The Hard Shoulder

If you grind your teeth when you sleep or clench your jaw when you are stressed, you may be causing damage over time to your teeth. How can we prevent this? Joining Ciara with advice is Dentist Dr Bronagh Keane AKA Ireland's Tooth Fairy.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez have tied the knot in a private ceremony in Portugal about a year after Rodríguez revealed an engagement ring reportedly worth $3 million to $5 million… Joining Ciara to discuss engagement ring trends is Chupi Sweetman, Founder of Chupi’s Jewellers in Dublin.

Data centres should be taxed to pay for improvements to the national grid, so say the Green Party. Joining Ciara to discuss this is Cllr Hazel Chu, Green Party Deputy Leader and party Spokesperson on Infrastructure and Public Expenditure.

For this week’s Tech Takeover, Jess Kelly, Newstalk’s Technology Correspondent, joins Ciara to discuss what you should do if you ever find yourself losing your phone…

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

Revenue generated by parking fees at public hospitals has more than doubled over a four-year period. A breakdown provided by the HSE shows that Irish people spent a record €17.76m on car park charges at public and voluntary hospitals in 2025 compared to €7.39m in 2021, representing a 140% increase over a four-year period. Joining Ciara to discuss this further is Aidan Farrelly, Social Democrats TD...

Waiting lists for special educational places are growing, but the Department of Education has yet to share the latest figures for children left without a place for the new school year starting in around 2 weeks' time. Darren O’Rourke, Sinn Féin TD and the party’s Spokesperson on Education and Youth, joins Ciara to discuss.

From the second you open your eyes, your morning habits may be affecting the trajectory of your entire day. Whether it's waking up with a to-do list on your mind or giving yourself minimal time to get out the door, the habits we start the day with not only alter our mood but our brain's functionality. But, what are the realistic things we can do to improve your day? Joining Ciara to discuss this i...

Despite claims AI will simplify and streamline our lives most Irish people want to speak with a human when they are contacting customer services. New research has shown we are happy enough to let the bots deal with simple straightforward tasks, but when it comes to sensitive or complicated topics most people do not want to interact with computers. Newstalk Reporter Bairbre Holmes has taken a look...

A new HIQA report is set to commence, investigating the affordability of tobacco in Ireland in comparison to other countries in the EU and the UK. The affordability of tobacco products plays a key role in the number of people taking up smoking or continuing to smoke. Joining Ciara to outline this research is HIQA’s Deputy Director of Health Technology Assessment, Michelle O’Neill.

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 Galway!

The HSE Drugs Group has decided to recommend not funding the drug Skyclarys for the rare condition Friedreich's Ataxia. Around 200 people have this disease in Ireland. Pádraig O'Sullivan is Fianna Fáil TD for Cork North Central and joins Shane to discuss.

Over in the UK, a study of 1,000 parents with children aged between 13 and 21 found more than a third of parents would rather their children start their own business than go to university. They say businesses will help their children learn about money, investing in savings, and teaching them about budgeting, costs, and profits. But is this really the case? Joining Shane to discuss is Robert Whelan...

Police in England are investigating if Joshua Kerry, the man charged with the murder of the former Reform UK and Conservative politician Ann Widdecombe, had any role in an incident at the London home of Nigel Farage last year. Nigel Farage has said the incident is "directly linked" but refused to comment further… With more on this, Ciara is joined by Vincent McAvinney, London-based Journalist.

Crime Journalist Paul Williams joins Shane to place his favourite book on the Hard Shoulder Bookshelf!

The death toll from a devastating earthquake ⁠that flattened dozens of buildings in western Colombia has risen to 224, local authorities said, as emergency workers dug through the wreckage for survivors. Joining Ciara to discuss this is Ciara Carolan, AFP journalist in Bogotá, Colombia.

A 'do not swim' notice has been issued for Malahide Beach in north Dublin following an overflow from a nearby waste water treatment plant. Swimmers are advised the warning will last three days at least. For more on this, Shane is joined by John Daly, Senior Engineer at the Department of the Environment at Fingal County Council, Councilor David Healy, Green Party Councilor representing Howth-Malahi...

“From when our head is wet when we’re born, to when our loved ones raise a glass to us at our funeral, alcohol is ever-present in the celebrations of our lives. It’s hard to break the habit.” So writes Esther McCarthy, Columnist with The Irish Examiner, who hasn’t had a drink for eight weeks. She joins Ciara to discuss.

Following the death of Grace Lynch earlier this year the outright ban on scramblers in public places under Grace's law came into effect from April 3rd, despite this scramblers continue to be an issue in certain Parks & Public Open Space. Ruairí Ó Dúlaing, former Head of Parks with Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown and Fingal County Council joins Shane to discuss his experience working in public parks for...

“Maybe it’s better if we never know the full cost of hosting the Ryder Cup in Ireland”. So wrote Economist Sinead O’Sullivan in today’s Irish Times. Is she right? Joining Shane for more on this is Niall Collins, Fianna Fáil TD for County Limerick and Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has rejected a US-backed 15-point peace plan for Gaza, and he says they will not withdraw until Hamas fully disarms. For more on this, Shane is joined by Israel Correspondent with The Irish Times, Mark Weiss.

The European, Asian and North American football confederations have published an open letter in a new push to pressure FIFA boss, Gianni Infantino, to quit. Joining Ciara to discuss this is Sports Writer, Kieran Cunningham…

A former gang leader will go on trial in Las Vegas today over the murder of rapper Tupac Shakur which took place 30 years ago. It is one of America's most high-profile unresolved murders… Joining Ciara to discuss this is Harriet Alexander, Senior Features Writer with the Daily Mail based in New York.

For this week’s Kids Clinic, Ciara and Shane are joined by Dr Eleanor Galvin, GP with familydoctors.ie , to discuss how parents can identify and treat common conditions like ringworm and thread worms.

About 15% of the power produced by Irish wind farms in the first half of the year was thrown away because the network was not strong enough to move it, according to Wind Energy Ireland. So, do we need to do more to strengthen our energy grid there so we can survive any incoming financial shocks? Joining Shane to discuss this  Lisa Ryan, Professor in Energy Economics at the UCD School of Econo...