The Hard Shoulder

The annual Ireland Gateway To Europe trip to the US has announced it will return in 2026.Now in its 15th year, it comprises an annual mission of 50 business leaders and Irish media to the US, including Newstalk!Adie McGinnis is Executive Chairman of Sigmar Recruitment and one of the Founders of Ireland Gateway to Europe and Deborah Kelly, Partner and Head of Corporate at Addleshaw Goddard join Ciara and Shane to look ahead on what you can expect…

Iran described US proposals to end a month of war in the Middle East as "unrealistic, illogical and excessive", and unleashed more missiles on Israel.This is now in the backdrop of the news just coming in that two UNIFIL peacekeepers have been killed in Southern Lebanon with the Defence Forces here saying that no Irish were involved, and that all members are safe and accounted for.Joining Ciara with the latest is Borzou Daraghi, Middle East Journalist & Analyst.Image: Reuters

On Wednesday, NASA is aiming to return astronauts to lunar orbit for the first time since 1972. The Artemis II mission is aiming to pave the way for the first lunar landing in over fifty years – a feat which is planned for 2028. But, why are NASA returning to the moon, and what is there for them?Space Commentator Leo Enright joins Shane to discuss.Image: NASA

For this week’s Kids Clinic, Ciara and Shane are joined by Brendan Kelly, Professor of Psychiatry at Trinity College Dublin to discuss routines for your children, and the impact changing them can have.

The BBC has sacked the Radio 2 Presenter Scott Mills after allegations about his personal conduct. The corporation announced the departure of the Radio 2 star, who took over the breakfast show from Zoe Ball in 2025. This follows a number of other dismissals in the BBC in recent months, such as Gregg Wallace and Huw Edwards.Joining Ciara to discuss the latest is Enda Brady, London-based TRT World Presenter.Image: BBC

The rate of inflation in Ireland jumped this month to 3.6% due to the surge in energy prices amid the conflict in the Middle East, according to the CSO.For more on this, Shane is joined by Dan O’Brien, Chief Economist at the Institute of International and European Affairs, and Columnist at The Currency.

A study published in the journal of Evolutionary Psychology has found that becoming a parent provides no significant increase in positive emotions and found hardly any difference in reported happiness levels or life satisfaction between parents and non–parents.Joining Ciara to discuss this is Richard Hogan, Family Therapist & author and Journalist Andrea Smith.

Monthly €50 fees for blister packs will come into effect from tomorrow, this comes after changes to a pub­lic agree­ment with chem­ists were post­poned last year after the fees sparked days of back­lash.Joining Shane to discuss this is Sheena Mitchell, Community Pharmacist and Sean Moynihan, CEO of Alone.

Ahead of Minister for Finance Simon Harris’ meeting tomorrow to discuss details of the new Savings and Investment scheme with relevant industry and policy stakeholders, many questions are still unanswered as to what this will mean for people's pockets when this is rolled out?Joining Ciara to discuss this is Robert Whelan, Managing Director of Rockwell Finance.

A PSNI initiative is now offering motorists who have been caught speeding a choice: accept penalty points or face stern questions from a panel of primary school children.Longford is one place where this initiative has been used for a while now, and Shane is joined by Janine Bartley, Community Safety Coordinator at Longford Local Community Safety Partnership to discuss…