The Hard Shoulder

Hand, Foot and Mouth disease cases are on the rise again as schools are back in full swing…What are the signs to look for and what do you do if your child contracts the illness?Kieran is joined by Dr Afif El-Khuffash, Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the RCSI.Image: HSE

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.Jeff joins Kieran to discuss the damage done by Hurricane Milton in Florida, and how political response could affect the outcome of the upcoming election.Image: AP

A major breakthrough was made in the mammoth Garda investigation into the Kinahan Cartel and their leadership, with the arrest in Dubai of a Senior Kinahan Cartel Lieutenant, Sean McGovern. He will be extradited back to Ireland over the murder of Noel ‘Duck Egg’ Kirwan, and other criminal offences.How significant is this, and what does it mean for the remaining Kinahan Cartel in Dubai?Paul Williams, Crime Journalist and author, joins Kieran to discuss.

You may have caught it on BBC last night, but the movie ‘Threads’ has been called one of the scariest and most realistic depictions of a nuclear war.Joining Kieran to discuss why, 40 years later, it still terrifies is Ian O’Doherty, Columnist with the Irish Independent.

After years in the making, the landmark Planning and Development Bill was finally approved by the Oireachtas last night, but reaction has been mixed so far.Is it a good idea? And will it help with the Housing Crisis?To discuss, Kieran is joined by Tom Phillips, Managing Director of Tom Phillips Associates.

Today is World Mental Health Day, and joining Kieran to discuss their own mental health struggles is, Architect Hugh Wallace…If you struggle with your mental health, Aware operate a freephone number at 1800 80 48 48.

The state of Florida is prepping for Hurricane Milton, which is set to hit the south of Florida tonight…Kieran speaks with Jacqui Goddard, Miami correspondent for the Times London, Royston Brady, former Lord Mayor of Dublin and Meteorologist Todd Gross ahead of the expected touchdown.Image: NOAA/AP

Kieran’s guest’s new book defines Ireland's history and culture in 100 foods, ‘An Irish Food Story: 100 Foods That Made Us’ comes out October 10th.Joining to discuss is Author, Chef and Restaurateur, JP McMahon.

Countries are re-arming in response to growing security threats. Economic security risks are leading to a rethinking of EU state aid rules, competition and trade policies. With public opinion shifting against immigration across the continent, how the EU and its members handle asylum applications from outside the bloc is rising up the agenda.Joining Kieran to discuss this is Dan O’ Brien, Chief Economist at the Institute of International and European Affairs and Senior Fellow at UCD.

Hollywood actor Mark Ruffalo has weighed in on the upcoming planning bill in a video posted online last night with Irish actress Alison Oliver, making it clear that he is against the idea.So, is he right? Should we not have liquified natural gas (LNG) terminals in Ireland?Oisín Coughlan, Chief Executive of Friends of the Earth and Brian Leddin, Green Party TD and Spokesperson for Transport, Climate Action and Environment join Kieran to discuss.

Cork and Clare kids band the ‘Cabin Krew’ went viral over the summer for their song ‘The Spark’ which got over 2 billion views! The song was recently longlisted for 2 Grammy Awards: the ‘Best Dance/ Electronic Song’ and for ‘Song of the Year’. Joining Kieran to discuss are Lucy and Kada, members of the group.Image: @thekabinstudio Instagram

Trinity College Dublin has officially renamed its former Berkeley Library after Irish poet Eavan Boland. Berkeley’s name became contentious due to his colonial past, and so the Student Union led a campaign to rename it.Jenny Maguire is Student Union President of the Trinity College Dublin, and joins Kieran to discuss.Image: Trinity College Dublin

Israel is expanding its ground offensive in southern Lebanon day after day. The conflict has resulted in the displacement of 1.2 million people from the region as they attempt to escape the horrors of war.Joining Kieran to discuss this unfolding humanitarian disaster is Deputy Representative of UNICEF Lebanon, Ettie Higgins.Image: Reuters

Legalese, language used in legal documents, has made navigating legal battles incredibly difficult for people who haven’t studied law. But now, some are saying that it’s entered into the healthcare sector.Joining Kieran to discuss is Dr. Suzanne Crowe, a Paediatric Intensive Care Consultant and President of the Irish Medical Council.

Transport Commentator Conor Faughnan joined Kieran Cuddihy to put his favourite book on The Hard Shoulder’s Bookshelf!

In 2017, Gareth Landy was told that he couldn’t have kids. He now has 2 children and a diagnosis labelling him XXY, meaning he has an extra X chromosome. But, what was his story, and why is he speaking before the Seanad today?Joining Kieran to discuss is Gareth Landy, a male fertility advocate.

Customer service in Ireland is getting worse with nearly half the top 150 brands performing poorly last year. That’s according to a new survey published today.Conor Pope is Consumer Affairs Correspondent with The Irish Times and joins Kieran to discuss.

Has the American tourist influx put the native Irish customer under pressure to tip more? Have they influenced our tipping culture from rounding up to 10% and now, in some cases, 20%?Henry McKean visited Man O' War Gastro Pub in North County Dublin, where he met Irish staff and US customers, and sent in this report.

The OPW has landed in more hot water; it has been revealed that the OPW has paid more than €300,000 in legal fees in an arbitration case on the proposed building of a National Children’s Science Museum in Dublin.Joining Seán to discuss is Social Democrat TD and member of the Public Accounts Committee, Catherine Murphy...

There are record levels of patients waiting on trolleys in Cork University Hospital the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation have said, with 98 patients waiting for admission to a bed.Overall in Ireland there are 641 patients on trolleys, with 444 of those in emergency departments.How can we tackle this and stop it from escalating?Kieran is joined by Anthony Staines, Professor of Health Systems at the School of Nursing in DCU to discuss.Image: MWP

There has been a lot of speculation as to when the next general election is going to be, but there do seem to be some signs that it’s sooner than you may think!Newstalk’s Political Correspondent, Sean Defoe, joins Kieran to discuss.

Recent studies have found that the famous ‘Body Mass Index’ is a flawed system. Instead, we should be using a new measurement: the Body Roundness Index or BRI. Simply, the process calculates how round you are, with high and low scores being dangerous.Joining Kieran to discuss is Diana Thomas from the US Military Academy in West Point, New York.

Anna Geary has her cupid bow at the ready as she is back on our screens from tonight helping the men and women from rural Ireland find love once more.Season 2 of her show Love in the Country Airs tonight at 9.35pm on RTÉ 2, and Anna joins Kieran to talk about what you can expect.

A year on from the Hamas terror attack on Israel, the conflict in the Middle East is continuing to escalate by the day.But what, if anything, does the endgame to all of this look like?Walt Kilroy, Lecturer in International Relations at DCU and Co-Director of its Conflict Institute.

For this week’s Kids Health Check, Kieran is joined by Aoife Lee, Parenting Coach at ParentSupport.ie to discuss the clothes your children or teenagers might choose to wear, and having conversations around it.

Starting from today, Dublin Bus has launched a pilot program of security guards for their services. It will run for 20 weeks, and is aiming to curb 'antisocial behaviour'.Newstalk Reporter Josh Crosbie has been getting more information, and joins Kieran to discuss.

There has been a “worrying regression” in some boys with increasing misogyny in recent years. So says Jason Poole, whose sister Jennifer was stabbed to death by an ex-partner in April 2021.Jason is calling for the introduction of standardised education on gender-based violence into our classrooms. He joins me now...

The actress who plays Princess Anna in Frozen, Kristen Bell, has apologised to parents for getting ‘Let it Go’ from Frozen stuck in their heads for years! But, is it an earworm, or just a great tune?Joining Kieran to discuss is Charlie McGettigan, Musician, Song Writer and Eurovision winner and Jen Hogan, Columnist with the Irish Times.Image: Disney

Today marks one year of the October 7th attacks, when Hamas-led militant groups led incursions into south Israel, which was the catalyst to ongoing conflict in the region.Two men who are no strangers to the issues facing these communities in Israel and Palestine are Danielle Bett, a Scottish-Israeli who works for Yachad, a Jewish pro peace movement and Aziz Abu Sarah, Palestinian Peace Activist and Journalist. They join Kieran to discuss how peace in the Middle East is still possible.

29 Ukrainians in a property in Blackrock are to be relocated to three separate hotels near Citywest, Liffey Valley and Temple Bar.The group have been living in Blackrock for almost two years, they have become a “big family”, they say.Joining Kieran to discuss this is Diana Tkachuk, Ukrainian mother, and part of the Blackrock community who is being moved to Citywest today and Denis, owner of the house in Blackrock.

This week Kieran Cuddihy was joined by Presenter of Weekend Breakfast, Alison Curtis and Elaine Burke, Presenter of the ‘For Tech’s Sake’ podcast to look back on the week that was, but with a few twists…

The 4th of October marks the start of Space Week and the Explorium in Sandyford is hosting a range of special events this week in celebration.And someone who is taking part and is no stranger to space is former astronaut Daniel Tani, who joins Kieran to discuss.

Aisling Larkin, Mindful Eating Coach and TV Chef joined Kieran to look at the inspirations you can have to make the perfect lunch!

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…

Lebanese families living in Ireland are waiting on as the Israeli bombings escalate in their country…Israel bombed Beirut early again yesterday, killing at least six people and wounding seven, after its forces suffered their deadliest day on the Lebanese front in a year of clashes with Iran-backed Hezbollah.Kieran is joined by Roland Mansour and Rachad Merashli, who have both been in Ireland for about 10 years, but have family living in Lebanon, to discuss.

You might think that the young generation are better at recycling - not so, according to a new survey. Just 19% recycle all their paper and plastic compared to over 54% for the older generation.Henry McKean has been digging through all of this and sent in this report!

Declan Cregan, a former gambling addict and Officer at Gambling with Lives spoke to Ellen Butler on Breakfast Briefing this morning about this new report from Maynooth and Belfast that suggests that sports programmers are heavily saturated with gambling adverts.Does more need to be done to challenge this, and are some people vulnerable to harm here?Oisin McConville, Gambling Care Ambassador and Conor Hoey, former Chairperson of Drogheda United join Kieran to discuss.

As of Monday, e-scooters will be prohibited on public transport. The move has been made by the NTA as they claim it will be better for safety and ‘help prevent the risk of combustion on board buses and trains’.Joining Kieran to discuss whether or not this is fair is Colin Baker of Back from the Future IT Support and e-scooter user David Maloney.

Former minister and Fianna Fáil TD Mary O’Rourke has sadly passed away at the age of 87.Joining Kieran to discuss her legacy is Mandy Johnston, Presenter of Taking Stock on Newstalk, Mary Hanafin, former Deputy Leader of Fianna Fáil and former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern.

Boris Johnson's memoir ‘Unleashed’ is set to be released next week, but Kieran’s guest has gotten his hands on an early copy.Joining Kieran to discuss what it contains is London Correspondent for The Irish Times, Mark Paul.

The 4th of October marks the 20 year anniversary of the murder of Rachel Callaly, who was killed by her husband Joe O’Reilly.As possible parole hearings are on the horizon, Rose Callaly, Rachel’s mother joins Kieran to discuss.

Iarnród Éireann has confirmed that train services in Dublin will go back to the previous timetable from the 14th of October.While the new timetables had increased some intercity services, it ultimately led to congestion and knock-on delays on routes.Iarnród Éireann has acknowledged the disruption, apologised to customers and spokesperson Barry Kenny has said they "got it wrong".Joining Kieran to discuss if this was the right move is Mark Gleeson from Rail Users Ireland and Jason Cullen of the Dublin Commuter Coalition.

On Tuesday, Minister for Finance Jack Chambers announced the government's budget and went against the advice of the budgetary watchdog The Irish Fiscal Advisory Council.Seamus Coffey, Chair of the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council and Lecturer in Economics at UCC, joins Kieran to discuss the decisions made.

The government has come into criticism over the past 48 hours for its decision to allocate €9 million in the Budget for equipment to store students’ phones during the school day.Minister for Education Norma Foley joins Kieran Cuddihy to respond and discuss. She also discusses the passing of former minister Mary O’Rourke, and the controversy surrounding the SPHE course in schools following a ‘whistleblower’ story.

It’s time for the Shopping Trolley Hotline! Where we review the same product from various stores and brands.Newstalk’s Simon Tierney joined Kieran to compare different kinds of meat! Well, ones you don’t put in the fridge…

Following news of an earthquake off the coast of Donegal, Kieran is joined by James Grannell from the Dublin Institute of Advanced Studies, who is a Seismic Network Data Analyst to tell more about it, as well as other earthquakes in Ireland.

Yesterday in the budget, the government announced that the free IVF scheme is to be expanded to include donor-assisted IVF and to assist couples experiencing “secondary infertility”.But, do these measures go far enough for couples seeking IVF treatment?Joining Kieran to discuss is Dr. John Kennedy, Medical Director at Thérapie Fertility and IVF patient Leslie Buchanan.

Well known Cork chip shop Jackie Lennox's is closing its doors after 73 years. Established in 1951 on the southside of the city, it fed generations of families.Newstalk’s Henry McKean visited and met owner Brian Lennox, who says it's like a death in the family. He sent in this report.

For this week’s Tech Takeover, Newstalk’s Tech Correspondent Jess Kelly joined Kieran to discuss the phone pouches being used in schools, as well as Free Now’s ridiculous new ‘technology fee’...

While Budget 2025 took up most of the news yesterday, multiple Israeli missiles hit Beirut overnight... Joining Kieran with the latest news is Freelance Journalist in Beirut, Clotilde Bigot.Image: Reuters