The Hard Shoulder

This Thursday Aslan will release their first single since the passing of the great Christy Dignam. Their cover of 'The Fields of Athenry' will be released on Thursday, their last single featuring Christy. Aslan’s Billy McGuiness joined Kieran to discuss...

There was a notable drop in the number of TV licences issued in the first week in July compared to the same time last year. Just over 11 thousand licences were issued compared to just over 15 thoudand in 2022. The fall in TV licence numbers comes as the controversy continues over with RTE over Ryan Tubridy’s earnings. Kieran was joined by Economist Colm McCarthy and Independent TD for Clare, Micha...

Today, Met Éireann have published a summary of Ireland's latest climate averages, from 1991-2020. The key findings have revealed that Ireland is warmer and wetter now than 30 years ago. Met Éireann said the average yearly air temperature in Ireland stands at 9.8 degrees, an increase of 0.7 degrees from the previous 30-year time frame. Kieran was jonied by Mary Curly, Climatologist and the project...

Yesterday on The Hard Shoulder, Johnny Healy Rae joined Kieran to respond to the changes being made to the King Puck tradition at the Puck Fair. Instead of remaining up in the tower for the duration of the three-day festival, the King Puck goat will only be hoisted up for one hour the first day and one hour the last day. Healy-Rae thinks these changes are disappointing and believes the goat comes...

Is it time to increase Ireland’s sugar tax? In 2018, the sugar tax was introduced to make high-sugar drinks more expensive in an attempt to tackle obesity. But with the lack of price difference with and without the tax, is this goal possible? Irish Independent Columnist Mary McCarthy joined Kieran to discuss...

There was a notable drop in the number of TV licences issued in the first week in July compared to the same time last year. Just over 11 thousand licences were issued compared to just over 15 thoudand in 2022. The fall in TV licence numbers comes as the controversy continues over with RTE over Ryan Tubridy’s earnings. Kieran was joined by John McGuirk, Editor of Gript.ie and Dr Eileen Culloty, ass...

A new drug has been found to slow the progression of Alzheimer's, with experts hailing it as a "turning point". Donanemab was shown to reduce cognitive decline by up to 35 percent, if the disease is detected early. Roger Highfield, Science Director at the London Science Museum joined Kieran to discuss...

Earlier, Kieran spoke with Dr Catherine Day, chair of the Advisory Group on Direct Provision, and former Secretary General of the European Commission. She spoke about the shortfalls of the current Direct Provision system, and what can be done to address some of the issues. One of those suggestions was around engagement with communities, and how much planning might be done before asylum seekers arr...

Willie O’Dea, in an article he wrote for the Irish Independent, criticised the Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee of “playing to the woke gallery” instead of doing what the public want and to “focus more on delivering safe streets.” Is the Minster neglecting one area for another as she deals with the Hate speech legislation? Kieran was joined by Dr Pat Leahy, Former Garda Assistant Commissioner a...

Simon Tierney joined Kieran earlier on the show to discuss the severe lack of streets and memorials in Dublin that are named after women. For more on this, Kieran was joined by Diarmuid O'Cadhla, former Cork County Councillor, Frank McDonald, Dublin author and journalist and Ruth Coppinger, former Socialist TD to discuss...

Europe is in the midst of a heat wave today – Rome has hit 40 degrees, Athens has closed the Acropolis for a portion of the day with temperatures also over 40 while Sicily could break the continent's temperature record of 48 degrees this week. However – Ireland is not in the midst of this heatwave. Many parts of the country saw more than 50mm of rain this weekend while temperatures have remained c...

Has the Direct Provision system reached its limits? Dr Catherine Day, chair of the Advisory Group on Direct Provision and former Secretary General of the European Commission joined Kieran to discuss some recommendations for what should happen moving forward...

Simon Tierney has wrote a piece for the Irish Examiner, where he notices a particular failing when it comes to Dublin’s historical bridges, parks, buildings, streets and statues. Kieran was joined by Newstalk’s Simon Tierney and Green Party Councillor for Dublin City Janet Horner to discuss…

Comedian Michael Fry joined Kieran on The Hard Shoulder to discuss his viral Indie song inspired by this week's Oireachtas Committee meetings... Image: Twitter via Michael Fry @BigDirtyFry

Aisling Larkin, Mindful Eating Coach and TV Chef joined Kieran today to learn about the delicious cuisine of Portugal...

Dr Ali Raza Ansari, Trainee GP at the Midland Regional Hospital joined Kieran on The Hard Shoulder to discuss the impact the housing crisis is having on himself and his colleagues...

Ireland's greenhouse gas emissions decreased by 1.9% last year, a new report has found. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said the drop was driven by higher fuel prices, increased renewable energy, behavioural change and regulation. Kieran was joined by Sadhbh O’Neill, Coordinator of Stop Climate Chaos Coalition and Lecturer in Climate and Energy Law in TU Dublin to discuss...

It’s a huge weekend in the football championship as we reach the semi final stage. Monaghan take on the might of Dublin at the 'neutral' venue of Croke Park tomorrow at 5.30pm, while on Sunday at 4pm Derry and Kerry also meet at GAA HQ. Kieran was joined by former Kerry Footballer Darran O’Sullivan and former Monaghan Footballer Dick Clerkin to discuss...

Two-thirds of people on Tinder are either married or already in a relationship, a new study has found. The study also found that just half the app’s users are interested in actually meeting up with people offline. Newstalk's Roisin Davis and Simon Tierney joined Kieran to discuss...

Huw Edwards has been named as the BBC presenter accused of paying a teenager for explicit photos. In a statement issued on his behalf, Mr Edwards’ wife, Vicky Flind, said: "In light of the recent reporting regarding the 'BBC Presenter' I am making this statement on behalf of my husband Huw Edwards, after what have been five extremely difficult days for our family.” The young person at the centre o...

The saga surrounding RTÉ secret payments to Ryan Tubridy took its latest twist today as the station’s new director general Kevin Bakhurst was the latest to go before the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee. Mr Bakhurst told the committee that the station would not be paying Mr Tubridy this week while he reiterated his call for the former director general Dee Forbes to go before the committee. Kie...

Kieran Cuddihy was joined on The Hard Shoulder by Joey O'Callaghan, who is the subject of the popular podcast ‘The Witness: In His Own Words with Nicola Tallant’ His testimony helped convict gangsters Brian Kenny, 50, and Thomas Hinchon, 40, for the murder of Jonathan O’Reilly outside Dublin’s Cloverhill Prison back in 2005 . Joey O Callaghan today joins me in the studio to discuss his story and t...

Environment, Climate and Communications Minister Eamon Ryan joined Kieran on The Hard Shoulder to discuss the launch of the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority, new EU Nature Restoration Laws, renewable energy and the ongoing RTÉ payment scandal...

As Irish fans prepare to battle tooth and nail for tickets to the Dublin dates of Taylor Swift's Eras Tour, it begs the question, if she is one of the greats, why do people still sneer at her? Claire Beck DJ and Presenter of Today FM joined Kieran to discuss...

The saga surrounding RTÉ secret payments to Ryan Tubridy took its latest twist today as the station’s new director general Kevin Bakhurst was the latest to go before the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee, alongside Deputy Director General Adrian Lynch. Sean Defoe, Newstalk's Political Correspondent joined Kieran with the latest...