Highlights from The Hard Shoulder

This week, Ciara Doherty was joined by Newstalk's Technology Correspondent Jess Kelly and Off the Ball's Cameron Hill to look back on the week that was, but with a few twists…

The Hard Shoulder is looking back on 2025's biggest moments in the news, and who were at the heart of it.We're going back to May, when a garment caused quite the stir…Controversy erupted when an inter-county camogie match between Dublin and Kilkenny wasn't allowed to go-ahead because some of the players took to the field wearing shorts, and not the traditional skorts.The Camogie Association, in the end, voted overwhelmingly to allow players to wear either shorts or skorts, but not before massive public debate.Former Sports Broadcaster and now Fine Gael Senator Evanne Ní Chuilin was vocal about this at the time, and joins Ciara Doherty to discuss.

Aisling Larkin, Mindful Eating Coach and TV Chef joins Ciara Doherty to discuss the trendy small plate dishes you see in restaurants, and how you can have them at home!

Off The Ball's Mick McCarthy joined Ciara Doherty on The Hard Shoulder to review the week in sport and look ahead to the weekend action…

Figures revealed this week show that there are over 180,000 customers in arrears on their electricity bills.Newstalk Reporter Josh Crosbie has been examining the impact the rising costs are having on households, and joins Ciara Doherty to discuss.

Many parents are finding themselves caught out when their childminding service has to close due to staff shortages. This is a particular issue that crops up during the winter months, as workers call in sick, often leaving parents scrambling late to make alternative plans for their children.So, does Ireland have an infrastructure problem around this? To chat more about it, Ciara Doherty is joined by Director of Policy at Early Childhood Ireland, Frances Byrne.

As party season is upon us, it is important to remember your party etiquette, from hosting to the work party. How should you behave this Christmas season?Joining Ciara Doherty to discuss is Caroline Reidy, HR Spokesperson and Michelle Harding, Etiquette Expert.

Last week, Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Peter Burke, if he will amend the National Minimum Wage Act 2000 to include apprentices in its remit.Joining Ciara Doherty to discuss is Aaron, an electrical apprentice, and Brian Nolan, Assistant General Secretary of Connect Trade Unions.

Sarina Bellissimo, Broadcaster and Presenter of the Bellissimo Files Podcast and Dee Reddy, Entertainment Journalist and Podcaster joined Seán Defoe on The Hard Shoulder to review the latest TV and movie releases…

Hilary Devlin joins Seán Defoe to discuss her journey playing visually-impaired rugby.

Dylan Bradshaw, award-winning Hairstylist and owner of Dylan Bradshaw Salon joins Seán Defoe for this week's Thursday Interview!

November 20th is World Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Day, and specialists along with Pancreatic Cancer Ireland are calling for rapid access to diagnostic clinics, as it is projected to become the second leading cause of cancer-related death by 2030…Joining Seán Defoe to discuss this is Professor Tom Gallagher, Consultant Surgeon at the National Surgical Centre for Pancreatic Cancer at St. Vincent's University Hospital.

A primary school in Louth has been forced to send emails to Government representatives detailing how under pressure the school is financially.In this instance, the school asked parents to ensure students bring in their own toilet roll and their own hand towels to school due to insufficient funding…Joining Seán Defoe to discuss is Eoin Dolan, Principal of Mother of Divine Grace National School in Finglas and Pearse Doherty, Sinn Féin TD for Donegal and Spokesperson on Finance, who raised this issue in the Dáil.

Minister for Transport and Climate Darragh O'Brien joins Seán Defoe from COP30 in Brazil to discuss what progress is being made there, as well as matters at home such as the situation in Dublin Airport.

A light aircraft has crashed on the Waterford coast, as multiple units of emergency services attend the scene.Joining Seán Defoe to discuss is Ralph Riegel, Southern Correspondent for the Irish Independent.

Ireland's pathway to the World Cup has been confirmed this morning, following a playoff draw at FIFA headquarters…So, does it look good for team Ireland?Joining Seán Defoe to discuss is Cameron Hill from Off The Ball. Also joining is Travel Journalist Eoghan Corry, to discuss your options on getting to the Czech Republic game.

Grief is something we've all experienced, and it was pushed into the spotlight on Tuesday night when Scotland player Andy Robertson was immediately interviewed after his country qualified for the World Cup, and talked about his friend and former teammate, Diogo Jota.Joining Seán Defoe to discuss the grief process is Founder of Shapes of Grief, Grief Educator and Psychotherapist, Liz Gleeson.

Life can be full of confusing things, but no need to worry! Every Wednesday, Simon Tierney will be showing you ‘How to do Stuff' - bringing his best tips for those things you might not think about.This week, Simon joins Ciara to discuss how to properly walk the red carpet!

It's been 15 years since the arrival of the IMF to Ireland after the financial crash. The IMF programmes after 2008 were the first European programmes for the body since 1953. This, along with the major work the IMF has done in developing countries, make it one of the most influential world organisations in times of crisis.Joining Ciara Doherty to discuss is Colm McCarthy, Economist and Pat Leahy, Irish Times Political Editor.

For this week's Tech Takeover, Jess Kelly, Newstalk's Technology Correspondent joins Ciara Doherty to discuss how you can avoid scams online, especially during the period of Black Friday and Christmas shopping…

A Status Yellow snow and ice warnings are in place in 11 counties in the north and northeast. How should you prepare for the potentially hazardous conditions?Joining Ciara Doherty to discuss is Cathal Nolan from The Weather Channel and Joey Donnelly, of Crofton Motors.

Ryanair has today called on Taoiseach Micheál Martin to fast-track legislation to scrap Dublin Airport's passenger cap before the end of 2025.Ryanair boss, Michael O'Leary, joins Ciara Doherty to discuss.

Anglesey, which is just across the ocean from us here in Dublin, has been chosen as the site for the UK's first small nuclear power station, with work on the site due to start in 2026.To discuss the risks associated with this and the importance of it, Ciara Doherty is joined by Professor Emeritus of Chemistry at UCC, John Sodeau.

The Health Insurance Authority is increasing the stamp duty levy on private health insurance policies by 10% from April 2026, to fund a subsidy scheme for older and higher risk people with health insurance.Is this putting too much pressure on families?Henry McKean has been out asking the public, and joins Ciara Doherty to discuss.

A new Lancet report has found that eating excessive ultra processed foods is leading to increased risk of chronic diseases. They are calling for a global response to put pressure on the production of processed foods, and improve access to healthier alternatives. How bad are these foods for us, and what can we do to avoid the worst of them?Joining me now to discuss is Consultant Endocrinologist and HSE National Clinical Lead for Obesity Donal O'Shea, Dietician and Founder of Eatwell Sarah Keogh and Gerry Devlin, Chef & owner of Dublin Cookery School.

Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe has resigned from Irish public life and is taking a job at the World Bank.Newstalk's Henry McKean chatted to people in Cork about changing their careers in middle age, and sends in this report.

The Hard Shoulder is looking back on 2025's biggest moments in the news, and who were at the heart of it.So, where else to start but at the beginning of the year, where the country faced the devastation brought by Storm Eowyn?Joining Ciara Doherty to discuss is Independent Ireland TD for Roscommon-Galway, Michael Fitzmaurice, and Independent Cllr for Kerry County Council, Jackie Healy Rae.

In the latest development of the Enoch Burke case, the High Court has ordered his immediate imprisonment.To chat through this and more, Ciara Doherty is joined by Newstalk's Court Correspondent, Frank Greaney.

Author Sinead Moriarty joins Ciara Doherty to place her favourite book on The Hard Shoulder Bookshelf!

Fine Gael Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe has stepped away from his role in Government to take up a position at the World Bank.To chat about the significance of this decision, Ciara Doherty is joined by Fine Gael Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeil, as well as Newstalk's Political Correspondent, Seán Defoe.

As pressure mounts in the US for the release of the Epstein files, there are many wondering what exactly these files are, and information they contain.To discuss this, Ciara Doherty is joined by the Lawyer who represented victims of Jeffrey Epstein, Yasmine Meyer.

It's that time of year again where dictionaries begin naming their words of the year. Cambridge Dictionary has gone with ‘parasocial' while Collins has chosen ‘vibe coding'. With previous words of the year including ‘brat' in 2024 and even ‘austerity' in 2015.How well do these words capture the years they're chosen, and why are we so obsessed with the words of the year?Joining Ciara Doherty to discuss is Journalist and host of the ‘No Encore' music podcast, Dave Hanratty.

Temperatures will dip close to zero for the remainder of the week; however, the wind chill factor could make it feel more like minus 10! So, how can you keep your house warm and your bills down this winter?Joining Ciara Doherty to discuss is Caitriona Redmond, Consumer Columnist with The Irish Examiner.

Huntington's disease is a progressive brain disorder that affects people emotionally, mentally, and physically. Sufferers usually show symptoms in their thirties and forties. Unfortunately, there is currently no known cure for the condition. Joining Ciara to reflect on the impact the disease can have and how to manage it was Dr. Niall Pender, Professor of Psychology at the RSCI, along with Fiona, who lost her husband to Huntington's disease.

This week on our kids Clinic Ciara was joined by Iseult White, Psychotherapist and author to discuss How to support your kids through major life changes - divorce, house and school moves.

All day today, the nation has been looking back on Ireland's win against Hungary yesterday, but now we're going to look ahead as to what could be awaiting us in the World Cup playoffs, and what our chances will be? To chat, Ciara was joined by joined by former Irish international, Ray Houghton, who was at the game on commentary duty yesterday. And Mick McCarthy from Off the Ball

The deaths of five young friends, all under the age of 25, in a road crash in Co Louth at the weekend have left communities in Louth and Monaghan devastated. The friends have been named as: Chloe McGee, Alan McCluskey, Dylan Commins, Shay Duffy and Chloe Hipson. Joining Ciara to reflect on the terrible tragedy was Monaghan Councillor, Peter Conlon and Psychologist, Richard Hogan

Now, Donald Trump has urged Republicans in the House of Representatives to back a vote to release files related to the Jeffrey Epstein case. Trump, who has previously dismissed calls to release the files, says he has nothing to hide. But what does this mean and what might happen now? Joining Ciara was Harriet Alexander, a Features writer with the Daily Mail based in the US

Ireland's World Cup hopes are still alive, after the most remarkable game against Hungary in Budapest yesterday. Ireland needed a win, and that's exactly what they got in the 96th minute when Troy Parrott poked home the winner after a Liam Scales flick on. To chat about the game, I'm now joined by Former Irish International, Jason McAteer, and former coach of Liam Scales at Arklow Town FC, Lar Mahoney.

Now, despite all of us learning to sneeze and cough into our elbow during the pandemic, new research has emerged with different advice. A study from the University of Utah has shown that coughing into your shirt or jumper actually prevents more germ molecules from escaping.Joining Ciara to discuss the findings is Brendan O'Shea, a GP, Adjunct Assistant professor of Public Health and Primary Care at Trinity College, and Medical Director of KDOC – the out-of-hours emergency care service.

A new law setting a 6km/h speed limit for cyclists, skaters, scooter and e-scooter riders on pavements in Slovakia has received parliamentary approval. The new measure aimed at improving safety means pavement users who exceed the limit could be fined up to 100 euros.Just how problematic are cyclists who cycle on pavements? Should we do the same? Joining Ciara to discuss this is Columnist with the Irish Independent and daily cyclist, Liam Collins.

According to a new CCPC survey 30% of people are influenced by influencers when making purchases. So, how big a role can influencers play in marketing ? And should there be more regulation when it comes to online advertising ? Newstalk's Josh Crosbie reports