Highlights From The Hard Shoulder

Chaos erupted in the Dáil Chamber once again over speaking time. For the last 3 months, political work has seemingly stalled.This ongoing row has been in the news agenda for months and massively disrupted the government from doing their work.Finally, a vote Dáil speaking time passes - 94 votes to 74.Kieran is joined by Newstalk’s Political Correspondent, Seán Defoe, to recap what has been happening and discuss.

The environmental project, PURE (Protecting Uplands & Rural Environments), has recorded a 22% increase in illegal dumping in the Wicklow/Dublin Uplands when compared to 2023.Newstalk’s Henry McKean visited a secluded beauty spot on the Wicklow - Wexford Border, and sent in this report.

Ransom ‘79, a two-part documentary tracking veteran journalist Charlie Bird on his last investigation and quest for the truth following his diagnosis of Motor Neuron Disease in October 2022 is set to air later this month.Joining Kieran to discuss is John Kelleher, Producer of Ransom ‘79 and Journalist and Playwright Colin Murphy.

Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe has said that tens of thousands of jobs in Ireland could be at risk if US trade tariffs are introduced in early April. But, what does this mean for us, and what is the reality of these job losses?Joining Kieran to discuss is Neil McDonnell, CEO of ISME and John Fitzgerald, Adjunct Professor in Economics at Trinity College Dublin.

For this week’s Kids Health Check, Kieran is joined by Aoife Lee, Parenting Coach at ParentSupport.ie, to discuss how you can help your child navigate the tricky world of friendships in school.

The Minister for Education has warned schools that she will not hesitate to use the legislative powers to compel them to open special classes to ensure there are enough school places for children with additional needs.To discuss this, Kieran is joined by two parents who have children with special needs.

Are developers the key to solving our housing crisis, or are we simply incentivizing the wrong people? As the government looks to lower developer investment and increase borrowing to speed up apartment building, questions remain about whether this will solve the deeper issues in housing delivery.Joining Kieran to unpack this is Karl Deeter, CEO of onlineapplication.com, and Rory Hearne, Social Democrats TD for Dublin North-West…The Minister for Education has warned schools that she will not hesitate to use the legislative powers to compel them to open special classes to ensure there are enough school places for children with additional needs.To discuss this, Kieran is joined by three parents who have children with special needs.

Whether it’s 75 hard, carnivore-only diets or intermittent fasting, there are a lot of health kicks that try to shave off those extra pounds and get fit.But, without so many diets and trends, what are we losing nutrition-wise when we follow these crazes?Gaye Godkin, Nutritionist, joins Kieran to discuss.

Israeli strikes have been continuing throughout the weekend in the aftermath of the collapsed ceasefire in the region, with Lebanon being hit more recently.Joining Kieran is Dr Mahmoud Abumarzouq, he is an Orthopedic Surgeon in Ireland who is originally from Rafah.Mahmoud joins Kieran to discuss his own personal losses from this conflict.

Passengers around the world had their travel plans disrupted following the fire at a substation near Heathrow Airport.Flights resumed late on Friday but it's estimated around 200,000 people were affected by the closure.Newstalk reporter met with passengers and staff at Dublin Airport.

This week, Kieran Cuddihy was joined by the presenter of Weekend Breakfast on Today FM, Alison Curtis Off the Ball’s Ger Gilroy to look back on the week that was, but with a few twists…

Ireland is set to clash tomorrow with the French in the first bout of the Women’s Six Nations challenge. It will be a tough challenge, but what will Ireland be hoping to achieve from this game going into the rest of the tournament?Former Irish Internationals, Alison Miller and Anna Caplice, join Kieran to discuss.

Aisling Larkin, Mindful Eating Coach and TV Chef joins Kieran to talk about ‘scrappy cooking’, and how you can use those leftover bits to make a fantastic meal!

Netflix's new drama miniseries 'Adolescence' has been on everyone's lips recently, and has been receiving a lot of acclaim.Joining Kieran to discuss the show and the impact it has is Newstalk Breakfast Presenters Shane Coleman and Ciara Kelly…Image: Netflix

Off The Ball's Eoin Sheahan joined Kieran Cuddihy on The Hard Shoulder to review the week in sport and look ahead to the weekend action…Before that, Kieran was joined by Kate O’Connor, who won silver at the World Indoor Championships. She discusses the achievement from the stadium in Nanjing, China.

Shane O’ Farrell was 23 years old when he was killed in a hit and run incident while out cycling in Carrickmacross back in 2011. The driver of the car had previous convictions, and a court ruling meant that he should have been in prison at the time.For a long time Shane’s family have been campaigning for a public inquiry into the circumstances around what happened and today they met with the Minister for Justice, Jim O’ Callaghan about this...Shane’s parents, Lucia and Jim O’Farrell, join Kieran to discuss.

Counter-terror officers from the Metropolitan Police are leading the investigation into a major fire that has closed Heathrow Airport. While there is "currently no indication of foul play" they are staying open-minded. There have been a series of disruptions in the area, with local schools and roads being closed, homes in the area being evacuated along with a series of flight cancellations.Joining Kieran to discuss all aspects of this disruption is Captain Mark Tighe, President of IALPA, Reporter Claire Boad and Sinead Ryan, Presenter of the Home Show and Consumer Columnist with the Irish Independent.Image: London Fire Brigade

There are over 67,000 young careers in Ireland aged between 10-17, and the Labour Party will be putting forward a motion today aiming to come up with better solutions to help young careers.Kieran makes a trip to Leinster House to speak with two young carers, Lucy Connor and Conor Curran, giving testimony on their experiences.

Over 100 hundred bodies are donated each year to science, as people volunteer to forgo the traditional roots of burial and cremation, but how does one go about donating?Joining Kieran to discuss is Philomena McAteer, Chief Technical Officer of Anatomy at Trinity College Dublin.

Eddie Jordan, one of the most iconic men in Formula One, has sadly passed away at the age of 76…His passing has left a huge impact on the world of motorsport today, and joining Kieran to remember the man are two who knew him well: former Racing Driver David Kennedy, and Sports Journalist, David Quigley.