The Hard Shoulder

The Universal Social Charge was introduced in 13 years ago as a temporary measure to deal with the pressures which the financial crash brought. But, why are we still paying it? Kieran was joined by Verona Murphy Independent TD for Wexford and Daragh Cassidy, Head of Communications at Bonkers.ie...

For the second year running, the Night and Day Festival will take place this summer. On the 24th and 25th of June the magical, musical medley of performance, art and interaction will take place in the surroundings of Lough Key Forest Park, Co. Roscommon. Liam Ó Maonlaí from Hothouse Flowers joined Kieran to

Analysis from the Irish Independent shows a variety of reasons given including the houses being too small, lacking in garden or parking space, lack of storage for motorbikes or being located too close to an ex-partner. Kieran was joined by Susanne Rogers, Research And Policy Analyst Social Justice Ireland and Tom Phillips, managing Director of Tom Phillips and Associates and Adjunct Associate Prof...

Meltdowns, making packed lunches and lost items of clothing are all making parents late in the morning. That's according to a new survey for Natures Aid children’s vitamins, Mini Drops and Super Stars. Henry McKean met these people in the rain and asked them what makes them late and do they find lateness rude or is it part of our culture?

It is 35 years to the day since Ray Houghton headed the ball into the English net at Euro 88' in West Germany. Former Ireland international, Ray Houghton joined Kieran on The Hard Shoulder to discuss the infamous goal...

Boris Johnson, as well as some of his colleagues, have stepped down as an MP over the weekend. While Nicola Sturgeon has been released without charge following her arrest in connection with the ongoing investigation into the funding and finances of the SNP. Lucy Fisher, chief political commentator at Times Radio joined Kieran to discuss. On this side of the water, a political mutiny could be on th...

There are calls for stricter enforcement of E-scooter rules after footage emerged of someone riding one down the M50 in Dublin. The footage, shared widely on social media, shows the rider hurtling down the busy motorway wearing a high-viz but no helmet. The video has caused a new wave of concern around the safety of these vehicles. How safe are these scooters to use currently, and what needs to be...

U2, the Rolling Stones and now Harry Styles - yes the former one direction star will headline at Slane castle tomorrow. The iconic concert is back after a three year pandemic-induced hiatus and welcome a young crowd of mostly first timers. Newstalk's Sarah Madden reports on why Harry Styles is the perfect performer for this new generation of Slane concert pilgrims.

Aisling Larkin, Mindful Eating Coach and TV Chef joined Kieran today to discuss the all-time great and everyone's favourite by the sea - fish and chips...

All religious images and artefacts have been removed from display at St Vincent’s Hospital after the religious Sisters of Charity’s shareholding was transferred to a charitable trust last year. For more on this, Kieran was joined by Jillian Brennan, CEO of the Humanist Association and Senator Rónán Mullan....

Off The Ball's Nathan Murphy joined Kieran Cuddihy on The Hard Shoulder to review the week in sport and look ahead to the weekend action...

Donald Trump is facing criminal charges over his handling of classified documents after he left the White House. The details of the charges related to files found at his Mar-a-Lago home in August 2022 have not been released. His attorney confirmed seven counts, including an espionage charge and several obstruction and false statement charges - describing them as "ludicrous". Kieran was joined by G...

How neutral really is Ireland and how has the concept of neutrality changed over time? Kieran was joined on The Hard Shoulder by Conor Gallagher, Irish Times Crime and Security correspondent to discuss his new book 'Is Ireland Neutral: The Many Myths of Irish Neutrality'...

Controversy is brewing in Italy after it was announced that cyclists could be forced to take out insurance, fit numbers plates and have indicators on their bicycles. But could similar measures improve road safety here in Ireland? Kieran was joined by Seamus Boland, CEO of irish Rural Link and Noel Gibbons, Chairperson of the Western Lakes Cycling Club

Trade unionist Brendan Ogle and Minister of State Neale Richmond debated whether an unemployment rate of 3.8% is a true good news story, or whether it tells another tale.

SIPTU has today been seeking a €2 an hour increase for workers in early years education at pay talks that began today. The union wants the minimum hourly wage rate to increase from €13 to €15. Darragh O’Connor, SIPTU's Head of Strategic Organising and Campaigns joined Kieran after talks to discuss the moves going forward...

Last June, Sky Arts ran its first ever nationwide arts initiative for primary schools, ‘Access All Arts week’. It’s back for its second year, 19-23 June and to celebrate the week, Sky Arts will be airing a special episode of ‘Portrait Artist of the Year’ featuring celebrities and children. Kieran was joined by acclaimed actor, author and presenter of ‘Portrait Artist of the Year’, Stephen Mangan…

Tesco is set to reduce their prices by an average of 10pc across more than 700 products. For more reaction to this, Kieran was joined by Louise O’Reilly, Sinn Fein TD and spokesperson on Enterprise, Trade and Employment and Caitriona Redmond, Cost of Living Expert with the Irish Examiner...

Dubliners could vote next year on whether Dublin should have a directly elected mayor with executive powers. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has indicated that such a vote could be held on the same day as the local and European elections in early June 2024. How do we feel about this prospect? Kieran was joined by Michael Pidgeon, Dublin City Councillor for the Green Party and Derek Mooney, Public Affairs c...

SIPTU has today been seeking a €2 an hour increase for workers in early years education at pay talks that began today. The union wants the minimum hourly wage rate to increase from €13 to €15. Kieran was joined by Paula Donoghue, owner of Clever Clogs in Cavan and national secretary of the Association of Childhood Professionals and Rowena Fisher, a pre-school childcare provider...

Tesco is set to reduce their prices by an average of 10pc across more than 700 products. Barry Whyte, Newstalk's Chief Reporter joined Kieran on The Hard Shoulder to discuss what products this will affect, will it lead to a price war amongst supermarkets and get reaction from shoppers...

Artemis Fowl author Eoin Colfer and illustrator Celia Ivey have combined forces on a new children’s book, Little Big Sister. The book tells the story of a girl growing up with dwarfism. Celia brought the characters to life through her artwork. Kieran was joined by Eoin and Celia in studio...

Dublin has made it into the top 10 most expensive cities in Europe moving up from 13th place last year to 9th this year. But where does the rest of our cities rank? Kieran was joined by Joe O'Shea, Editor of CorkBeo.ie and medical journlalist, June Shannon to discuss...

Newstalk's own, Simon Tierney joined Kieran Cuddihy for the series 'The Shopping Trolley Hotline'. The series will give listeners pause when they’re filling their trolleys, to consider their options. This week Simon and Kieran are looking at two of your five-a-day, apples and oranges...

Greta Thunberg has been nominated for the Honorary Freedom of the City of Dublin which got us thinking, should Ireland have an official honour system? Like the way in which the UK or France honour their citizens? Kieran was joined by Hazel Chu, Former Lord Mayor of Dublin and Green Party Councillor and Joe Lyanm, Broadcaster and Newstalk’s Business Editor…