Highlights From The Hard Shoulder

It seems like the long-awaited National Children’s Hospital is finally set to be finished in April. Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill today announced that BAM has committed to “reach its substantial completion date of 30 April”, after years of delays.Joining Ciara to discuss this is Labour Health Spokesperson, Marie Sherlock.

The 98th Academy Awards takes place in Los Angeles this Sunday, but who will be taking home the trophies? Will Jessie Buckley win Best Actress?Newstalk’s Henry McKean joins from Los Angeles to share what he’s been hearing from people like J.J. Abrams, and Brian Lloyd, Film Critic and host of the ‘Screenland’ podcast joins to share some predictions…

If you’re looking for something to do this St Patrick’s Day weekend, would you be willing to spend €100 for entry to a nightclub? Well, if you are, Dicey’s Garden will be charging exactly that on Saturday night!Joining Ciara to discuss is Jane Cowan, Columnist with the Irish Independent and Pricewill Aguele, Entertainment Officer at Technological University Dublin.

Sarina Bellissimo, Broadcaster and Presenter of the Bellissimo Files Podcast and David O’Callaghan from the Here and Back Again podcast joined Ciara and Shane on The Hard Shoulder to review the latest TV and movie releases…

On Sunday, President Catherine Connolly issued a statement describing the “violations of international law” that we are witnessing in the Middle East, drawing a slight rebuke from Government, who responded by stating that international affairs rest solely with them. But politicians, including those of Government parties, are beginning to toe a line closer to that of President Connolly than the Government, including Fianna Fáil MEP Barry Andrews.He joins Ciara to discuss.

The Newstalk Changemaker Business Awards, in association with FBD Insurance, will take place on Wednesday, 20th May 2026 in The Round Room at The Mansion House, Dublin. Last year’s awards saw over 60 businesses from across Ireland compete for their chance to be crowned the best in their field across 9 categories, including Innovative Technology, sponsored by Skillnet.Is this year your year? Get to newstalk.com/changemaker and nominate your team or individual now.The closing date for entries is Friday, 20th March.Joining Shane and Ciara to discuss is last year’s winner of Newstalk’s Changemaker Award, Rena Maycock, CEO of Chirp.

Comedian and Writer Peter Flanagan joins Ciara and Shane for this week’s Thursday Interview!

Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khameni, has issued his first public statement since taking over from his father. In the statement, which was read out on Iranian state television, Khamenei said the closure of the Straits of Hormuz should continue and that US bases should be attacked in the region. In a moment we will get the latest from the region as well as taking a deeper look at how Iran has been able to fight back.And after what the Supreme Leader said in his message earlier today, what actually are the military capabilities of Iran, and can they inflict significant harm to the US and Israel?Joining to discuss is Patrick Bury, Senior Security Lecturer at The University of Bath, former NATO Analyst and Army Officer and William Christou, Journalist writing for The Guardian in Beirut.Image: Reuters

The sale of spice bags trebled last year. As they continue to gain popularity: what makes a spice bag great?Joining Ciara and Shane to discuss is Saba's Paul Cadden...

Ireland exported almost €40 million worth of peat last year despite there being no known legal commercial peat extraction operation in the country.That’s according to The Irish Times Climate and Science Correspondent, Caroline Doherty, who joins Ciara to discuss.

Yesterday the Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill and the CEO of the HSE Bernard Gloster issued a formal apology to the family of Bryonny Sainsbury, who died after being crushed by a horse in 2021.The Minister and Mr Gloster acknowledged that the health system failed both Bryonny and her family.Bryonny’s parents, Alison and Chris, join Shane to discuss…

Ireland has been ranked third in the world for long commutes.Commuters in Ireland spend 9 days, 14 hours and 10 minutes a year driving to and from work on average, according to research carried out by Autotrader.One man who experiences commuter hell regularly is Johnny Fallon, Strategy Director with Carr Communications, who commutes to Dublin most days from Longford. He joins Shane to discuss.

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 Ciara and Shane to discuss how to travel with kids!

A study has proved that the long-debated phenomenon of 'baby brain' may actually cause a profound 'rewiring' process during pregnancy to prepare a woman for the demands of parenthood, with expectant mothers losing an average of nearly 5% of the brain's grey matter.But, how does this affect people and are the effects long term?Joining Ciara to discuss is Ollwyn Moran, Neuro Development Therapist & Founder of Cogni Kids.

The International Energy Agency said that today its member countries would unlock 400 million barrels of oil from their reserves, the biggest release ever, to ease the impact of the Middle East war.For more on this, Shane is joined by Aoife Foley, Professor in Energy Systems and Chair in Net Zero Infrastructure at the University of Manchester.

In a request for tender, the Department of Foreign Affairs said it wants to secure the supply of 4,500 woolen scarves, each with what the department describes as a “distinctive and uniquely Irish artistic character” to give to European dignitaries when Ireland takes on the EU Presidency later this year.So, what is the symbol of Ireland?Joining Shane and Ciara to discuss is Darren Kennedy, Broadcaster and style expert.

For this week’s Tech Takeover, Jess Kelly, Newstalk’s Technology Correspondent joins Ciara to discuss Google’s 4th annual Growing Up in the Digital Age Summit. She had the opportunity to speak with Mindy Brooks, VP of Google Kids and Families and YouTube’s Global Head of Health Dr Garth Graham to talk all things online safety.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards have warned of a long "war of attrition", as the conflict with the US and Israel continues…Joining Ciara to discuss is Bel Trew, Chief International Correspondent with The Independent and Niall Stanage, White House Columnist at The Hill.Image: Reuters

A new tool which has been designed to show how long it would take for a first-time buyer to obtain a home in their locality, based on current building rates, has found that it would take more than 100 years in 18 of 166 electoral districts in the State.Joining Shane to discuss is Rob Cass, who co-designed the website onemillionhomes.ie showcasing these findings...

A two day national conference on road safety has opened in Killarney with the central theme of safer roads. 185 people lost their lives on roads in the Republic of Ireland last year and 57 north of the border. So far this year, 32 have lost their lives in the Republic. So, with the rise in road deaths, are we framing this wrong? And should we be framing this as a public health emergency?Sinéad O’Sullivan is a Business Economist, and joins Ciara to discuss this and her website tracking road deaths.