The Hard Shoulder

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.

“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