The Hard Shoulder

The state of Florida is prepping for Hurricane Milton, which is set to hit the south of Florida tonight… Kieran speaks with Jacqui Goddard, Miami correspondent for the Times London, Royston Brady, former Lord Mayor of Dublin and Meteorologist Todd Gross ahead of the expected touchdown. Image: NOAA/AP

Kieran’s guest’s new book defines Ireland's history and culture in 100 foods, ‘An Irish Food Story: 100 Foods That Made Us’ comes out October 10th. Joining to discuss is Author, Chef and Restaurateur, JP McMahon.

Countries are re-arming in response to growing security threats. Economic security risks are leading to a rethinking of EU state aid rules, competition and trade policies. With public opinion shifting against immigration across the continent, how the EU and its members handle asylum applications from outside the bloc is rising up the agenda. Joining Kieran to discuss this is Dan O’ Brien, Chief Ec...

Hollywood actor Mark Ruffalo has weighed in on the upcoming planning bill in a video posted online last night with Irish actress Alison Oliver, making it clear that he is against the idea. So, is he right? Should we not have liquified natural gas (LNG) terminals in Ireland? Oisín Coughlan, Chief Executive of Friends of the Earth and Brian Leddin, Green Party TD and Spokesperson for Transport, Clim...

Cork and Clare kids band the ‘Cabin Krew’ went viral over the summer for their song ‘The Spark’ which got over 2 billion views! The song was recently longlisted for 2 Grammy Awards: the ‘Best Dance/ Electronic Song’ and for ‘Song of the Year’. Joining Kieran to discuss are Lucy and Kada, members of the group. Image: @thekabinstudio Instagram

Trinity College Dublin has officially renamed its former Berkeley Library after Irish poet Eavan Boland. Berkeley’s name became contentious due to his colonial past, and so the Student Union led a campaign to rename it. Jenny Maguire is Student Union President of the Trinity College Dublin, and joins Kieran to discuss. Image: Trinity College Dublin

Israel is expanding its ground offensive in southern Lebanon day after day. The conflict has resulted in the displacement of 1.2 million people from the region as they attempt to escape the horrors of war. Joining Kieran to discuss this unfolding humanitarian disaster is Deputy Representative of UNICEF Lebanon, Ettie Higgins. Image: Reuters

Legalese, language used in legal documents, has made navigating legal battles incredibly difficult for people who haven’t studied law. But now, some are saying that it’s entered into the healthcare sector. Joining Kieran to discuss is Dr. Suzanne Crowe, a Paediatric Intensive Care Consultant and President of the Irish Medical Council.

Transport Commentator Conor Faughnan joined Kieran Cuddihy to put his favourite book on The Hard Shoulder’s Bookshelf!

In 2017, Gareth Landy was told that he couldn’t have kids. He now has 2 children and a diagnosis labelling him XXY, meaning he has an extra X chromosome. But, what was his story, and why is he speaking before the Seanad today? Joining Kieran to discuss is Gareth Landy, a male fertility advocate.

Customer service in Ireland is getting worse with nearly half the top 150 brands performing poorly last year. That’s according to a new survey published today. Conor Pope is Consumer Affairs Correspondent with The Irish Times and joins Kieran to discuss.

Has the American tourist influx put the native Irish customer under pressure to tip more? Have they influenced our tipping culture from rounding up to 10% and now, in some cases, 20%? Henry McKean visited Man O' War Gastro Pub in North County Dublin, where he met Irish staff and US customers, and sent in this report.

The OPW has landed in more hot water; it has been revealed that the OPW has paid more than €300,000 in legal fees in an arbitration case on the proposed building of a National Children’s Science Museum in Dublin. Joining Seán to discuss is Social Democrat TD and member of the Public Accounts Committee, Catherine Murphy...

There are record levels of patients waiting on trolleys in Cork University Hospital the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation have said, with 98 patients waiting for admission to a bed. Overall in Ireland there are 641 patients on trolleys, with 444 of those in emergency departments. How can we tackle this and stop it from escalating? Kieran is joined by Anthony Staines, Professor of Health Syste...

There has been a lot of speculation as to when the next general election is going to be, but there do seem to be some signs that it’s sooner than you may think! Newstalk’s Political Correspondent, Sean Defoe, joins Kieran to discuss.

Recent studies have found that the famous ‘Body Mass Index’ is a flawed system. Instead, we should be using a new measurement: the Body Roundness Index or BRI. Simply, the process calculates how round you are, with high and low scores being dangerous. Joining Kieran to discuss is Diana Thomas from the US Military Academy in West Point, New York.

Anna Geary has her cupid bow at the ready as she is back on our screens from tonight helping the men and women from rural Ireland find love once more. Season 2 of her show Love in the Country Airs tonight at 9.35pm on RTÉ 2, and Anna joins Kieran to talk about what you can expect.

A year on from the Hamas terror attack on Israel, the conflict in the Middle East is continuing to escalate by the day. But what, if anything, does the endgame to all of this look like? Walt Kilroy, Lecturer in International Relations at DCU and Co-Director of its Conflict Institute.

For this week’s Kids Health Check, Kieran is joined by Aoife Lee, Parenting Coach at ParentSupport.ie to discuss the clothes your children or teenagers might choose to wear, and having conversations around it.

Starting from today, Dublin Bus has launched a pilot program of security guards for their services. It will run for 20 weeks, and is aiming to curb 'antisocial behaviour'. Newstalk Reporter Josh Crosbie has been getting more information, and joins Kieran to discuss.

There has been a “worrying regression” in some boys with increasing misogyny in recent years. So says Jason Poole, whose sister Jennifer was stabbed to death by an ex-partner in April 2021. Jason is calling for the introduction of standardised education on gender-based violence into our classrooms. He joins me now...

The actress who plays Princess Anna in Frozen, Kristen Bell, has apologised to parents for getting ‘Let it Go’ from Frozen stuck in their heads for years! But, is it an earworm, or just a great tune? Joining Kieran to discuss is Charlie McGettigan, Musician, Song Writer and Eurovision winner and Jen Hogan, Columnist with the Irish Times. Image: Disney

Today marks one year of the October 7th attacks, when Hamas-led militant groups led incursions into south Israel, which was the catalyst to ongoing conflict in the region. Two men who are no strangers to the issues facing these communities in Israel and Palestine are Danielle Bett, a Scottish-Israeli who works for Yachad, a Jewish pro peace movement and Aziz Abu Sarah, Palestinian Peace Activist a...

29 Ukrainians in a property in Blackrock are to be relocated to three separate hotels near Citywest, Liffey Valley and Temple Bar. The group have been living in Blackrock for almost two years, they have become a “big family”, they say. Joining Kieran to discuss this is Diana Tkachuk, Ukrainian mother, and part of the Blackrock community who is being moved to Citywest today and Denis, owner of the...

This week Kieran Cuddihy was joined by Presenter of Weekend Breakfast, Alison Curtis and Elaine Burke, Presenter of the ‘For Tech’s Sake’ podcast to look back on the week that was, but with a few twists…