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The Hard Shoulder

Newstalk

The Hard Shoulder Podcast with Ciara Kelly and Shane Colman is your essential drivetime companion—bringing fresh perspective and energy to your drive home.

CONVERSATION THAT COUNTS | Ireland’s national independent talk station for news, sport, analysis and entertainment

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643 episodes
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English

Episodes 643

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November 3 · 12 min
The Bookshelf with Colm O’Regan
Colm O'Regan, Comedian, author and Broadcaster joins Ciara to discuss his new book 'Tipping Away' and place his favourite reads on the Hard Shoulder Bookshelf!
November 3 · 6 min
High Court finds legal aid changes to be “grossly unfair”
The High Court has found that the changes to the legal aid system are “grossly unfair”. The new regulations involve providing solicitors a flat fee of €520 for each accused person they represent, regardless of the number of charges against them or the number of court appearances. For more on this, Shane is joined by Irish Times Legal Affairs Correspondent, Mary Carolan...
November 3 · 11 min
US Midterms: Voting booths are open - who will win?
The US midterm elections are currently ongoing as the polls are open. What do we know so far, and who are we expecting to win and lose? Joining Ciara to discuss and give the latest updates is Niall Stanage, White House Columnist at The Hill, Matt Mayer, former Senior Official in the Bush administration & Political Commentator and Brett Bruen, White House Advisor during the Obama administration.
November 3 · 8 min
What makes a Christmas ad great?
John Lewis released their 2026 Christmas advert today, but what makes a Christmas ad great and how has the criteria for a great ad changed in the age of AI? Joining Shane to discuss this is John Fardy, Presenter of Screentime on Newstalk.
November 3 · 9 min
Ciara Mageean funeral takes place - Barry Whyte Reports
The funeral for Irish champion athlete Ciara Mageean took place today in St Patrick’s Church in County Down, with hundreds of mourners gathering to pay their respects… Barry Whyte, Newstalk's Chief Reporter, is there, and joins Ciara Kelly to discuss.
November 3 · 9 min
Does Irish farming need a women-led ‘revolution’?
Women farmers are challenging an Agri system that was built on growth and control, forging a more resilient future for Irish farming. So writes former Green Party Minister of State in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Dr Pippa Hackett in The Journal. But, is this true? Dr Pippa Hackett joins Shane to discuss.
November 3 · 4 min
Flights halted after bomb threats - what happened?
Several flights across Europe have been forced to emergency land after receiving a series of bomb threats. So far, 7 planes have been affected in the last 24 hours. A Ryanair flight from Dublin was escorted by the Italian Air Force until it landed in Rome. For the latest, Shane is joined by Aviation and Travel Journalist. Eoghan Corry…
November 3 · 9 min
New report shows lack of properties available within HAP Scheme limits
The Simon Communities of Ireland’s quarterly ‘Locked Out of the Market’ report, shows that just 12 properties were available to rent within any of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) Scheme limits in September… Joining Ciara for more on this is Executive Director at the Simon Communities of Ireland, Ber Grogan.
November 2 · 8 min
Report on handling of Covid-19 due by end of the year
Newstalk's Chief Reporter Barry Whyte joined us on the show to discuss the Covid-19 evaluation.
November 2 · 5 min
Are you using up all your annual leave?
According to new research from the Annual Leave Report found that more than 40 per cent of us in Ireland don't use up all our leave. Louisa Meehan, HR and Dispute expert from Woodview HRM joined Shane on the show to discuss.
November 2 · 8 min
Kids Clinic: How to stop your child from cursing
For this week’s Kids Clinic, Ciara was joined by Clinical Psychologist, Tara Logan Buckley to discuss how to stop your kids from cursing.
November 2 · 9 min
Last objector withdraws action over Galway city ring road
The last remaining objector to a proposed ring road in Galway city has withdrawn a High Court challenge questioning elements of the planned route. Sean Canney, Minister of state at the Department of transport joined Ciara on the show to discuss.
November 2 · 12 min
Eamon Ryan
Eamon Ryan, Chair of The EU Housing Advisory Board and former Green Party Leader joined us on The Hard Shoulder this evening.
November 2 · 8 min
US Midterm Elections take place tomorrow
Candidates across the US are making their final campaign push today ahead of tomorrow's midterm elections. Mark Little, Tech entrepreneur and journalist and Author of 'The Last Good Day on the Internet' joined us on the show this evening.
November 2 · 10 min
Does the brand of tea affect the taste?
Are you Lyon's Tea or a Barry's tea? But would you be able to actually tell the difference between the brands just by the taste? Dairy Farmer and Tikokker Fin Walsh and freelance journalist Édaein O'Connell joined Ciara on the show to give their opinions on a good cup of tea.
November 2 · 5 min
SuperValu stores hit by suspected cyber attack
Refrigeration systems at 13 SuperValu stores across Ireland have been affected by a suspected cyber-attack, resulting in fresh produce having to be thrown away. Business Reporter with The Irish Times, Ian Curran brought us the details.
November 2 · 8 min
Public sector unions announce 24-hour strike
Unions involved in public sector pay talks have confirmed they are preparing for a 24-hour work stoppage on Thursday November 12 after pay negotiations at the Workplace Relations Commission reached an impasse on Friday. Aisling Moloney, Political Correspondent with the Irish Independent brought us the latest.
October 30 · 29 min
Winners and Sinners
This week, Ciara and Shane were joined by Off the Ball's Cameron Hill and Freelance journalist, Niamh O'Reilly, to look back on the week that was, but with a few twists...
October 30 · 8 min
Trump scraps last two election rallies ahead of midterms
With four days to go before the United States midterm elections, Democrats are leading in national polls as both parties make their final push for votes. Meanwhile, a legal dispute threatens to delay the Senate result in Alaska, and President Donald Trump has cancelled two weekend rallies in favour of campaigning by phone. Greg Swenson, of The Republicans Overseas joined Shane to discuss
October 30 · 7 min
Henry McKean reports: Are we spending less this Halloween?
According to new research by iReach, we plan to spend over €60 million on Halloween this year, down by over €11 million from last year. As sweets and chocolate are more expensive than ever, many families are cutting back... Henry McKean has been investigating, and he sent this report.

Showing 81–100 of 643 episodes