The Hard Shoulder

A Los Angeles jury has found Google and Meta liable for $3 million in damages today in a landmark social media addiction lawsuit… Terry Sheridan, Senior Director of News at WSHU Public Radio joins Shane to discuss.

The excitement is real ahead of tomorrow’s World Cup qualifier. Ireland are facing Czechia in Prague, and the Irish fans are arriving in their droves to hopefully witness a victory from the team. Henry McKean has joined them to get a sense of the buzz, and joins Ciara and Shane to discuss!

U.S. President Donald Trump has sent Iran a fifteen point peace plan which a senior official inside Iran has reportedly described as “excessive”. The peace plan was sent to Iran via Pakistan, and it was earlier unknown how widely it was shared within the country, which had previously claimed that the United States was “negotiating with itself”. So, what do we actually know about the plan and its p...

You’ll probably best know Ciara and Shane’s next guest from your TV screens, but next month he is returning to where it all started at the Five Lamps Arts Festival. Comedian, actor and writer Karl Spain joins to discuss!

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 rest of the week's action…

Earlier, Ciara and Shane spoke with Doireann Ní Ghlacáin, Host of the How To Gael Podcast on their new six-part series of the podcast which tackles the question ‘How to Unite Ireland?’ For more on this, Ciara is joined by Trevor Ringland, former unionist politician & former Irish rugby player.

The ESRI is today warning that higher energy prices as a result of war in the Middle East will push up inflation to an expected 3.2% this year. That outpaces last year’s rate of inflation of 2.2%. They have also pointed out that yesterday’s fuel excise duty reduction fails to target the less well off. Alan Barrett, Research Professor with the ESRI joins X to discuss their latest quarterly economic...

The new National Children's Hospital will not be substantially completed by the end of April, with BAM missing the 18th completion deadline… For more on this, Shane is joined by Catherine Ardagh, Fianna Fáil TD for Dublin South Central.

Earlier this month a report from the ESRI found that we are “lagging considerably behind” our targets for decarbonising residential heat. Since then, we have also heard about the cumbersome nature of applying for grants to retrofit homes. So, is the current system fit for purpose? Or even worse, is it failing? Eamon Ryan, former Leader of the Green Party joins Ciara to discuss.

The How to Gael podcast has been driving conversations through and about the Irish language and they’ve just launched their (not contentious at all) ‘How To Unite Ireland?’ podcast. The six-part series features some big Irish names including Taoiseach Micheál Martin and GAA President Jarlath Burns. Joining Ciara and Shane to discuss the podcast is one of its hosts, Doireann Ní Ghlacáin.

It’s time now Our Ultimate Guide and as ever, our travel guide Fionn Davenport, Travel journalist and Lonely Planet author, joins me now in studio... Fionn joined Ciara and Shane to discuss Easter holidays and what to do with the kids in and around Dublin

Former BBC broadcaster Huw Edwards has said the upcoming Channel 5 drama about his downfall is "hardly likely to convey the reality of what happened". The two-part drama, Power: The Downfall Of Huw Edwards, which starts on tonight on Channel 5   Olivia Fahey, Entertainment Journalist & Creator of Press Play joined Ciara and Shane to discuss the drama.  

The Government will create an additional 42,000 beds for students over the next 9 years. Under the new “National Student Accommodation Strategy 2026 – 2035", the Government will use public-private partnerships and spare bedrooms in private homes to create the additional beds The Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science is James Lawless, and he joined Shane and Ci...

On Thursday Evening Ireland will play Czechia in the crucial World Cup playoff game. Many Thousands of Irish are expected in the Czech capital, Prague, despite very few tickets for the game being available. Henry McKean headed to Dublin Airport, where he caught up with the Irish who are making the journey to support the boys in green.

Author Cathy Kelly discusses her new book The Island Retreat and places her favourite books on The Hard Shoulder’s Bookshelf !

Former President of Ireland and member of The Elders,Joined Ciara and Shane to discuss the ongoing conflict between Iran and the United States and Israel. She spoke about how the international community can react to the crisis and how, in her view, the war is an illegal breach of international law, and the impact the energy crisis brought by the war is having, not just here but also in poor countr...

Petrol and diesel prices are set to fall at midnight tonight as a result of a package of measures introduced by government, but when it comes to grocery prices, can we expect them to rise in the next few weeks? Oliver Browne is a lecturer in accounting in Cork University Business School in UCC and joined Shane and Ciara to explan

All across movies, books and television, we see the importance of and love in female friendships. These friendships are absolutely central in most women’s lives but they also change drastically over time. It’s very different making and maintaining friendships in school or college to as an adult once work and families start becoming busier.   Joining Shane and Ciara to discuss the wonderful, s...

Former Garda Superintendent Denis Whelan spoke to the Irish Independent about issues he observed in An Garda Síochána and said that “an environment has been created where gardaí are working with one arm tied behind their back” Whelan stressed that he has nothing personal against former commissioner Drew Harris but he said Harris’ seven-year term had a negative impact on policing in this country. &...

As the weather starts to improve, Dublin City's most popular social locations Drury Street, is already seeing a big increase in the number of people drinking publicly on the street throughout the week, but especially on the weekend. With Public Drinking an offence under local laws, more should be done to combat those engaging in this behaviour. Or does it encourage a vibrant atmosphere in the city...

A pilot and co-pilot have been killed after an Air Canada passenger plane carrying 76 people collided with a fire engine on a runway at LaGuardia Airport in New York. Harriet Alexander, Senior Features Writer for the Daily Mail based in New York joins Shane to discuss. Image: Reuters

The Construction Industry Federation has warned that the continuing rise in fuel prices could translate to increased construction costs in the coming months. It is yet another sector that is seeing price rises as a result of the war in Iran, with many raw materials in the industry produced from fuel intensive processes. Andrew Brownlee is the CEO of the Construction Industry Federation, and joins...

This weekend, the clocks will spring forward one hour leading to the bi-annual question: should we still be doing it? And why on earth do we do it in the first place? Sean Kelly, Fine Gael MEP for Ireland South joins Shane to discuss…

For this week’s Kids Clinic, Ciara and Shane are joined by Teresa Foley, Paediatric Occupational Therapist to discuss the important developmental milestones your child should have, beyond the basics of walking and talking.

Gardaí are looking to question a number of men and women in connection with a savage attack on a young mother, in Co Tipperary, last Saturday. For more on this, Ciara is joined by David Raleigh, Freelance Journalist…