The Hard Shoulder

10 years ago today, Dublin Castle was the scene of celebrations after the historic victory for Marriage Equality.One of the people involved in the campaign and who was there on that day 10 years ago was Fine Gael TD for the Cork South-Central Jerry Buttimer.Kieran escapes the Newstalk studio and joins him to discuss.

Over 17 hundred complaints were made to the Ombudsman for Children’s Office last year, with almost 600 of those relating to education.So, where do we go from here?Joining Kieran to discuss is Ombudsman for Children, Dr Niall Muldoon.

The UK is considering introducing chemical castration for sex offenders as a means of reducing reoffending and also dealing with prison overcrowding.Is this an acceptable form of punishment in 2025, and does it work for its intended purpose? Also, is it something Ireland should consider?Joining Kieran to discuss this is Dr. Patrick Randall, Clinical and Forensic Psychologist and Director of Forensic Psychological Services…

According to a new survey by Currys, which has cracked open Ireland’s fridges, one in four of us has a mystery tupperware in the fridge we’re too afraid to open, with nearly half of our fridges containing leftovers we’ll never eat.So, how dirty are our fridges if they contain leftovers, and how best can we manage our fridges to make sure they're clean and tidy?Joining Kieran to discuss is Laura De Barra, Author of Gaff Goddess, Decor Galore and Garment Goddess and Dr Amalia Scannell, Microbiologist at UCD Institute of Food and Health.

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 Kieran on International Tea Day to discuss how to make the perfect cup of tea!

Kieran is joined by ultra-runner, Stephaine Case.Stephaine took part in a recent ultra marathon, which she not only won, but she did so while stopping throughout the 100k to breastfeed her six-month-old daughter!

The latest update from the Department of Housing has said that the number of homes being completed will have to rise substantially for the remainder of the year if the Government is to have any hope of meeting its annual target of 41,000 units.This comes as growth estimates have shown that population growth slowed in Ireland during 2024, but is still growing.Are housing issues possible to solve in this context?Dan O’Brien is Chief Economist of the Institute of International and European Affairs, and joins Kieran to discuss.

For this week’s Tech Takeover, Newstalk's Technology Correspondent Jess Kelly joins Kieran to discuss how bin collecting is about to get a lot smarter. Waste disposal company Panda is rolling out surveillance during collections, which will identify any mix ups when it comes to recycling and contamination - but is it a GDPR issue?

As many companies now have a hybrid system of remote working, is it leading to poor communications and the need for too many meetings?Are we having too many meetings in our day, and just doing too little work?Life Coach Mark Fennell joins Kieran to discuss, and give his meeting-efficiency tips.

Tánaiste Simon Harris has said that the two Irish diplomats were among the delegation that Israeli soldiers fired at in the vicinity of in the West Bank…Journalist Hannah McCarthy joins Kieran to discuss the latest, and Independent Senator Frances Black joins to discuss the new Occupied Territories Bill the Tánaiste will be bringing before the Cabinet, which includes a ban on imports from those territories.Image: Reuters