Highlights From The Hard Shoulder

Irish beaches are known to be one of nation's best assets, and many of us may have ended up at them over the bank holiday weekend But what about those with disabilities? How can they enjoy our beaches this summer?Niamh Ní Hoireabhaird is disability activist and journalist and has been highlighting the inaccessible nature of our beaches, she joins Kieran to discuss.  

The Local and EU elections are nearly upon us, and campaigning is in full swing. Your door may have been knocked on, or your social media page may be getting flooded with candidates promoting their policies. But, how do you create election campaigns that cut through and resonate with voters? Kieran is joined by Derek Mooney, former Campaign Manager, to discuss.  

The UK Ambassador to Ireland Paul Johnston joined Kieran to put his favourite book on the Hard Shoulder bookshelf!Favourite Book: The Masters, C.P. SnowHonourable Mention: The Life and Long Shadow of Senator Joe McCarthy, Larry TyeCurrently Reading: The Bee Sting, Paul Murray

Seaweed to you may just be something your dog eats on the beach, but the macroalgae has been described as having incredible benefits. Joining Kieran to discuss the amazing properties of seaweed is Mark Walton, Co-Founder of VOYA.

Taoiseach Simon Harris has announced that he expects an Irish Covid Inquiry. Is this a realistic goal for the government? And what should we expect?Joining Kieran to discuss is Executive Editor of the Daily Mail Group Ireland, John Lee and Professor Sam McConkey from RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences.

In the lead up to the Local and European elections, we're going to be out and about with candidates as they are on the campaign trail.This week, Newstalk reporter Josh Crosbie joined multiple candidates on the trail both young and old - including one who’s 19, and another who’s 90!

Nigel Farage has made yet another return to frontline politics – he has announced that he will run as a candidate in the UK General Election for the Reform UK party and has taken the role of party leadership. However, Farage has gone a step further by suggesting that he could lead a 'reverse takeover' of Conservative Party.Kieran is joined by Ann Widdecombe, former Conservative Party MP and Minister and former Brexit Party MEP. 

The Central Statistics Office of Ireland (CSO) is celebrating 75 years collecting data. To discuss the history - and what has changed since its inception, Kieran is joined by Ronan McGreevy, Irish Times Journalist and Historian and Sarah Jayne Tobin, Content Editor at Evoke and host of the ‘Inspire’ podcast.

This week Kieran Cuddihy was joined by the presenter of Weekend Breakfast on Today FM, Alison Curtis and Social Media Content Creator Holly Carpenter to look back on the week that was, but with a few twists!

The festival season is beginning with Forbidden Fruit kicking off this weekend. Electric Picnic, All Together Now and Longitude are on the horizon and smaller festivals like Night and Day Festival in Roscommon are also taking place. They’re much beloved by patrons, but how important are these festivals, and more importantly how important are they for the artists themselves?Artist Nialler9 joins Kieran to discuss.

With summer well and truly upon us, and with BBQ’s and summer parties being planned, the Shame of having a messy garden may be playing on your conscience!  Joining Kieran to discuss summer garden maintenance is RTÉ’s Super garden Judge Monica Alvarez.

Off The Ball's John Duggan joined Kieran Cuddihy on The Hard Shoulder to review the week in sport and look ahead to the weekend action…

Aisling Larkin, Mindful Eating Coach and TV Chef joined Kieran to discuss all kinds of cheesecake!

The big news recently is that Donald Trump has been found guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records - the first time a US President has been criminally convicted.This is the latest scandal on Trump's CV, with his viability as a presidential hopeful still seemingly intact. But, what are the U.S presidential scandals that shaped US history? Joining Kieran to discuss is Newstalk’s Simon Tierney. 

Have we lost all respect for our older buildings?  Over the years Dublin city’s skyline has seen sometimes rapid and often not pleasant alterations. As new buildings shoot up, some of the old ones come down.  Joining Kieran to share their thoughts are James Kavanagh, social media Influencer and Roisin Murphy, Architect and Broadcaster.

For the June Bank Holiday Weekend another warning has been issued by Gardai to take care on the roads. A new addition to the garda checkpoints is mandatory drug testing. Those who are pulled over for dangerous driving will now be made to do a drug test, as well as for alcohol.Kieran is joined by Sergeant Gavin Coleman to discuss.

New research suggests that older people should be encouraged to be more sexual in nursing homes to look after their mental and physical health. Kieran is joined by Sex Educator Mary-Jane Fox to discuss why she thinks it’s important for elderly people to be more sexual.

The Kuhner Report on WRKO AM680 Radio in Boston is hosted by Jeffrey T. Kuhner, "Liberalism's Worst Nightmare," he is a conservative nationalist, who champions God, country and family.Jeff joins Kieran to discuss the Trump hush money trail while the jury debates, as well as Robert De Niro’s press conference outside the courthouse, where he called the former president a threat to democracy.Image: CNN

Now, if you were wondering how you can get best out of your fruit and veg, then we might have the solution for you.  Amy Cross, a Cookbook Author and founder of the money-saving food website ‘The Cross Legacy’, joins Kieran to discuss.Amy has some good tips on how to get the most longevity out of your fruit and veg to keep it fresh for longer. 

The completion of the Children’s Hospital in Dublin has (once again) been pushed out to February of 2025, with the overall projected costs being 2.2 billion euro. The hospital was initally meant to be finished in 2020…How did we get to this point, and why does this project consistently face delays? Kieran is joined by Paul Cullen, Former Irish Times Health Correspondent and Paul Davis, Procurement lecturer at the School of Business in DCU to discuss.Also joining Kieran for some reaction to the delay is Catherine Murphy, Social Democrats TD for Kildare North and Deputy Chair of the Public Accounts Committee.