The Hard Shoulder

New body armour is being rolled out to members of the Defence Forces for the first time in two decades. Newstalk Reporter Jessica Woodlock got a first look at this special equipment, and joins Ciara to discuss.

Children under 10 should not be given obesity drugs or GLP-1 weight-loss injections such as Mounjaro and Wegovy, new global guidelines from the World Health Organization say. For more on this, Shane is joined by Dónal O’Shea, Specialist in Obesity.

Every week for The Ultimate Guide 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 Ciara and Shane to give his ultimate guide to Nashville in Tennessee!

Sinn Féin Leader Mary Lou McDonald criticised the budget on X earlier today, saying it hasn't “shown you the respect you deserve”. Joining Ciara to discuss this and the party's reaction to the announcements from Budget 2027 is Galway West TD and Sinn Féin Spokesperson for Public Expenditure, Mairéad Farrell...

It is time to discuss what many will consider to be the most important details of Budget 2027... What does it mean for your pocket? Joining Ciara to discuss this is Nick Charalambous, Managing Director of Alpha Wealth.

With so much to dig into from Budget 2027, what do climate and transport experts think about the announcements made? Joining Ciara to discuss is Oisín Coghlan, Policy Advisor to The Irish Environmental Network and Brian Caulfield, Professor in Transportation at the School of Engineering at Trinity College Dublin.

Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers joins Ciara to discuss Budget 2027 following the announcements made today.

Joining Ciara for Budget 2027 on Newstalk with PwC, to speak to us about the impact today's announcements will have on businesses and workers, is PwC Head of Tax, Paraic Burke. Also joining to give more of an overall look at Budget 2027 is Newstalk’s Political Correspondent, Seán Defoe.

There was much talk in advance of today’s budget about Personal Investment Accounts, which some were saying could be one of the most significant investment reforms in a generation. Joining Ciara on Budget 2027 on Newstalk with PwC, to talk us through the details of what was announced is Wealth and Pensions Partner at PwC, Munro O’Dwyer.

Joining Ciara to give the opposition's reaction to Budget 2027 is Social Democrats TD for Dublin Central and Party Spokesperson for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Gary Gannon.

There will be €15 million put towards keeping rural pubs doors open after more than 2,200 pubs have closed since 2005. As for cigarettes, a pack will increase by €1 and vape juice will increase by 20c per millilitre. Joining Ciara to discuss Budget 2027’s impact on vintners and newsagents is Michael O'Donovan, President of The Vintners Federation of Ireland and Chief Executive Officer of The Conve...

We now know the details of Budget 2027, and many eyes may be drawn to the announcement today by Tánaiste Simon Harris on Irish Investment Accounts... But what do they look like? And what does it mean for your pocket? Joining Ciara to discuss this and kick off The Hard Shoulder Budget Special is Patricia Callan of Financial Services Ireland, as well as Shane Coleman.

Joining Shane to discuss the impact Budget 2027 has on savings, business, health and childcare is Susan Hayes Culleton, Presenter of Taking Stock, Barra Roantree, Assistant Professor of Economics at Trinity College, Owen Reidy, General Secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, Christopher Moran, Director of Strategy, Economics and Investment with the Federation of Early Childhood Providers,...

Joining Shane to discuss Budget 2027 and its financial impact to you is Barra Roantree, Assistant Professor of Economics at Trinity College, Emma Howard, Senior Lecturer in Economics in TU Dublin and Daniel Murray, Policy Editor with the Business Post.

Joining Shane Coleman to give their reactions following the speeches delivered by Táinaiste Simon Harris and Minister Jack Chambers for Budget 2027 is Barra Roantree, Assistant Professor of Economics at Trinity College, Susan Hayes Culleton, Presenter of Taking Stock and Emma Howard, Senior Lecturer in Economics in TU Dublin and Ger Hyland, President of the Irish Road Haulage Association.

Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers delivers his speech outlining Budget 2027 from the Dáil Chamber.

Tánaiste and Minister for Finance Simon Harris delivers his speech outlining Budget 2027 from inside the Dáil Chamber.

Seán Defoe, Newstalk’s Political Correspondent, joins Shane Coleman to give an overview of what we can expect from today’s announcements in Budget 2027 ahead of the speeches from Tánaiste and Minister for Finance Simon Harris and Minister for Public Expenditure, Jack Chambers...

Neurodistinct (ND) conditions such as autism, ADHD and dyslexia are genetic and hereditary. In anonymous surveys of parents attending my “parenting exceptional children” courses, 79% say that they are or think they might be neurodivergent in some way, and 85% think the other parent might be. So, should parents of neuro-divergent children be encouraged to embrace their own neurodiversity? Joining S...

For this week’s Kids Clinic, Ciara was joined by Ollwyn Moran, M.Ed . & Clinical Director at CogniClinic.ie to discuss loosening the reigns a bit and giving your child more independence!

The US has withdrawn all of its B1 bombers from RAF Fairford with no explanation. The UK military base was at the centre of a major incident on the 27th of September when police were alerted to three "suspicious vehicles" near the airbase. Joining Ciara to discuss what this means for security and the US-UK relationship is Duncan Bullivant, CEO of the Henderson Risk Group.

Budget 2027, to be presented on October 6th, is due to involve a package of €8.5 billion, with €7 billion in additional spending and €1.5 billion in tax reductions. The issue of cost-of-living is expected to be a key focus across the whole package. Joining Shane to discuss this is Louise Burne, Political Correspondent for the Irish Examiner.

Most of us remember the days when individual seasons of TV would run from Autumn to Spring, with 20 plus episodes per year. This kind of TV allowed us to spend much more time with the characters and featured themed Christmas, Halloween and other holiday episodes. We also were treated to so-called ‘filler’ or ‘bottle’ episodes where characters spend the entire time in one room, often speaking about...

An appeal by the residents of Portadown's Garvaghy Road against a ruling to allow an Orange Order parade along the route was heard at the Court of Appeal in Belfast today, with a Barrister for the residents describing it as "one of the most polarising parades in the history of Northern Ireland". Joining Shane to discuss is Claudia Savage, Press Association Journalist based in Belfast and Tom Kelly...

Primary and secondary schools across the country experienced disruptions from today as teachers began industrial action in the form of a work-to-rule. Joining Shane to discuss this is Eric Nelligan, Assistant Principal at St Munchins College, Limerick and Darren O'Rourke, Sinn Féin Education Spokesperson.