The Hard Shoulder

EU’s top court, the ECJ has upheld the Dublin Airport passenger cap, meaning regulators must take the 32 million a year limit into account when allocating airline slots. Kevin Byrne, Retired Lieutenant Colonel & Airport safety & security expert spoke to Ciara on the show this evening.

Earlier today, an Oireachtas Committee heard pandemic remains the top risk to National Security, with antibiotic-resistant infection, cyber-attacks and disruption to critical supply chains also included. Sinn Féin TD for Mayo, Rose Conway Walsh who is chair of the Joint Committee on Defence and National Security joined Shane on the show discuss.

Has the humble carvery become the hottest trend in Gen Z dining? Newstalk reporter Sarah Madden reports.

 The Government is seeking to get public sector unions back around the table to avoid a second day of strikes next week. It follows yesterday’s nationwide walkout by around 300,000 workers over pay.  Louise Byrne, Irish Examiner Political Correspondent joined us on the show to discuss.

Arrests have been made in the arson attack in Waterford City that took the lives of four members of the English family on Wednesday. Barry Whyte, Newstalk’s Chief Reporter brought us the latest on the investigation.

Newstalk Reporter Emily Keegan brought us the latest as Jeffrey Donaldson sentenced to 15 years in prison for rape and child sex assaults.

Shane was joined on the show by Dublin Labour MEP Aodhán Ó Ríordáin who has launched a campaign today urging the EU to end its preferential trade agreement with Israel. The campaign calls for the EU-Israel Association Agreement to be scrapped. 

A new report surveying 330 students across 12 higher education institutions in Ireland has found that controlling behaviours are becoming normalised in student relationships.    Joining Ciara on the show to discuss was Clinical Psychotherapist, Stephanie Regan. 

Russia has launched another major attack on Ukraine, with civilians killed and around 600,000 people left without electricity. At least six people have been killed with strikes hitting Kyiv and Kharkiv.   For the very latest Ciara was joined on the show by Emanuelle Chaze, Ukraine Correspondent for France 24 to discuss.

How does music positively impact people in difficult times such as dealing with bereavement, chronic pain, or comforting a loved one with dementia?   Dr Shane Cassidy, founder of Neurolinks and music therapist joined Shane on the show to discuss.

Irish author Sally Rooney says her books will no longer be sold in the UK, following an agreement with her publisher, Faber, over legal concerns arising from her support for Palestine Action.  Martin Doyle, Books Editor with the Irish Times joined Shane on the show to discuss.

Emmet Malone Work correspondent for The Irish Times along with Economist and Former Political Analyst David W Higgins joined Ciara on the show to discuss the latest from today’s public sector strike.

Male pattern hair loss affects millions of men, but that doesn’t make it any easier to deal with when it starts happening to you. Ciaran Bradley, Newstalk’s Digital Editor joined Shane on the show to discuss.

Minister of State for Local Government and Planning & TD for Waterford, John Cummins joined us on The Hard Shoulder to discuss the public sector strike action taking place around the country.

The number of people applying for citizenship soared by 236% after the Government announced it was tightening the application process.  But what is the importance of the Irish passport throughout history?    Nathan Mannion, Head of Exhibitions and Programmes at The EPIC museum Dublin joined us on the show to discuss.

The trial of comedian Russell Brand has opened at in London. The comedian faces seven charges relating to alleged offences against six women between 1999 and 2009. Brand has pleaded not guilty to all charges. The prosecution has begun outlining its case   Former Editor of Bureau of Investigative Journalism and freelance journalist, Meirion Jones joined Ciara with the latest.

Status Yellow wind and rain warnings are in place for seven counties across the day. Carlow Weather’s, Alan O’Reilly joined Ciara on the show with the latest.

Every week for The Ultimate Guide on The Hard Shoulder, we take a closer look at some of the fantastic destinations to visit around the world. This week, Eoghan Corry, Editor of Air and Travel Magazine, joined Ciara and Shane to give his ultimate guide to getting the best deals on air travel!

The search is on for Ireland's next big boyband, potentially bigger than Boyzone or Westlife. Brian McFadden has brought together the people behind One Direction and the Sugerbabes. Henry McKean sat down with Brian McFadden, and sent us this interview. If you think you have what it takes,  and you are between 17 and 19 years of age check out Brian McFadden's instagram page or eu.castitreach.c...

More than 300,000 public sector workers including nurses, doctors, teachers and civil servants, will engage in a 24-hour strike tomorrow over delays in agreeing a new public sector pay deal. Joining me now to discuss this is Fianna Fáil TD for Dublin Mid-West, Shane Moynihan.

Google is planning to spend up to $5 million into a new project in Ireland to develop better ways of predicting severe storms, flash flooding and other extreme weather events here. The plan will see 560 weather stations installed in schools across the country, with artificial intelligence being used to analyse the data. Ciara O’Brien, Technology Correspondent with The Irish Times has the story, an...

Today FM DJ Claire Beck joins Ciara to place her favourite book on the Hard Shoulder Bookshelf!

Excessive spending on online raffles for houses, cars, hol­i­days and cash can be a red flag in loan applic­a­tions, affect­ing how much fin­ance firms are pre­pared to lend. This information comes at a time when online con­tests for massive prizes have been grow­ing in popularity. But, what should you know about how it affects your risk of loan applications? Joining Shane to discuss is Padraic Ki...

PrepayPower has announced it is freezing electricity and gas prices for customers this winter. The move will mean the energy provider's roughly 200,000 customers will be guaranteed to see no price increases until March 2027 at the earliest. Figures from the Central Statistics Office last week showed the prices for energy products, which include electricity, gas and other fuels, jumped by 15.3% in...

Gardaí have launched a murder investigation after a house fire in Waterford city claimed the lives of two adults and two children. Newstalk’s Chief Reporter Barry Whyte is in the area today, and joins Shane to discuss what we know so far…