The Hard Shoulder

In light of recent events involving attacks on Gardaí, An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar condemned the incident but he also raised concerns about a general rise in violence in society. For more on this and what can be done, Kieran was joined by James, a taxi driver in Dublin, Jill O’Mahony, Sociology Lecturer at Southeast Technological University and Padraig Rice, Policy and Research Manager at LGBT Irela...

Dr Tara Logan Buckley, Clinical Psychologist joined Kieran for a new segment where they will dig a little deeper into the mysteries of the mind and mental health.  The series continued by taking a look at the different attachment styles out there, how they form and how they affect our romantic relationships...

Every week, Tuesday Travel on The Hard Shoulder with thanks to Emirates, will take a closer look at some of the fantastic destinations Emirates fly to around the world. This week, Kieran was joined by Fionn Davenport, travel writer and broadcaster to look at Seville...

Public Expenditure Minister, Paschal Donohoe joined Kieran on The Hard Shoulder to discuss the details of the €1.3 billion package of cost of living measures announced by the Government today. Minister Donohoe also addressed comments made by Former Taoiseach, John Bruton on Newstalk Breakfast and the ongoing controversy surrounding former Kilkenny hurler DJ Carey after he received a 99 per cent de...

Vladimir Putin has accused Ukraine and the West of starting the war almost a year ago, while Moscow simply used "force to stop it". The Russian President made the accusations during his State of the Union address, laying out his plans for the next 12 months. Putin says Ukraine was made "anti-Russian" long ago. Meanwhile the US president Joe Biden has been speaking in the past hour in Poland. He sa...

Kieran was joined in studio by Fine Gael Senator, Regina Doherty, and Socialist Party TD for Cork North Central, Mick Barry. Continuing the series, ‘Common Ground’, they will debate some of the biggest, most divisive topics around. The series continued with a discussion around 'Should we increase the size of the military?'

The Taoiseach and Tánaiste have condemned an attack on gardaí in Ballyfermot in Dublin. An officer was struck in the face with a bottle after being surrounded by a crowd of young people. Two Garda vehicles were also damaged in the incident. Barry Whyte, Newstalk’s Chief Reporter joined Kieran from Ballyfermot where he met with locals to discuss…

‘Flowers’ by Miley Cyrus has taken over the charts all through 2023, so much so that it recently broke the Spotify record for most streams in a single week. It’s also already become one of the most dissected “diss tracks” of all time, given the not-so-subtle shade which is thrown at ex-husband Liam Hemsworth. This world of the diss track is nothing new of course, and to talk through some of the mo...

The government has signed off on a €1.3 billion package of cost of living measures. This includes €200 of bonus welfare payments, a €100 child benefit top-up, more supports for businesses to meet energy costs, and an extension of the lower VAT rate of 9 per cent for the hospitality industry. Kieran was joined by Newstalk’s Political Correspondent Sean Defoe to talk through the key points of the an...

The big energy news today has been that Pinergy has been the first in the Irish energy market to reduce its prices since the pandemic. Their prices will be reduced by 7.1% from the end of March. Daragh Cassidy of bonkers.ie joined Kieran in studio to discuss. In other energy and fuel news, AA Ireland are looking for clarity on fuel increases due in March. Paddy Comyn is Head of Communications with...

Actress Pauline McLynn joined Kieran on The Hard Shoulder to discuss why she is supporting the Irish Heart Foundation FAST campaign, her latest work and Irish BAFTA wins…

It’s almost one year since Education Minister, Norma Foley floated potential reforms for the Leaving Cert. The first reform would look at moving some of the coursework, including Paper 1 of English and Irish into 5th Year. However, there have been some concerns expressed on that front. Kieran was joined by Carl O’Brien, Education Editor with The Irish Times, Michael Gillespie, General Secretary of...

The seemingly inextricable link between sports and the gambling industry has been an increasingly prominent issue in recent years - but what about the athletes caught in the middles of these commercial links? David Wheeler, an English professional footballer who currently plays for Wycombe Wanderers, has recently written about his own misgivings around the prominence of gambling advertising in the...

New research from the Motor Insurers Bureau has shown that the number of uninsured private vehicles on Irish roads grew for the third year in a row. Last year, the total number of private vehicles driving without insurance reached just over 187,000 - an increase of almost 14,000 on 2021. Kieran was joined by Fianna Fáil Senator, Timmy Dooley and Peter Boland from the Alliance for Insurance Reform...

Critics including the UK Prime minister have condemned the rewriting of Roald Dahl’s books to remove content deemed offensive, such as references to weight, mental health, violence, gender and race. Is it ok to modernise literature ? Or has this woke culture gone wild?   Kieran was joined by Stella O’Malley, Psychotherapist and Author and Sheila O'Flangan, Author of ‘What Eden Did Next?’ to discus...

Ahead of Pancake Tuesday next week, Aisling Larkin, Mindful Eating Coach and TV Chef joined Anton Savage today to discuss some of the best ways to serve your pancakes...

Serious concerns have been raised about the lack of nurses in hospitals, to provide a safe service to patients. It comes as the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation has sanctioned a campaign of industrial action over staff shortages. The move follows a month-long period of consultation. Anton Savage was joined by Edward Matthews, Deputy General Secretary of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisa...

The DUP says talks on the Northern Ireland protocol have reached a "big moment". British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has been holding discussions near Belfast with Stormont parties. DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson says progress has been made in resolving the outstanding issues Anton Savage was joined by Ben Lowry, Editor of The News Letter to discuss…

It’s over 25 years since his ‘Last Dance’ with the Chicago Bulls, but Michael Jordan remains the highwater mark for success in the sporting sphere and beyond! The basketball legend turns 60 today, and to reflect on his legacy at large, Anton Savage was joined by Kieran Shannon of The Irish Examiner...

Broadcaster, John Creedon joined Anton Savage on The Hard Shoulder to discuss his series 'Fleadh Cheoil', his relationship with singer-songwriter John Prine and working setting up music gear as a young lad...

Are we, as a country, in fact getting to grips with the accommodation crisis? Conor Skehan, the former chair of the Housing Agency, and columnist with the Sunday Independent joined Anton Savage to discuss…

Italian cheese has topped a poll for the best cheeses in the world. Parmesan came in first, Burrata second and Grana Padano third — beating French cheeses such as Reblochon which came in outside of the top ten at number 13.  Anton Savage was joined by Finbar Deery Head of Retail at Sheridan’s Cheese and Manuela Spenelli, Former interpreter for Giovanni Trapattoni who now runs Eurotoques Ireland, a...

A drug called Cariban is available to treat the condition hyperemesis which affects women during pregnancy. However concerns were raised today about patients could go about getting the cost of the drug covered. Anton Savage was joined by Jennifer Whitmore, Social Democrats TD for Wicklow to discuss…

Cóilín Ó Scolaí joined us on the programme earlier this week following the settling of a High Court action over the death of his daughter. The O’Scolai family believe they’ve been lied to about what happened ever since. Anton Savage was joined by Roisin Molloy, whose baby son Mark died shortly after birth in 2012 following failings in his care at the Midlands Regional Hospital in Portlaoise. She’s...

The Green Party will seek to pause energy credits this summer, when coalition leaders meet to discuss cost of living supports. The final 200 euro energy credit will be issued in April under the current plan announced last Autumn. The Government is under pressure to extend the support, as costs remain high for many, despite a fall in wholesale energy prices. Anton Savage was joined by Alan Farrell,...