The Hard Shoulder

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Wednesday it would be "premature" for the European Union to sign a trade deal with the Mercosur bloc of Latin American countries. It’s expected that the deal will lead to a flood of important beef products entering the EU market. To discuss, Ciara is joined by Independent Ireland MEP, Ciaran Mullooly.

Despite previous plans to do so, the Government has now announced that they will no longer be disbanding the RSA. Their original decision followed an independent external review, however their U-turn has left a number of groups disappointed, as they consider the organisation not fit for purpose. To discuss this further, Ciara is joined by Chairperson of road safety group PARC, Susan Grey, and Shan...

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 to discuss how you can avoid arguments around Christmas!

An effort to ban fox hunting in Ireland will be voted down in the Dáil later today, which is seen by some to be a step back in animal welfare. Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Sinn Féin are all set to oppose the ban. To discuss this decision, Ciara Doherty is joined by Independent Minister of State, Michael Healy Rae.

How well are you aware of the threat posed by some of the toxic cleaning products in your home? To highlight some of the dangers, Ciara is joined by Consultant in Emergency Medicine in the West, Dr Lisa Cunningham.

Following on from Minister Norma Foley’s announcement of the new Action Plan for Childcare,Ciara is joined by Regina Bushell, Chair of Seas Suas, a representative group for independent childcare providers, to give her reaction to it.

It's time for a Christmas Kidstalk! Henry McKean met the boys and girls from South City Community National School Dublin to hear how excited they are for the festive season…

For this week’s Tech Takeover, Jess Kelly, Newstalk’s Technology Correspondent joins Ciara Doherty to discuss how the National Broadplan Plan is nearing completion, and how it impacts rural Ireland.

Minister for Children Norma Foley has launched the Action Plan on Childcare. Phase one of the plan includes increases to the income limit for the National Childcare Scheme, and a consultation aimed at reducing the cost of childcare to €200 per child per month in the lifetime of this Government. The Minister joins Ciara Doherty to discuss more…

Over the last twenty-five years, Ireland has changed. Our voices got louder. Our culture reached further, and some extraordinary people helped shape it all. From trailblazers in the arts and social change, to leaders in sport, music and on the big screen, we’re counting down the most influential Irish people of the last 25 years. You, the listener, have been voting for who you think are the most i...

As the Christmas season is well underway, hospitals and paramedics are already facing a serious demand on their services. To discuss the current outlook, Ciara is joined by Chairperson of the National Ambulance Service Representative Association branch of the Psychiatric Nurses Association, Brendan Flynn.

At the start of next year, Spain are to introduce a National Public Transport Pass, where for €60 a month, you can travel anywhere in the country by bus or train. So, would this be something that we’d like to see brought in here? To discuss this, Ciara is joined by Social Democrats Spokesperson for Transport, Jennifer Whitmore TD, and Mark Gleeson, of Rail Users Ireland.

Irish Times Consumer Affairs Correspondent, Conor Pope, joins Ciara Doherty to place his favourite book on The Hard Shoulder Bookshelf!

The HSE is warning of extra potent drugs entering the Irish market ahead of the Christmas season. Drugs such as MDMA or other synthetic substances being falsely sold as ketamine. Joining Ciara Doherty to discuss this is Patricia Casey, Consultant Psychiatrist in  the Mater Hospital and Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry at University College Dublin and Kristy Morrison Keating, who has spoken ou...

Presenter Dave Fanning joins Ciara ahead of the sixth season of his music show ‘Fanning at Whelan’s’ with some of the best music talent at the popular music venue in Dublin!

Electricity users will face price increases next year of up to €1.75 per month on bills to pay for a major upgrade to the national grid, which could cost almost €19 billion. Is this upgrade necessary, and is it right that householders will foot the bill? Joining Ciara Doherty to discuss this is Muireann Lynch, Senior Research Officer at the ESRI and Mairead Farrell, Sinn Féin Spokesperson on Publi...

New research from RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences and the Medical Bureau of Road Safety based in University College Dublin has revealed a dramatic increase in the detection of cocaine and cannabis among Irish drivers suspected of driving under the influence, pointing to changing patterns of drug use on Irish roads… The study found an astonishing 21% year-on-year increase between th...

Following the deaths of Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Singer Reiner in an apparent homicide, we look back at the work of the filmmaker, and his extraordinary directorial runs with movies such as Stand by Me, The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally and more… Joining Ciara to discuss the latest updates is Harriet Alexander, Features Writer, Daily Mail in the US and to look back, Deirdre Molumby,...

For this week’s Kids Health Check, Ciara Doherty is joined by Ollwyn Moran, Neuro Development Therapist & Founder of Cogni Kids to discuss maintaining routines with your kids over the hectic festive season.

Could the review into the Fianna Fáil’s handling of their Presidential nominations come out this week? There are those within Fianna Fáil who are saying it must come out this week, before Christmas. Joining Ciara Doherty to discuss is Fionnan Sheahan, Ireland Editor with the Irish Independent and Michael Regan, Fianna Fáil Councillor in Galway.

Australia is still reeling from the country's worst mass shooting in almost three decades. A father and son opened fire on a Jewish festival at Bondi Beach, killing 15 people including a child. The alleged attackers fired into crowds at the beach for the start of Hanukkah on Sunday evening. The father was killed at the scene, taking the number of dead to 16, while his 24-year-old son is in a criti...

It's that time of year where you begin to question how much your loved ones really know you with the gifts that you receive… The whole ordeal of buying, wrapping and giving the gift. But, how much of it do we remember? How many of the presents you gave and received last year do you actually remember? And, how much of it did you just throw out or ‘re-gift’? Joining Ciara to discuss the whole psycho...

In October, the average speed of traffic in Dublin City Centre was 13.4km/h during the morning peak. This is slower than the densely populated London, with the English capital clocking an average speed of 14km/h. This begs the question, as traffic rises every morning, is it time to make a change? Would the introduction of congestion charges, similar to what is in place in London, discourage driver...

Nearly half of trainee GPs this year are from universities abroad amid Ireland's family doctor shortage. GP training places have increased in recent years in the hope that they will act as a pipeline to produce more who will work in this country delivering care to patients. It's no secret that Ireland has been suffering from GP shortages for some time now, but will more training spaces actually fi...

This week, Ciara Doherty was joined by John Purcell, Head of KCLR, Alan O’Reilly from Carlow Weather and Anne Healy, owner of Biddy’s Goodluck Horseshoes live from Malzard’s Bar and Pub in Stoneyford, Kilkenny to look back on the week that was, but with a few twists…