Highlights From The Hard Shoulder

The UK government has lost its appeal over a terror charge against a member of the Irish language rap trio Kneecap.Newstalk Reporter Emily Keegan was in Belfast today speaking with Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, also known as Mo Chara, and joins Shane to give the latest updates.

“St Patrick’s Day is Ireland’s national day. It marks the feast of our patron saint and celebrates Irish history, Irish music and Irish culture. Everyone is welcome to celebrate with us. Ireland has always been welcoming.But the day should remain about Ireland. Turning St Patrick’s Day into a global ‘celebrate every culture’ festival misses the point. Every nation deserves one day each year that honours its own heritage. Ireland deserves the same.”That was a tweet by Ken O’Flynn, Independent Ireland TD for Cork North-Central. He joins Ciara to discuss.

New statistics from the CSO over recent years show that December and August were the most popular months chosen by couples to get married. Surprisingly, despite its traditional association with weddings, not one date in June featured in the top ten.So, what is it about December and August?Joining Shane and Ciara to discuss this is Sarah Kennedy, Wedding Expert with the Irish Wedding Blog.

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, as part of his 12 best cities in the world, Fionn joined Ciara and Shane to give the ultimate guide to his favourite city in the world, Palm Springs!

Managing Director of Asia Market and host of Eva Pau's Asian Kitchen on RTÉ Eva Pau has dedicated her life and career to making Asian cooking accessible for home cooks across Ireland and beyond.Eva arrived in Ireland with her mum and dad at only one month old. Her dad grew up in Guangzhou, China and her mum in Hong Kong. Spotting a major gap in the market for Asian products in Ireland, the couple opened the Asia Market on Drury St, Dublin 2, 43 years ago…Henry McKean joined Eva to try and make wontons, and sent in this report.

The second day of a civil case brought against former Sinn Féin President, Gerry Adams was held at the High Court in London today. Plaintiffs have accused him of being directly responsible for the decisions made by the IRA to detonate bombs in England. Adams denies any role in the Provisional IRA.Joining Ciara with the latest is Mark Paul, London Correspondent with The Irish Times.

Off the Ball’s John Duggan joins Ciara and Shane from Cheltenham to discuss the races, and the buzz around the festival on day one.

Political Correspondent with Virgin Media and author Gavan Reilly joins Ciara and Shane to place his favourite book on The Hard Shoulder Bookshelf!

While we hear about the many Irish citizens endeavouring to leave the United Arab Emirates, one family that appears to be in no rush to leave are the Kinahans. Marooned there following sanctions imposed by the United States, the family appear to be living their lives in the open, including a sighting at an MMA event last summer.Joining Shane to discuss this is Conor Lally, Crime and Security Editor with The Irish Times.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says today will be the "most intense" of the US strikes on Iran…For more on this, Shane is joined by Tara Kangarlou, Global Affairs Journalist and author of ‘The Heartbeat of Iran’.Image: Reuters

Groups set up on social media to swap supermarket’s money-off vouchers, such as Dunnes 10 off 50 are gaining popularity, but what is it about a good discount voucher that makes us love them so much?Joining Ciara to discuss the reason why is Brendan Kelly, Professor of Psychiatry at Trinity College Dublin.

A protest is being held on Wednesday March 18th outside the Dáil to protest the approval of plans for 140 apartments on the site of the former Bessborough Mother and Baby Home in Cork.This comes after a vigil was held last Sunday at the gates of the former Mother and Baby Home in Cork.In 2021, the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes found that 923 babies associated with Bessborough died between 1922 and 1998, and burial records for only 64 of them were found…Noelle Brown is a campaigner, Bessborough survivor and Social Democrat Councilor for Kimmage-Rathmines, and she joins Shane to discuss.

On the station today, we’ve been hearing that drivers have left behind more than €300,000 at toll booths last year by driving away without their change when passing through a motorway plaza.With record numbers passing through our tolls, and with frustrations building at the levels of congestion, is the solution to build more roads?Joining Ciara to discuss is Brian Caufield, Professor in Transportation in the Dept of Civil Engineering at Trinity College Dublin.

Ireland is nowhere near meeting its retrofit targets, that's according to a new ESRI report out today.So why are people not retrofitting?For more on this, Shane is joined by Claire McManus, Director of JFOC Architects and Housing Spokesperson for the Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland.

There are at least 30 people diagnosed with dementia every day in Ireland, with the Alzheimer Society of Ireland saying that there are 64,000 people living with dementia…Today at Croke Park, a new service was launched that focuses on reminiscence therapy.The Replay is a collection of commentator Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh’s iconic broadcasts.Josh Crosbie went along to the launch, and he sent in this report.

Iran's Foreign Ministry has said at a news conference that there's currently no room for ceasefire talks; stating that as long as attacks continue, there is "no point to talk about anything but defence and retaliation against enemies".Tara Kangarlou, Global Affairs Journalist and author of ‘The Heartbeat of Iran’ joins Shane to discuss…

On Friday we heard from Helen Joyce, Author of Trans; gender identity & the new battle for women’s rights & Director of Advocacy at Sex Matters to discuss the Gender Recognition Act, among other issues.Joining Ciara to return to the discussion is Karen Sugrue, Sociology Lecturer, Psychotherapist and member of Mammies for Trans Rights.

For this week’s Kids Clinic, Ciara and Shane are joined by TJ Hegarty, Founder of Breakthrough Maths and TikTok star to discuss the importance of times tables and spelling are for when your kids are young, and how they are vital for later in life.

Gerry Adams was “directly responsible for and complicit” in the decisions made by the IRA to detonate bombs in England, the High Court in London has heard. Adams denies that he had any role in the Provisional IRA, and is opposing the claim.Joining Shane with the latest updates on the civil trial is Enda Brady, London-based Journalist.

You will have heard throughout the day and over the weekend about fuel prices continuing to rise at forecourts across the country. Oil surged to prices not seen since 2022 this morning, hitting just under $120 a barrel. The Irish Road Hauliers Association has said that these rising prices could force them to take protest action,  which would result in supply chain disruption and rising prices in shops. So, is it time for some form of government intervention on the price of fuel?Joining Ciara to debate is Malcolm Byrne, Fianna Fáil TD and Spokesperson on Climate, Environment and Energy and Mairéad Farrell, Sinn Féin Spokesperson on Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation.