Moncrieff

A new project for the Guardian newspaper seeks to explore what takes place in different beds over the course of a single night. Bed is a place where we spend a third of our lives yet how much do we know about our unconscious night time habits. Sean was joined by Kitty Drake, Writer & Researcher with the Guardian to discuss...

Legislators in France are considering a law which could see some parents prevented from sharing images of their children on social media. The so-called 'Anti-Sharenting Bill' aims to protect the privacy rights of children, who cannot consent to their images being posted online. Ann Marie O’Sullivan decided to remove all photographs of her own kids from her social media accounts, and has no regrets...

Twitter users around the world have been asking where is the blue bird logo gone. Fans of the platform woke up to the logo of a dog replacing the familiar bird. It turns out it’s all linked to cryptocurrency and Newstalk reporter Josh Crosbie has been looking into this.

Forensic science, also known as criminalistics, is the application of science to criminal and civil laws, during criminal investigation. But unknown to many is the fact that Dublin in the 19th century was a hotbed for pioneering forensic science. The ‘One Dublin One Book’ initiative aims to encourage everyone in Dublin to read a designated book connected with the capital city during the month of A...

Burping is something most of us take for granted. But what if you’re were medically unable to burp? Where would that trapped gas go and how would a situation like this be resolved? Sean was joined by Brittany Sangastiano to discuss...

The full English breakfast is comprised of eggs, rashers, beans, and sausages and more. But the perennial question still exists, does the hash brown belong on the plate of this national staple? Sean was joined by founder and chairman of the English Breakfast Society, Guise Bule de Missenden...

With RTÉ Radio 1 ceasing its long wave broadcasts from April 14. To explain the history of Long Wave Radio and why its on the way out, Sean was joined by Brian Greene from Radio.ie...

Chat GPT has been getting a bad reputation in education, with fears around cheating a nd how hard it would be for examiner to know if a student used it to create an essay. One teacher is using Chat GPT regularly in the classroom and says he has no issue with students using the Open AI to improve the quality of their work. Sean was joined by Patrick Hickey from Boher Buí in Cork, who is known on In...

There are currently around 200,000 active gun licenses in Ireland. An expert group has recommended that gun owners licensing system be changed. Under new suggestions, the issuing of permits would be dependent on undertaking training, among other details. Sean was joined by Liam Nolan, Course Director of the Deer Alliance Hunter Competence Assessment Programme & spokesperson for the Firearms Users...

A new heritage walking trail has launched in Dublin which highlights some of the most significant Jewish areas and history of the city. Sean was joined by Saul Woolfson, Chair of Jewish Arts & Culture Ireland...

Some people like theatre, and others don’t. But what about babies? Do they like the arts? Anna Newell believes so, she’s a theatre director who makes work for babies and children with complex needs…

It may sound like science fiction but what technologies are out there that can be used to read our brain waves? Are governments of the world aware of them and already using them? These are topics investigated in the book ‘The Battle for Your Brain: Defending the Right to Think Freely in the Age of Neurotechnology’. Sean was joined by the author and Law Professor at Duke University, Nita Farahany…

Would an academic be disrespected if she spoke about her work or shared her experiences naked? That was the thinking behind my next guest’s approach to her work combining economics and feminism. Dr Victoria Bateman, author ‘Naked Feminism’ and a fellow in Economics in Cambridge University joined Sean on the show to discuss.. Image: Dr Victoria Bateman

People vary greatly in terms of how quickly they can consume a book. Now you can sign up to a GoodReads Challenge, wherein people are committing to reading a certain number of books within a particular time frame. One person who is attempting the challenge is author Joanna Cannon, whose new book ‘A Tidy Ending’ is out now. She has committed to reading 75 books during the course of this year…

If you’ve recently made the switch from petrol or diesel to and electric vehicle, you’ll know that you are doing that bit extra to combat climate change. But having an EV comes with it’s own challenges, particularly charging. Newstalk’s Henry McKean made that switch just a fortnight ago and joined Sean to discuss…

In an attempt to crack down on monotony, coarse language and noise levels, authorities in Killarney are introducing new bylaws to restrict the rules concerning on-street busking. There have been a number of voices in the media this morning from the council but little from the busking community. How do they feel about the new bylaws? Sean was joined by busker Eric Gudmunsen, a Scottish man who has...

A leaked EU Commission document suggests that the UK could be removed from the list of countries providing European Content. There are concerns this could cause problems for RTÉ and Virgin Media, whose schedules would include very popular UK content like Coronation Street, Eastenders, Love Island and others. Under the proposed changes, there would be a reduction in the number of British shows aire...

As the country prepares for President Biden’s upcoming visit, one particular town is particularly busy in the hope that he will visit his ancestral home of Ballina in County Mayo. Sean was joined by Mark Duffy, Cathaoirleach of Ballina Municipal District and Independent Councillor...

For years, people’s whose names contain a fada have had to contend with various forms and certificates omitting a key part of their identity. However, increasingly the state and other bodies are offering more and more protection for Irish names. Aodhán Ó Deá, Director of Development at Conradh na Gaeilge joined Seán to discuss the importance of a fada...

For this weeks 'How To' slot we’re looking at how to publish a book. Sean was joined by Deirdre Nolan, Publishing Director of Eriu, an imprint of Bonnier Books to discuss...

The global debate of ‘which animal is better, cats or dogs?’ seems never ending. However it’s safe to say that when it comes to the protection and welfare rights, canines come up trumps. This was the primary reason why cat lover and former veterinary nurse, Emma Martin decided to set up her own cattery in an act of altruism for her female friends. Emma Martin, Owner of Emmadale Cattery and Small P...

It may surprise you to discover that there could be enough water on the moon to support a mission. The challenge is in unlocking this as a liquid. Mahesh Anand, Professor of Planetary Science and Exploration at the Open University joined Sean to discuss the new discovery…

We often think of puddings as a uniquely Irish breakfast staple but it is in fact global and particularly prestigious in France. Now an intriguing chocolate blood pudding from Cork has won a major accolade at the Brotherhood of the Knights of the Black Pudding, which is the Oscars of the pudding world. Sean was joined by Tim McCarthy, Butcher at McCarthy Butchers of Kanturk... Image: McCarthy's of...

A modern day Robin Hood is among us, and his target is greedy landlords in the Netherlands. Irish expat Shane White contacts people renting over-priced accommodation, and tells them how to get their money back free of charge. He joined Sean to discuss how it all started… Image: Rent Buster

Some people take to the bottle to forget the past, but what about the bottle that could help remember the past. Head of Archives at Irish Distillers, Carol Quinn has teamed up with genealogical website Ancestry.com to reveal records of Jameson Distillery’s employees spanning a century. Carol joined Sean on the show to discuss…