Highlights From The Hard Shoulder

The Irish Postmasters' Union is calling on the Government to invest €15 million per year over the next five years to prevent a decline in post offices.It’s one of a number of issues brought up today at the Oireachtas Arts and Community Committee in relation to the future of our postal service.David McRedmond, CEO of An Post, was there, and joins Jonathan Healy to discuss.

With technology rapidly advancing, and artificial intelligence becoming more and more intelligent, should we be concerned about AI replicating us after death? Would we want our loved ones to talk to artificial models of us after we pass? Or is that something that we should be able to opt out of, like in our wills?Newstalk's Technology Correspondent Jess Kelly joins guest host Jonathan Healy to discuss.

|reland has the third lowest childhood vaccine coverage among high-income nations globally.It also has the sixth lowest coverage among the countries on the European continent and the second lowest among western European nations.Why is this the case?To answer this and discuss further, guest host Jonathan Healy is joined by Professor of Experimental Immunology at Trinity College Dublin, Kingston Mills.

Women’s Aid recorded their highest number of calls ever in 2024, the organisation has confirmed in its annual report.Last year, the organisation was contacted 32,144 times - a figure 12% higher than the one in 2023 - of which 24,396 were made through the National Freephone Helpline.For more on this, guest host Jonathan Healy is joined by CEO of Women’s Aid, Sarah Benson. And later, Trina O’Connor, Criminologist and Pat Marry, former Detective join to discuss how well the Gardaí are trained for domestic violence calls.(Women’s Aid 24 Hour National Freephone Helpline: 1800 341 900)

First published in 1774, the classic nursery rhyme Hickory Dickory Dock has been given a trigger warning over 250 years since it was originally published.This comes after a theatre production of the kids’ classic Three Little Pigs was criticised for placing a similar trigger warning on its content.This begs the question, are we taking this trigger-happy approach to content warnings on children’s literature a step too far?Joining guest host Jonathan Healy to discuss this is Columnist with The Irish Daily Mail and Sunday Independent, Brenda Power.

UNICEF has warned that, with the world’s attention averted elsewhere, the situation in Gaza is hitting “rock bottom.”Famine conditions in the territory worsen as aid continues to be blocked, with hospital resources unable to accommodate the number of children being admitted for acute malnutrition.Over 500 people have been killed since last month, and almost 3,800 injured at Gazan aid sites, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry.Executive Director of UNICEF, Peter Power, joins guest host Jonathan Healy to discuss.

Irish farmers have welcomed plans by the European Parliament to restrict “cynical” vegetarian and vegan food producers from using words such as sausage and burger to sell their products.Henry McKean has been getting thoughts from the public, and joins guest host Jonathan Healy 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, Fionn joined guest host Jonathan to give his travel tips for the windy city of Chicago!

The Government last week authorised the purchase of the CityWest hotel in Saggart, Co Dublin, to become a state-owned International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) centre for asylum-seekers.According to Eoin O’Malley, Associate Professor of Politics at DCU, the CityWest hotel can be described as “a monument to Irish policy failure”.Eoin joins Jonathan Healy to discuss.

Comedian and actress Catherine Lynch joins guest host Jonathan Healy to place her favourite book on The Hard Shoulder Bookshelf!

Today, Sinn Féin brought a Private Member’s Bill on extending voting rights to Irish Citizens outside the state for the Presidential Election.This has been hotly debated for years, with the Constitutional Convention first recommending this extension in 2013.Sinn Féin Senator Conor Murphy joins guest host Jonathan Healy to discuss.

An agreement has been reached between the HSE and health unions on the introduction of an extended working day and week. This agreement is an attempt to free up beds, and have extended care to patients outside of 9 to 5 office hours.The agreement would see staff such as consultants, social workers, therapists and administrative staff rostered over seven days, as opposed to five.To discuss this, guest host Jonathan Healy is joined by Kevin Figgis, Divisional Head of SIPTU Health Division and Matthew Sadlier, Consultant Psychiatrist and Chair of the IMO’s Consultants Committee.

Today is the first of a two-day summit of NATO members, being held in the Hague.The summit has one main item on the agenda: defense spending. The aim is to increase spending to 5% of member’s GDP by 2035, in line with President Trump’s demands.Shona Murray, Europe Correspondent with Euronews joins guest host Jonathan Healy to discuss.Image: Reuters

Two explosions were heard in the Iranian capital on Tuesday, the judiciary news outlet Mizan and the Shargh newspaper reported, after U.S. President Donald Trump called on Israel not to bomb Iran following a ceasefire reached early on Tuesday.What’s next? And what might Iran do?Ali Ansari is the Founding Director of the Institute of Iranian Studies at St Andrews University and joins guest host Jonathan Healy to discuss.

From a favourite mug to the one spot on the couch you won’t let anyone else sit, what are the small, seemingly trivial things that bring you joy? Joining guest host Jonathan Healy to discuss is Comedian Julie Jay and Joe McGuken, Writer, actor and Producer.

The Dublin City Taskforce has been given the go-ahead by government in a bid to clean up the capital.A number of measures are set to be introduced over a 10-year plan. These include revitalising O’Connell Street, turning the GPO into a cultural destination and bringing derelict buildings back into use.Newstalk reporter, Josh Crosbie has been following the developments today and has spoken with those who are working, living and visiting Dublin.

Last Thursday, Cork Airport was announced as this year's Air Council International Best Airport in Europe award winner.This is the third time the airport has won this prestigious award.Joining guest host Jonathan Healy to discuss the achievement, and why Cork Airport continues to receive it is Airport Chief Executive, Niall McCarthy.

Iran is responding to US strikes with attacks on American military bases in Qatar and Iraq.Alistair Bunkall, Middle East Correspondent with Sky News joins guest host Jonathan Healy to discuss as the situation develops.

For this week’s Kids Health Check, guest host Jonathan Healy is joined by Caroline O’Connor, Registered Dietitian, Lactation Consultant and Founder of Solid Starts to discuss how you can manoeuvre one of the biggest milestones in your baby’s first year: weaning!

A new report from Fluid Focus has revealed that students spend 5 and a half hours daily on their phones, which could add up to 25 years of their life…The report also highlighted the negative impact this amount of screen time can have on young people’s mental health, attention span and overall wellbeing.Dr Charlotte Armitage, author of ‘Generation Zombie: Why Devices Are Harming Our Children’ joins guest host Jonathan Healy to discuss these impacts, and what can be done to fix them.