It would be remiss of us during our time here in the US not to speak with some members of the indigenous community.   Many of the issues facing these communities from language loss and identity from colonisation will be felt for many back home with our own history.   Amy Bruton, Bluemel Award-winning Native American Storyteller and Dr. Aaron Pyle from the Indigenous Cultures Institute joined Kieran in the Texas studio.

Kieran has escaped the studio for a bit in Austin Texas to experience its famous barbeque! He talks to Matt from Terry Black’s BBQ to talk about the process. Kieran is also joined by Newstalk’s Jess Kelly and producer Peadar to try as much as possible! Image: @terryblacks_bbq on Instagram

Jess Kelly, Newstalk Technology Correspondent joined Kieran in Austin for the Tech Takeover. This week Jess looked at the Marcos Cervantes, who is a real-life Q, just like in James Bond as well as eSIMs, and how they can make travelling less of a hassle.

Now we are here in Austin with Ireland Gateway to Europe – today the group has been hearing from many of the multinationals here in Austin who also have a presence in Ireland.  One of those companies at the event is NFP, which is a leading global provider of benefits, insurance and wealth management services.  Ed O'Malley, Head of Insurance Brokerage and Consulting, NFP joins Kieran to discuss.

Fox news in Austin has reported several anti-Semitic incidents on University of Texas campus over the weekend. This comes after concerns that anti-Semitism is on the rise after Hamas attack on Israel on October 7th.  Joining Kieran is Mariette Hummel, Co-Founder of ATX Kind, a group of Jewish mothers working against anti-Semitism in Austin.

We’ve been comparing Texas to Ireland a lot here on this trip but how does the housing market compare to that here in Austin?   Joining Kieran is Housing Reporter with NPR in Austin, Audrey McGlinchey. 

It is setting up to be a bumper here for elections in Ireland but it is the same story here in the US with Trump and Biden set to battle it out for the US Presidency in November.   What are some of the issues which will play the most important part in this coming election cycle and what roadblocks lie ahead for the candidates? Kieran is joined by Niall Swan, an Irish Democrat in Austin, to discuss.

This is the Afternoon Update – The Hard Shoulder’s catch-up on the day's news.  Today, Kieran was joined by Bethany Harbaugh, owner of Twisted Texas Tours  and Jess Kelly, Newstalk’s Technology Correspondent and presenter of Tech Talk.

It’s time for our Ultimate Guide and as ever, our travel guide Fionn Davenport, Travel journalist and Lonely Planet author, joins Kieran to look through the Lone Star State.

Gun control is a fiery issue here in the United States, with some citizens reluctant to give up their arms due to their constitutional rights.   However for one mother who lost her son to a gun tragedy, raising education around gun safety and storage is much more important.    Leesa Ross, Founder of Lock Arms for Life, joins Kieran to discuss.

Kieran is joined by more Irish living in Austin, Stephen Devine, Customer Success Manager for Crushing Tigers, originally from Mullingar and Corkman Noel O'Mahony, Dell Global Account Manager in Broadcom.

The annual Ireland: Gateway to Europe trip to the US is underway. Now in its 12th year, it comprises an annual trade mission of 50 business leaders and Irish media to key cities across North America – this year, it’s Atlanta, Austin and Boston and Kieran Cuddihy has travelled along with them. Two of the people behind the initiative, Adie McGennis, Chairman of Sigmar Recruitment and Robert MacGiolla Phádraig, founder of the Talent Summit and CEO of SkillStack, talk to Kieran.

Every night, 1.5 million bats come out from under Congress bridge in Austin, Texas. Kieran is there with Newstalk’s Jess Kelly to witness the spectacle and also talk to a few locals about the city. Image: Austin City Guide

A topic of contention here in the US, and particularly here in Texas is Abortion   In 2022 Roe Vs Wade was overturned making abortion illegal again...   Joining Kieran to discuss the change since and the topic of abortion is Communications Director for Texas Alliance for Life, Amy O’Donnell.

As you may know there is a strong Irish community in Austin and it even has close ties to the city of Limerick...   Joining Kieran are some Irish expats in Austin: CEO and co-founder of Crushing Tigers, Pat Doab and Marketing Manager in Dell Technologies, Sarah Perry. 

This is the Afternoon Update – The Hard Shoulder’s catch-up on the day's news.  Today, Kieran was joined in Austin, Texas by Renzo Downey, Political Reporter with the Texas Tribune and Jess Kelly, Newstalk’s Technology Correspondent and presenter of Tech Talk.

While conversations around recruitment and retention in the Gardaí rage on at home, issues around police shortages in Austin are also an issue; with officers' numbers dwindling as the role is no longer as attractive as it once was.  Michael Bullock, President of the Austin Police Association joins Kieran to discuss.

Donald Trump made history today by being the first former president to go to trial over an alleged crime.   Trump is in court today over allegations that he falsified business records around hush money paid to adult film actor Stormy Daniels.   Anthony Zurcher, BBC North American Correspondent joins Jonathan to discuss. 

The Transport Research Arena is taking place in the RDS this week, where experts will discuss the future of travel and what more we could be doing in Ireland.  To speak more on the topic is EY’s Global Transport Leader, Tony Canavan, who joins Jonathan.

To encourage football fans to ‘talk more’ with one another, Three Ireland have reached out to former Republic of Ireland captain, former Chelsea footballer and pundit, Andy Townsend to talk about the importance of speaking out when it comes to mental health.   The campaign is called #TalkMoreThanFootball and Andy joins Jonathan to discuss. Image credit: Jonesy702 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=86533444