The Hard Shoulder

Edenderry Garda station remains closed for specialist deep cleaning after two gardaí became seriously unwell while processing seized vapes at the County Offaly station on Wednesday, and were taken to hospital. Garda sources said the two members of the force who were handling the items became “very ill” after being overpowered as they processed and bagged items from the haul. Cannabis vapes emit fu...

Taoiseach Micheál Martin is in Kyiv today meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Newstalk Reporter, Emily Keegan, who is also in Kyiv, joins Ciara to discuss what has happened so far on this visit.

Mentalist Keith Barry joins Ciara for this week’s Thursday Interview!

Off The Ball’s John Duggan joined Ciara and Shane on The Hard Shoulder to review the week in sport and look ahead to the week’s action…

The Taoiseach has said that the Government's investigation into Aughinish Alumina has not found definitive proof linking its alumina exports to a weapons manufacturer in Russia. Joining Ciara to discuss this is Donnacha Ó Beacháin, Professor of Politics at DCU and author of ‘Unfinished Empire: Russian Imperialism in Ukraine and the Near Abroad’ who is at the Magill Summer School in Donegal and Nia...

More than 100 UK-based millionaires, including former Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker, have signed a letter urging new Prime Minister Andy Burnham to tax their wealth. Organised by the group Patriotic Millionaires UK, the letter called for higher taxes not on everyday workers, but on the very richest in the UK, an annual 2% tax on wealth above £10 million. Is it time we do the same here? W...

A tidal barrier to protect Cork city from flooding will not be needed until the next century, according to Minister of State Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran, despite concern from local businesses. Mr Moran stated that a €200 million Lower Lee Flood Relief Scheme (LLFRS) is the “only viable solution to Cork’s flooding problem”. Mr Moran’s comments came in response to a parliamentary question raised by Sinn Féi...

Earlier this month, the European Council gave the green light to reforms for air passengers and their rights. The rules include baggage and the price of the plane ticket and also set allocations and the costs around that. Ryanair has criticised them as “gobbledygook”, so to make sense of it, Shane is joined by Pól Ó Conghaile, Group Travel Editor with the Irish Independent…

On Monday, the government agreed to ban e-scooters for under-18s from next month, delaying a decision on an outright ban for now. The director of a chain of e-scooter shops has said they welcome the new regulations, but the responsibility for enforcement must lie with parents and gardaí. Director of LOCO Scooters, Paddy O'Brien, joins Ciara to discuss.

New research has found that nearly one in four women in Ireland and the UK do not know the length of their own menstrual cycle, despite the growing popularity of period tracker apps. But, what privacy concerns are there for women storing sensitive information on these apps? Joining Ciara to discuss is Elaine Burke, host of ‘For Tech’s Sake’ podcast.

Life can be full of confusing things, but no need to worry! Every Wednesday, Simon Tierney will be showing you ‘How to do Stuff’ - bringing his best tips for those things you might not think about. This week, Simon joins Ciara and Shane to discuss how to draw the perfect bath!

United States Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said that the war on Iran is estimated to have cost about $37.5 billion so far, and has asked for twice that amount to continue fighting. This also comes as New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani calls on the US government to arrest Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netenyahu. Joining Ciara to discuss is David Smith, Washington Bureau Chief with The Guar...

For this week’s Tech Takeover, Jess Kelly, Newstalk’s Technology Correspondent joins Shane and Ciara to discuss how an OpenAI autonomous agent went rogue during testing…

Off The Ball’s John Duggan joined Ciara and Shane on The Hard Shoulder to review the week in sport and look ahead to the week’s action…

The Department of Finance today published its Summer Economic Statement which outlines spending projections. It sets out a €125 billion package, which is how much the Government expects to have available for Budget 2027. Joining Shane to discuss this is Jack Chambers , Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform & Digitalisation and Fianna Fáil TD for Dublin West.

A poll over in the UK found that 83% of people have a rigid morning routine.  It also emerged 34% get up immediately at their first alarm, while 26% hit ‘snooze’ once or twice before rising. But, what is the importance of having a solid morning routine? Joining Ciara to discuss this is High-Performance Coach, Mark Fennell.

The wrongful conviction of Osgur Breatnach for the Sallins train robbery 50 years ago has now been declared a miscarriage of justice… Osgur joins Shane to discuss.

A wildfire on Slievenamon in County Tipperary has spread to Coillte forest as emergency services continue to contain the blaze. Newstalk Reporter Alex Rowley is in the area speaking with emergency services on their efforts, and joins Ciara to give the latest updates.

"Most of us are guilty of hypocrisy over Irish, we have a ‘bit’, but don’t try to speak to us. So don’t blame Lynn Boylan", so says Donal Lynch, Journalist with the Sunday Independent. This comes after Lynn told an EU meeting that it was unfortunate that we can’t use our own language in the committee, only for her to be told she in fact could speak Irish if she wished. So, are we all guilty of hyp...

Every week for The Ultimate Guide on The Hard Shoulder, Fionn Davenport takes a closer look at some of the fantastic destinations to visit around the world. This week, Fionn joined Ciara to give the ultimate guide to Orlando in Florida, and what you can do beyond the theme parks!

With the shift underway from petrol and diesel cars towards EV's well and truly underway, the question on everyone's lips remains how much could you actually save by opting for an electric car? Joining Ciara to discuss is Ger Herbert, Sunday Independent Motoring Editor.

Twelve years after Phil Hogan abolished town councils, they are set to return in a more modest form as municipal councils. An expert group has recommended creating these new local councils across all 31 local authorities, including in cities.  Joining Ciara to discuss this is Derek Mooney, Public Affairs and Communications Advisor and former Fianna Fail Strategist.

Domestic abuse doesn't always leave visible scars. While awareness has grown, many survivors still suffer in silence, and their stories remain hidden. As Women's Aid continues its work supporting those experiencing domestic abuse and highlighting the realities behind the statistics, Ciara is joined to discuss by Women's Aid CEO, Sarah Benson. If you have been affected by anything in this conversat...

Former Taoiseach and author of 'Speaking My Mind' joins Ciara to place his favourite book on the Hard Shoulder Bookshelf!

With the cost of crude oil having exceeded $90 a barrel for the first time in almost six weeks, experts are warning that this surge in price will be reflected in pump prices at our forecourts over the next few days… For more on this, Ciara is joined by Muireann Lynch, Energy Economist and Senior Research Officer with ESRI and Pearse Doherty, Sinn Féin TD for Donegal and party Spokesperson on Finan...