The Hard Shoulder

According to a new Newstalk Amarach Poll, 58% of parents of children under 18 don’t think sport is accessible and affordable for families.  What effect does this have on communities when young people can’t access sporting facilities and what can be done to improve this?  Tom Magee Liberty Saints Rugby Club President and Gary Gannon, Social Democrats Education Spokesperson spoke to Kieran about this

Looking back to last year's Rugby World Cup in France, one issue had Travellers in a tizzy, and that was bed bugs.   So should you still be concerned if you are heading off the France for the Olympics and what can you do to make sure you don’t let the bed bugs bite.  Trevor Hayden, Managing Director Complete Pest Control spoke to Kieran and gave him advice.

“Community engagement” has been a consistent talking point in the conversation around housing international protection applicants, but one local authority actively doing it is South Dublin County Council. Alan Edge is an Independent Councillor for South County Dublin  and he spoke to Kieran about this

When it comes to communicating with our nearest and dearest, why is it we are the least loving towards them? We send snappy or blunt texts to partners but treat colleagues and strangers with more affection nearly? Mary McCarthy has been writing about this in her column in the Irish Independent and she and Nimah Maher, Commercial Creative Director with Journal Media  spoke to Kieran about this.

It’s time once again for the Shopping Trolley where we review the same product from various stores and as ever I’m guided by expert shopper Simon Tierney Today Simon takes Kieran through the price of chutney

We’ve been discussing all evening news that €725m of public funding has been guaranteed for the national broadcaster over the next three years... For more analysis on the subject, Kieran was joined by Terry Prone Chairman of the Communications Clinic   and  Willie O'Reilly, Former RTE employee and media commentator and by Jane from Wexford has also got in touch with the show this evening.

The Ireland Rugby Sevens have kicked off their 2024 Olympic Campaign this afternoon against South Africa. The boys in green will up again tonight at 8pm when they face Japan.  To give her latest reaction, Former Irish International Fiona Hayes Spoke to Kieran

Jess Kelly, Newstalk’s Technology Correspondent and host of ‘Tech Talk’ joined Kieran for the Tech Takeover.This week, Jess tells us what save elope is

So should the government have gone with greater reform when it comes to the funding announcement with RTE? Kieran got the views from Cathal Crowe ,Fianna Fáil TD for Clare   and by Aengus O Snodaigh  Sinn Fein Spokesperson on Gaeilge, the Gaeltacht, Arts and Culture and TD for Dublin South Central.

We all have them .. the dreaded drunk drawer...So how can we keep on top of it and not let our drawers get out of hand?   Kieran spoke to Sarah Reynold Founder of Organised Chaos about keeping them clean

An Access To Cash Bill has gone to cabinet today... It will ensure protection of cash and access to ATMS, however it falls just short of ensuring shops accept cash. So should we be embracing a cashless society? Kieran was joined by Independent TD Mattie McGrath and John Lowe from Money Doctor.ie.

The Government is guaranteeing €725 million of public funding for the national broadcaster over the next three years.  Media Minister Catherine Martin can’t say how much of an extra bailout RTÉ will get each year on top of the existing TV licence. Kieran was joined by Sean Defoe, Newstalk's Political Correspondent, Eamon Delany  Author and Columnist and by Emma O Kelly who is the Chair of the Dublin Broadcasting Branch of the NUJ and RTE’s Education Correspondent...

Senior Police Officer in the UK, Maggie Blyth has described the influence of the likes of Andrew Tate ‘terrifying’ and a ‘national emergency’  So what is the influence Andrew Tate and those like him have on young people?  Newstalk Reporter, Sheila Naughton and Psychotherapist and CEO of the Beacon of light counselling centre in Clondalkin, Geoffrey McCarthy spoke to Kieran on this.

Activist and campaigner Ailbhe Smyth, joined Kieran on The Hard Shoulder to discuss some of her favourite books...

Now proposals have been made to follow suit with the UK with the ban on XL Bullys dog in the wake of increased attacks by dogs.  Will this actually work? Retired Doctor, Dr Joe Moran, joined Kieran on the show..

Sinn Féin have today unveiled a new policy on immigration that promises an audit of communities and their services before asylum seekers are earmarked for an area. Deputy Leader of Sinn Fein, Pearse Doherty, And Patrick Costello, Green Party Justice Spokesperson spoke to Kieran to give their view on the policy.

Camilla, Kamayla, Kameela.These are just some of the mispronunciations US VP Kamala Harris has had to put up with over the years.So why are we so rubbish at pronouncing each other's names?A rarely misnamed Sarah Madden reports:

Now, the Olympics are kicking off this Friday, and many will be glued in to have a look at all the classic games.  But there are some new additions this year. One such addition to the games is break dancing and Irish competitor, Cian Mulcahy aka Bboy Cian,  who is an award winning break dancer, joined Kieran  on the show.

US Secret Service Director , Kimberly Cheatle has resigned in the aftermath of the attempted assassination of Donald Trump. University of Galway Law Lecturer, Larry Donnelly gave his reaction to Kieran on the show.

The Minister of State at the Department of transport, James Lawless, is considering bringing forward legislation that would require motorists found to be speeding or engaging in dangerous driving to undergo retraining courses. Kieran was joined by Minister, James Lawless to discuss this further.

Figures released today show that data centres used more than a fifth of all the electricity consumed in the country last year. Kieran was joined by Darragh Cassidy, Head of Communications with Bonkers.ie and by Jerry Mac Evily, Head of Policy at Friends of The Earth for reaction to these figures.

Sinn Fein President, Mary Lou Mcdonald joined Kieran on the show to chat about recent events in Coolock.

This week on the Kids Clinic, registered Dietician at Eatwell.ie, Sarah Keogh, tells Kieran of the importance of E numbers. 

A week after angry protests took place in Coolock where gardaí were injured following clashes with protesters, Kieran took a visit out too Coolock and spoke with some locals there.

As Kamala Harris looks set to run as the Democratic Nominee for the next President of the United States , Kieran was joined by David McCuan, Professor and Chair in the Political Science Department at Sonoma State University and by Tom Del Beccaro Former vice chairman of the California Republican Party and author of lessons of the American civilisation to discuss her chances of winning the upcoming election

Newstalk's own, Simon Tierney joined Kieran for the series 'The Shopping Trolley Hotline'. The series will give listeners pause when they’re filling their trolleys, to consider their options. This week Simon shared result of his deep dive into the price of shopping on this island.

Alan Whelan, President of Catholic Secondary School’s Parent’s Association, and Simon Lewis, who is the Primary Education Officer for Education Equality Ireland joined Kieran on the show for debate.

Every week Kieran Cuddihy will be joined by writer and broadcaster, Keith Walsh and Saoirse Hanley, Features writer at the Independent to look back on the week that was, but with a few twists…

Clare and Cork face each other for the All-Ireland Hurling Final this weekend. So, who do we expect to win, and what level of play will we see on the field?To discuss, Kieran is joined by Colm Galvin, Former Clare Player, All-Ireland winner and All-Star, and Jimmy Barry Murphy, Cork’s 1999 All-Ireland SHC winning Manager.

Aisling Larkin, Mindful Eating Coach and TV Chef joined Kieran to show the true power of our humble potato!

With carry-on allowances and flights getting smaller and smaller, Travel Writer and Broadcaster, Melanie May joins the show to tell you how to pack smarter for the holidays.

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…

A Covid inquiry is to be announced and its personnel appointed before the return of the Dáil in September, but what should we be looking to gain from it?To discuss, Kieran is joined by Regina Nolan, member of Care Champions Ireland and John McGuinness, Fianna Fáil TD and Chair of the Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform.

As the final leg of July approaches, it is safe to say that this Irish Summer has been a damp squib.What has been the general assessment of the weather, and what effect does bad weather have on you?Comedian Jim Elliot, Mary McCarthy, Columnist with the Irish Independent and Iseult White, Psychotherapist and author join Kieran to discuss.

IT systems worldwide were hit today by an outage as a result a bug in an update by Cybersecurity giant Crowdstrike.It caused havoc the world over from grounding flights, TV stations stopped broadcasting, transport was delayed and some banking systems had difficulties.To discuss the impact, Kieran is joined by Paul Delahunty, Chief Information Security Officer at Stryve and in studio Jess Kelly, Newstalk’s Technology Correspondent. 

This Sunday, Clare and Cork face off in Croke Park to decide who gets to lift the Liam McCarthy Cup.Joining Kieran to discuss the excitement is Broadcaster and Presenter Jacqui Hurley and Newstalk’s own Henry McKean, who was out gauging interest from the public.

For a news update from the United States, Kieran Cuddihy is joined by Jeff Kuhner.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.They discuss Biden’s chances at winning following new polling and how health reasons may be reason for an ousting in the Democratic Party.Image: Reuters

Newstalk Reporter Josh Crosbie joined Kieran on The Hard Shoulder to discuss some of the people he’s met at the Republican National Convention, including those who witnessed the attempted assassination, student Republicans and even a Trump impersonator!Image: Megan Smith

Keir Starmer and Simon Harris met yesterday to discuss strengthening ties between the UK and Ireland. One thing on their agenda was the ‘Legacy Bill’ and Labour's plans to reform it... How do victims feel about this scrapping of the bill? Is it performative? Or will justice be served?Joining Kieran to discuss is Joe Campbell, whose Father was a Catholic RUC officer shot dead in Cushendall, and Raymond McCord, Victims Advocate for both Unionists and Nationalists.

There have been multiple stories over the last few days of Strictly Come Dancing dancers being axed from the show...Well, new footage has emerged from 2006 of former Strictly pro James Jordan training actress Georgina Bouzova, and following, the BBC have now announced every partnership will have a chaperone, and the show will be hiring 2 welfare producers.Joining Kieran to explain what is going on is Founder and CEO of Goss.ie, Alexandra Ryan. Image: Zara McDermott, Instagram

The TV licence fee is to be retained and topped up by exchequer funding. This is the deal being agreed on by the cabinet regarding the future funding of RTÉ.Joining Kieran to give the latest on what’s being agreed is Seán Defoe, Newstalk’s Political Correspondent.

What can we expect from Ursula Von der Leyen’s second term as President of the EU Commission?To discuss, Kieran is joined by Mairead McGuinness, European Commissioner for Financial Stability, Financial Services and the Capital Markets Union to discuss.

Early signs are that the government will look to expand incentives and alternatives to driving such as the bike to work scheme in a hope to break Ireland’s car addiction.Is this a realistic hope to transition from cars to bikes? And is the current biking landscape safe and fit for purpose? Newstalk Reporter Bella Finn gets reactions from the public.To discuss, Kieran is joined by Brian Caufield, Professor at the School of Engineering in Trinity College Dublin, Transport Commentator Conor Faughnan and Newstalk’s Technology Correspondent, Jess Kelly.

Staring up at a sky full of stars is an incredible experience, but unfortunately, the majority of people who live in towns and cities never get to truly appreciate its rare beauty due to light pollution.Kerry is home to the International Gold Tier Dark Sky Reserve, which means it is a prime spot for stargazing!Joining Kieran to tell more is Aoibheann Lambe, tour guide with Kerry Dark Sky Tourism.

As part of Newstalk’s Summer Tour, The Hard Shoulder is in beautiful Kenmare town!Kieran Cuddihy has escaped the makeshift studio to talk with none other than the Host of ‘At your service’ and legendary hotelier John Brennan. They discuss the best things to see in his hometown, visiting spots and talking to locals.

You have probably heard alot lately about price gouging of hotels during big events, specifically in the capital, but is this common practice? And why are hotels raising their prices lately?Joining Kieran to discuss is Independent Kerry County Cllr and Hotelier, Niall ‘ Botty’ O'Callaghan and Patrick Hanley, owner of the Lansdowne Kenmare.

Host of ‘At Your Service’ and hotelier John Brennan joined Kieran Cuddihy in Kenmare to discuss the ups and downs of the hospitality sector in the town, and Kerry in general.

The Hard Shoulder is in Kenmare as part of Newstalk’s Summer Tour, and the team got the sense that the place is a melting pot of different cultures and nationalities ,and that there are those who ended up here as ‘blow-ins’.Peter Zoeller, former professional photographer and of German descent, joins Kieran to discuss why he moved to Kenmare, and why he loves the town so much.

The Hard Shoulder is in Kenmare as part of Newstalk’s Summer Tour, and one interesting place to visit is the Tom Crean Brewery in town! Yes, a microbrewery run by Tom Crean’s granddaughter! Kieran visits the location and speaks to Aileen Crean O’Brien to learn more about the business.

For this week’s Tech Takeover, Newstalk’s Technology Correspondent Jess Kelly joined Kieran Cuddihy to discuss the Esports Olympics - an official event that will determine the best video game players in the world. How will it work? And can you really compare them to the regular Olympics?Image: IOC