The Hard Shoulder

People who regularly have lie-ins on Saturdays and Sundays have been found to develop heart disease less often than the chronically sleep-deprived. Newstalk’s Henry McKean has been talking to experts about this, and joins Kieran to discuss.

A Cork City Councillor has called for harsher penalties for those found to be public intoxicated and aggressively begging in hopes to tackle anti-social behaviour.What is ‘aggressive’ begging? And will this actually work?Kieran is joined by Cllr. Shane O’Callaghan and Fergus Finlay, Columnist for the Irish Examiner to discuss.

As the summer draws to a close, Coldplay are marking the end of the season’s major concerts in Ireland. With 3 more performances from the band at Croke Park, the capital is abuzz with excitement.However, there has been a lack of recognition and respect for residents in the stadium's surrounding area. “We don’t want to seem like whinging killjoys”, says one resident, “but people’s lives are being disrupted”.Joining Kieran to discuss is Croke Park resident, Cathy Power.

The Hard Shoulder was in New Ross for the Kennedy Summer School and one of the events taking place this Saturday in St Michael’s Theatre is in depth look at crime and anti-social behavior.  Joining Kieran is Retired NYPD Deputy Commissioner and Vice Provost St. John’s University, NYC James O’Keefe, Maura Butler Lawyer, formerly Chairperson of the Association. for Criminal Justice, Research and Development and Catherine Norton Psychologist

It’s time for the Shopping Trolley Hotline! Where we review the same product from various stores and brands.This week, Newstalk’s Simon Tierney joined Kieran to compare different offerings for bin bags.

Biting the bullet, cats got your tongue and a dime a dozen; these are all regular sayings we often quote, but where do we get them from, and why do some sound so strange?Dr Stephen Lucek, Assistant Professor in Linguistics in UCD joins Kieran to discuss.

During the trial and tribulations of online dating, are people’s personal beliefs or political views something you should consider when trying to find a partner?Joining Kieran to discuss is Saoirse Hanely, Audience Editor and Columnist at The Sunday Independent and Stephanie Regan, Clinical Psychotherapist and Co-host of Tough Love Podcast.

More and more American style SUVs are making their way into the Irish market, and due to a legal loophole with its classification, those vehicles are getting bigger and bigger.Do we need to cut this out? And are SUVs too dangerous for our roads?Kieran is joined by Cynthia Ní Mhurchú, MEP and Michael Pidgeon, Green Party Councillor to discuss.

Jess Kelly, Newstalk’s Tech Correspondent joined Kieran Cuddihy for the Tech Takeover! This week, she discusses the viral ‘very demure’ meme, and how its creator was beaten to the punch with a trademark.

We can’t welcome more fast-food restaurants with open arms when the country faces an obesity epidemic. So says Sinead Ryan, Consumer Columnist and Host of the Home Show on Newstalk, following news that McDonald’s plans to open 200 new restaurants across Ireland and the UK.She joins Kieran to discuss.

Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary has suggested a two drink limit for Dublin Airport in order to curb any potential anti-social behaviour.Joining Kieran to discuss if this is a good idea is Managing Director of Freedom Travel and Solo Travel, Ciara Mooney and Travel Writer, Joan Scales.

Excitement is building in Paris and beyond, as the Paralympics Opening Ceremony kicks off tonight.It’s hard not to feel the nerves, as the success of Team Ireland this summer has undoubtedly put some wind in the sails for these events.Joining Kieran to discuss what we can expect is former Irish Paralympian and Motivational speaker, Peter Ryan.

Cheers and jeers would have rung out in many Irish houses today as the first rounds of university offers from the CAO went out.But, for some university courses, students will be allocated random spots due to a high number of applicants.Why is this the case, and are inflated grades to blame here?Kieran is joined by John Walshe, Former Advisor to Education Minister Ruairi Quinn, to discuss.

Coldplay are due to kick off their Dublin show tomorrow and many have descended upon the city.With all those people booking hotels, would it make sense to have a tax on hotel rooms to make the most of big events like this?Labour Party Councillor on Dublin City Council, Dermot Lacey and Micheal Lennon, General Manager of the Westport Woods Hotel join Kieran to discuss.

Passengers should be restricted to two drinks at airports, that’s according to Ryanair Chief Executive Michael O'Leary.He said introducing alcohol limits at airports would help tackle a rise in anti-social behaviour on flights.Henry McKean went to Dublin Airport today to get the public’s opinion, and joins Kieran Cuddihy to discuss.

Every week for Tuesday Travel on The Hard Shoulder, Fionn Davenport takes a closer look at some of the fantastic destinations to visit around the world. This week, Fionn joined Kieran Cuddihy to talk about golfing holidays you can take at home.

Recent figures published by the Central Statistics Office show that Ireland has reached immigration levels of a 17-year high, along with the country’s highest emigration figures since 2015.Joining Kieran to discuss what this means is Sociologist, Evelyn Mahon.

CEO of Starbucks Brian Niccol has a very unusual commute as he takes a private jet over 1000 miles to travel between offices in Seattle, Washington and California.Is this reasonable? And should the use of private jets be banned to protect the environment?To discuss, Kieran is joined by Oisin Coughlan, CEO of Friends of the Earth Ireland and Kevin Byrne, retired Air Corps Lieutenant Colonel and Airport Safety and Security Auditor.

Bananas for bananas? There are layers to our favourite fruit.Today is National Banana Lovers Day, and Kieran is joined by registered Dietician Orla Walsh to share some fun facts about the fruit to celebrate.

Gardener Diarmuid Gavin joins Kieran Cuddihy to put his favourite book on The Hard Shoulder’s Bookshelf!

Some of Ireland’s biggest road projects, including the M20 Cork to Limerick transport project, could be delayed due to funding constraints.The Chief Executive of TII, Peter Walsh, is among those calling for a multi-annual funding allocation for road infrastructure.Joining Kieran to discuss is Cathal McSweeney, Director of Public Affairs at Cork Chamber.

Irish Athletics Champion, Rhasidat Adeleke, joins Kieran Cuddihy to reflect on her time at the Paris Olympics, and discuss what’s next for her.

It’s International Lottery Day - a day where we celebrate the life changing moment of what it feels to win the lotto. Newstalk’s Henry McKean has never won the lotto, but keeps trying, and joins Kieran Cuddihy to discuss.

Broadcaster and Actor, Spencer Matthews has spent the last 30 days running 30 marathons in the Jordanian dessert to raise money for Global’s Make Some Noise.Today is the final day of his Great Desert Challenge and Spencer joins Kieran Cuddihy to discuss the experience.Image: @spencermatthews on Instagram

It’s that time of year, the children are back at school which means the dreaded evenings helping with homework are back! But, is it a waste of time? And should we scrap it all together?Joining Kieran to discuss is Gemma Maher, Principal of Rathcoole Educate Together and parent of 2 and Mary McCarthy, Columnist for the Irish Independent.

As the summer draws to a close, how has the Irish tourism industry fared this year?To give a rundown, guest host Mandy Johnston is joined by Eoghan O’Mara Walsh, Chief Executive of the Irish Tourism Industry.

E-scooters are to be banned onboard public transport amid safety concerns from October, according to the National Transport Authority.What will this mean for e-scooter users and commuters in Ireland? Joining guest host Mandy Johnston to discuss is Jason Cullen, Chairperson of the Dublin Commuters group.

Irishman Alex Ryzhuk who went to Ukraine to fight in the war is still missing in action after reports on Thursday.Who is Alex? And what does he stand for?Ayman Al-Frihat of Combat War Footage joins guest host Mandy Johnston to discuss.Image: FinnHouse Films

More than 27,000 American tourists were in Dublin to watch the opening fixture of the US college football season on Saturday.But is this event set to become even bigger in the future?Neil Naughton, Co-Chairman of the Aer Lingus College Football Classic Series, joined Mandy Johnston to discuss.

For this week’s Kids Health Check, back to school chaos is set to kick back in, so we look at how you can best manage the cost of it all.CEO of Fair Stone & Founder of Ask Paul, Paul Merriman joins guest host Mandy Johnston to discuss.

Yesterday the controversial transport plan in Dublin went into action that blocked certain road usage around Dublin’s quays.How has the plan gone? And what will be the effects of this decision?Ger Hyland, Driver Operator and president of the Irish Road Hauliers Association and Brian Caulfield Professor in Transportation at the School of Engineering at Trinity College join guest host Mandy Johnston to discuss.

Apparently, we are living in an age of vanity, that’s according to JJ Clarke, Assistant Producer of the Irish Independent.Is that true? Has social media made us acutely aware of how we are perceived in the world?JJ Clarke as well as Alexandra Ryan, Founder of Goss.ie join Mandy Johnston to discuss.

Today saw the passing of former England Manager Sven-Göran Eriksson. Sven had a wide career from managing in Italy during the height of the Italian game and, of course, in England, managing the national team for 5 years.Football Journalist, John Brewin joins guest host Mandy Johnston to discuss.

The Gallagher brothers are set to let sleeping dogs lie and possibly reunite after posting cryptic teasers on their Twitter accounts.But, why did Oasis split in the first place? And how fraught were the tensions between Liam and Noel?Pat Carty, Music Journalist, joins guest host Mandy Johnston to discuss.

Rent prices in Cork have reached new heights, as a Daft.ie survey has recently revealed that the average rent in the city now costs €2,000 a month.This is a worrying statistic, especially for the new academic year - with many students still struggling to seek accommodation in the midst of Ireland’s housing crisis.Joining guest host Mandy Johnston to discuss is Maurice Deverell of the Irish Property Owners Association and Cork City Councillor Laura Harmon - Executive Director for the Irish Council for International Students and voluntary board member at Threshold.

Every week Kieran Cuddihy will be joined by writer and broadcaster, Keith Walsh and the presenter of Weekend Breakfast on Today FM, Alison Curtis to look back on the week that was, but with a few twists…

Now American College Football is hitting Dublin tomorrow as Georgia Tech face Florida State in the Aviva tomorrow at 5pm.To discuss the event, Kieran is joined by the voice of Florida State Football and Director of Broadcasting for the Seminoles Sports Network, Jeff Culhane.

Aisling Larkin, Mindful Eating Coach and TV Chef joined Kieran to look at some delicious ways you can use peaches.

According to a new study, if you love to ‘doomscroll’ to solve your boredom, you are wasting your time as it only makes you more bored!Why is this? And how do you kick yourself out of the loop if you get stuck scrolling through your feed?Joining Kieran to discuss is Brendan Kelly, Professor of Psychiatry at Trinity College Dublin and author of Resilience: Lessons from Sir William Wilde on Life After Covid.  

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…

Earlier this morning, 65 parents walked to the Department of Education in protest due to a lack of places in schools for their children with additional needs.Greg Lewis was at the protest, as his son Sam is still without a school place, and joins Kieran to discuss.

Comedian Jim Elliot joins Kieran Cuddihy fresh off the boat from the United States. They discuss how there seems to be a weird intersection happening between the worlds of rap and politics, especially at the Democratic National Convention.

Instagram has added a new option allowing users to add a tune to their profiles.Jess Kelly, Newstalk’s Tech Correspondent, joins Kieran to discuss.Image: Instagram

With the Leaving Certificate results coming out today, many teens were excited (and nervous!) to see what they got.Newstalk’s Henry McKean joins Kieran Cuddihy to discuss the big day for many, and share what he’s heard from students.

This week, Broadcaster Maia Dunphy put out a tweet arguing that Dublin has very little activities to keep young children entertained.Is this true? And what more can be done to make our cities more kid friendly?Joining Kieran Cuddihy to discuss this is Newstalk’s own Simon Tierney and Mairéad Hurley, Assistant Professor in Science Education at Trinity College.

PETA have called for paint company Farrow & Ball to change their paint names such as ‘Dead Salmon’ and ‘Potted Shrimp’.But, how do companies even name their paint colours?Joining Kieran to discuss is Jade Tyldesly, Digital Media Director in the Paint Hub Carlow.

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.He joins Kieran to discuss his thoughts on the apparent lack of policies pushed by current Vice President and candidate Kamala Harris at the Democratic National Convention (DNC), despite a strong showing otherwise.Image: Reuters

A recent UK survey shows that many shoppers have admitted to using self-service tills to steal from stores.Whether it be not scanning an item, or keying in a different product code, theft from self-service checkouts can prove a burden to businesses.Joining Kieran to discuss is Consumer Journalist Siobhán Maguire.Image: Retail Solutions

The final night of the Democratic National Convention will take place this evening in Chicago, the week has been full of surprises with appearances from the Obamas, Bill Clinton and Oprah…Joining Kieran to discuss their experience is someone who’s been at the convention all week, former Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar.Image: @leovaradkar on Instagram

Ahead of this year’s inevitable general election, Newstalk’s Political Correspondent, Sean Defoe, has been taking a look at what the major parties actually stand for.This week, he joins Kieran Cuddihy to profile both Labour and the Social Democrats, learning where they stand on certain topics.