The Hard Shoulder

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

A Covid inquiry is to be announced and its personnel appointed before the return of the Dáil in September, but what should we be looking to gain from it? To discuss, Kieran is joined by Regina Nolan, member of Care Champions Ireland and John McGuinness, Fianna Fáil TD and Chair of the Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform.

As the final leg of July approaches, it is safe to say that this Irish Summer has been a damp squib. What has been the general assessment of the weather, and what effect does bad weather have on you? Comedian Jim Elliot, Mary McCarthy, Columnist with the Irish Independent and Iseult White, Psychotherapist and author join Kieran to discuss.

IT systems worldwide were hit today by an outage as a result a bug in an update by Cybersecurity giant Crowdstrike. It caused havoc the world over from grounding flights, TV stations stopped broadcasting, transport was delayed and some banking systems had difficulties. To discuss the impact, Kieran is joined by Paul Delahunty, Chief Information Security Officer at Stryve and in studio Jess Kelly,...

This Sunday, Clare and Cork face off in Croke Park to decide who gets to lift the Liam McCarthy Cup. Joining Kieran to discuss the excitement is Broadcaster and Presenter Jacqui Hurley and Newstalk’s own Henry McKean, who was out gauging interest from the public.

For a news update from the United States, Kieran Cuddihy is joined by Jeff Kuhner. The Kuhner Report on WRKO AM680 Radio in Boston is hosted by Jeffrey T. Kuhner, "Liberalism's Worst Nightmare," he is a conservative nationalist, who champions God, country and family. They discuss Biden’s chances at winning following new polling and how health reasons may be reason for an ousting in the Democratic...

Newstalk Reporter Josh Crosbie joined Kieran on The Hard Shoulder to discuss some of the people he’s met at the Republican National Convention, including those who witnessed the attempted assassination, student Republicans and even a Trump impersonator! Image: Megan Smith

Keir Starmer and Simon Harris met yesterday to discuss strengthening ties between the UK and Ireland. One thing on their agenda was the ‘Legacy Bill’ and Labour's plans to reform it...  How do victims feel about this scrapping of the bill? Is it performative? Or will justice be served? Joining Kieran to discuss is Joe Campbell, whose Father was a Catholic RUC officer shot dead in Cushendall,...

There have been multiple stories over the last few days of Strictly Come Dancing dancers being axed from the show... Well, new footage has emerged from 2006 of former Strictly pro James Jordan training actress Georgina Bouzova, and following, the BBC have now announced every partnership will have a chaperone, and the show will be hiring 2 welfare producers. Joining Kieran to explain what is going...

The TV licence fee is to be retained and topped up by exchequer funding. This is the deal being agreed on by the cabinet regarding the future funding of RTÉ. Joining Kieran to give the latest on what’s being agreed is Seán Defoe, Newstalk’s Political Correspondent.

What can we expect from Ursula Von der Leyen’s second term as President of the EU Commission? To discuss, Kieran is joined by Mairead McGuinness, European Commissioner for Financial Stability, Financial Services and the Capital Markets Union to discuss.

Early signs are that the government will look to expand incentives and alternatives to driving such as the bike to work scheme in a hope to break Ireland’s car addiction. Is this a realistic hope to transition from cars to bikes? And is the current biking landscape safe and fit for purpose? Newstalk Reporter Bella Finn gets reactions from the public. To discuss, Kieran is joined by Brian Caufield,...

Staring up at a sky full of stars is an incredible experience, but unfortunately, the majority of people who live in towns and cities never get to truly appreciate its rare beauty due to light pollution. Kerry is home to the International Gold Tier Dark Sky Reserve, which means it is a prime spot for stargazing! Joining Kieran to tell more is Aoibheann Lambe, tour guide with Kerry Dark Sky Tourism...

As part of Newstalk’s Summer Tour, The Hard Shoulder is in beautiful Kenmare town! Kieran Cuddihy has escaped the makeshift studio to talk with none other than the Host of ‘At your service’ and legendary hotelier John Brennan. They discuss the best things to see in his hometown, visiting spots and talking to locals.

You have probably heard alot lately about price gouging of hotels during big events, specifically in the capital, but is this common practice? And why are hotels raising their prices lately? Joining Kieran to discuss is Independent Kerry County Cllr and Hotelier, Niall ‘ Botty’ O'Callaghan and Patrick Hanley, owner of the Lansdowne Kenmare.

Host of ‘At Your Service’ and hotelier John Brennan joined Kieran Cuddihy in Kenmare to discuss the ups and downs of the hospitality sector in the town, and Kerry in general.

The Hard Shoulder is in Kenmare as part of Newstalk’s Summer Tour, and the team got the sense that the place is a melting pot of different cultures and nationalities ,and that there are those who ended up here as ‘blow-ins’. Peter Zoeller, former professional photographer and of German descent, joins Kieran to discuss why he moved to Kenmare, and why he loves the town so much.

The Hard Shoulder is in Kenmare as part of Newstalk’s Summer Tour, and one interesting place to visit is the Tom Crean Brewery in town! Yes, a microbrewery run by Tom Crean’s granddaughter! Kieran visits the location and speaks to Aileen Crean O’Brien to learn more about the business.

For this week’s Tech Takeover, Newstalk’s Technology Correspondent Jess Kelly joined Kieran Cuddihy to discuss the Esports Olympics - an official event that will determine the best video game players in the world. How will it work? And can you really compare them to the regular Olympics? Image: IOC

With the show taking place in Kenmare, it made sense to invite some Kerry royalty on. Kieran is joined by Jackie Healy-Rae, Independent Councillor for Kerry and Maura Healy-Rae, Independent councillor for the Killarney Municipal District to discuss their family, careers and life in Kerry.

Kenmare is just a few hundred metres back from Kenmare Bay, with beautiful coastal scenery and wildlife. Newstalk’s Henry McKean got ship shape and went on the Kenmare Bay Boat Tour! He joined Kieran to discuss, and share what he experienced.

The Hard Shoulder is in the beautiful Kenmare and the Lansdowne Hotel for the Newstalk Summer Tour! Joining Kieran are Karen Coakley, founder of Kenmare Foodie, Paul O’Connor former Kerry Footballer  and Joe Thoma, artist and fiddle player with band, “Doctor Strangely Strange”. They discuss what makes this part of Kerry so special.

Roberta Metsola, the re-elected President of the European Parliament today addressed new MEP’s, outlining her vision for the EU. In her speech, she addressed the need for the EU to protect girls like Nicole Fox (Coco) from hate and violence. Joining Kieran to discuss is Jackie Fox, mother of Nicole Fox.

With a new government forming in the UK and a new government on the horizon here in Ireland, Kieran’s guest has been questioning how many MP’s and TD’s have had third level education compared to in the past. Joining to discuss is Sunday Independent Columnist, Conor Skehan.

Now the Abbey Theatre is to close its doors for all of August – sending alarm bells throughout the Dublin theatre scene. Joining the show to discuss the current state of Ireland's theatre industry is playwright, Jimmy Murphy.