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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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  • 310 episodes
  • Avg 9 min
  • English

Episodes 310

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  • Friday · 12 min

    U2 surprise concert in Dublin

    Newstalk reporter Henry McKean reports from Grafton Street as U2 perform a surprise gig after Mount Temple concert.

  • Friday · 11 min

    Survivor of conflict-related sexual violence

    Alisa Kovalenko a former captive and survivor of conflict-related sexual violence during her captivity in 2014 in the Donbas region of Ukraine, who also fought on the front lines in the conflict joined Ciara on the show. Alisa is in Dublin in collaboration with the Irish Consortium on Gender Based Violence - an Irish-based alliance of international humanitarian and human rights organisations, working alongside Irish Aid and the Irish Defence Forces.

  • Friday · 13 min

    Orange Order granted permission for Drumcree parade

    The Parades Commission of Northern Ireland has allowed the Orange Order parade at Drumcree to proceed in a limited capacity for the first time in 28 years. DUP MP Carla Lockhart and Eoin Tennyson, Deputy Leader of the Alliance party joined Shane on the show to discuss.

  • Friday · 8 min

    Stop the game rally

    A rally is taking place tonight ahead of Ireland’s UEFA Nations League fixtures against Israel, with organisers calling on Irish players not to play the matches. The event is being organised by SIPTU and Trade Union Friends of Palestine. Mick Lynch, trade unionist and former General Secretary of the UK’s National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers, who will be speaking at tonight’s rally joined Shane on the show.

  • Friday · 8 min

    The problems with access to acne medication

    I find it depressing when I hear teenage acne stories from Ireland today about how long it takes to see a consultant dermatologist and how extortionate is if you go for private care. So writes, Mary McCarthy, columnist with the Irish Independent who joined us on the show to discuss.

  • Friday · 14 min

    Orange Order’s Drumcree parade to return

    The Orange Order’s Drumcree parade is to be permitted to proceed along the Garvaghy Road for the first time in almost 30 years. The Parades Commission placed a number of restrictions on the procession, including an 8am start time and limiting the number of participants to 35 people. Alison Morris, Crime Correspondent with the Belfast Telegraph and Claire Hanna, Leader of the SDLP & MP for Belfast South and Mid-Down joined Ciara on the show to discuss.

  • Friday · 8 min

    Eir to shut down its 3G network

    From October 1st, Eir will begin to turn off the 3G network it operates around the country. Donegal is first on the list, with the rest of the country following, and it plans to have the entire process completed within weeks. Irish Times Technology Correspondent Ciara O’Brien joined Shane Coleman on the show to discuss.

  • Friday · 8 min

    Should we be showing more patience to learner drivers?

    A new survey from Halfords has found that 82% of learner drivers have experienced road rage directed at them in the last year. The survey also found that almost half of all drivers surveyed have experienced dangerous tailgating. Brenda Bolger, a driving instructor with Bolger’s Driving School joined us on the show to discuss.

  • Thursday · 11 min

    Mark Little on his new book ‘The Last Good Day on the Internet’

    Do you remember when the internet felt like a shared playground? Back when strangers around the world connected over the colour of a dress? An age before toxic algorithms… Well, joining Ciara is Entrepreneur and Journalist Mark Little, who in his new book ‘The Last Good Day on the Internet’ explores a time when the web was a place of community, curiosity and potential. Until it wasn't...

  • Thursday · 7 min

    What do you want to see from Budget 2027?

    Help with the cost of energy and home heating is the top priority for voters in next month’s budget. Pat Leahy, Political Editor of The Irish Times joins Shane to discuss the Irish Times poll revealing what voters want to see in Budget 2027.

  • Thursday · 9 min

    The important role sport plays in inclusion

    All day today, as part of Newstalk's ‘One Day, Many Voices’ series, we’ve been hearing from people across our communities and talking about identity, accessibility, belonging and inclusion. And when it comes to inclusion, sport can play a huge role. Navan O’Mahony’s is home to the only adult Peil for All team in Meath, giving adults with intellectual and physical disabilities the opportunity to play football, be part of a team and, importantly, be part of their local GAA community. Joining Ciara to discuss is Kate O’Neill, the club’s Adult Team Coordinator.

  • Wednesday · 13 min

    Simon Vigar on his book ‘The Four Wives of Windsor’!

    Simon Vigar, one of British television’s longest-serving Royal Correspondents joins Ciara to discuss his new book ‘The Four Wives of Windsor: Rivalries, Influence and the Real Power Behind the Crown’.

  • Wednesday · 5 min

    How is France dealing with their own fuel crisis?

    France has rushed out emergency meas­ures to tackle a loom­ing fuel crisis, with diesel prices at record highs and forecourts run­ning dry. The cash-strapped French gov­ern­ment announced €450 million of handouts and subsidies to house­holds and busi­nesses to deal with what Roland Les­cure, the Fin­ance Min­is­ter, called “a very dif­fi­cult and unwanted situ­ation”. Joining Ciara to discuss this further is Journalist based in Paris, John Lichfield.

  • Wednesday · 9 min

    The Traitors Ireland runners-up discuss the finale!

    Spoilers ahead for the finale of The Traitors Ireland season two! Ciara is joined by the two runner-ups and final traitors of this season, Carla and Pauric, to discuss the result and their experience on the show!

  • Wednesday · 8 min

    Why are some voices more attractive than others?

    New research from Durham University has found that women tend to prefer men with a moderate-pitched voice of around 95Hz, with voices similar to the former President Barack Obama, or actors such as Gerard Butler and Jason Momoa are said to hit the so-called “sweet spot” when it comes to attractiveness. But, what is it about the way we speak that makes one accent more appealing than another? Joining Ciara to discuss is Dr Stephen Lucek, Assistant Professor in Linguistics at UCD.

  • Wednesday · 9 min

    Child trafficking under-identified according to IHREC - why?

    Child trafficking remains significantly under-identified in Ireland, with the number of children formally identified as victims remaining extremely low, the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission has warned. Joining Ciara to discuss this is Liam Herrick, Chief Commissioner of the the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission.

Showing 1–20 of 310 episodes