The Hard Shoulder

For more reaction to Ryan Tubridy and Noel Kelly's appearance before two Oireachtas Committees today, Kieran was joined on The Hard Shoudler by Catherine Murphy, Social Democrats TD and Vice Chair of the Public Accounts Committee, Malcolm Byrne, Fianna Fáil Senator and Member of the Media Committee and Willie O'Reilly, Columnist at the Business Post and Former Group Commercial Director of RTÉ

The Government have announced details of a €150 million fund to address long-term vacancy and dereliction in towns and cities across the State. The funding was announced on Tuesday as part of the quarterly Housing for All progress update. It’s as just over 6,700 new homes were completed in the first three months of 2023 - an increase of almost 20 per cent on the same period in 2023. Is the plan st...

Limerick boss John Kiely has thrown his support behind the ladies footballers and camogie players, saying that a players’ charter needs to be established right away. It’s as protests are ongoing over demands for basic medical, gym, nutrition and expense arrangements around their intercounty regimes. Fiona McHale, Mayo ladies footballer joined Kieran to discuss...

RTÉ's new Director General Kevin Bakhurst joined Kieran Cuddihy live in studio to discuss the ongoing RTÉ payments scandal and the appearance of Ryan Tubridy before the Oireachtas Committee today...

Today is World Population Day! Kieran was joined on The Hard Shoulder by Robin Maynard, Executive Director of Population Matters to discuss the future of the world's population...

Ryan Tubridy has finally been able to break his silence as he has addressed the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee and he is now currently before the Media Committee. The broadcaster has accused the station of 7 untruths over the payment scandal which has engulfed the station. Kieran was joined by Newstalk’s Political Correspondent, Sean Defoe and Terry Prone, Chairman of the Communications Clin...

It was Kevin Bakhurst’s first day as Director General at RTÉ and he has hit the ground running, in one of his first acts he confirmed that the RTÉ Executive Board would be disbanded. So what are the challenges facing RTÉ’s New Director General? Tomorrow it is the turn of Ryan Tubridy and his agent Noel Kelly to go before the Oireachtas – they will face both the Media and the Public Accounts commit...

A decline in tourism this tourist season is hurting many businesses in rural Ireland. On July 8, proprietor of Treyvaud’s Restaurant Paul Treyvaud tweeted: “Rural Ireland is in serious trouble” and "it’s all down to a lack of accommodation." With many hotel spaces allocated to refugees and asylum seekers, others are forced to up their prices. Come winter, businesses may be in real trouble as a res...

An unnamed BBC presenter has been suspended for paying a teenager £35,000 in exchange for sexual images back in 2020. The Sun reported last week that the presenter involved made panicked phone calls to the individual involved. Other presenters have taken to social media to state their innocence while the presenter at the center remains unnamed. The BBC met with the Metropolitan Police today. Kiera...

Kevin Bakhurst is standing down the entire RTÉ executive board in his first major decision as Director General. In an email to RTÉ staff sent this morning, Mr Bakhurst said the board will be replaced by an interim leadership team until a permanent executive is created. Barry Whyte, Newstalk's Chief Reporter was at a press conference with the new Director General this afternoon...

A TD has made a call to make July 12th a public holiday in the south of Ireland. Green Party TD Patrick Costello thinks the government should legislate for a new holiday, and it would help bring the island together. St Patrick’s Day and July 12th are both celebrated in Northern Ireland, so would marking July 12th south of the border be a step towards uniting Ireland? Kieran was joined by Peadar Tó...

Tomorrow at 12:30 pm, Forsa Trade Union and Cork City Library staff will hold a solidarity march to Cork City Hall in support of the library workers’ rights. This action comes in response to harassment from far-right activists attempting to ‘cleanse’ the library of LGBTQ+ materials and others they deem inappropriate. The library staff and those who stand with them are hoping this action results in...

The final Ford Fiesta will roll off the production line today, Friday 7 July, following the company's decision late last year to axe the popular supermini. It brings 47 years and eight generations of the Fiesta to an end. Anton was joined by two very sad Ford Fiesta enthusiasts, our own Newstalker, Eamonn Torsney and John Egan, Vintage Car Enthusiast...

Kevin Bakhurst may not officially be the Director General of RTE until Monday but it’s clear his work has started. Following his meeting with Media Minister Catherine Martin yesterday – Bakhurst today met with union officials to discuss the crisis engulfing the state broadcaster. One of those present today is Emma O’Kelly Chair of the Dublin Broadcasting Branch of the NUJ who of course you will be...

Muireann Lynch, Energy Economist at the ESRI joined Anton Savage on the show to discuss energy prices...

Devices including mobile phones are set to be banned from classrooms to stop them from disrupting learning, the Dutch government has announced. The initiative is being introduced in collaboration with schools and is to take effect at the start of next year. Eric Nelligan  Secondary School Teacher in St Munchins College, Corbally and Aontú Spokesperson on Education joined Anton on the show to discu...

We’ve had more people in front of committees and news of Ryan Tubridy and Noel kelly due to appear next Tuesday before both PAC and Media Oireachtas committees. We’ve learned a lot more about the RTE corporate spending and the details fo the Toy Show the Musical. To go through this Anton was joined on the show by Alan Hughes, Panto Producer and Longest Running Panto Star and Willie O’Reilly, Colum...

The people of Ghent in Belgium are having an issue with beer bikes – huge vehicles where stag parties of up to 20  drink 50 liters of beer while pedaling around and listening to deafening music.  The city is now considering a ban on stag groups. This follows Amsterdam who in March launched an online advertising campaign designed to keep rowdy packs of stag parties away. Freek Wallagh is the Night...

A new bill updating Ireland's laws on hate crime and hate speech has been approved by the government and is currently with the Seanad. Many have been critical of the bill and it has certainly divided opinion Minister for Justice and Fine Gael TD for Meath East, Helen McEntee who introduced this bill last year joined Anton in studio...

Anton Savage was honored to have been joined by Vera Twomey, who as many of you will know is a medical cannabis campaigner, and mother of Ava, who died recently.

Speaking fluently and clearly should be given the same status as literacy and numeracy on a school curriculum. That is the vow from UK Labour Party Leader Keir Starmer who has been discussing the future of education across the Irish Sea. Anton was joined by Brenda Hyland Beirne Founder and Managing Director of The Irish School of Etiquette.

A survey by LV General Insurance showed one-third of people are unsure where the fusebox is in their home, and a quarter admit they don't know where their boiler is. Newstalk Reporter Henry McKean investigates why DIY has not been passed down through generations...

It’s time once again for the shopping trolley hotline where we review the same product from various stores and as ever Anton was guided by expert shopper Simon Tierney...

The Special Criminal Court has dealt with some of the biggest trials of the state under the offenses against the state act most recently the Trail of Gerry “The Monk” Hutch. But is the court's structure fundamentally flawed? Cian O'Concubhair Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice in the Department of Law and Criminology at Maynooth University joined Anton on the show.

Current and former RTE executives are currently appearing before Oireachtas Media Committee. With details emerging that RTE spent hundreds of thousands on corporate events for clients through now multiple barter accounts. Including 5000 euro worth of Havaiananian flip flops. Anton was joined by Sinn Fein Finance Spokesperson Pearse Doherty and Newstalk’s Political Correspondent, Sean Defoe who is...