The Hard Shoulder

From tomorrow, thousands of Air BnB’s without planning permission will be illegal, which means they will no longer be able to operate under the new Rent Pressure Zone rules.Joining guest host Anton Savage to discuss this is Vice Chair of the Irish Self-Catering Federation, Noella Casey and later Conor Sheehan, Labour Housing Spokesperson.

The Lions Tour begins tomorrow, and this summer’s squad includes a record 15 Irish players. They face Argentina first before heading to Australia for the main tour.Former Lion and Irish international Gordon D’Arcy joins Anton Savage to give a Dummy’s Guide to the Lions Tour. What is it, why does it take place, and more importantly, should you watch it?

Ciara Doherty, Broadcaster and Presenter of Newstalk's newest podcast, ‘The Newstalk Daily’, which launches June 23rd, joins guest host Anton Savage for this week’s Thursday Interview!

Fighting between Israel and Iran enters a seventh day.A hospital in southern Israel was hit in an Iranian missile strike, while the IDF bombed a nuclear reactor southwest of Tehran.Is there a way out of this, or through this?John Simpson is the BBC’s World Affairs Editor, and joins guest host Anton Savage to discuss.Image: Reuters

Today, the 19th of June, is a federal holiday in the United States.Otherwise known as Juneteenth, the national holiday was established to commemorate the ending of slavery in the United States.To talk further on this, guest host Anton Savage is joined by Author, Playwright and Columnist Bonnie Greer.

Sky Ireland have warned users of TV 'dodgy boxes' that they may face consequences, as together with the Data Protection Commission, Sky look to clamp down on users of the illegal streaming service.Up to this point, it was generally the providers who were targeted.There are said to be up to 400,000 users who illegally stream TV shows, sports and movies in Ireland.Rob Hartnett is Founder and CEO of Sport for Business, and joins guest host Anton Savage to discuss.

Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) was in front of The Oireachtas Health Committee earlier today, and was answering questions over governance and culture issues.Seán Defoe, Newstalk’s Political Correspondent was there, and joins Anton Savage to give the latest.

Lord Henry Mountcharles, the man who brought rock music to Slane Castle, has died at the age of 74.Known for hosting legendary concerts in the heart of Meath, he leaves behind a legacy that shaped live music in Ireland.To help remember the man and his contributions to Irish music, guest host Anton Savage is joined by Dave Fanning, RTÉ Broadcaster and Billy McGuinness from Aslan.Image: RTÉ

Enda Brady, presenter with TRT World, and Dik Barton, COO of Armatrex and former VP of Operations with RMS Titanic, join The Hard Shoulder to reflect on the implosion of the Titan submersible two years on — and how the tragedy changed deep-sea exploration.Listen here

Anthony Zurcher, BBC’s North America Correspondent, joins The Hard Shoulder to explain how US foreign policy under President Trump is influencing growing tensions with Iran.Listen here

Gerard Howlin, public affairs consultant and Irish Times columnist, and Fionnan Sheehan, Ireland Editor at the Irish Independent, join The Hard Shoulder to discuss the absence of declared candidates for Ireland’s 2025 presidential election.Get all the discussion here.

Dave Hanratty, host of the ‘No More Encore’ podcast, and NewsTalk Tech Correspondent Jess Kelly join The Hard Shoulder to explain why getting concert tickets feels harder than ever — and what fans can do to beat the bots.Listen here

Jess Kelly, NewsTalk's Tech correspondent joins The Hard Shoulder to give all the best tips for kids, adults and everything in between this Summer.Listen here.

Josh Crosbie, Newstalk reporter, brings public reaction to rising tensions in the Middle East and asks whether people are following the news — or becoming desensitised to the conflict.Listen here

Ruth Scott, radio presenter and humanist celebrant, Cathal O’Sullivan from 98FM, and Alice Leahy of the Alice Leahy Trust join Kieran to discuss how they'd react if they won €250 million, whether they’d go public, and what they’d spend it on.Listen here

Emily Keegan, Newstalk reporter, joins The Hard Shoulder with the latest from court after the case involving Kneecap's Liam Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh -- aka Mo Chara -- is adjourned.Listen here for all the latest.

Dr Brendan O’Shea, Assistant Adjuvant Professor in General Practice at Trinity College and Kildare-based GP, and Evelyn Mahon, Professor Emeritus at Trinity College Dublin, join The Hard Shoulder to explain why Ireland will need at least 1,200 more GPs by 2040 — and what that shortfall means for healthcare access.Listen here.

NewsTalk's Henry McKean joins The Hard Shoulder with reaction from the public after one Irish person scooped a €250 million Euromillions jackpot — the biggest in the country's history.Listen here

Ann Russell, cleaning expert and TikTok creator, joins The Hard Shoulder alongside Irish Independent columnist Mary McCarthy to debate which household chores people dread most, and why some of us are wired to hate them more than others.Listen here

Sarah Madden, Newstalk reporter, joins The Hard Shoulder to share her report on commuter experiences of antisocial behaviour, including drug use and inappropriate conduct on Irish trains. Meghann Scully, broadcaster, and Jason Cullen of the Dublin Commuter Coalition also join to react.Listen here

The consumer watchdog has written to schools, urging them to consider generic uniform options to help reduce back-to-school costs for families.    It follows a survey by the CCPC showing that 75 percent of primary and post-primary schools require at least one uniform item to be purchased from a designated retailer     Joining Kieran to discuss this is Louise Bayliss, Head of Social Justice and Policy at Saint Vincent De Paul & Co-Founder of Spark and Lisa O'Sullivan Shaw aka Modern Irish Mom on Instagram

People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy, who was detained twice in Egypt while participating in the Global March to Gaza, has returned to Ireland.He joins Kieran to discuss his experience.

From today, when a person dies, they will automatically be assumed to be an organ donor unless they have indicated an objection during their lifetime.It is hoped that this new opt-out system will reduce waiting lists and encourage more people to become organ donors.Our reporter, Josh Crosbie has been hearing from donor families and recipients about the changes.

It’s time now for this week’s edition of the Hard Shoulder Bookshelf. Each week we ask the great and the good of Ireland to come in and to place their favourite read upon the Bookshelf. Last week, former People Before Profit TD Brid Smith place To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee on the bookshelf and this week is the turn of Neven Maguire, TV Chef & owner of MacNean House & Restaurant who joined Kieran in studio.

Kieran is in Ireland's National Heritage Park, located just outside of Wexford Town, to travel back in time and walk through Ireland's past in what is one of Ireland's outdoor museums.Joining him to give the tour is Liam Dwyer CEO at National Heritage Park!Image: Discover Ireland

Wexford has produced plenty of GAA legends. So, what do the Gaelic Games mean for them?Joining Kieran to discuss is four-time All-Ireland winner and All-Star, Ursula Jacob, 1996 All-Ireland winning manager, Liam Griffin and former Wexford Captain, Diarmuid Lyng.

Have you ever thought about what it’s like to be a Conductor? How does the job actually work?Joining Kieran to discuss is Conductor Niall Kinsella, who will be playing in the National Operahouse in Wexford, and the National Concert Hall in Dublin in July.

Why is the Wexford strawberry so famous, is it the weather in the Sunny South East, the soil or the cold nights? Henry McKean has tried to find out and visited a strawberry farm in Enniscorthy this afternoon. He joins Kieran to discuss!

Many arguments lead to inspiration, but one such discussion in Castlebridge, Wexford kicked off one of the biggest books of all time, The Guinness World Records.Joining Kieran to tell more is John Ryan of Castlebridge Inspire.

A new report by CyberSafeKids has found that eight-year-old children in disadvantaged areas are more than twice as likely to have a smartphone at a younger age with fewer rules around their online activity, but what impact is that having on them?Joining Kieran to discuss this Trevor Murphy, Founder of Kids Coder Club and CEO of Cyberschool.ie and Vicky Barron, Labour Councillor for Wexford and Principal of CBS Primary School, Wexford.

For some summer lunch inspiration and wine pairings, Kieran is joined by Anthony, Head Chef and Jason, Sommelier at Wexford’s Green Acres restaurant, where the show is broadcasting from today!

Rosslare Europort is one of Ireland’s central hubs for freight, and it also happens to be in Wexford, where the Hard Shoulder is taking place for Newstalk’s Summer Tour!Joining Kieran to discuss its impois Glenn Carr, Director of Commercial Business at Iarnród Éireann and Bort Authority for Rosslare Europort.

As part of Newstalk’s Summer Tour, The Hard Shoulder is live from Wexford today!Joining Kieran to kick off the day, and discuss what makes Wexford so special is Paul Walsh from WexWalks Tours, Labour Councillor Vicky Barron and Chairperson of the Fleadh and CE of Wexford County Council, Eddie Taaffe.

This week, Kieran Cuddihy was joined by Saoirse Hanley, Columnist with the Irish Independent and Elaine Burke, Presenter of the ‘For Tech’s Sake’ podcast to look back on the week that was, but with a few twists…

Joining Kieran is Dublin-born Recorder and Baroque Cellist extraordinaire, Kate Hearne.Kate Hearne is with the Woodpeckers Recorder Quartet, and they will be performing at the West Cork Chamber Music Festival which takes place in and around the town of Bantry in West Cork from Friday, June 27th to Sunday, July 6th.So far so normal, you might say.The catch is, Kate’s home is 200km North of the Arctic Circle in a place called Kiruna, in Lapland!

Aisling Larkin, Mindful Eating Coach and TV Chef joins Kieran to discuss seasonal eating this summer!

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…

The issue of the use of smartphones by kids is back in the headlines, because the Department of Education has, from today, instructed primary schools to implement policies banning the use of phones…But, should we be delaying giving smartphones to older kids, up to the age of 16?Joining Kieran to discuss is Mary Lovegrove who has spearheaded the ‘Smartphone Free Childhood Ireland’ campaign and Fianna Fáil Education Spokesperson, Ryan O’Meara...

Walking Football is a slower-paced, low impact version of the beautiful game that is growing in popularity among older people looking to stay active and involved in soccer.This weekend, there is a walking football festival taking place at the National Sports Campus in Abbottstown.Joining Kieran to tell more is Derek O'Neill, League of Ireland Football & Social Responsibility Manager with the FAI and Paul Massey, a participant and father of former professional footballer Dane Massey.

Israel has launched a major strike inside Iran, targeting nuclear and missile facilities in what they call a necessary move to eliminate an existential threat. Iran has since vowed to respond, calling it a declaration of war.The world is now watching closely, and asking what this means for regional stability and global security.Joining Kieran to discuss is Eylon Levy, former Israeli Government Spokesperson…Image: Reuters

So, you have your holiday paid for, and then you realise the added expenses you didn’t account for: the car park at the airport, a kennel for the dog and not to mention the last-minute panic buying duty-free.Joining Kieran to discuss the most common pitfalls when it comes to travel overspending is Consumer Journalist, Siobhain Maguire.

Are you a digital hoarder? If you are a person who takes 20 pictures of your coffee, pictures of the dog, pictures of your dog and leaves them sitting on your phone to rot, you are a digital hoarder. But, what impact is it having on your phone and the planet?Newstalk Reporter Meghan O’Halloran took to the streets of Dublin to ask the public about the amount of pictures on their phones, and Kieran is joined by Newstalk’s Technology Correspondent, Jess Kelly, to discuss.

Biohacking is the latest thing people are implementing to reduce their biological age, but can our biological age truly be reduced, and are trackers and watches accurate at determining a person's biological age?Joining Kieran to discuss is Professor Rose Anne Kenny, Head of the aging research program at Trinity.

Children’s reading enjoyment has fallen to the lowest recorded level in the UK…An annual survey of young people’s reading habits, which began two decades ago, shows its lowest-ever result, most pronounced among boys aged 11 to 16.How do we encourage them to read when there is so much grabbing their attention?Joining Kieran to discuss is author Eoin Colfer.

John Fardy, Presenter of 'Screentime' and Sarina Bellissimo, Broadcaster and Presenter of the Bellissimo Files Podcast joined Kieran Cuddihy on The Hard Shoulder to review the latest TV and movie releases…

Actress Eilish O'Carroll joins Kieran for this week's Thursday Interview!

How would you like to take a ‘workation’? In this new world of remote working, a ‘workation’ combines work with a vacation.So, how prevalent is this practice, and what does it take to stay productive while sipping coconut water on the beach?One large multinational offering a ‘workation’ to employees is Deloitte, their Chief People Officer, Sinead Gogan, joins Kieran to discuss.

Over 200 people are now confirmed dead following an Air India crash, which was en route from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick. It plummeted into a hostel housing medical students, with casualties reported on the ground.The passengers included 217 adults, 11 children and two infants. Of them, 169 were Indian nationals, 53 were Britons, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian.Joining Kieran to discuss is Rahul Bedi, Journalist based in New Delhi and Sean Bell, former Fighter Pilot.Image: Reuters

1980’s Kids TV Presenter Timmy Mallett is cycling around Ireland, meeting people and painting along the way. Henry McKean brought along his old bike, met up with Timmy Mallett, and went for a bike ride!

Ryanair has introduced a €500 fine for disruptive passengers whose "unruly" behavior results in them being taken off the plane. The hope is that the fine will act as a deterrent for passengers who cause disruptions, but is this enough to stop this behavior?Joining Kieran to discuss is Eoghan Corry, Owner and Editor of Travel Extra and Michelle Walsh Jackson, AKA the Novel Traveller.