The Hard Shoulder

Visitor numbers have dropped 30% compared to February last year, according to the CSO. This follows on from a 25% drop year-on-year last month. It begs the question: is the tourism industry in danger in Ireland? Joining Kieran to discuss the drop in American tourists specifically is Larry Donnelly, Law Lecturer at the University of Galway and Columnist with the Journal.

Allergy season is approaching - so for this week’s Kids Health Check, Kieran is joined by Iseult Sheehan from Allergy Ireland to discuss how you can best prepare!

Marine Le Pen’s lawyer, Rodolphe Bosselut, has confirmed that the far-right leader will appeal against her conviction for embezzlement of public funds. She was found guilty of misappropriating European funds to fund her party. Elaine Cobbe is CBS Correspondent in Paris, and joins Kieran to discuss. Image: Reuters

Getting older is a difficult journey for some, but should you take it in your stride? From grey hairs to wrinkles, what is needed to make sure you embrace your age? Celia Holman-Lee,fashion icon & Model Agent and Holly Carpenter, Social Media Content Creator join Kieran to discuss.

A group of taxi drivers in Dublin have come together to create their own app in response to the big taxi firms and the bills they impose on drivers. Dublin taxi drivers Kamal Gill and Lar Kelly felt these big ­companies were taking too much from fares and have started their own app, Hola Taxi, that charges taxi drivers just €1 per fare… Both of them join Kieran to discuss.

Dublin City Council are to take a number of measures in the coming months to restore and protect the Molly Malone statue on Suffolk street. These include a pilot scheme which will see stewards deployed to protect the statue from tourists jumping up, touching and posing with the statue. For more on this, Kieran is joined by Ray Yeates, who is an Arts Officer a  Dublin City Council.

Have you fallen for the WhatsApp scam? If so, you’re not alone. New research from Revolut says Ireland ranks as the second worst affected country for scams on the app, with the average loss costing customers around €1,200… How do these scams work, and how can you stay safe? Newstalk’s Technology Correspondent, Jess Kelly joins Kieran to discuss.

Ireland's capability to respond to wildfires was tested in the Wicklow Mountains. More than 100 people participated in the first EU Modex exercise in Ireland.  The muti-agency event assessed our preparedness for wildfires, and Newstalk reporter Josh Crosbie was there.

This week, Kieran Cuddihy was joined by the presenter of Weekend Breakfast on Today FM, Alison Curtis Off the Ball’s Ger Gilroy to look back on the week that was, but with a few twists…

Second round of the Women’s Six Nations returns this weekend, with the Girls in Green heading to Parma to face off against the Italians. To help look ahead to what to expect and what challenges might face the Irish team, Kieran is joined by former Irish International Eimear Considine and current Harlequins and Italian International Silvia Turani.

Aisling Larkin, Mindful Eating Coach and TV Chef joins Kieran to talk how you can treat a mother to a lovely meal this Mother’s Day!

Off The Ball's Eoin Sheahan joined Kieran Cuddihy on The Hard Shoulder to review the week in sport and look ahead to the weekend action…

Met Éireann’s Flood Forecasting Centre is currently in development as part of a government-wide approach to flooding in line with ‘international best practices’. But, if flood warnings are being made available to local authorities, why can't they be provided directly to the public? Social Democrats TD Aidan Farrelly raised this very question in the Dáil this week, and joins Kieran along with Alan...

Don't forget, it's Mother's Day this Sunday! Henry McKean visited South City CNS in Dublin 8, to find out how the kids are preparing for it…

Radical reform is needed for young women who present with symptoms of breast cancer; this is according to Senator Teresa Costello, herself a survivor. She is advocating for the breast screening age to be extended to 40, and a greater care attached for those presenting with symptoms aged 20–50. Joining Kieran to discuss and share their own stories is Senator Costello, Ziva Cussen and Muireann McCol...

Speaking in court this week, Norwegian track superstar Jakob Ingebrigtsen explained that he had stopped calling his father “Dad” when he was around 11 years old due to his pushiness and involvement in his career. When it comes to crossing the line of being a pushy parent, how do you navigate between being supportive and being pushy? Joining Kieran to discuss is Steve Cummins, Comedian, Antonio Mon...

Kerry Independent Alliance Councillor John O’Donoghue has called for Kerry airport in Farranfore to be renamed after Daniel O’Connell. He cites the political giant known as ‘The Liberator’ as “the most significant Kerry and Irish person of all time”. To discuss, Kieran is joined by great, great, great grand-nephew, Maurice O’Connell.

It's been well documented how much of this week was chaotic in the Dáil. A motion of no confidence is coming next week for Ceann Comhairle, and the Government will place confidence in Verona Murphy... all while, at least in the view of the public, not a lot else is being done. So, why would a new TD want to come into this? Sinead Gibney is Social Democrats TD for Dublin Rathdown, and is former Chi...

EU citizens are being advised to stockpile food, water and essentials as part of a European strategy that aims to increase readiness for potentially catastrophic floods, fires, pandemics and military attacks. “72 hours of self-sufficiency is what we recommend...” said European Commissioner for Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib. But, is that enough? Joining Kieran to discuss is Frank Deegan, Founder...

Earlier in the show, a debate on if religion should be taught in schools was had, but how is it taught today? To discuss, Kieran is joined by Edward Platt, School Development Officer with Educate together  and Hazel McWey, Principal of Catholic Ballinabranna National School Carlow…

A woman who said she was penalised for taking time off to have a child has settled a discrimination case with her former employer for 260 thousand euro. Maeve Bradley was an Assistant Vice President at Citibank in Belfast when she took maternity leave in 2023. She alleged that she was excluded from a promotion opportunity during her maternity leave, and says the firm promoted the person who had co...

US President Donald Trump has promised to put tariffs on pharmaceutical products coming into the country - specifically mentioning Ireland’s large pharmaceutical industry. With 7 out of the world's top 10 pharmaceutical companies being based in the Rebel County, Newstalk Reporter Josh Crosbie has been speaking with workers in Cork to get their thoughts on what the future may look like, and joins K...

The issue of whether or not religion should be taught in schools will later be debated by Kieran’s guests: Ronán Mullen, Independent Senator and Bríd Smith, former People Before Profit TD. They join to give a preview on their thoughts on the topic.

Life can be full of confusing things, but no need to worry! Every Wednesday, Simon Tierney will be showing you ‘How to do Stuff’ - bringing his best tips for those things you might not think about. This week, Simon joins Kieran to discuss how you can properly pull off an April Fool’s prank! Image: Murphy’s Toymaster

Ambulance services are back in the spotlight again following an incident earlier this week, in which a woman from county Clare was left waiting 4 hours on the roadside for an ambulance following a collision… To discuss the wider issue of ambulance wait times, Kieran is joined by David Hall, CEO of Lifeline Ambulance Services. Also joining is Graham Helps, whose son Alex was forced to wait over 45...