The Hard Shoulder

Today, Dublin Bus launched a new free schools programme, promoting kindness and respect, with footballers from Bohemians Football Club and children from St Finbarr's in Cabra. They want all Dublin schools to take part; teaching the importance of using the bus and public transport in a respectful manner through fun and interactive classroom sessions. Henry McKean reports.

An Post has recorded a record number of animal attacks on An Post workers has risen by 19%, with 118 incid­ents recor­ded so far in 2026, com­pared with 99 dur­ing the same period last year… Joining Ciara to discuss what to look out for when getting a dog and watching its temperament is Director of the Irish Blue Cross, Vet and Expert in Animal Behaviour, Dr Claire Corrigan.

The high stakes US Midterm elections are currently underway today as the country decides who takes control of the government. Newstalk Reporter Baibre Holmes is in the town of Bristol in Bucks County, north of Philadelphia. This is Pennsylvania's First Congressional District, where the Democrats are hoping to clinch this key seat for the House of Representatives. She joins Shane to discuss the cam...

Colm O'Regan, Comedian, author and Broadcaster joins Ciara to discuss his new book 'Tipping Away' and place his favourite reads on the Hard Shoulder Bookshelf!

The High Court has found that the changes to the legal aid system are “grossly unfair”. The new regulations involve providing solicitors a flat fee of €520 for each accused person they represent, regardless of the number of charges against them or the number of court appearances. For more on this, Shane is joined by Irish Times Legal Affairs Correspondent, Mary Carolan...

The US midterm elections are currently ongoing as the polls are open. What do we know so far, and who are we expecting to win and lose? Joining Ciara to discuss and give the latest updates is Niall Stanage, White House Columnist at The Hill, Matt Mayer, former Senior Official in the Bush administration & Political Commentator and Brett Bruen, White House Advisor during the Obama administration...

John Lewis released their 2026 Christmas advert today, but what makes a Christmas ad great and how has the criteria for a great ad changed in the age of AI? Joining Shane to discuss this is John Fardy, Presenter of Screentime on Newstalk.

Women farmers are challenging an Agri system that was built on growth and control, forging a more resilient future for Irish farming. So writes former Green Party Minister of State in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Dr Pippa Hackett in The Journal. But, is this true? Dr Pippa Hackett joins Shane to discuss.

The funeral for Irish champion athlete Ciara Mageean took place today in St Patrick’s Church in County Down, with hundreds of mourners gathering to pay their respects… Barry Whyte, Newstalk's Chief Reporter, is there, and joins Ciara Kelly to discuss.

Several flights across Europe have been forced to emergency land after receiving a series of bomb threats. So far, 7 planes have been affected in the last 24 hours. A Ryanair flight from Dublin was escorted by the Italian Air Force until it landed in Rome. For the latest, Shane is joined by Aviation and Travel Journalist. Eoghan Corry…

The Simon Communities of Ireland’s quarterly ‘Locked Out of the Market’ report, shows that just 12 properties were available to rent within any of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) Scheme limits in September… Joining Ciara for more on this is Executive Director at the Simon Communities of Ireland, Ber Grogan.

Newstalk's Chief Reporter Barry Whyte joined us on the show to discuss the Covid-19 evaluation.

According to new research from the Annual Leave Report found that more than 40 per cent of us in Ireland don't use up all our leave. Louisa Meehan, HR and Dispute expert from Woodview HRM joined Shane on the show to discuss.

For this week’s Kids Clinic, Ciara was joined by Clinical Psychologist, Tara Logan Buckley to discuss how to stop your kids from cursing.

The last remaining objector to a proposed ring road in Galway city has withdrawn a High Court challenge questioning elements of the planned route. Sean Canney, Minister of state at the Department of transport joined Ciara on the show to discuss.

Eamon Ryan, Chair of The EU Housing Advisory Board and former Green Party Leader joined us on The Hard Shoulder this evening.

Candidates across the US are making their final campaign push today ahead of tomorrow's midterm elections. Mark Little, Tech entrepreneur and journalist and Author of 'The Last Good Day on the Internet' joined us on the show this evening.

Are you Lyon's Tea or a Barry's tea? But would you be able to actually tell the difference between the brands just by the taste? Dairy Farmer and Tikokker Fin Walsh and freelance journalist Édaein O'Connell joined Ciara on the show to give their opinions on a good cup of tea.

Refrigeration systems at 13 SuperValu stores across Ireland have been affected by a suspected cyber-attack, resulting in fresh produce having to be thrown away. Business Reporter with The Irish Times, Ian Curran brought us the details.

Unions involved in public sector pay talks have confirmed they are preparing for a 24-hour work stoppage on Thursday November 12 after pay negotiations at the Workplace Relations Commission reached an impasse on Friday. Aisling Moloney, Political Correspondent with the Irish Independent brought us the latest.

This week, Ciara and Shane were joined by Off the Ball's Cameron Hill and Freelance journalist, Niamh O'Reilly, to look back on the week that was, but with a few twists... 

With four days to go before the United States midterm elections, Democrats are leading in national polls as both parties make their final push for votes.  Meanwhile, a legal dispute threatens to delay the Senate result in Alaska, and President Donald Trump has cancelled two weekend rallies in favour of campaigning by phone.  Greg Swenson, of The Republicans Overseas joined Shane to discu...

According to new research by iReach, we plan to spend over €60 million on Halloween this year, down by over €11 million from last year. As sweets and chocolate are more expensive than ever, many families are cutting back... Henry McKean has been investigating, and he sent this report. 

From January first of next year, Toll prices are set to rise for commuters using motorways and The Port Tunnel.  M50 users in cars with a tag or video account will see a 10c increase, while car users without a tag will see a 20c increase.  Ger Hyland,  President of the Irish Road Haulage Association and  Jason Cullen, Chairperson of the Dublin Commuter Coalition...

Research published today by the ESRI, shows that more than a quarter of the population in Ireland has experienced sexual violence as an adult. Dr Clíona Saidléar, Executive Director of Rape Crisis Ireland joined Shane Coleman on the show to discuss the findings of the research.