The Hard Shoulder

Recent abortion figures were covered on the show yesterday, which showed that the number of women who had abortions in Ireland last year rose to 10,852, which is the highest they’ve been since abortion was legalised in 2019.This has brought up questions surrounding contraception. In Ireland, women aged 17-34 can avail of the Free Contraception Scheme, which offers a range of contraceptive services such as prescriptions, GP consultations, and fitting/removal of long-acting reversible contraception (LARCs).So, if we have these services, why are abortions on the rise?To discuss this further, Kieran is joined by Saoirse Hanley, Personal Finance Journalist, Irish Independent and Life Magazine Columnist, Sunday Independent, Dr Máire Finn, GP with Centric Health and Eleanor Hayward, Health editor at The Times.

EU cash for farmers or the Common Agricultural Policy could reduce or change in the next EU budgetary cycle in 2028. But, what would this mean for Irish farmers who receive over €2 billion in payments. Will farmers be able to keep the lights on if the money dries up?Henry McKean has been out to a mart speaking to farmers, and joins Kieran to discuss.

A Co. Down cricket club has cancelled its plans to host a cross-community summer sports club after online criticism of its decision to include children who play GAA.Alliance MLA Kellie Armstrong joins Kieran to discuss why a children’s sporting event became so contentious.

The HSE is not being given funding to tackle vaping or nicotine pouch addiction under current quit smoking programmes, despite a rise in people trying to quit e-cigarettes or nicotine pouches who had never smoked tobacco.Do we need to revisit this to tackle the issue?Joining Kieran to discuss is Professor Luke Clancy, Director General of the TobaccoFree Research Institute Ireland and Tom Gleeson, Trustee of the New Nicotine Alliance Ireland.

Temple Bar has been named as the third worst tourist trap in the world – only behind Fisherman’s Wharf in the US, and Las Ramblas in Barcelona in Spain.And, while many will complain at how expensive the likes of Temple Bar is, are tourist traps just part of a thriving city?Joining Kieran to discuss is Elaine Cobbe, CBS Correspondent in Paris and Ana Rosa Butler, Writer based in Spain.

Travel journalist Fionn Davenport, a Lonely Planet author, shares insights on cruising adventures that go beyond the ordinary. He explores the captivating Irish waterways, showcasing the breathtaking scenery of the Shannon River and unique experiences like traditional boat tours enriched with local folklore. Fionn humorously discusses unconventional cruising destinations and hints at luxury options while highlighting family-friendly activities. Whether it's a Viking ship replica or a wildlife tour, he paints a vivid picture of cruising through Ireland's diverse and enchanting landscapes.

Blood Bikes, a nonprofit that delivers medical essentials to healthcare facilities across Ireland, is advocating for its volunteers’ right to use bus lanes.The Department of Transport does not support this request, and claimed in a statement that having more vehicles in bus lanes will reduce the lanes’ efficiency.Ambulances are able to use bus lanes and are exempt from road tolls. However, Sinn Féin TD Aengus Ó Snodaigh tabled an amendment to the Road Traffic and Roads Bill to extend this exemption to Blood Bike services.Regional Coordinator and Founder of Blood Bikes Leinster, Fergus Lennon, joins Kieran to discuss.Image: bloodbikes.ie

Scientists have detected the biggest ever merger of two black holes. Astronomers have recorded gravitational waves that have caused ripples within space and time.The black holes, each more than 100 times the mass of the Sun, began circling each other long ago and finally slammed together to form an even more massive black hole about 10 billion light years from Earth.The merger was detected by the gravitational wave detector network LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA (LVK) on November 23rd 2023, during the fourth observing run of these three sensitive laser interferometers located in the US, Italy, and Japan.To discuss more, Kieran is joined by Danielle Willcocks, a Telescope Operator from Blackrock Castle Observatory in Cork.

One of the memos brought to Cabinet today was to approve the making of the ‘Team Ireland’ trade mission, an annual event to be held every October in a key market.It’s as multiple senior Ministers are set to travel this October to a trade mission.Peter Burke is the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, and Fine Gael TD for Longford-Westmeath, and joins Kieran to discuss.

After Tánaiste Simon Harris’ calls for asylum seekers with jobs to pay towards their accommodation, Kieran was joined by Cathal Malone of Thomas Coughlan & Co Solicitors to learn what asylum seekers actually get when they arrive in the country.Today, Cathal returns to discuss what rights someone has after they have been granted asylum.