The Hard Shoulder

The Premier League transfer window will close on September 1st, with the deadline at the later time of 11pm. This year, the spending this summer is on course to beat last year's record of £3.14billion (€3.66 billion). Joining Shane for more on this is Kieran Maguire, Football Finance Lecturer at the University of Liverpool.

After resigning as Prime Minister and leaving Downing Street in July, Keir Starmer has announced that he is stepping down as an MP. His resignation means there will be another by-election in the UK, this time for his seat in London’s Holborn and St Pancras. Joining Ciara with the latest is London-based Journalist, Vincent McAviney.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee said ahead of today's meeting of EU Defence Ministers in Co Wicklow that a “significant security operation” has been put in place for the Irish presidency of the Council of the European Union. For more on this, Shane is joined by Seán Defoe, Newstalk's Political Correspondent and Declan Power, Security and Defense Analyst.

According to a new survey, over half of us never have our life fully under control, with 30% feeling they are nowhere near having their life sorted. Some of the key signs that say your life is under control include knowing when bin day is, making regular savings and being able to admit when you are wrong. Henry McKean asked: is your life under control?

Insights from 20 years of the Growing Up in Ireland study conducted by the CSO have been revealed today, with some interesting findings on how early experiences and attitudes to school shape educational outcomes. Joining Shane to discuss the key findings is Katie O'Farrell, Senior CSO Statistician.

(Spoilers ahead for the latest season of The Traitors Ireland!) The first two contestants to be eliminated from the new season of The Traitors Ireland, Edelle and Emma, join Ciara to discuss their whole experience on the show.

The 2025 National Pollution monitoring system has found some improvement after fines on littering were increased, but are fees really the answer to solve the problem entirely? Joining Shane to discuss is Hazel Chu, Green Party Councilor with Dublin City Council and Colin O'Bryne, Programme Coordinator at VOICE Ireland.

The Government cannot accelerate Ireland’s infrastructure pipeline through increased investment alone. This is according to the Association of Consulting Engineers of Ireland (ACEI), which is calling for action in Budget 2027 to address the procurement, contractual and capacity constraints currently slowing delivery. Joining Ciara to discuss this further is Shane Dempsey, Director General of the A...

Public service workers in one of the country's largest unions, SIPTU, have voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action, up to and including strike action. 98% of SIPTU members who voted were in favour of industrial action. The union says it's over the Government's failure to make serious proposals after the previous public sector pay agreement expired in June. Joining Shane to discuss this...

Shane is joined by journalist and author Paul Howard, best known for the No. 1 bestselling Ross O'Carroll-Kelly series to discuss his new standalone novel, ‘A Nation Once Again’, which is out now!

For this week’s Kids Clinic, Shane and Ciara are joined by Paul Kealy, Managing Director of Tony Kealy’s, to discuss all things car seats, including how to pick the right one, and how to install it properly.

Quality public childcare and dependable dads are key to boosting fertility rates, so writes John Fitzgerald, Adjunct Professor of Economics at Trinity College Dublin in today's Irish Times. He joins Ciara to discuss.

Famed footballer Lionel Messi has announced his retirement from international football. Off the Ball’s Ben Symes joins Shane to discuss the breaking news…

It is almost a year until the Ryder Cup comes to Adare Manor, one of the world's highest-profile sporting events. It is expected to bring hundreds of thousands of visitors to the County Limerick village. In preparation, a bypass has been fast-tracked, a temporary station is being constructed, and local businesses are pouring money into upgrading their facilities. Newstalk Reporter Bairbre Holmes w...

The Government has announced details of a new personal investment account scheme today which, it says, will make investing more accessible to the wider public. The accounts are expected to be up and running early next year. Joining Ciara for more on this is ‘The Positive Economist’ and host of Taking Stock on Newstalk, Susan Hayes Culleton…

Since the middle of June, honey producers have been obliged to list in detail the countries of origin of their honey on their labels. But, due to the fact that existing supplies did not require these labels, for many people it’s only coming to their attention now that most Irish honey on our shelves isn’t all that Irish after all… Jim Carroll, CEO of Irish Bee Supplies and Mick Kelly, Founder of G...

The Association of Lactation Consultants in Ireland (ALCI) has suspended ticket sales for its upcoming annual conference following controversy over the inclusion of a speaker who has previously delivered presentations on “inducing lactation for kinksters” at fetish conventions… Joining Ciara to discuss this and more is the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women & girls, Reem Alsalem.

This week, Ciara and Shane were joined by Off the Ball’s Cameron Hill and Broadcaster Meghann Scully to look back on the week that was, but with a few twists...

Minister of State with Responsibility for Road Safety, Seán Canney, called a meeting today, which was attended by senior officials from Transport Infrastructure Ireland and the Road Safety Authority, officials from the departments of Transport and Justice and the Garda Commissioner, Justin Kelly. He joins Ciara to discuss what was covered today.

This weekend it's not just Electric Picnic, there is another festival in town! It's the Crisp Festival, taking place all weekend at The Bernard Shaw Pub and Eat Yard in Glasnevin, Dublin. Henry McKean popped down just before it opened to the public and tried the 'hot chip challenge', an extremely hot chilli dorito! He sent in this report!

Off The Ball’s John Duggan joined Shane and Ciara on The Hard Shoulder to review the week in sport and look ahead to the weekend action…

TDs have backed an extension to excise cuts on petrol and diesel until November in an emergency meeting at the Dáil today. The Opposition hit out at the debate being confined to just 60 minutes with the cost-of-living crisis but Government Chief Whip Mary Butler said they were dealing with a single financial resolution. Joining Shane for more on this is Political Editor at the Irish Times Pat Leah...

After spending four years off air, Top Gear is officially making a comeback, with the BBC confirming that the long-running motoring show will return to television. The programme was taken off the schedule in 2022 following a serious crash involving presenter Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff, who suffered facial and rib injuries while filming. Flintoff had been presenting the show alongside Paddy McGuinne...

Criminal Defence Solicitors who practice in Dublin have decided unanimously to continue their withdrawal of services into September. This comes amid an ongoing dispute that has had a significant impact on the legal system over the summer, as criminal legal aid solicitors withdrew their services in protest at reforms to how they are paid. Joining Shane to discuss is Eoghan O’Sullivan, Partner at Po...

Every household in the country is set to receive an emergency preparedness booklet in the post as the Government launches a fresh push to help families prepare for an emergency. Storms, blackouts, flooding and water outages are among the emergencies Irish households are being urged to prepare for as a major new nationwide campaign gets underway. This comes after yesterday's heavy downpours led to...