry Bass, CEO of ShinAwiL Production Company and Siobhan Maguire, Consumer Journalist join Kieran to discuss.

This week Kieran Cuddihy was joined by the presenter of Weekend Breakfast on Today FM, Alison Curtis Off the Ball’s Ger Gilroy to look back on the week that was, but with a few twists…

Fine Gael TD for Wicklow Edward Timmins has proposed an ‘American Presidents Trail’ to boost US tourism to our island. But, what is the exact plan – and would it work?Kieran has him in the studio to discuss!

It is the day for it - Aisling Larkin, Mindful Eating Coach and TV Chef joins Kieran to go through some of the best options when making a Valentine’s dinner for that special someone!

It's time for a Valentine's Kidstalk! The kids from South City Community National School, Dublin, talk to Henry McKean about Valentine's Day…

Off The Ball's Eoin Sheahan joined Kieran Cuddihy on The Hard Shoulder to review the week in sport and look ahead to the weekend action…

Research from the Times suggests that Generation Z, those aged 18-27, are more pro-marriage than previous generations. So, why is this the case, and is marriage back in fashion?Joining Kieran to discuss is Jane Cowan, Student and Irish Examiner Columnist, Tara Fay, International Destination Wedding Planner and Francis Kelleher, Dating Expert and Life Coach.

The introduction of a dedicated public transport police unit is a priority, that’s according to Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan, in an effort to respond to growing concerns over safety on buses, trains, and trams.He has also said that could have the power to arrest.To discuss if we should have transport police, Kieran is joined by Thomas O’Connor, Assistant General Secretary for the NBRU, and Richard O’Donoghue, Independent Ireland TD for Limerick County.

Earlier today, local man Vikat Bhagat was found guilty in India of the 2017 rape and murder of Donegal backpacker, Danielle McLaughlin.Danielle had been backpacking there for two weeks...Danielle’s mother Andrea and sister Jolene join Kieran to discuss following the verdict.

There is a brand new Irish comedy drama on Sky called ‘Small Town, Big Story’ created by Chris O’Dowd. Henry McKean was at the premiere at the IFI, and sent in this chat he had with some of the cast!

US President Donald Trump has announced “reciprocal tariffs” to be enacted soon, but what exactly does that mean for Ireland - and what are the other developments stateside?Jerry McDermott, Executive Director at the Irish Cultural Centre, and former Sheriff of Norfolk County in Massachusetts joins Kieran to discuss.Image: Reuters

Today marks a very prestigious day for everyone in Newstalk towers, as it is World Radio Day!To honour the day and speak about the power of radio, Pat Kenny, Newstalk Presenter and radio royalty, joined Kieran!