The Hard Shoulder

New customs charges for goods purchased outside the EU come into effect from midnight tonight, but how will this affect us when ordering from Irish brands if items are coming from outside the EU? Joining Shane to shed some light on this is Ray Ryan, Head of Revenue’s National Customs Policies and Procedures Branch.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland has issued new guidance to food businesses on how to comply with stricter EU food-safety legal limits for the control of listeria in ready-to-eat foods. Dr Michelle Minihan, Director of Audit, Incidents and Investigation with the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, joins Ciara to discuss.

Renewed calls for Grace’s Law to be enforced have been made after a hit and run incident. Jayden Deans, who has special needs, suffered serious injuries after being struck by a scrambler. Newstalk’s Chief Reporter Barry Whyte, has been looking into this, including speaking with the mother of the victim, and joins Shane to discuss.

For this week’s Tech Takeover, Jess Kelly, Newstalk’s Technology Correspondent joins Shane and Ciara to discuss the right to repair directive for your technology.

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

Irish employees at TikTok are preparing for up to 300 job cuts after management informed them that they plan to restructure the organisation… What does this mean for the tech sector here in Ireland? Joining Ciara to discuss is Donal O'Donoghue, Managing Director at Sanderson Recruitment.

From early birds to night owls, what is the best time of the day to exercise and does the time of the day you exercise impact your overall health or sleep pattern differently? Joining Ciara to discuss is Lowry O'Mahony, Chartered Physiotherapist and Founder of Max Physio & Pilates.

The ESB today said that despite having more than 1,600 public chargers across the country, its network can only support “up to 1,400 EVs charging at the same time”. But will this mean as more people across the country make the switch towards electric? Do we have the infrastructure to support it? Joining Shane to discuss is Brian Caulfield, Associate Professor at the School of Engineering at Trinit...

The Government has launched Ireland's six-month Presidency of the European Union with a ceremony in Dublin Castle. Taoiseach Micheál Martin invited the President of the European Council António Costa, as well as Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, who were both in attendance. Joining Ciara to discuss this is Newstalk's Political Correspondent, Seán Defoe…

Gardaí are investigating an incident after a Clare U-15 football game in Kilrush last night in which a referee was allegedly assaulted. Video footage in circulation online shows referee John O’Connell on the ground after an U-15 football game between Kilrush-Killimer and Lisseycasey… With more and more incidents occurring across the country, is the abuse referees are receiving becoming worse? Join...

Riad Bouchaker has been found guilty of eight charges in relation to the knife attack in Parnell Square in November 2023… Joining Ciara with the latest updates is Newstalk Reporter Emily Keegan.

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 the ultimate guide on the city of Copenhagen!

The Data Protection Commission (DPC) published its Annual Report for 2025 today, as well as the results of an independent survey on the practice of ‘Sharenting’... Joining Shane for more on this is Graham Doyle, Deputy Commissioner of the Data Protection Commission.

WhatsApp is changing. The messaging app has announced it will bring in usernames for accounts, meaning it will no longer require users to share their phone number with other WhatsApp accounts. So, when will this happen? And what does this mean for you? Joining Ciara to discuss this is Irish Times Business and Technology Journalist, Ciara O’Brien.

Qatar’s foreign ministry has said that US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff are in Doha, but that there is no meeting currently scheduled with Iranian officials. This comes after US President Donald Trump claimed earlier that Iran “requested a meeting” following the exchange of strikes last week. Joining Shane to discuss this is Terry Sheridan, Senior Director of News at WSHU Public Radio.

David McRedmond, CEO of An Post joins Ciara and Shane to place his favourite book on the Hard Shoulder Bookshelf!

A night of incredible drama saw Brazil beat Japan, and penalty shoot-out wins for Paraguay and Morocco over European giants. Joining Shane to discuss this and what to look forward to later is Ben Symes, Football Correspondent with Off The Ball.

Caroline Flack's older brother, Paul Flack, has died at the age of 55, his death comes six years after that of Caroline's in 2020… Joining Shane to discuss this is Vincent McAviney, London-based Journalist. If you've been affected by anything in this podcast, you can contact the Samaritans helpline on 116 123. Image: Disney

Earlier today, the Government signed off on its one-off rural and Gaeltacht housing draft guidelines which aims to make it easier for families to build one-off homes in their locality. These new planning guidelines have been described as the “biggest overhaul of rural housing rules in two decades”, with local authorities being advised to be less ‘over prescriptive’ about rural housing rules. James...

To celebrate comedy legend Mel Brooks' centennial, the American Film Institute has crowned ‘Blazing Saddles’ the funniest American movie of all time, moving the classic satire to the top of its ‘100 Years...100 Laughs’ list and nudging ‘Some Like It Hot’ into second. But, what makes a great comedy film? Andy McCarroll, host of the ‘Extra Vision’ podcast, joins Shane to discuss. Image: Paramount Pi...

A Waterford councillor has given an urgent warning to people jumping off a Waterford bridge for fun. Donnchadh Mulcahy, a Sinn Féin Councillor for Dungarvan / Lismore in Co. Waterford said the activity of jumping off the Lismore Bridge is an “accident waiting to happen”... He joins Ciara, as well as Ellie Palmer, Regional Education Officer with Water Safety, to discuss.

Today marks 21 years since the completion of the M50 motorway... Ireland’s busiest motorway is causing havoc for commuters, as traffic increases and infrastructure projects are trapped in the slow lane. So, how can the situation be fixed? Joining Shane to discuss this is Ger Herbert, Motoring Editor of the Sunday Independent.

Earlier today on Newstalk Breakfast, Sinn Féin TD and Spokesperson on Children, Disability and Equality Claire Kerrane spoke to Anton on Childcare costs calling for the Government to deliver €200 a month childcare. Joining Ciara to discuss is Emer Currie, Fine Gael Spokesperson on Childcare.

Last week, Uisce Eireann warned that the greater Dublin area water supply is “on knife edge”. Joining Shane to discuss further is Maria O’Dwyer, Infrastructure Delivery Director with Uisce Éireann.

Former RTÉ Broadcaster Joe Duffy has called on the Government to introduce new laws that would give gardaí unprecedented powers to seize people’s mobile phones “on a hunch” - without the need for a search warrant. He makes the point that while phones have dramatically changed throughout the years, our phone laws have not… Dr Elizabeth Farries, Director at UCD Centre for Digital Policy, joins Ciara...