The Hard Shoulder
NewstalkThe Hard Shoulder Podcast with Ciara Kelly and Shane Colman is your essential drivetime companion—bringing fresh perspective and energy to your drive home.
CONVERSATION THAT COUNTS | Ireland’s national independent talk station for news, sport, analysis and entertainment
Listen to Newstalk at newstalk.com/listenlive | Download the GoLoud app now, the new home for Newstalk
| Publishes | Daily | Episodes | 8131 | Founded | 10 years ago |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Listeners | Category | Society & Culture | |||
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Latest Episodes
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, Fionn joined Ciara and Shane to give his ultimate guide to Salzburg in Austria!
In New York today, nearly 130 heads of state and government, and other high-level representatives are to meet with their counterparts and address the UN General Assembly with their national statements over the next three days.
Elsewhere, EU countrie... more
Fianna Fáil will table a motion this evening that will ban sale of vapes and cigarettes to anyone born after 2009. The bill follows moves made by the UK back in April, but will the ban work and bring about lasting change?
Joining Ciara to discuss th... more
Adam Harris, Founder & CEO of AsIAm, Ireland's Autism Charity & incoming CEO of Social Entrepreneurs Ireland joins Ciara to place his favourite book on the Hard Shoulder Bookshelf!
Key Facts
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Recent Guests
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Reviews
- Desperate interviewing
Any chance Shane Colman could take a pause and let the interviewee speak? God that man loves the sound of his own voice.
Apple Podcasts1YerOne73
Australia6 months ago - Stop shouting
In all the Newstalk podcasts I have to turn up volume to hear guests and turn it down to hear presenter . Also you do not know more than your guest and stop talking across them and trying to be funny …grow up !
Apple Podcasts3nxxxtt
Irelanda year ago - No Barrel Left Unscraped
Friday’s show is always underwhelming.
Maybe time for a new producer and someone to replace the bumpkin.
Need to do something. The rest of the week is not much better these days. Disappointed!
Apple Podcasts1Mac an tSionnaigh
United Statesa year ago - Deeee seeeevning
It’s “this evening” - awful show with terrible overuse of THEEEEEEE before everything. Note to presenter: reading a quotations book and spouting random clever references does not make you clever.
Apple Podcasts1Johanes989Ireland2 years ago - Cringe
This guy is so disingenuous. The posh accent is actually cringe
Apple Podcasts1El ShamIreland2 years ago
Listeners Say
Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.
Chart Rankings
How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.
Apple Podcasts | #184 | Ireland/Top Podcasts |
Apple Podcasts | #32 | Ireland/Society & Culture |
Apple Podcasts | #231 |  India/Society & Culture |
Talking Points
Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.
Audience Metrics
Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.
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Frequently Asked Questions About The Hard Shoulder
What is The Hard Shoulder about and what kind of topics does it cover?
The program frames itself as a drive-time talk show that blends news, politics, business, and culture with lively hosts and a steady stream of guests from journalism, politics, academia, and industry. Episodes frequently tackle current affairs in Ireland and beyond, with thoughtful debates, expert commentary, and practical how-tos across technology, health, and policy. Notable strengths include a fast-paced interview style, a broad guest roster that spans policy wonks to industry leaders, and a willingness to engage controversial topics. Potential listeners can expect energetic banter, accessible explanations of complex issues, and regular sponsor mentions tied to timely themes and local context.
Where can I find podcast stats for The Hard Shoulder?
Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for The Hard Shoulder. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to The Hard Shoulder and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.
How many listeners does The Hard Shoulder get?
Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for four million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for The Hard Shoulder, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.
What are the audience demographics for The Hard Shoulder?
Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for The Hard Shoulder, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.
How many subscribers and views does The Hard Shoulder have?
To see how many followers or subscribers The Hard Shoulder has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.
Which podcasts are similar to The Hard Shoulder?
These podcasts share a similar audience with The Hard Shoulder:
1. The Pat Kenny Show
2. The Claire Byrne Show
3. The Last Word with Matt Cooper
4. Today with David McCullagh
5. Brendan O'Connor
How many episodes of The Hard Shoulder are there?
The Hard Shoulder launched 10 years ago and published 8131 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.
How do I contact The Hard Shoulder?
Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.
Where can I see ratings and reviews for The Hard Shoulder?
Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for The Hard Shoulder from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.
View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.
How do I access podcast episode transcripts for The Hard Shoulder?
Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of The Hard Shoulder. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.
What guests have appeared on The Hard Shoulder?
Recent guests on The Hard Shoulder include:
1. Rhys Darby
2. Trina O'Connor
3. Conor Murphy
4. Dónal Palcic
5. Maeve O'Connell
6. Michael Patten
7. Blake Boland
8. William Monks
To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.