The Hard Shoulder

As the legendary Hamilton musical makes its way to the Bórd Gáis on its UK & Ireland tour, Kieran speaks with some of the cast about the show.Shaq Taylor and Sam Oladeinde, who play American Founding Fathers Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr respectively, join to discuss.

Following Newstalk Reporter Josh Crosbie’s report regarding HSE spending on walking aids, including the reveal of figures, David Cullinane, Sinn Féin’s Health Spokesperson joins Kieran to discuss further.

It’s the 30th anniversary of ER, the iconic medical drama that changed TV forever. Joining the show is a very special guest, Yvette Freeman, who played Nurse Haleh Adams on the show for over a decade! Yvette was a fan favourite, bringing heart and soul to the ER team.She reflects on the show and its impact with Kieran.

For this week’s Tech Takeover, Henry McKean is taking over! He is at the Ploughing Championships in Laois, and joins Kieran to showcase all of the interesting technology on display from exhibitors.

Stephen Donnelly has announced that he wants to extend the free contraception scheme to 16 year olds. Many have deemed it a brave move - or does it mean we need to rethink the age of consent?Joining Kieran to discuss is Audience Editor and Columnist for the Independent, Saoirse Hanley and member of Ogra Aontú, Luke Silke.

Recently, Nadia Adan, the owner of car dealership Ashford Motors – stirred the pot online about personalised car plates. She asks why people in Ireland can’t get them while you can just over the border. Is there much of an appetite for this, and can it realistically happen?Nadia joins Kieran to discuss.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of ER, the iconic hospital drama...Joining Kieran to reflect on the show is Consultant in Emergency Medicine, Chris Luke and Newstalk's Sue Murphy.

You may know that the HSE does not take back the crutches they give out to their patients - which means, they must buy new sets of walking aids each time. Because of this, millions are spent. Newstalk Reporter Josh Crosbie joins Kieran Cuddihy to share his findings.

Killarney has found itself in the spotlight after American travel writer Rick Steves named it one of Europe’s top tourist traps. Steves described the town as overcrowded with tour buses and tacky souvenirs. Joining Kieran to discuss this is Eoghan Corry, Travel Editor for the Air & Travel Magazine.

Day one of the Ploughing Championships at Ratheniska in Co Laois has ended, and it’s safe to say that it was a success!Henry McKean has been spending time there and asked people what they love about the ploughing…

The next government must not waste a generational opportunity to transform the country, those are the calls for IBEC.The CEO OF IBEC, Danny McCoy, joins Kieran to discuss what the statement means.

Health insurance costs have jumped recently for a whole host of reasons. Alongside this, some reports suggest that you may be paying for a plan which is more expensive than you need.As renewal season approaches, Kieran is joined by Dermot Goode, of totalhealthcover ie and the Lockton Group to go through some health insurance tips.

Actor Rory Cowan joined Kieran Cuddihy to add his favourite book to The Hard Shoulder’s Bookshelf!

The Gardaí have launched Project Iompar, an initiative to tackle behaviour on the roads with new vehicles to keep an eye on drivers’ bad habits.Newstalk Reporter Alex Rowley has seen it in action, and reports.

Earlier today An Tánaiste Micheal Martin was on Newstalk breakfast and criticised our judicial system for being so slow…One person who was deeply affected by delays in Ireland’s justice system is Bláthnaid Raleigh, who you will remember waved her anonymity at the sentencing of her rapist Johnny Moran.Bláthnaid joins Kieran to reflect on the trial.Dublin Rape Crisis Centre 24 Hour National Helpline - 1800 778 888

The 93rd Ploughing Championships is well underway with over 300 tractors taking part in the fields. One of the biggest of its kind in Europe. Today saw record crowds and record heat reaching 23 degrees! The sun screen was out, with Michael D and Simon Harris in attendance.Newstalk’s Henry McKean joined Kieran from the Ploughing to give all the details!

According to new figures released by Depaul there has been a 46 percent increase in homelessness in Ireland.Dermot Murphy, Director of Services and Development at Depaul, joins Kieran to discuss the findings.

Now, Former Finance Minister Michael McGrath has been named as the new EU Commissioner for Justice.Shona Murray, Europe Correspondent for Euronews, joins me now with all the details.

The Green Party's deputy leader, Róisín Garvey, is calling out what she describes as "insane" habits around children's transportation, such as kids being driven to school from just across the street. According to Garvey, this car dependency is contributing to a rising number of overweight children, with a quarter of those under nine now overweight.Joining Kieran to discuss this is Grace O’Malley, Clinical Lead, CHI Child & Adolescent Obesity Service.

Kieran’s guest’s short film ‘Waiting Day’ is now up on the RTÉ player after wowing audiences at the Galway film festival last year…Senator Lynn Ruane joins the show to discuss her new film.

The Bear won 11 awards the other day at the Emmys, breaking its own record of awards won at the show. However, many people have begun to wonder what the deal is with classing The Bear as a ‘comedy’. Are the days of old-school sitcoms like Friends, or Seinfeld well and truly over?Joining Kieran to discuss is Impressionist and Comedian Mario Rosenstock.

For this week’s Kids Health Check, Kieran is joined by Paul Merriman, CEO of Fair Stone & Founder of Ask Paul to discuss how to properly manage your child’s money - including an option from Revolut.

Investigations are still ongoing after another apparent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. This time, it was on his golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida. A side effect of this - and a result of the age we’re in, is the internet being full of conspiracy theories surrounding this topic.Joining Kieran Cuddihy to dive into this rabbit hole is Newstalk’s own Simon Tierney.

A damning investigation from the Irish Times today revealed that staff in a creche in South Dublin has allegedly been abusing its children.Joining Kieran Cuddihy to discuss is Head of Social Studies and Early Childhood Education in Waterford College of Further Education, Author and Child Protection Expert, Shane Dunphy and Lecturer in Early Childhood Policy at Mary Immaculate College, Mary Moloney...

Did you know? 1 in 3 women will experience bladder leaks after giving birth.Despite impacting millions of women around the world, the issue is rarely discussed, and with the fear of having an accident sometimes putting women off exercise altogether.Joining Kieran to break the silence and shed light on this important topic is Aoife Harvey, a specialist in Women’s Pelvic Health physiotherapy from Women’s Health Dublin.

Huw Edwards has been given a suspended sentence earlier today over accessing indecent images.Enda Brady TRT World Presenter, joins Kieran to tell more - including how prison overcrowding played a part in the decision.It’s not just in the UK. In Ireland, we are dealing with a lot of overcrowding in our prisons. Should we be building more? Taoiseach Simon Harris believed that more prisons should be built when he was Minister for Justice in May 2023.John Lonergan, Former Governor of Mountjoy doesn’t think so, and also joins Kieran to discuss.Image: Metropolitan Police

Big changes are afoot in Dublin City centre today as a pilot scheme to ban plastic bin bags will be rolled out across 90 key streets in a bid to crack down on litter.Dublin City Council is tackling the mess caused by ripped bags and street waste, with vermin and even bottle-hunters making the problem worse. Residents and businesses will now need to switch to sturdier waste solutions which will prove tricky for upper floor buildings with limited space for storage.Joining Kieran to discuss this is Mannix Flynn, Dublin City Councilor and Will Monaghan from One Society Café.

This week Kieran Cuddihy was joined by Niamh O’Reilly, Freelance Writer and Journalist and Saoirse Hanley Features Writer with Sunday Independent and Sunday World to look back on the week that was, but with a few twists…

Former US President Donald Trump during the election debates distanced himself from ‘Project 2025’, which has been a key talking point of the election race.But, what exactly is Project 2025, and why are Democrats afraid of it?Lorcan Nyhan, Head of Training at The Communications Clinic and columnist with The Sunday Independent joins Kieran to discuss.

Aisling Larkin, Mindful Eating Coach and TV Chef joined Kieran to look at all the different uses for chickpeas!

With the rise of the use of ChatGPT to ask simple questions or for information, are we in danger of seeing the decline of Wikipedia use, especially among younger people?Ciara O’Brien, Business and Tech Journalist With The Irish Times, joins Kieran to discuss.

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…

Speaking at a book launch, Tánaiste Micheál Martin has said that he believes the case against Ian Bailey for the murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier should have gone before a jury.The Minister for Foreign Affairs made the comments at the launch of the book ‘Sophie: The Final Verdict’ by journalist Senan Molony in Dublin.It has led to Sophie’s family calling for a public enquiry.Joining Kieran Cuddihy to discuss is Jean Pierre Gateau is Uncle to Sophie Toscan Du Plantier and Frank Buttimer, Solicitor who represented Ian Bailey.

The final episode of The Grand Tour, ‘One for the Road’, marks the end of Jermey Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May’s iconic screen trio for over 20 years, since, of course, Top Gear. Joining Kieran Cuddihy to discuss the sure to be emotional ending and share his interview with James May and Richard Hammond is Newstalk Reporter Alex Rowley.Image: Amazon

It is International Day of Strikes against Night Flights and there is a planned demonstration kicking off near the North Runway of Dublin Airport.Dr Niamh Maher, Resident of St Margeret's and the Ward Residents Association and Dean Mulligan Independent Cllr for Fingal, are taking part tonight, and join Kieran to discuss.

Twenty-five schools have shifted from single-sex to co-ed in the past three years, reflecting rising demand for mixed education. Now, 70% of secondary students attend co-ed schools, up from 65% a decade ago. The trend is expected to grow, as the government no longer funds new single-sex schools. Schools like Mercy Secondary in Inchicore have seen enrolment surge after making the switch. The school’s principal, Michelle O’Kelly, joins Kieran to discuss.

The Late Late Show returns for another season, and it's the second one for host Patrick Kielty. Newstalk’s Henry McKean interviews Patrick ahead of the show to get a sense of the excitement, and see how things have changed.

With school well and truly back, Henry McKean visited students to ask them about after school activities!

It’s time now for What to Watch and as ever Kieran was joined in studio Sue Murphy, Newstalk’s own and John Fardy, Presenter of Screentime with all the latest TV and Movie recommendations

Now today Sinn Féin have announced that they plan to introduce a €10 a day childcare with just €345 million in State funding...But, what about supports for those who want to stay at home to raise their children?Joining Kieran is Broadcaster and Columnist, Wendy Grace...

Actor, Jared Harris, spoke to Kieran about his new movie 'Reawakening' which is in cinema’s this Friday September 13th .

Newstalk reporter, Henry McKean, found out what makes a perfect apology...

Campaigner, Louise O’Keefe, successfully took Ireland to the European Court of Human Rights for the abuse she suffered in primary school in West Cork. She Spoke to Kieran about her journey to redress.

Newstalk's Tech Correspondent, Jess Kelly, is back with her tech recs of the week.

The National Planning Framework is open for consultation until tomorrow evening, Frank McDonald, former Environment Editor of the Irish Times spoke to Kieran about how we need to rethink our investing strategy.

As we’re all aware, James Earl Jones, voice of Darth Vader and Mufasa from the Lion King, passed away this morning.Journalist Jeanne Wolfe joined Kieran to speak on some memories she has of him over the years

This week, comedian Killian Sundermann placed his favorite book on The Hard Shoulder's Bookshelf!

Last weeks of the OPW’s €335,000 Dáil bike shed shocked and angered many across the country. Former manager of the OPW, Allen Morgan, joined Kieran in studio to discuss the OPW's history of overspending public money.

Apple has revealed the hotly-anticipated iPhone 16, along with a whole slate of new products.Joining Kieran Cuddihy to tell you what you need to know is Jess Kelly, Newstalk’s Tech Correspondent.Image: Apple

The debates are beginning tomorrow between the two U.S. Presidential hopefuls, and no doubt Kamala Harris would be keen to build on what was an uplifting national conference for the Democrats.However, not everyone was too pleased with what Harris has to offer, and says that the left are disappointed.Brendan Ogle, Social Commentator, Trade Unionist and Activist joins Kieran to discuss.