The Hard Shoulder

Tomorrow, children will be going back to school, where some classes will have over 30 students, way over the European average of 19… John Boyle, INTO General Secretary, claims that Ireland could fall behind its European counterparts because of these supersized classes. He joins Shane to discuss further.

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 week’s action…

New figures from the HSE have indicated wide variations in the times for delivery of cancer care across the country. The figures were released to Sinn Fein Health Spokesperson, David Cullinane, in response to a Parliamentary Question. David Cullinane has said that there are particular areas of concern where the figures were actually “going in the wrong direction”. He joins Shane to discuss. Also j...

Whether it be in a café, work, or at home, coffee plays a big role in our lives. So, what is the best way to save on your caffeine fix? Newstalk’s own Meghan O’Halloran has been investigating and joins Ciara to discuss!

The first CAO offers have been released today for those who have completed their Leaving Cert hoping to get their top choices. Minister for Education James Lawless joins Shane to discuss the results…

Dolly Parton died yesterday at the age of 80. One of her greatest legacies was giving away books for free to children from zero to five, helping with kids literacy, because her dad couldn't read. An area that benefited was Tallaght in Dublin. Worldwide, over 100 million books have been given away. Henry McKean visited Dolly Parton's Imagination Library Irish HQ, where they have set up a book of co...

Meta has agreed to a maximum settlement of $16.68 billion in a historic case in the United States, claiming that its platforms harmed children, only a week after it went to trial. Joining Shane to discuss is Newstalk’s Technology Correspondent, Jess Kelly.

Writing in today’s Irish Examiner, John Gibbons explored Ireland's food supply writing that “Despite the notion that Ireland is a 'food island', we import four fifths of our food and adding that we could be in a very “bad place if world food supplies dry up”... So, is it time to implement a more natural diet without the need to rely so heavily on  food imports for our diets? Joining Ciara to...

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 the slow route to Bilbao: from Rosslare!

Canada has today hit back with retaliatory tariffs in response to the United States. For more on this, Shane is joined by Sky News International Affairs Editor, Dominic Waghorn.

The company behind the Sphere in Las Vegas, Yankee Stadium in New York and the Aviva Stadium has released computer-generated images showing the design of a planned events arena in Cherrywood in south Dublin. Joining Ciara to discuss all of these plans is Founder and CEO of Prime Arena Holdings, Dermot Rigley. Image: Prime Arena Holdings

Newstalk Breakfast Presenter Anton Savage joins Ciara to place his favourite book on the Hard Shoulder Bookshelf!

A Government TD has called on Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien to immediately begin the rollout of new chargers on public transport. Barry Ward, the Fine Gael TD for Dún Laoghaire, has said that Ireland’s public transport has to “keep up with the needs of its passengers” and install USB-C charging ports on buses and trains. He joins Shane to discuss the initiative.

The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission has today told the United Nations that Ireland must urgently close the gap between its human rights commitments and the lived experience of people across the country. Liam Herrick, Chief Commissioner of the IHREC, joins Ciara to discuss.

Lego sales are up by over 20% in the first half of this year thanks to the World Cup, the Danish giant toy maker said today. Lego is beating  Mattel and Hasbro, thanks to tie-ups and film franchises, and producing more sets targeted at adults, as well as boys and girls. Lego's revenue was over €6 billion. But, why is Lego still so popular, even with social media and computer games. Henry McKe...

The Fiscal Advisory Council believes that Ireland’s current strong economy does not need budgetary support and that a large package could fuel further inflation. However, earlier today, the Minister for Finance Simon Harris defended the Government’s spending plan, saying that planned measures would have a “positive effect” on inflation. But what will the effect be on inflation? Joining me now to d...

Over in the UK, breakdowns involving a vehicle’s Body Control Module (BCM) have doubled since 2020, with more than 36,000 incidents now recorded each year, according to the AA. So as our cars get smarter are they becoming more problematic to fix? Joey Donnelly of Crofton Motors joins Shane to discuss.

The HSE has approved the reimbursement of the drug Skyclarys for people with Friedreich's Ataxia. This comes following a substantially improved financial offer by drug firm Biogen to the Health Service Executive. Joining Ciara to discuss this is Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill.

The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) has revealed the most complained about companies for the first half of the year. Garden centre and outdoor furniture retailer Rathwood was the most complained about business during this period, followed by Ryanair and Sky. But, what are your rights when it comes to complaining as a consumer, and are people less likely to complain now due to...

Uisce Eireann has said that the hosepipe ban has been extended until the end of September for 13 counties across Munster and Leinster, as “public water supplies remain under pressure and require continued protection”. Joining Shane to discuss is their Water Operations Manager for the Eastern and Midlands Region, Stephen Burke…

More than eight in 10 women (81%) say hormonal health has impacted their working life, with 62% saying the impact has been moderate or significant, according to new research from The Menopause Hub. Joining Ciara to discuss this is Loretta Dignam, Founder and CEO of the Menopause Hub and Louisa Meehan of Woodview HRM, HR and Dispute Resolution expert.

For this week’s Kids Clinic, Shane and Ciara are joined by Ollwyn Moran, Clinical Director with CogniClinic.ie to discuss what impact video games may have on your child, and how to best manage them in the household.

New CSO figures show that the population of the state exceeded 5.5 million people. Joining Ciara to talk through the stats is Adrian Kavanagh, Geography Lecturer at Maynooth University.

Two big housing related stories are doing the rounds today, with a new Daft.ie report indicating rents continuing to rise, while new research from PTSB finds that 52% of under-35s believe they will never be in a position to buy a home… Joining Shane to discuss this further is Conor Sheehan, Labour Party Housing Spokesperson and Robert Whelan, Managing Director of Rockwell Finance.

It's back! The Traitors Ireland will return to our screens on RTÉ for season 2 on Sunday night. Ciara was joined by host Siobhán McSweeney to discuss her excitement for its return. Image: RTÉ