The Hard Shoulder

For this week’s Tech Takeover, Newstalk's Technology Correspondent Jess Kelly joins Kieran to discuss how bin collecting is about to get a lot smarter. Waste disposal company Panda is rolling out surveillance during collections, which will identify any mix ups when it comes to recycling and contamination - but is it a GDPR issue?

As many companies now have a hybrid system of remote working, is it leading to poor communications and the need for too many meetings?Are we having too many meetings in our day, and just doing too little work?Life Coach Mark Fennell joins Kieran to discuss, and give his meeting-efficiency tips.

Tánaiste Simon Harris has said that the two Irish diplomats were among the delegation that Israeli soldiers fired at in the vicinity of in the West Bank…Journalist Hannah McCarthy joins Kieran to discuss the latest, and Independent Senator Frances Black joins to discuss the new Occupied Territories Bill the Tánaiste will be bringing before the Cabinet, which includes a ban on imports from those territories.Image: Reuters

Yesterday on the show you may have heard Kieran speaking to Cara Darmody during her 50-hour picket outside Leinster House.She is calling for the Government to address the large number of children awaiting an assessment for a disability or autism for six months or longer.Joining Kieran today to discuss this is Jane Johnstone, mother and carer to Evan and Daniel to tell her own story and Catherine Cox, Head of Communications and Policy at Family Carers Ireland.

New figures from the department of justice show that 60,0000 people were caught by Gardaí driving while using their phones between 2022 and 2024.There are currently more than half a million drivers with penalty points on their licence, of which 866 have 12 points, meaning they are under an automatic six-month ban.Newstalk’s Henry McKean joins Kieran to discuss.

Author Anthony Horowitz has said he believes that social media is impacting children's attention spans and it’s causing them to no longer be able to concentrate on longer novels.But, are their attention spans getting worse, or do we need to change how we approach reading?Joining Kieran to discuss is Lorraine Levis, Author ‘Once Upon a Reader: Raising Your Children with a Love of Books’ and Head of Sales for Bloomsbury in Ireland and Derek Landy, Author of the Skulduggery Pleasant series.

Should young teenagers have a say at the ballot box? Today, Social Democrats TD Aidan Farrelly is bringing forward a bill that could shake up Irish democracy, proposing the voting age be lowered to 16.Is this a good cause to increase political engagement in our system, or is this too much responsibility, too soon?Social Democrat TD for the Kildare North, Aidan Farrelly, and James Geoghegan, Fine Gael TD for the Dublin Bay South join Kieran to discuss.

Theatre Maker and Television Presenter Martin Beanz Warde joins Kieran to place his favourite book on The Hard Shoulder Bookshelf!

Schools across the country will be wrapping up their final classes and exams ahead of the summer break, but some 6th class students will be finishing up in the coming weeks not knowing what secondary school they will be attending in September…This is particularly a problem in areas which have seen high population growth in recent years.Rachel Harper, Principal of Saint Patrick's National School Greystones joins Kieran to discuss.

Disability Rights Campaigner Cara Darmody is staging a 50 hour protest over the long waiting lists for special needs assessments.Cara has been fighting for these issues for her two brothers, Neil and John, who have autism.Kieran spoke with Cara outside the Dáil, as well as Claire Kerrane, Sinn Féin Spokesperson on Children, Disability and Equality and TD for Roscommon–Galway.