The Hard Shoulder

Over the past few months, concerns have been raised over staffing issues at Oberstown Children Detention Campus.It was also revealed that, at times, that there are not enough beds for referrals from the Children’s Court.To find out what goes on inside Ireland’s detention centre for children, Newstalk Reporter Josh Crosbie goes inside Oberstown and hears from the staff, as well as interviews a teenager who spent time there last year.Listeners may find some of the content distressing.

Poland shot down Russian drones over its airspace early today.It marks the first time Poland has directly engaged Russian assets since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.Joining Kieran to discuss is Christopher Berenda, Reporter with RMF FM and Cormac Smith, former Special Adviser to Ukraine’s Foreign Adviser.Image: Reuters

As the winter season comes in, so do the spiders and the silverfish. How can you get them out? Does peppermint oil or conkers on your windowsill work as a deterrent, or is it simply an old wife's tale?Collie Ennis, Biodiversity Officer at Trinity College Dublin joins Kieran to discuss.

Despite the school year being underway, there are a number of kids still without a school place, and are now being left behind by their peers.Kieran is joined by the parents of two of those kids, Mairead Carty and Sinead O’Reilly, to discuss.

The Ombudsman for Children's Office has said that a blanket ban approach on phones is not in the best interest of children, and it does not effectively protect them from potential online harm.Joining Kieran to discuss is Eric Nelligan, Teacher, Assistant Principal & Aontú Spokesperson on Education and Richard Hogan, Family Psychologist and author of ‘Home is Where the Start Is’.

Every week for The Ultimate Guide on The Hard Shoulder, Fionn Davenport takes a closer look at some of the fantastic destinations to visit around the world.This week, Fionn joined Kieran to give his travel tips for Albufeira and the Algarve!

Following the first Irish satellite’s journey in space concluding, we’re going to look back on what it achieved.To talk more on this, Kieran is joined by the Director of UCD’s Centre for Space Research, and the Endorsing Professor for EIRSAT-1, Lorraine Hanlon.Image: European Space Agency

Focus Ireland has released their report today for 2024, where they report a record number of people facing homelessness…What can be done to curb this number?Kieran is joined by the CEO of Focus Ireland, Pat Dennigan, to comb through the report.

Local Gardaí in Donegal have stated that the days of leaving doors unlocked are well and truly gone, following the theft of a car, trailer and calf from a farm over the weekend. Is it true?Kieran is joined by retired Garda Sergeant Christy Galligan to discuss.

Louise Cooney, Content Creator and Podcast Host joins Kieran to place her favourite book on The Hard Shoulder Bookshelf!