The Hard Shoulder
Newstalk
The Hard Shoulder with Kieran Cuddihy on Newstalk. Join Kieran every weekday afternoon from 4-7pm for a round-up of the day’s events, interviews with the people at the centre of the stories – and a bit of craic along the way. Listen and subscribe to The Hard Shoulder on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify. Download, listen and subscribe on the Newstalk App. You can also listen to Newstalk live on newstalk.com or on Alexa, by adding the Newstalk skill and asking: 'Alexa, play Newstalk'.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jul 3, 2025 • 6min
Liverpool Star Diogo Jota Passes Away
Michael Plant, Liverpool FC reporter with Liverpool.com, joins The Hard Shoulder to reflect on the sudden and tragic passing of Liverpool winger, Diogo Jota.Listen here
Jul 3, 2025 • 12min
Israeli Historian Expelled for Views on Palestine
Ilan Pappé, Israeli historian and long-time critic of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians, joins Anton from exile to explain why he was expelled, and why he's continuing to speak out against his government’s policies.Listen here
Jul 3, 2025 • 5min
Are Irish People Really the 3rd Funniest in the World?
Ireland, credited with natural “storytelling charm,” ranked third funniest in a survey of 6,000 people across 30 countries.The Czech Republic ranked first and Portugal ranked second. Comedian and actress Faye Shortt spoke with Anton to see if this list is really accurate.
Jul 3, 2025 • 8min
Uisce Éireann – Capacity Concerns and Infrastructure Gaps
Uisce Eireann has warned that water supply is critically low and that there is absolutely zero capacity for more water in Dublin.Demand on Monday breached capacity for the first time, highlighting that the services unsuitable without further investment in infrastructure. Maria O’Dwyer, Infrastructure Delivery Director with Uisce Éireann, spoke with Anton to outline Ireland’s water capacity challenges.Listen here.
Jul 3, 2025 • 7min
Why Are Motor Insurance Costs Still Rising?
Michael Horan, policy and regulation manager with Insurance Ireland, joins The Hard Shoulder to explain why motor insurance premiums are up over 8% year-on-year, and whether real reform is on the way.Listen here for more.
Jul 3, 2025 • 7min
Electricity Grip Revamp
A potential upgrade to the electricity grid could cost anywhere up to 19 billion euro according to an investment plan published by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities.But will that mean anything for your bills?Muireann Lynch is Senior Research Officer for the ESRI, and she spoke with Anton earlier.Listen here.
Jul 3, 2025 • 33min
TikTok’s Effect on Children
Ollwyn Moran, neurodevelopmental therapist and founder of Cognikids, and Richard Hogan, psychotherapist and columnist with the Irish Examiner, join The Hard Shoulder to discuss a new study suggesting children show signs of addictive behaviour on TikTok after just 35 minutes of use.Listen here
Jul 2, 2025 • 13min
New Lord Mayor’s Vision for Dublin
Fine Gael’s Ray McAdam has been elected as the new Lord Mayor of Dublin. His term will focus on ‘celebrating Dubin’ in which he hopes to champion the city’s people and potential. Lord Mayor of Dublin Councillor Ray McAdam spoke with Anton earlier to address his plans for the capital.Listen here.
Jul 2, 2025 • 7min
How to Create a Child Prodigy
Newstalk's own, Simon Tierney joins The Hard Shoulder for this week’s “How To Do Stuff” segment.This week, Simon digs into the science, myths, and questionable parenting methods that have given way to some of sport's greatest performers.Listen here
Jul 2, 2025 • 4min
Will Expensive Food Push us Toward Cheaper Options?
Dr Aileen McGloin, Director of Nutrition at safefood, joins The Hard Shoulder to explore whether soaring food prices are leading consumers to rely more on cheap, highly processed products.Listen here
