The Hard Shoulder

(Spoilers for last night’s episode of The Traitors Ireland ahead! You have been warned!) Ciara and Shane are joined by murdered Faithful, Sean C and banished Faithful, Donal, to discuss their thoughts and experiences of the show!

Between 2024 and May 2026, there were 101 deaths in collisions involving a male driver aged between 16 and 25, according to the Road Safety Authority. At this year’s Ploughing Championships, the RSA are trying to get through to young people and change habits on our roads, after some recent horrific head on collisions driving down the wrong way on the motorway. To discuss further, Shane is joined b...

Comedian Rhys Darby joins Shane to discuss his upcoming appearance at the Galway Comedy Festival, which is running from October 20th to the 26th!

Last winter, five named storms hit Ireland. They included Storm Chandra, which caused widespread floods across the Southeast in January. Not only was Enniscorthy one of the towns hit hardest, it was the 16th time the Wexford town experienced flooding in the last 25 years… Newstalk Reporter Bairbre Holmes visited to hear what happened after the floodwater receded, and how the town is preparing for...

St James’s hospital in Dublin recorded almost 4,000 incidents of violence or aggression over the past three years. The data released to The Journal shows that there were more than three incidents of alleged violence or aggression every day on average over the course of 2023 to 2025… Joining Ciara for more on this is President of the Irish Medical Organisation and Consultant Professor, Matthew Sadl...

For this week’s Kids Clinic, Ciara is joined by Richard Hogan, Family Psychologist and host of The GoLoud podcast ‘They Mess You Up’ to discuss how to deal with your kids leaving the nest, whether that be for college or to live on their own, and not holding them back.

Figures published by The Central Statistics Office (CSO) have found that crime reporting has fallen from 39% in 2019 to 30% in 2025. For more on this, and why less reporting of crime is happening, Shane is joined by Trina O’Connor, Criminologist.

Oasis have today ended months of speculation with the announcement that they will return in 2027. Oasis Live ‘27 will see the band play 38 live shows, visiting Scotland, England, Germany, Spain, Netherlands, France, Italy, US with two nights in Slane Castle on September 4th and 5th. For more on this, Shane is joined by Dave Hanratty, Host of the ‘No Encore’ podcast and Audio Producer at The Irish...

The leaders of Sinn Féin, the Scottish National Party and Plaid Cymru in Wales have declared that “Westminster’s time is coming to an end” in a joint agreement aimed at putting pressure on Downing Street to hold referendums on independence. Joining Ciara for more on this is Sinn Féin Leader in the Seanád, Conor Murphy.

Nobody likes homework, but new research has shown conclusively that it is beneficial. A study by University of Limerick academics has shown that short, regular homework assignments boost math and science performance among secondary students. Professor Dónal Palcic from UL’s Kemmy Business School was involved in the research, and joins Shane to discuss.

Thousands of students and families are back on the roads or public transport in the early hours now that the academic year is in full swing, however, parents have reported the challenge of getting their children to school due to congestion and a lack of a dedicated school bus service in some areas of Dublin. Joining me now is Maeve O’Connell, Fine Gael TD who has called for a dedicated bus plan.

(Be warned! There are spoilers ahead for last night’s episode of The Traitors Ireland.) Joining Ciara and Shane in the studio to discuss last night’s episode of The Traitors after their time in the castle has come to an end is Sam and David!

A new poll by Ipsos and the Irish Examiner has found that 89% of people surveyed believe that if a foreign national is convicted of a crime here, they should be deported. For more on the figures and what they say about our views on immigration, Ciara is joined by Deputy Political Editor at the Irish Examiner, Paul Hosford…

This week, Ciara and Shane were joined by Off the Ball’s Cameron Hill and presenter of Weekend Breakfast on Today FM, Alison Curtis, to look back on the week that was, but with a few twists...

As we have heard already throughout the show everybody knows where they were on 9/11. Former C-Suite leader in international food and beverage companies, Michael Patten is no different... Michael was working with Glanbia at the time and was due to be in the World Trade Centre on this day 25 years ago, until fate intervened. He joins Ciara to discuss what happened?

The Grand Theft Auto series is arguably the most successful games franchise of all time, both in terms of popularity and financially. With the next installment of the controversial series set for release in November, what can we expect to see? And why is there so much excitement? Joining Shane to discuss this is Film Critic Brian Lloyd and Newstalk's own Rory Galvin.

MPs have voted against an assisted dying bill for England and Wales. The legislation would have allowed terminally ill adults with six months or less to live to seek medical assistance to end their lives. For all the latest, Ciara is joined by London-based Journalist Vincent McAviney…

Gardaí have said the visit of US President Donald Trump to Ireland this weekend is one of the biggest security operations they have ever put in place. Declan Power, Security and Defence Analyst, Blake Boland, Dublin Bus Spokesperson and Graeme Mc Queen, DAA Spokesperson join Shane to discuss what Trump's visit means for you and your travel this weekend.

Tom Dunne as a boy wrote to the BBC chart show ‘Top of the Pops’ and, to his surprise, they wrote back. Tom says it's one of his most prized possessions. What memorabilia do you most cherish and why? Henry McKean sent this report...

The European Commissioner with responsibility for tech regulation has said that global rules on artificial intelligence are "really needed" when responding to questions about AI company Anthropic. Anthropic revealed yesterday that it has blocked scientists who used its Claude AI models "in ways that could support biological weapons development." Joining Ciara for more on this is Business and Techn...

Today marks 25 years since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and memorials have been taking place all across New York. Newstalk Reporter Emily Keegan joins Ciara from New York City to discuss what is happening on the ground.

Tánaiste and Minister for Finance, Simon Harris, spoke with Anton on Newstalk Breakfast this morning following his rejection of stamp duty relief for first-time buyers earlier this week… So, should stamp duty be cut for first-time buyers? Seamus McGrath, Fianna Fail TD for Cork South–Central & the party’s Spokesperson on Housing mooted the idea earlier this week, and joins Shane to discuss.

Sarina Bellissimo, Broadcaster and Presenter of the Bellissimo Files Podcast and Chris Wasser, Arts Journalist and Sunday Independent Film Critic joined Ciara and Shane on The Hard Shoulder to review the latest TV and movie releases…

Shane is joined by the Chief Commercial Officer of Bohemian Football Club Daniel Lambert to discuss ‘The Last Days of Dalymount’ - a series of gigs celebrating the rich musical history of Dalymount Park before its redevelopment.

This week marks 25 years since almost three thousand people died in a terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre in New York City. Survivors, first responders and families of victims have all gathered in the city to mark the anniversary of 9/11. Newstalk Reporter Emily Keegan is there, and sent in this report.