The Hard Shoulder

Long gone are the days of Nigerian Princes looking to give you a chunk of their vast wealth: online and text-based scams have gotten a lot more sophisticated, and trickier to spot.For this week’s Tech Takeover, Jess Kelly, Newstalk’s Technology Correspondent joins Kieran to discuss this, and give her top tips to avoid getting tricked!

A report by the Blanchardstown Local Drug and Alcohol Task force has revealed that students in primary schools are reportedly taking and dealing drugs.The average age of the drug dealers and “runners” was found to be as young as 12 years old.Kieran is joined by Janet Robinson Research and Training Officer for Blanchardstown Local Drug and Alcohol Taskforce, Dr Bobby Smyth, Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist and Addiction Specialist. Later, Kieran is also joined by Ann Graves, Sinn Féin TD and Spokesperson on National Drug & Alcohol Strategy, Addiction, Recovery and Wellbeing, Mike Walsh, Team Leader in Community Service Misuse Team, a multi-disciplinary team responding to under 18′s with substance misuse issues.

Trump has yet again thrown the cat amongst the pigeon with talk of 150% or 250% tariffs on pharma, but he has yet to dot I’s and cross T’s on many of the trade deals he has made with various countries.Will we ever see them come to pass with midterms not very far away? And Trump’s tenure will eventually end, will it all amount to nothing?Larry Donnelly is Law Lecturer at University of Galway and Columnist with TheJournal.ie. He joins Kieran to discuss.

NASA is aiming to build the first nuclear reactor on the Moon. This comes as the U.S. Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy, ordered the space agency to get a lunar power plant up and running by 2030 to power long-term human missions.Duffy, who is the acting administrator of NASA, made it clear to its competitors that whichever country arrives first could establish a “keep-out zone”.To make sense of all this, Kieran is joined by Space Commentator, Leo Enright.

A group of residents in the Dublin 15 area have come together to highlight concerns around the impact of fast-food drone delivery services flying overhead.The newly established Drone Action D15 group says that while drone technology can have a positive effect for society, no consent has been sought from the community for this type of delivery service…Michael Dooley is a Blanchardstown resident and member of the action group, and joins Kieran to discuss.

Every week for The Ultimate Guide on The Hard Shoulder, Fionn Davenport takes a closer look at some of the fantastic destinations to visit around the world.This week, Fionn joined guest host Mandy Johnston to give his travel tips for the Scottish island famous for its whisky - Islay!

Terry Prone, Chairperson of the Communication Clinic has just donated a treasure trove of personal papers, and documents to the National Library of Ireland.She joins Kieran to discuss why she did this, and what impact it may have on future generations.

Join Paul Bradley, a chiropractor and Clinical Director at Chiropractix, as he shares invaluable tips for a healthy back. He discusses the common culprits of backache, especially for desk workers, and introduces easy movement techniques to counter discomfort. Paul emphasizes daily mobility exercises and the importance of physical health as we age, highlighting grip strength's role in overall wellness. He also offers vital guidelines for gym newcomers, focusing on safe exercise practices and the significance of tailored rehabilitation strategies.

US President Donald Trump has said that upcoming tariffs on imported pharmaceuticals could reach 250%, after starting at a lower level, while adding he plans to also unveil fresh duties on foreign semiconductors.To discuss, Kieran is joined by Economist and Co-Host of 'The Other Hand' podcast, Jim Power.

Pete Wedderburn AKA Pete the Vet joins Kieran to place his favourite book on The Hard Shoulder Bookshelf!