Highlights From The Hard Shoulder

Day one of the Ploughing Championships at Ratheniska in Co Laois has ended, and it’s safe to say that it was a success!Henry McKean has been spending time there and asked people what they love about the ploughing…

The next government must not waste a generational opportunity to transform the country, those are the calls for IBEC.The CEO OF IBEC, Danny McCoy, joins Kieran to discuss what the statement means.

Health insurance costs have jumped recently for a whole host of reasons. Alongside this, some reports suggest that you may be paying for a plan which is more expensive than you need.As renewal season approaches, Kieran is joined by Dermot Goode, of totalhealthcover ie and the Lockton Group to go through some health insurance tips.

Actor Rory Cowan joined Kieran Cuddihy to add his favourite book to The Hard Shoulder’s Bookshelf!

The Gardaí have launched Project Iompar, an initiative to tackle behaviour on the roads with new vehicles to keep an eye on drivers’ bad habits.Newstalk Reporter Alex Rowley has seen it in action, and reports.

Earlier today An Tánaiste Micheal Martin was on Newstalk breakfast and criticised our judicial system for being so slow…One person who was deeply affected by delays in Ireland’s justice system is Bláthnaid Raleigh, who you will remember waved her anonymity at the sentencing of her rapist Johnny Moran.Bláthnaid joins Kieran to reflect on the trial.Dublin Rape Crisis Centre 24 Hour National Helpline - 1800 778 888

The 93rd Ploughing Championships is well underway with over 300 tractors taking part in the fields. One of the biggest of its kind in Europe. Today saw record crowds and record heat reaching 23 degrees! The sun screen was out, with Michael D and Simon Harris in attendance.Newstalk’s Henry McKean joined Kieran from the Ploughing to give all the details!

According to new figures released by Depaul there has been a 46 percent increase in homelessness in Ireland.Dermot Murphy, Director of Services and Development at Depaul, joins Kieran to discuss the findings.

Now, Former Finance Minister Michael McGrath has been named as the new EU Commissioner for Justice.Shona Murray, Europe Correspondent for Euronews, joins me now with all the details.

The Green Party's deputy leader, Róisín Garvey, is calling out what she describes as "insane" habits around children's transportation, such as kids being driven to school from just across the street. According to Garvey, this car dependency is contributing to a rising number of overweight children, with a quarter of those under nine now overweight.Joining Kieran to discuss this is Grace O’Malley, Clinical Lead, CHI Child & Adolescent Obesity Service.

Kieran’s guest’s short film ‘Waiting Day’ is now up on the RTÉ player after wowing audiences at the Galway film festival last year…Senator Lynn Ruane joins the show to discuss her new film.

The Bear won 11 awards the other day at the Emmys, breaking its own record of awards won at the show. However, many people have begun to wonder what the deal is with classing The Bear as a ‘comedy’. Are the days of old-school sitcoms like Friends, or Seinfeld well and truly over?Joining Kieran to discuss is Impressionist and Comedian Mario Rosenstock.

For this week’s Kids Health Check, Kieran is joined by Paul Merriman, CEO of Fair Stone & Founder of Ask Paul to discuss how to properly manage your child’s money - including an option from Revolut.

Investigations are still ongoing after another apparent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. This time, it was on his golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida. A side effect of this - and a result of the age we’re in, is the internet being full of conspiracy theories surrounding this topic.Joining Kieran Cuddihy to dive into this rabbit hole is Newstalk’s own Simon Tierney.

A damning investigation from the Irish Times today revealed that staff in a creche in South Dublin has allegedly been abusing its children.Joining Kieran Cuddihy to discuss is Head of Social Studies and Early Childhood Education in Waterford College of Further Education, Author and Child Protection Expert, Shane Dunphy and Lecturer in Early Childhood Policy at Mary Immaculate College, Mary Moloney...

Did you know? 1 in 3 women will experience bladder leaks after giving birth.Despite impacting millions of women around the world, the issue is rarely discussed, and with the fear of having an accident sometimes putting women off exercise altogether.Joining Kieran to break the silence and shed light on this important topic is Aoife Harvey, a specialist in Women’s Pelvic Health physiotherapy from Women’s Health Dublin.

Huw Edwards has been given a suspended sentence earlier today over accessing indecent images.Enda Brady TRT World Presenter, joins Kieran to tell more - including how prison overcrowding played a part in the decision.It’s not just in the UK. In Ireland, we are dealing with a lot of overcrowding in our prisons. Should we be building more? Taoiseach Simon Harris believed that more prisons should be built when he was Minister for Justice in May 2023.John Lonergan, Former Governor of Mountjoy doesn’t think so, and also joins Kieran to discuss.Image: Metropolitan Police

Big changes are afoot in Dublin City centre today as a pilot scheme to ban plastic bin bags will be rolled out across 90 key streets in a bid to crack down on litter.Dublin City Council is tackling the mess caused by ripped bags and street waste, with vermin and even bottle-hunters making the problem worse. Residents and businesses will now need to switch to sturdier waste solutions which will prove tricky for upper floor buildings with limited space for storage.Joining Kieran to discuss this is Mannix Flynn, Dublin City Councilor and Will Monaghan from One Society Café.

This week Kieran Cuddihy was joined by Niamh O’Reilly, Freelance Writer and Journalist and Saoirse Hanley Features Writer with Sunday Independent and Sunday World to look back on the week that was, but with a few twists…

Former US President Donald Trump during the election debates distanced himself from ‘Project 2025’, which has been a key talking point of the election race.But, what exactly is Project 2025, and why are Democrats afraid of it?Lorcan Nyhan, Head of Training at The Communications Clinic and columnist with The Sunday Independent joins Kieran to discuss.