The Hard Shoulder

All this month the Hard Shoulder is looking back on 2024’s biggest moments in the news, and who were at the heart of it.One of the highlights of the summer and the year must be when Team Ireland sent over 134 athletes to the Paris Olympics, which garnered the country’s best medal haul ever, with four gold and three bronze.Joining Kieran to look back are two of those athletes, Phil Healy and Sophie Becker.

Aoife Lee, Parenting Coach at ParentSupport.ie joins Kieran in this week’s Kids Health Check to discuss how to handle your child’s tantrums.

With counts winding down for General Election 2024, which parties had the most success, and who took the biggest hits?Kieran is joined by Alison O’Connor, Columnist with Sunday Times and Broadcaster, Mick Clifford, Special Correspondent, Irish Examiner and Gary Gannon, Social Democrats TD for Dublin Central to discuss.

In the run up to Christmas, you may find yourself mindlessly subscribing to reward systems that stores have to offer, but which ones are worth the email spam?Sinead Ryan, Irish Independent Journalist and Presenter of the Home Show joins Kieran to discuss.

Joe Biden is coming under fire stateside for pardoning his son Hunter, who is facing sentencing for two criminal cases.Joining Seán to discuss this is  Niall Stanage, White House Columnist with the Hill.

What a weekend for political nerds! But it's not over yet, with there still being a few seats around the country to fill.Joining Kieran for a roundup of the election today and to reflect on the weekend is Seán Defoe, Political Correspondent with Newstalk, Kevin Doyle, Group Head of News at Mediahuis and Verona Murphy, newly-elected Independent TD for Wexford.

This week Kieran Cuddihy was joined by the presenter of Weekend Breakfast on Today FM, Alison Curtis and Niamh O’Reilly, Freelance Writer to look back on the week that was, but with a few twists…

Aisling Larkin, Mindful Eating Coach and TV Chef joined Kieran to look at kitchen gadgets! No, you can’t eat them, but they could make great gifts around Christmas!

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

In Germany, an app is being developed to help people locate the nearest bunker in the event of an attack…Is this something we should develop here, or would it breach our neutrality?Joining Kieran to discuss is Security and Defense Analyst, Declan Power.

The Assisted Dying Bill has been backed by MPs today as a vote was held to move ahead with it, with 330 votes for, and 275 against.Vincent McAviney, London-based Journalist joins Kieran to discuss what this means, and what the future looks like.Image: Reuters

In preparation of the 2026 Commonwealth Games, members of Northern Ireland’s governing body have stated that they want to create a new flag for the event.As you can expect, this has sparked debate with some outraged by the proposal.Joining Kieran to discuss the situation is Ben Lowry, Editor of The Belfast Newsletter, and Claire Hanna, MP for Belfast South and Mid-Down.

TikTok have recently announced that they plan to ban users under the age of 18 from using certain video filters. This comes after child safety groups accused TikTok of adding to the already horrific mental health crisis for young people.Joining Kieran to discuss this move is Marie Loftus, a Director at the Ailesbury Clinic and Iseult White, a Psychotherapist and author.

It's time for the final ‘Henry's Front Bench', where Henry McKean meets an election candidate on a park bench and has a chat.Today, Henry meets Gary Gannon, Social Democrats TD running in Dublin Central.

We are only one day away from the big polling day for General Election 2024!Art O’Leary, Chief Executive of An Comuisiún Tohcháin, Ireland’s Independent Electoral Commission about registering to vote joins Kieran to discuss the process, and what you can expect tomorrow.

As the election campaigns draw to a close, the next government’s formation is unclear. Kieran’s guest is one of the select few who have the chance of becoming the next Taoiseach – which would be making history…Joining the show to discuss the general election is President of Sinn Féin and candidate for Dublin Central, Mary Lou McDonald.

Apparently, certain Christmas traditions have been changing and going away, such as mistletoe being hung up. Is this a problem, and what do people think?Newstalk Reporter Josh Crosbie has been talking to the public, and joins Kieran to share what he’s heard.

Things are heating up as each constituency enters the final furlongs for the general election, but eyes will be on some constituencies as they might be able to give a good sense of the national picture.Newstalk’s Political Correspondent, Seán Defoe, joins Kieran to give us a sense of these bellwether consistencies…

A little earlier this month, MG allowed Kieran and Jess Kelly to have a little test drive in their MG Cyberster, MG’s cutting-edge, all-electric performance convertible roadster.Here is how they got on!Brought to you buy MG Motors.

With less than 72 hours before polls open for the 2024 General Election, Kieran is joined by a panel to discuss how this year’s campaigning has gone, and highlighting the biggest moments.Joining him is Meghann Scully, Freelance Broadcaster, Aideen Finegan, Journalist and Producer of the ‘Conversations With Parents’ podcast and David Hall, CEO of iCare Housing and CEO of Lifeline Services.

As the General Election candidates get ready for Friday’s vote, you might rarely think of what TDs retiring from the Dáil are up to… To remedy that, Kieran is joined by Catherine Murphy, retiring TD for Kildare North, Co-Founder and recent Co-Leader of the Social Democrats.

Today the Hard Shoulder is live from The K Club in Kildare. Joining Kieran in the Legacy Suite is Executive Chef, Gary O’Hanlon, who’s here to discuss how you can make the best-possible Christmas dinner from home.

Jess Kelly, Newstalk’s Technology Correspondent joins Kieran for this week’s Tech Takeover to discuss how influencers seem to be dealing out misinformation, how you can find the best deals during Black Friday and the tech recommendation of the week!

In the lead up to the General Election, big debates are being held on the Hard Shoulder. Today, Kieran is joined by candidates running in Kildare, live from The K Club, in the final debate before voting on Friday.What are the biggest issues in the area, and what is each candidate promising to do?Joining Kieran to debate is Cllr Angela Feeney, Labour General Election Candidate for Kildare North, Réada Cronin, Sinn Féin General Election Candidate for Kildare North, James Lawless, Minister of State at the Department of Transport and Fianna Fáil General Election Candidate for Kildare North, Vincent P Martin, Green Party Candidate for Kildare North and Cllr Joe Neville, Mayor of Kildare & Fine Gael General Election Candidate for Kildare North.

This Thursday will see the finest set of Ireland’s entrepreneurs battle it out to become EY’s Entrepreneur of the Year.What does the awards night have in store, and what does it mean to be the EY Entrepreneur of the Year?Frank O’Keefe, EY Ireland’s Managing Partner joins Kieran to discuss.Image: EY Ireland

Headlines were made by St. Peter‘s Chapel in Switzerland as they installed an AI Jesus hologram. In that sense, how are religious orders adapting to the digital age of the 21st century?Joining Kieran to share his approach is Fr. Paddy, the parish priest of Abbeyleix in Laois.

Following the conclusion of the Nikita Hand case, many brands including Tesco and Musgraves are starting to distance themselves from Conor McGregor. But, why do brands sever links with celebrities?Joining Kieran to discuss the intricacies around it, and some of the biggest examples is Trevor Twamley, the CEO and Co-Founder of Sport Endorse.

It's time for ‘Henry's Front Bench', where Henry McKean meets an election candidate on a park bench and has a chat.Today, Henry had an impromptu meeting with Independent candidate Gerry Hutch, who is running in Dublin Central. He joins Kieran Cuddihy to discuss.

This week, Kieran was joined by Journalist and Historian Kevin Myers to place his favourite book on The Hard Shoulder Bookshelf!

It's time for ‘Henry's Front Bench', where Henry McKean meets an election candidate on a park bench and has a chat.Today, Henry meets Louise O'Reilly, Sinn Féin candidate running in Fingal West.

As the General Election nears, most people want to know what the next government will look like. The seat count of each party won't be known until about Sunday, but predictions can be made!Joining Kieran to make those predictions is Professor Aidan Regan, a professor of politics at the School of Politics and International Relations in UCD.

There have been claims on TikTok that the average couple speak to each other for only 30 minutes a week... that breaks down to about 4 minutes a day! Is there much truth to this?Joining Kieran to discuss is Dating and Relationship Expert, Francis Kelleher and Chef and Director of Conbini Condiments, Holly Dalton.

With one week left until the General Election, many of you will be deciding who you want to put in the Dáil for the next 5 years…One person who won’t be voting, because she is not allowed to, is Teresa Buckowska, who is a Polish-born writer, and Migrant Rights Campaigner.She joins Kieran to discuss.

With Ireland’s population ageing at a faster rate than almost any other European country, the Central Bank of Ireland’s governor Gabriel Makhlouf has said that people need to be working past 65, and that policies incentivising this should be considered.Joining Kieran to discuss is Economist at TU Dublin, Emma Howard People Before Profit TD for Dublin South-Central, Bríd Smith and Sinéad Brady, Career Psychologist & author of ‘Total Reset’.

Bluesky might have come across your radar recently as many people have fled X, formally Twitter, for pastures new.But, is it in danger of becoming an echo chamber? That’s the thoughts of Columnist with the Sunday Independent, David Quinn, who joins Kieran to discuss.

A large rock in Earth’s orbit, known as a ‘mini moon’ is set to pull away on Monday, and not return for 30 years!But, what exactly is a ‘mini moon’, and where did it come from?Space Commentator Leo Enright joins Kieran to discuss.

For this week’s Kids Health Check, Kieran is joined by Chartered Clinical Psychologist Tara Logan Buckley to discuss ‘emotional regulation’ for children.

It's time for ‘Henry's Front Bench', where Henry McKean meets an election candidate on a park bench and has a chat.Today, Henry is on multiple benches to speak with four ‘New Irish’ candidates: Sivakumar Murugadoss, Independent candidate for Meath East,  Manju Devi, Fianna Fáil candidate for Fingal East, Monaa K Sood, Green Party candidate for Kildare South, The Greens and Dr Monica Oikeh, Green Party candidate for Cork South Central.

COP 29 wrapped up in Azerbaijan yesterday.Delegates at COP 29 reached a deal to provide developing countries with $300 billion a year to cope with the effects of extreme weather caused by climate change.But is COP useful? Or should we get rid of it all together?Environmentalist and Journalist, George Monbiot, joins Kieran to discuss.Image: United Nations

In the lead up to the General Election, big debates are being held on the Hard Shoulder. Today: Health.With it already being the second biggest area of spending from the government, how can the health sector be improved?Joining Kieran to debate is Stephen Donnelly, Minister for Health and Fianna Fáil General Election candidate for Wicklow, Hazel Chu, Green Party General Election candidate for Dublin Bay South, Edward McManus Aontú candidate for Dublin North West and Dean Mulligan, Independents 4 Change candidate for Fingal East.

This week Kieran Cuddihy was joined by the presenter of Weekend Breakfast on Today FM, Alison Curtis and Saoirse Hanley, Features writer at the Independent to look back on the week that was, but with a few twists…

Nikita Hand has won her lawsuit against MMA fighter Conor McGregor over an alleged rape in Dublin in 2018, with the High Court jury awarding her €248,603 in damages. Ms Hand also sued McGregor’s friend, James Lawrence of Rafter’s Road in Drimnagh, for allegedly raping her after McGregor left the hotel, but the jury did not find in her favour in relation to him.To give further reactions to this case and to discuss statements from Ms Hand and McGregor, Kieran is joined by David Hall, CEO of Sonas Domestic Violence Charity.

It's time for ‘Henry's Front Bench', where Henry McKean meets an election candidate on a park bench and has a chat.Today, Henry is in Tipperary to talk with Independent TD, Mattie McGrath.

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

The High Court has been found in favour of Nikita Hand and has awarded damages from Conor McGregor to her after finding that she was assaulted by the martial arts fighter in the Beacon Hotel.Dr. Elaine Byrnes from the School of Psychology at DCU and Noeline Blackwell, Human Rights Lawyer, Consultant and Online Safety Coordinator with the Children’s Rights Alliance join Kieran to discuss.

There are articles constantly reporting on the different ways we can improve the quality of our sleep. Taking magnesium supplements is supposedly one of the techniques we can adopt.Tom Coleman, Health Scientist and Sleep Coach, joins Kieran to discuss how exactly we can enhance the quality of our sleep.

You might have seen this on Twitter: an issue raised by Maia Dunphy around prepaid parking which led to her elderly father being forced to wait two hours for help…Writer and Broadcaster Maia Dunphy joins Kieran to discuss.

Galway chef, restaurateur and author, JP McMahon, is calling for the government to pay more attention to the food industry during their political campaigns. He believes the Irish food sector is at risk of being industrialised, and food should be added to the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.JP joins Kieran to discuss.

The Kuhner Report on WRKO AM680 Radio in Boston is hosted by Jeffrey T. Kuhner, "Liberalism's Worst Nightmare," he is a conservative nationalist, who champions God, country and family.This week, Jeff joins Kieran to discuss President Biden giving the green light to Ukraine to launch American missiles at Russian targets - and what implications this could have to further conflict. Also, they discuss Matt Gaetz withdrawing from Trump’s bid for Attorney General.Image: Reuters

Exclusive figures shared with Newstalk have revealed that 12,722 children with additional needs have been waiting on HSE waitlists for more than six months for assessments…Joining Kieran to discuss is Professor of Psychiatry at Trinity College Dublin and author of “Resilience: Lessons from Sir William Wilde on Life After Covid”, Brendan Kelly and Director of Neurodiversity Ireland, Nessa Hill.