The Hard Shoulder

The Government has ordered an external review to be carried out into yet another controversial spending of taxpayer's money.It has emerged that almost €7 million was spent on a failed IT system for the Arts Council…Peadar Tóibín, Leader of Aontú and TD for Meath East and Christina Finn, Political Editor at TheJournal join Kieran to discuss.

The 2034 World Cup has been confirmed for Saudi Arabia - and alcohol is planned to be prohibited then.Would this ban be an overall benefit? Or just put fans off going?Former Ireland International, Stephen Hunt and Editor of Cork Beo, Joe O’Shea join Kieran to discuss.

Hamas has today said that they will release more hostages as planned by the deadline.This comes on the heels of the news of US President Donald Trump’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, where he said they had "agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately…"Are the current movements a sign that Trump’s tactics are getting things done?Daniel Levy is President of the U.S./Middle East Project and former Israeli Peace Negotiator, he joins Kieran to discuss.

With another weightless drug set to come to Irish pharmacies in March - Kieran is joined by two people who have experience with prescription drugs…Belinda Hogan From GLP-1 Insights on Instagram and co-host of The Dose podcast and Paddy Cunningham, other host and content creator join to discuss.Image: Reuters

US President Donald Trump has announced that he has had “lengthy and highly productive phone call” with Vladimir Putin and agreed to work “closely” to possibly see a diplomatic end to the war. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has also announced that he has had a similar call with Trump.Jason Corcoran, Journalist and Russia Analyst joins Kieran to discuss and give the latest updates.

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 blowing your nose properly!

Newstalk Reporter Sarah Madden brought in a report earlier around the ethics of surrogacy – a debate that has re-ignited after actress Lily Phillips welcomed her first baby through surrogacy.So, where is Ireland at with it, and is the practice ethical?Joining Kieran to discuss is Annette Hickey, Solicitor specialising in surrogacy and Sandra Adams, advocate for women's sex based rights who recently ran as an Independent Seanad Candidate on the NUI panel.

Cyclone is the first Irish gladiator to be on the long-running BBC show Gladiators, which has had a recent revival.Cyclone joins Kieran to talk about what the process was like to join the show - and discuss her experience so far!Image: BBC

For this week’s Tech Takeover, Newstalk’s Technology Correspondent Jess Kelly joined Kieran to discuss Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) with US President Donald Trump - and the controversy about what work is being done.Image: Reuters

Today, the DPP confirmed they will appeal the six-and-a-half-year concurrent sentence imposed on Kieran Fogarty for the murder of student journalist Joe Drennan, who was killed in a hit and run.The family of Joe have been protesting against the sentence, and Sarah, Joe’s sister, joins Kieran to discuss.

According to a City Council Chief, some inner-city Dubliners have no sense of pride, and dump their waste daily in the street.Henry McKean has been investigating, and joins Kieran to discuss.

A lot of Ireland’s economic success over the past few decades has been down to American multinationals.But, with Trump in office, is our stance over Gaza threatening the country's economic future?Micheal Murphy, Journalist at the Telegraph joins Kieran to discuss.

Lily Collins announced last week that she had welcomed the arrival of her first child through surrogacy.The actress was met with backlash when she didn’t explain why she used a surrogate, with many speculating online that the Emily in Paris star didn’t want to miss out on career opportunities, others said Lily was reluctant to lose her figure.The controversy has reignited the debate around the ethics of surrogacy – just as legislation is about to be enacted that would legalize it here.Newstalk reporter Sarah Madden reports.

Channel 4 have now placed a trigger warning on an episode of ‘Father Ted’, where the late Dermot Morgan does a racist impersonation of a Chinese person. The warning says that this episode was “...made in 1998 and contains language and racial impersonation which some viewers may find offensive.”So, is the trigger warning justified? Or are we just over-sensitive when it comes to older content?Ian O’Doherty, Columnist with The Irish Independent and Ciara Lawless, Singer and Songwriter join Kieran to discuss.Image: Channel 4

Getting kids to eat the greens is a daily struggle for most parents at the dinner table, but would getting them to grow their own produce help?For more on this, guest host Anton Savage is joined by Lilly Higgins, Chef for SuperValu’s ‘Let’s Grow’ initiative.

Worried parents across the country have had routine, and necessary developmental checks for their children with public health nurses suspended, with some parts of Ireland without a public health nurse due to staffing shortages...Catherine Stocker, Social Democrats Councillor for Clontarf has been directly affected by this and joins guest host Anton Savage along with Dr Kieran Moore, Medical Pediatric Consultant Liaison Psychiatrist and Associate Professor of Psychiatry U.C.D.

Former Professional Cyclist Nicolas Roche joined guest host Anton Savage this week to place his favourite book on The Hard Shoulder’s Bookshelf!

US President Donald Trump warned that "all hell" would break loose if every Israeli hostage is not released from Gaza within days.It’s after Hamas threatened to postpone further exchanges under a ceasefire deal it said Israel was violating.Will this sort of rhetoric work?Joining guest host Anton Savage to discuss is Alistair Bunkall Sky News Middle East Correspondent and Sean Bell retired Fighter Pilot, current Defence Consultant and co-host of the ‘Red Matrix’ Podcast.Image: Reuters

There is still uproar over a stabbing incident in Stoneybatter on Sunday afternoon…Should we be taking knife crime more seriously, and has there been an increase of knife crime in Ireland?Joining guest host Anton Savage to discuss is Columnist and retired Consultant in Emergency Medicine, Dr Chris Luke.

Today is Safer Internet Day, and new research has revealed that a third of young people are addicted to social media…Joining Anton to discuss when children should be introduced to the internet and phones is Fiona Jennings Head of Policy and Public Affairs at ISPCC and Stella O'Malley, Psychotherapist and author.

Valentine's Day is around the corner, but would you be willing to scrap big gifts for something homemade as prices go up?Joining guest host Anton Savage to discuss is Meghann Scully, Freelance Journalist, Esther McCarthy, Lifestyle Editor at the Irish Examiner and John Lowe from moneydoctors.ie.

A newly discovered asteroid called 2024 YR4 could collide with Earth in the year 2032...With the asteroid having the damage potential to destroy a city, what are the chances this will happen? And is there reason to worry ?Kieran is joined by David Moore from Astronomy Ireland to discuss.

The knife attack in Stoneybatter has shocked many people, and has also resulted in some interesting reactions – particularly online.Has social media changed the way people interact with news?Commentator Brendan Ogle joins Kieran to discuss.

The Ferryman play is running in the Gaiety Theatre until March, and it is a gripping tale about the effects of the troubles on a family farm in 1980’s Armagh…Kieran is joined by one of the main cast in the studio today to discuss: Charlene McKenna!

For this week’s Kids Health Check, Kieran is joined by Aoife Lee, Parenting Coach at ParentSupport.ie to discuss the best way to introduce phones to your children, and how to manage phone use around the house.

A man in his late 20’s remains in custody after three men were injured in a suspected knife attack in Stoneybatter in North Dublin.The incident has been described by Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan as a "random attack", but has led to fears about a growing culture of violence.Criminologist, Triona O’Connor and Conor Lally, Security and Crime Editor of The Irish Times join Kieran to discuss.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said that he will look at the rent pressure zone system with intent to change it, or indeed remove these zones by the end of this year.But, what impact would that have on the market?Karl Deeter, Founder of onlineapplication.com or (Director of Irish Mortgage Brokers) joins me now...

Last week, speaking at a news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Donald Trump unveiled his own plans to take over the Gaza strip…After these comments, the group Arab Americans for Trump changed their name to Arab Americans for Peace, and in Dearborn, Michigan, it is reported there is a sense of regret among Arab Trump voters.Joining Kieran to discuss is Amer Zahr, comedian and activist and Arab Americans for Peace Chairman, Dr. Bishara Bahbah.

Samantha Mumba has said that criticism given by RTÉ’s Eurosong panel on Friday nights Late Late Show was “unnecessarily rude and vile to all the finalists”...Was she right? To discuss, Kieran is joined by one of the contestants, Reylta, Russel Alford, 98FM producer and Eurovision geek and Mickey Joe Harte, Eurovision contestant in 2003.Image: Andres Poveda

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…

RTÉ’s ‘The Great House Revival’ is back this Sunday at 9pm on RTÉ 1 and the RTÉ Player. Joining Kieran to discuss is its host, Architect Hugh Wallace!

Ireland and Scotland both began their Six Nations campaigns with wins last weekend: Ireland beating England in the Aviva, and Scotland beating Italy in Murrayfield.Scotland look to end a long run of games, stretching back to 2017, where they haven’t beaten the Irish.To discuss what we can expect in the upcoming face-off, Scotland international Scott Hastings as well as former Irish International Fiona Hayes join Kieran.

Aisling Larkin, Mindful Eating Coach and TV Chef joins Kieran to showcase leeks, and how you can use them!

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…Image: Reuters

From today, rural roads nationwide have changed their speed limits from 80 km/h to 60 km/h - in a first wave of combating an increase in road deaths in the country.What do you think of the change? Newstalk’s Henry McKean has been asking the public, and joins Kieran to share what he’s heard.

Kieran is joined by the brilliant comedy duo Pat and Faye Shortt to discuss their new tour ‘Knuckle Down’, which is touring around Ireland this month and next!

In the UK they have changed planning rules so more mini nuclear power stations can be developed in England and Wales. So, should Ireland start depending on nuclear power?Joining Kieran to discuss is Co-Founder of 18 for Zero, Denis Duff and one of the Directors of Friends of the Irish Environment, Tony Lowes.

In France they will fine you up to €200 if you have your phone on loudspeaker on the train, should something similar be done here?To discuss, Kieran is joined by Barry Kenny, Corporate Communications Manager with Irish Rail, Sadhbh O’Neill, part-time Lecturer in TUD and regular commuter and Dr Malie Coyne, Clinical Psychologist and author.

Are you looking to give a helping hand to someone this year? Well, Le Chéile is a mentoring service that is looking for volunteers to make a difference in young people's lives.Cormac Ryan, Mentoring Programme Coordinator at Le Chéile, joins Kieran to discuss.

Donald Trump has reiterated his plan for a US "takeover" of Gaza.Trump's plan - first announced on Tuesday night - was rejected by Palestinians and leaders around the world on Wednesday, but he has taken to Truth Social to say that if Gaza was turned over to the US by Gaza then they “would actually have a chance to be happy, safe and free”.Meanwhile, Israeli Minister Israel Katz has said countries, including Ireland, should be obligated to take refugees affected.Jerry McDermott is Executive Director at the Irish Cultural Centre and former Sheriff of Norfolk County in Massachusetts, and joins Kieran to discuss.

Irish comedy Writer and Director Graham Linehan has his sights set on new horizons as he is planning a big move to the US to work on a new sitcom.Graham is leaving the UK for many reasons, but one he outlined in a video he streamed is that he feels “freedom of speech is in bad shape at the moment” in the UK, so he is embracing the United States…Graham joins Kieran from London to discuss.

New plans have suggested that Primary Teachers are set to get training in foreign languages such as French, Spanish and German in a hope to be introducing language classes from third class level in 2026.Is this a good idea, or are we putting too much on the plate of our primary teachers?Joining Kieran to discuss is Rachel Harper, Principal of St Patrick's National School, Greystones, Co Wicklow and Mick Culman, who is a Primary School Teacher in Dublin.

When you are playing games with your small ones, do you let them win? Is it unfair to let your kids never win when playing games, or is there a method to the madness?Niamh O’Reilly, Freelance Journalist and Writer and Jen Hogan, Irish Times Columnist join Kieran to discuss.

A medical panel of specialists have found that the "baby deaths" placed on Lucy Letby were due to natural causes or errors in medical care, they did not find any murders...Kieran is joined by John Sweeney, Host of 'Was There Ever A Crime? The Trials of Lucy Letby', to discuss.

Life can be full of confusing things, but no need to worry! Simon Tierney returns to the airwaves with his new series: ‘How to do Stuff’ - bringing his best tips for those things you might not think about.For the first edition, Simon joins Kieran to talk about urinals, and how to use them properly!

With the Dáil returning today, what were the main topics discussed and debated?Joining Kieran to go over what was covered is Craig Hughes, Political Editor at the Irish Daily Mail and Christina Finn, Political Editor at The Journal.

You may have heard of this ongoing row between ‘It Ends With Us’ co-stars Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively. Well, Blake Lively is suing Baldoni over harassment and emotional distress.Joining Kieran to discuss is Simon Thompson, Entertainment Journalist based in LA and PR Expert Mark Borowski.Image: Sony Pictures

For this week’s Tech Takeover, Newstalk’s Technology Correspondent Jess Kelly joins Kieran to talk all things The Sims as the first two games get re-released for the 25th anniversary of the series, along with her tech tips and recommendations!Image: EA

President Donald Trump has said that the United States would take over the Gaza Strip after Palestinians are resettled elsewhere…Can this happen? And what does the future look like if this becomes a reality?To discuss, Kieran is joined by Dr. Jilan Wahba Abdalmajid, Palestinian Ambassador to Ireland, Alistair Bunkall, Sky’s Middle East Correspondent from Jerusalem, and Shashank Joshi, Defence Editor with the Economist.Image: Reuters

A recent survey has revealed that 70% of 25 year olds in Ireland are living at home. But, how much rent can you charge them to live at home, and could you make a profit?Joining Kieran to discuss is Paul Merriman, CEO of Fair Stone & Founder of Ask Paul.