The Hard Shoulder

A Cork City Councillor has called for harsher penalties for those found to be public intoxicated and aggressively begging in hopes to tackle anti-social behaviour. What is ‘aggressive’ begging? And will this actually work? Kieran is joined by Cllr. Shane O’Callaghan and Fergus Finlay, Columnist for the Irish Examiner to discuss.

As the summer draws to a close, Coldplay are marking the end of the season’s major concerts in Ireland. With 3 more performances from the band at Croke Park, the capital is abuzz with excitement. However, there has been a lack of recognition and respect for residents in the stadium's surrounding area. “We don’t want to seem like whinging killjoys”, says one resident, “but people’s lives are being...

The Hard Shoulder was in New Ross for the Kennedy Summer School and one of the events taking place this Saturday in St Michael’s Theatre is in depth look at crime and anti-social behavior.   Joining Kieran is Retired NYPD Deputy Commissioner and Vice Provost St. John’s University, NYC James O’Keefe, Maura Butler Lawyer, formerly Chairperson of the Association. for Criminal Justice, Resea...

It’s time for the Shopping Trolley Hotline! Where we review the same product from various stores and brands. This week, Newstalk’s Simon Tierney joined Kieran to compare different offerings for bin bags.

Biting the bullet, cats got your tongue and a dime a dozen; these are all regular sayings we often quote, but where do we get them from, and why do some sound so strange? Dr Stephen Lucek, Assistant Professor in Linguistics in UCD joins Kieran to discuss.

During the trial and tribulations of online dating, are people’s personal beliefs or political views something you should consider when trying to find a partner? Joining Kieran to discuss is Saoirse Hanely, Audience Editor and Columnist at The Sunday Independent and Stephanie Regan, Clinical Psychotherapist and Co-host of Tough Love Podcast.

More and more American style SUVs are making their way into the Irish market, and due to a legal loophole with its classification, those vehicles are getting bigger and bigger. Do we need to cut this out? And are SUVs too dangerous for our roads? Kieran is joined by Cynthia Ní Mhurchú, MEP and Michael Pidgeon, Green Party Councillor to discuss.

Jess Kelly, Newstalk’s Tech Correspondent joined Kieran Cuddihy for the Tech Takeover! This week, she discusses the viral ‘very demure’ meme, and how its creator was beaten to the punch with a trademark.

We can’t welcome more fast-food restaurants with open arms when the country faces an obesity epidemic. So says Sinead Ryan, Consumer Columnist and Host of the Home Show on Newstalk, following news that McDonald’s plans to open 200 new restaurants across Ireland and the UK. She joins Kieran to discuss.

Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary has suggested a two drink limit for Dublin Airport in order to curb any potential anti-social behaviour. Joining Kieran to discuss if this is a good idea is Managing Director of Freedom Travel and Solo Travel, Ciara Mooney and Travel Writer, Joan Scales.

Excitement is building in Paris and beyond, as the Paralympics Opening Ceremony kicks off tonight. It’s hard not to feel the nerves, as the success of Team Ireland this summer has undoubtedly put some wind in the sails for these events. Joining Kieran to discuss what we can expect is former Irish Paralympian and Motivational speaker, Peter Ryan.

Cheers and jeers would have rung out in many Irish houses today as the first rounds of university offers from the CAO went out. But, for some university courses, students will be allocated random spots due to a high number of applicants. Why is this the case, and are inflated grades to blame here? Kieran is joined by John Walshe, Former Advisor to Education Minister Ruairi Quinn, to discuss.

Coldplay are due to kick off their Dublin show tomorrow and many have descended upon the city. With all those people booking hotels, would it make sense to have a tax on hotel rooms to make the most of big events like this? Labour Party Councillor on Dublin City Council, Dermot Lacey and Micheal Lennon, General Manager of the Westport Woods Hotel join Kieran to discuss.

Passengers should be restricted to two drinks at airports, that’s according to Ryanair Chief Executive Michael O'Leary. He said introducing alcohol limits at airports would help tackle a rise in anti-social behaviour on flights. Henry McKean went to Dublin Airport today to get the public’s opinion, and joins Kieran Cuddihy to discuss.

Every week for Tuesday Travel 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 Kieran Cuddihy to talk about golfing holidays you can take at home.

Recent figures published by the Central Statistics Office show that Ireland has reached immigration levels of a 17-year high, along with the country’s highest emigration figures since 2015. Joining Kieran to discuss what this means is Sociologist, Evelyn Mahon.

CEO of Starbucks Brian Niccol has a very unusual commute as he takes a private jet over 1000 miles to travel between offices in Seattle, Washington and California. Is this reasonable? And should the use of private jets be banned to protect the environment? To discuss, Kieran is joined by Oisin Coughlan, CEO of Friends of the Earth Ireland and Kevin Byrne, retired Air Corps Lieutenant Colonel and A...

Bananas for bananas? There are layers to our favourite fruit. Today is National Banana Lovers Day, and Kieran is joined by registered Dietician Orla Walsh to share some fun facts about the fruit to celebrate.

Gardener Diarmuid Gavin joins Kieran Cuddihy to put his favourite book on The Hard Shoulder’s Bookshelf!

Some of Ireland’s biggest road projects, including the M20 Cork to Limerick transport project, could be delayed due to funding constraints. The Chief Executive of TII, Peter Walsh, is among those calling for a multi-annual funding allocation for road infrastructure. Joining Kieran to discuss is Cathal McSweeney, Director of Public Affairs at Cork Chamber.

Irish Athletics Champion, Rhasidat Adeleke, joins Kieran Cuddihy to reflect on her time at the Paris Olympics, and discuss what’s next for her.

It’s International Lottery Day - a day where we celebrate the life changing moment of what it feels to win the lotto. Newstalk’s Henry McKean has never won the lotto, but keeps trying, and joins Kieran Cuddihy to discuss.

Broadcaster and Actor, Spencer Matthews has spent the last 30 days running 30 marathons in the Jordanian dessert to raise money for Global’s Make Some Noise. Today is the final day of his Great Desert Challenge and Spencer joins Kieran Cuddihy to discuss the experience. Image: @spencermatthews on Instagram

It’s that time of year, the children are back at school which means the dreaded evenings helping with homework are back! But, is it a waste of time? And should we scrap it all together? Joining Kieran to discuss is Gemma Maher, Principal of Rathcoole Educate Together and parent of 2 and Mary McCarthy, Columnist for the Irish Independent.

As the summer draws to a close, how has the Irish tourism industry fared this year? To give a rundown, guest host Mandy Johnston is joined by Eoghan O’Mara Walsh, Chief Executive of the Irish Tourism Industry.