The Hard Shoulder Highlights

The Lions Tour begins tomorrow, and this summer’s squad includes a record 15 Irish players. They face Argentina first before heading to Australia for the main tour.Former Lion and Irish international Gordon D’Arcy joins Anton Savage to give a Dummy’s Guide to the Lions Tour. What is it, why does it take place, and more importantly, should you watch it?

Ciara Doherty, Broadcaster and Presenter of Newstalk's newest podcast, ‘The Newstalk Daily’, which launches June 23rd, joins guest host Anton Savage for this week’s Thursday Interview!

Fighting between Israel and Iran enters a seventh day.A hospital in southern Israel was hit in an Iranian missile strike, while the IDF bombed a nuclear reactor southwest of Tehran.Is there a way out of this, or through this?John Simpson is the BBC’s World Affairs Editor, and joins guest host Anton Savage to discuss.Image: Reuters

Today, the 19th of June, is a federal holiday in the United States.Otherwise known as Juneteenth, the national holiday was established to commemorate the ending of slavery in the United States.To talk further on this, guest host Anton Savage is joined by Author, Playwright and Columnist Bonnie Greer.

Sky Ireland have warned users of TV 'dodgy boxes' that they may face consequences, as together with the Data Protection Commission, Sky look to clamp down on users of the illegal streaming service.Up to this point, it was generally the providers who were targeted.There are said to be up to 400,000 users who illegally stream TV shows, sports and movies in Ireland.Rob Hartnett is Founder and CEO of Sport for Business, and joins guest host Anton Savage to discuss.

Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) was in front of The Oireachtas Health Committee earlier today, and was answering questions over governance and culture issues.Seán Defoe, Newstalk’s Political Correspondent was there, and joins Anton Savage to give the latest.

Lord Henry Mountcharles, the man who brought rock music to Slane Castle, has died at the age of 74.Known for hosting legendary concerts in the heart of Meath, he leaves behind a legacy that shaped live music in Ireland.To help remember the man and his contributions to Irish music, guest host Anton Savage is joined by Dave Fanning, RTÉ Broadcaster and Billy McGuinness from Aslan.Image: RTÉ

Enda Brady, presenter with TRT World, and Dik Barton, COO of Armatrex and former VP of Operations with RMS Titanic, join The Hard Shoulder to reflect on the implosion of the Titan submersible two years on — and how the tragedy changed deep-sea exploration.Listen here

Anthony Zurcher, BBC’s North America Correspondent, joins The Hard Shoulder to explain how US foreign policy under President Trump is influencing growing tensions with Iran.Listen here

Gerard Howlin, public affairs consultant and Irish Times columnist, and Fionnan Sheehan, Ireland Editor at the Irish Independent, join The Hard Shoulder to discuss the absence of declared candidates for Ireland’s 2025 presidential election.Get all the discussion here.