The Hard Shoulder

Excessive spending on online raffles for houses, cars, hol­i­days and cash can be a red flag in loan applic­a­tions, affect­ing how much fin­ance firms are pre­pared to lend. This information comes at a time when online con­tests for massive prizes have been grow­ing in popularity. But, what should you know about how it affects your risk of loan applications? Joining Shane to discuss is Padraic Ki...

PrepayPower has announced it is freezing electricity and gas prices for customers this winter. The move will mean the energy provider's roughly 200,000 customers will be guaranteed to see no price increases until March 2027 at the earliest. Figures from the Central Statistics Office last week showed the prices for energy products, which include electricity, gas and other fuels, jumped by 15.3% in...

Gardaí have launched a murder investigation after a house fire in Waterford city claimed the lives of two adults and two children. Newstalk’s Chief Reporter Barry Whyte is in the area today, and joins Shane to discuss what we know so far…

“Vogue Williams is right, can we please stop telling new parents to enjoy every single minute? Maybe it’s time we gave exhausted parents a break, they don’t need constant reminders that “the days are long, but the years are short”... So says Niamh O’Reilly, Freelance Writer and Journalist. She joins Ciara to discuss.

The Government has described tomorrow’s planned strike action as “difficult to justify”, warning of disruption to essential public services. More than 300,000 public sector workers are expected to take part, affecting schools, hospitals and services across the country. Unions have hit back at Minister Jack Chambers, saying he “brought nothing new” to the table to avert the strike. For the latest d...

Nearly two thirds of homeowners are concerned about their home being damaged by extreme weather, such as storms and flooding, in the next five years. Despite the high levels of awareness, almost half of people have not made any improvements to protect their home against extreme weather in the last two years. That’s according to new research by Aviva Insurance Ireland. Joining Ciara with advice for...

The deposit return scheme for cans and bottles has promised to roll out more bulk reverse vending machines by the end of the year. The regular return machines that launched with the scheme required people to return their bottles and cans one at a time to get their deposits back. The new bulk machines allow you to tip a bag of bottles and cans into the machine, and it tots up the total itself... Jo...

Gardaí have launched a murder investigation after a house fire in Waterford city claimed the lives of two adults and two children. The four family members died, and two other children were left critically injured following an alleged arson attack on their home in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Joining Shane to discuss this and the local impact is Fr Gerry Chestnutt, Parish Priest at Sacred He...

Saudi Arabia was forced to extend the suspension of all flights to and from its main international airport in Riyadh on Monday after a further round of Houthi missile attacks caused more damage and left one person dead… Joining Shane to discuss this Dominic Waghorn, Sky News International Affairs Editor.

For this week’s Kids Clinic, Shane was joined by Dr Elaine McCarty, Senior Child and Educational Psychologist to discuss handling any pre or post-school meltdowns that your child can have.

A new study has shown that Irish people are buying more ‘fast-tech’ items, including mini fans, wireless headphones, or disposable vapes, than many European countries, with many not disposing of them correctly and throwing them in the bin. The research, which was done for International E-Waste Day, shows that nearly 90% of Irish people bought some ‘fast tech’ product in the last year. Joining Ciar...

Unions have rejected a last-ditch effort from the Public Expenditures Minister Jack Chambers to halt strikes on Wednesday. Linda Kelly, General Secretary for the ASTI joins Shane to discuss why these talks won’t be going ahead, and Maeve McTaggart, a News and Political Reporter with the Irish Independent joins to discuss what the impact of these strikes will be.

Today is the sentencing hearing of Riad Bouchaker, who was convicted of 8 offences related to the Parnell Square attack on November 23rd 2023. Frank Graney, Newstalk’s Courts Reporter joins Ciara to give the latest updates.

Former Olympic swimming coach and convicted paedophile George Gibney was jailed for fifteen and a half years today. The 78-year-old was found guilty of 40 abuse charges against four girls between 1971 and 1981. Newstalk Reporter Jamie O’Hara was in court today and joined Shane to discuss…

A new survey by AIB has found Irish consumers lose an average of €150 a year overpaying on shared bills due to being too polite to have the tough conversation. With many people renting and house sharing later in life than previous generations, the issue of ‘the politeness premium’ may be pinching their purse strings more than they realize. But, how can you tackle the issue to help your pocket with...

70 people have been killed in the last couple of days as Russian attacks intensify. Public transport has been targeted, while US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are meeting Ukrainian representatives today. Will there be any actual movement? Sir William Browder is an author and formerly Russia’s largest foreign investor, and he joins Ciara to discuss.

This week, Ciara and Shane were joined by Off the Ball’s Cameron Hill and Saoirse Hanley, Features Writer with the Irish Independent  to look back on the week that was, but with a few twists...

Comedian Jack Dee, who is celebrating 40 years in stand-up! This month he returns to Ireland to take us on a memoir of his favourite old jokes and funny anecdotes that have intrigued him for as long as he can remember… He joins Shane to discuss!

Sports Journalist Daniel Hussey joined Ciara and Shane on The Hard Shoulder to review the week in sport and look ahead to the weekend’s action…

Over in the UK, the family of a 12-year-old girl who died after drinking a milkshake made in an unwashed blender at a cafe have called for a dedicated rating that scores food businesses on their allergy management. But, in terms of allergy recognition in Ireland, what is being done behind the scenes? Joining Ciara to discuss this is Catherine Dolan, Spokesperson for Allergy Action Ireland.

The public will be able to watch the execution of a former US Army major by firing squad, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has said. Nidal Hasan, who shot dead 13 unarmed US soldiers at Fort Hood in 2009, will be livestreamed, in what is believed to be the first public execution in the US in almost a century. Joining Shane to discuss this is Jennifer Ewing from Republicans Abroad and Leslie Shoem...

We are typically told to make the best of our weekends: dinner parties, going out, spending time with friends or family - but that isn’t always the case with how we choose to spend our time. What does a good weekend look like, and should we feel guilty about having a quiet or lazy weekend? Joining Ciara to discuss is Esther McCarthy, Columnist with the Irish Examiner and Steve Cummins, Comedian.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is back in the news today having been granted £302,000 in compensation after his lease on his former Windsor home was officially surrendered, and Green Party leader Zach Polanski has just failed to become an MP in the London by-elections. Joining Shane to discuss this is Political Editor at Financial Times, George Parker.

Winning the lottery might end your marriage, according to a new study women are more likely to leave their partners after a big jackpot. But what does this tell us about our relationships? Joining Ciara to discuss this is Brenda Power, Columnist with The Sunday Indo and The Irish Daily Mail.

Some food delivery companies are planning to track riders’ speeds to halt illegal e-bikes. Conversion kits can turn ordinary bikes into high-powered machines, prompting concerns over dangerous riding, going as fast as €50 km an hour. And a small number of riders are selling drugs on the side. Henry McKean has been investigating, and joins Shane to discuss.