The Hard Shoulder

This week on the Thursday Interview Kieran was joined by Sinéad Burke, founder and CEO of Tilting the lens and disability advocate.

Across Israel, a growing number of young people are refusing to enlist in the Israeli Defense Forces, publicly burning their military conscription papers and protesting against the conflict in Gaza. Military service is mandatory in Israel, but according to Kan, Israel’s national broadcaster, over 40 percent of soldiers did not show up to reserve duty in May. To discuss why Kieran was  joined by a former Israeli soldier and an active member/ administrator with the anti-war organization, Soldiers for Hostages, Shahar Sherf. 

Mark Moriarty, Award Winning TV chef and Author joined Kieran to discus the latest season of his podcast “Roasted” where he prepares meals for some of the biggest names around.  

The joint agreed statement between the EU and US on the recent trade deal agreed in Scotland has been published.   In particular, it seems to give Ireland a firm commitment to cap pharma tariffs at 15 per cent, while some parts of the sector may be excluded altogether.   But is it being greeted with joy?  Relief?  Or maybe some are still disgruntled? Cormac Lucey is an Economic Commentator with The Sunday Times.  He joins me now, as does IBEC’s Executive Director of lobbying and influence, Fergal O’Brien. 

Japan's oldest professional player of the board game retired this week at the age of 98, it got thinking, have board games lost their allure or can they ever be replaced by the Wordle?  Cathy Maguire, Member of Board Games Ireland and Dave O’Keefe  Owner of ‘Board & Brewed’

Irish Life Health and Laya Healthcare have both announced insurance  price hikes on plans in the space of a week  It comes as the trend we have seen in increasing the cost of health insurance seen in the past two years looks set to continue into the latter half of this year  Joining me now for more on this is Dermot Goode, Health Insurance Ireland.

Marais O'Sullivan, a passionate genealogy enthusiast and Producer of Talking History on Newstalk, dives into the fascinating journey of tracing Irish ancestry. She shares personal anecdotes about connecting with her grandmother and utilizing tools like Ancestry.com. Marais discusses the excitement of discovering family dynamics through historical records and DNA testing. Additionally, she highlights the challenges of accessing Irish records while stressing the importance of preserving family histories and engaging with the community to keep ancestral stories alive.

The Parents of Harvey Morrisons Sherratt are calling for a commission of inquiry into CHI’s treatment of children with spina bifida and scoliosis, many of whom have been denied timely corrective surgery. Harvey passed away last month. Harveys grieving Father Stephen joined Kieran to discuss his son and why he had to wait years for life saving surgery.

Vaping amongst teens is consistently linked to taking up smoking, marijuana and drink according to an umbrella review of existing research. To discuss further Kieran was joined by Newstalk Reporter Henry McKean.

Have you ever watched The White Lotus, and (in between all of the drama) wanted to have your own holiday like it? This is your chance!This week, Fionn joined Kieran to give his Ultimate Guide on having your own White Lotus holiday, and for different budget levels!