The Hard Shoulder

The UK Government’s appeal on the dismissal of Kneecap member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh’s alleged terror offence has not reached a judgement after hearings today. Joining Ciara with the latest updates is Newstalk Reporter Ellen Butler, who has been outside of the Royal Courts of Justice.

The Oireachtas Committee on Media held a hearing this afternoon on the regulation of online platforms and online safety. There was a particular focus on the recent controversy surrounding the Grok AI feature on X. Joining Ciara to discuss this is Alan Kelly, Chair of the Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport and Labour TD for Tipperary North and Aidan O'Brien, Rese...

As the Beckham family feud rumors rumble on, the latest in the saga is a legal letter sent by eldest son Brooklyn Beckham to his parents David and Victoria, suggesting no signs of improvement despite hopes of mending relations… For more on this, Ciara is joined by Entertainment Journalist, Olivia Fahy.

The hot school meals programme provided to schools is not sustainable, and there are concerns over procurement, nutrition and waste, an Oireachtas committee heard this afternoon. It is now available to all 3,700 primary schools feeding up 682,000 children. But Educate Together say that the current model is not sustainable… Newstalk’s Henry McKean has been investigating, and joins Ciara to discuss.

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, as part of his 12 best cities in the world, Fionn joined Ciara Doherty to give the ultimate guide to Stockholm in Sweden!

A second swan has been killed in a suspected dog attack sparking demands for CCTV and stricter laws to control dogs at Bray Harbour. Joining Ciara to discuss Pete Wedderburn, Bray-based Vet.

The Chief Inspector of Prisons, Mark Kelly, was before the Joint Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration today, following concerns raised in the Office of the Inspector of Prisons’ Annual Report for 2024. To discuss the latest around all this, Mark Kelly joins Ciara.

Green Party Leader Roderic O’Gorman joins Ciara Doherty to place his favourite book on The Hard Shoulder Bookshelf!

An inquest into the case of George Nkencho was formally opened this week, who was shot dead by Gardai on December 30th 2020. To discuss the latest developments, Ciara is joined by Irish Times Journalist and Historian, Ronan McGreevy.

New data centres will soon be allowed to be built in the capital and greater Dublin area. In the previous Government, Eamon Ryan had introduced restrictions due to issues around energy constraints on the electricity grid. Today, Enterprise Minister Peter Burke announced a 17-point plan called the ‘Large Energy User Action Plan’ or LEAP, which would enable the rollout of sustainable data centre dev...

NASA is set to bring home four astronauts which are expected to return to Earth within days after an astronaut suffered a health issue, the first such medical evacuation from the station in NASA’s history. For more on this, Ciara is joined by Leo Enright, Space Commentator and former Chairman of the Irish Government’s Science Awareness Program.

It’s been reported by Iranian officials that around 2,000 protesters have been killed in protests in the country. It’s as two weeks of intense protests continue to escalate. One of those concerned for what is happening over in Iran is human rights activist Mansoureh Bekhish, who joins Ciara to discuss. Also joining to discuss is Bernard Phelan, who was imprisoned in Iran in 2022... Image: Reuters

After a long Christmas break, the Dáil is back in session. Newstalk’s Political Correspondent Seán Defoe has been keeping an eye out, and joins Ciara to discuss what happened on the first day back…

Diageo has announced that the price of a pint of Guinness is set to increase next month, along with a number of other products. To discuss this and the impact it may have on the drinks sector, Ciara is joined by Chairperson of the Donegal Vintners Federation, Fine Gael Cllr Martin Harley and Economist at TU Dublin, Emma Howard.

Jessie Buckley won Best Actress at last night's Golden Globes. Newstalk’s Henry McKean visited Jessie's old school Ursuline Secondary School in Thurles and her home town of Killarney. Speaking to her old Principal, friends and even Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal themselves recently at the Hamnet Irish premiere.

The European Union is considering further sanctions against Iran in response to the violent crackdown against protesters. The EU has previously imposed numerous sanctions against Iran for human rights violations, selling drones and missiles to Russia, and its nuclear program. For more on this, Ciara is joined by Bel Trew, The Independent's Chief International Correspondent.

The Dáil resumes tomorrow with the first session of 2026. So time to mark our cards: what issues are the Government facing this term? Fionnan Sheahan is Ireland Editor with the Irish Independent, and joins Ciara to discuss.

For this week’s Kids Health Check, Ciara Doherty is joined by Psychologist Aisling O’Connor to discuss what to do when your child has a tantrum…

The first ever autistic Barbie doll to represent neurodivergent children has been launched by the toy giant Mattel. The Barbie features accessories like a fidget spinner, noise-cancelling headphones, and a communication tablet, but is this a positive move by the toy mogul or too generalised of a representation of autism? Joining Ciara to discuss is actor Brian Mulvey and Adam Harris, CEO and Found...

New figures are showing a significant increase on hospital waiting lists nationally. Figures from the National Treatment Purchase Fund for December show that there are 894,369 patients on hospital waiting lists across the country, an increase of more than 86,300 on the same time last year. Nearly 10 years ago the 2017 Sláintecare report, which was aimed at overhauling the health service, recommend...

Shrinkflation is not only making our chocolate bars smaller, but our books too! However, unlike with chocolate, the reason your book is smaller is not down to the cost of producing it, but rather our decreasing attention spans. Joining Ciara to discuss Sarah Maria Griffin, author of ‘Eat the Ones You Love’.

The US is due to meet with Danish officials this week about Greenland. Joining Ciara to discuss this is Newstalk Reporter Josh Crosbie, who is speaking with locals in Greenland. Also joining to discuss is former US Diplomat, Policy Adviser and Analyst for Republican leadership in the US Senate, Jim Jatras.

A woman has admitted to banning her husband from picking a film on movie night due to the disturbing ones he picked that left her distraught every time she sat down to watch TV. It got us thinking, who should gain custody of the remote? Should it always be a 50-50 split or, if you don’t like your partner’s film of choice, is separate screens the most sensible option? Joining Ciara to discuss is Jo...

The Minister for Justice is expected to bring a bill to cabinet to overhaul the states' asylum system. One of the many new changes includes new plans proposed by Minister Jim O'Callaghan that will see refugee families having to wait three years before bringing spouses and children to Ireland. Aontú Leader Peadar Tóibín joins Ciara Doherty to discuss.

This week, Ciara Doherty was joined by Off the Ball’s Ger Gilroy and Saoirse Hanley, Feature Writer with the Irish Independent to look back on the week that was, but with a few twists…