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...

Ireland is aging faster than anywhere else in Europe. That’s according to a new report from the Department of Health. Kieran was joined by Paul Cullen Irish Times Health Correspondent and Dr Barra Rowntree Economist at the ESRI

Pop Icon, Elton John has been announced as Glastonbury 2023’s Headline Act. He’ll join a long list of musical greats who have performed at the legendary English Music Festival. Kieran was joined by Journalist and Broadcaster, Pat Carthy to explain why the Rocket Man was the perfect choice for the main stage...

Green MEP Ciarán Cuffe is calling for more residential buildings on O’Connell Street as a way to prevent anti-social behaviour. He put forward the argument that more residents in the city would make it less threatening than it is already. However, is it a case of needing to move more people into the city centre or to improve the city for those who already live there?  Kieran was joined by Dublin C...

Stress levels on Christmas Day reach boiling point at exactly 9:37am, a new study has found. Newstalk reporter, Henry McKean was investigating what stress levels are like on the streets of Dublin with just 21 days left of Christmas shopping...

In the year that 'Home Alone 2: Lost in New York' celebrates it's 30th Anniversary, the Irish actress Brenda Fricker joined Kieran on The Hard Shoulder to discuss her Oscar, filming in New York and meeting Donald Trump...  

Now as some of you might be heading off to buy presents in the lead up to Christmas, we must not forget the ongoing struggles many living in poverty are facing. Only last week we passed record homeless figures with more than 11,000 people accessing services. We still don’t know the actual extent of rough sleepers as many are not included in these official figures. Newstalk reporter Josh Crosbie ha...

Hugh Wallace returns to our screens tonight with the finale of his new show My Bungalow Bliss. Hugh has travelled all over the country to transform four drab bungalows into dream homes. Hugh joined Kieran in studio to discuss the journey and the future of the pattern of housing in Ireland...

An anti-immigration protest was staged at the front gates of St Joseph’s Convent in Fermoy last night, with the organiser calling for asylum seekers inside to be deported. The protesters carried out their action despite local concern for the children among the refugees. Kieran was joined by Cork City North-East Councillor Ken O'Flynn to discuss...

Geraldine Leonard joined Kieran to speak about about her father, who is in his 80's. He was left waiting on a trolley in St Vincent’s hospital for almost 24 hours last weekend due to staff shortages. He had originally presented at Loughlinstown Hospital A&E where he was turned away as it was past 6pm. John Brady, Sinn Féín TD for Wicklow joined Kieran on the show to discuss...

The French baguette has been awarded UNESCO heritage status. Holly Dalton, Chef and Director of Conbini Condiments joined Kieran on The Hard Shoulder to discuss what uniquely Irish foods are deserving of UNESCO heritage status... Image: Taste Atlas

After being joined on the show yesterday by Mary Rose Carroll, Assistant Director of Industrial Relations with the INMO to discuss the ongoing trolley crisis, listeners got in touch with their stories about the crisis. Geraldine Leonard got in touch about her father, who is in his 80's. He was left waiting on a trolley in St Vincent’s hospital for almost 24 hours last weekend due to staff shortage...

A new trial will begin in Dublin City Council putting seagull proof sacks to use, to help end bin bags being teared open by birds. Kieran was joined by Keith Connolly Fianna Fail councillor on Dublin City Council and Niall Hatch, from Birdwatch Ireland…

Kieran was joined on The Hard Shoulder by Clare McKenna, presenter of Alive and Kicking on Newstalk, to discuss how to age well...

Newstalk's own, Simon Tierney joined Kieran for the new 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 took a look a the different brands of digestive biscuits...

Yesterday, Fianna Fáil TD for Clare Cathal Crowe spoke to Clare FM refugee crisis, and how Clare, as a county was coping. Cathal Crowe TD and Nick Henderson, CEO of the Irish Refugee Council joined Kieran on the show to discuss...

Physicians and experts in the realm of Alzheimer’s research have hailed the “beginning of the end” in the search for effective treatments after a new drug was seen to reduce memory decline among patients in the initial phases of the disease. To discuss the landmark findings and their potential significance, Kieran was joined by Professor Sean Kennelly, Consultant Physician in Geriatric Medicine at...

New rules for banks mean the cafes and restaurants may be forced by law to accept cash payments, with an increasingly cashless society what does this mean for businesses who have already taken the plunge to being card only? James Fegan, the owner of Fegans 1924 on Chancery Street joins us now to tell us about running a business completely cashless...

12,000 people were on trolleys in our hospitals this month, that’s according to figures from the the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation. The organization says it’s the highest figure ever recorded for November since records began. Kieran was joined by Mary Rose Carroll, assistant director of Industrial Relations with the INMO in Dublin and Mick Molloy, who is a Consultant in Emergency Medicine...

The Hard Shoulder was live from the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Awards 2022 at the Powerscourt Hotel. Kieran was joined by Frank O’Keefe, EY Ireland’s Managing Partner and Bobby Kerr, Presenter of Down To Business on Newstalk to kick things off... Image: EY

New advice for the Department of Education will advise against the use of aerobic fitness tests in schools. In other words, they want to ban the bleep test. The move is aimed at trying to ensure that pupils with lower levels of fitness aren't discouraged. Kieran was joined by Professor Niall Moyna from the DCU School of Health and Human Performance to discuss...

Kieran Cuddihy was joined in studio by Fine Gael Senator, Regina Doherty, and Socialist Party TD for Cork North Central, Mick Barry. For the next few weeks, in a brand new series called ‘Common Ground’, they will debate some of the biggest, most divisive topics around. The series continued with a discussion around should the banks be nationalised?

The decision to delay road toll increases by six months will cost the taxpayer around €12.5m. Cabinet this morning officially agreed to delay the increase. Kieran was joined by Verona Murphy, Independent TD and Former President of the Irish Road Haulage Association and Hazel Chu, Former Mayor of Dublin and Green Party Councilor to discuss...

According to an ESRI study, over 90% of those between 16 and 24 are concerned about the environment, with over half willing to ban domestic non-essential flights and 3 in 10 saying they’ll eat a plant based diet long term. Kieran was joined by Patrick O’Connor from Extinction Rebellion Ireland and Caillum Hedderman, an environmentalist and social activist to discuss...

Those of you on social media will no doubt have seen Insta Fest - a new app allowing Spotify users to create their very own festival lineup! Like Spotify Wrapped, which is on the way this week, Instafest has been revealing everyone’s top artists but – more importantly - their guilty pleasures. But what constitutes a guilty pleasure? Do we all have them? Kieran was joined by Today FM’s Ed Smith to...