Moncrieff

The Communion season is upon us... Is it a rite of passage? Or are we all being hypocrites, since many of us won’t bring the child to mass every Sunday?  Newstalk's Henry McKean has been asking about communion memories and how much people received.

Sometimes it can feel like a living nightmare trying to talk to a real human being in customer support, you’re either dealing with chat bots, or ridiculous waiting times. Consumer Journalist Siobhan Maguire joins Seán to give the best tips when dealing with customer care. 

Butlers are still around, but things are probably quite different these days. Today’s modern day butler duties would resemble those of a personal assistant. It’s no longer about just polishing the family cutlery. And, as their duties have evolved, they are no longer confined to just the family home, but are often out and about by their employer's side.   Sean Davron, Butler Director at T...

Dublin’s newly opened portal – which offers a two way 24/7 livestream to New York City – has been temporarily turned off after several high profile inappropriate incidents. Culprits, on both sides of the Atlantic, treated fellow portal viewers to nudity, images of the Twin Towers and suspected drug use. But, this isn’t the first time a Dublin monument has made headlines. Fionnán Sheahan, Ireland E...

Last night, one of the biggest media companies in America announced that they are to offer a new streaming service bundle, which will include Netflix, Apple TV and Peacock - all in one place.  It comes off the back of Disney and Warner announcing last week that they are to offer a bundle option too. So, are we getting that one step closer to an all-in-one streaming service?  Elaine Burke...

Group chats can be a place of entertainment which brings people together, but it can also be a stomping ground for snarky comments and division. From school parent chats to secret subgroups - it can be difficult to navigate the world of group chats.   Siobhan O’Neill White, Director of mamsnet.ie , joins Seán to discuss.  

Dublin City Council has granted Shelbourne a 250-year lease for Tolka Park. The League of Ireland club has faced an anxious future over their permanent home venue as they do not own the Tolka Park site.  It’s after a successful campaign from the Save Tolk Park campaign. Lee Daly is a spokesperson for them, and joins Seán to discuss.

Richard Slayman, the man who received the first ever pig kidney transplant has died 2 months after the operation although doctors say his death was not a direct result of the transplant.  Dr Adam Griesemer, the leading surgeon on the first pig kidney transplant and Associate Professor of Surgery at NYU Langone Health joins Seán to discuss.

Dyson has launched a brand-new product - a £600 electric mop. As more and more people shift away from carpets and move towards wooden and tiled floors is people's love for the wall-to-wall carpet dying out? Joining Seán to discuss is Róisín Murphy, Architect and Broadcaster.

Digital driving licences are set to be introduced later this year. The new driving licence will be conveniently kept in the wallet app on your phone. Although this will be a huge advantage to many, it’s not without its downsides…   Joining Seán to discuss this further isAdrian Weckler, Tech Editor at the Irish & Sunday Independent.

You might not think about it a lot, but death is one of two certainties in life. So, what do you want to happen to your body when the time comes? Stefanie Preissner wrote about her investigations into buying a burial plot, and it led to interesting points for cost, location, and having to plan in advance. David Fanagan is the Director of Fanagan’s Funeral Directors, and joins Seán to discuss the i...

A legend of cult cinema, who played a part in launching the careers of Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, James Cameron has died.  His name is Roger Corman, and although he is an Oscar Winner, you may never had heard of him.  Here to look back on his strange career with Seán is Brian Lloyd, Movie Editor with Entertainment.ie . Image: Marianna Diamos, Los Angeles Times, 1978

In recent years mental health problems have become widely accepted and understood yet hypochondria is “still the one that we’re allowed to laugh at” , says Caroline.   Caroline Crampton, hypochondriac, author of ‘A Body Made of Glass’ and podcaster joins Seán to discuss.

With more awareness about the importance of sleep, travellers are looking for hotels that can offer some good quality shut eye. From pillow menus to €15,000 mattresses, hotels are cashing in on the new trend that is sleep tourism.   Eoghan Corry, Editor of Air and Travel Magazine joins Seán to discuss.

Coins, watches, stamps and fridge magnets are just a few of the many popular items people collect but why do we ‘collect’ items? And what makes someone a collector?   Roslyn Dee, columnist for the Independent, who now owns 44 copies of the Great Gatsby says she thinks collecting is obsessional and she joins Seán to discuss.

As local and European elections are looming people are being urged to register and vote. Although the registration process has gotten easier in recent years, there are still many questions about how to get on the register and the voting process.   Joining Seán is Art O'Leary, CEO of the Electoral Commission, to discuss.

Sean talked to Faye Keegan, a writer, about the fascinating history of red lipstick. Over the centuries, the meaning of wearing it has evolved dramatically—from a symbol of power to being tried as a witch. Faye explores these bizarre origins and the shifting symbolism of this bold cosmetic.

The stories of the fairy forts and trees date back centuries; it is said that if you tamper with the fairies, bad luck will follow you around, but why do they hold such importance today? Sean talks to Eddie Lenihan, storyteller, seanchaí and author of ‘Meeting The Other Crowd’ about these long-held superstitions.

Newstalk Reporter Henry McKean asks locals in Malmo how to say all sorts of bad words in Swedish.

The Iconic Costumes of the Irish Silver Screen exhibition has recently opened at the Newbridge Silverware Museum of Style Icons. The exhibition features costumes from the likes of ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’ and ‘Breakfast on Pluto’. Eimer Ní Mhaoldomhnaigh is a costume designer and co-founder of the Irish Costume Archive Project (ICAP), joined Sean to talk about the clothes behind the character.

How important is our sense of smell in our day-to-day lives? Very important it turns out. More and more brands are following in the footsteps of Abercrombie & Fitch , LUSH and Subway, who use their strong scents to draw customers in. Sean is joined by Dr. Alan Hiersch, Neurological director of Smell and Taste Research Foundation in Chicago to explain the powerful link between scents and brands...

Amazon has announced the launch of its new online Irish store, which will open next year. Amazon.ie will include over 100 million products and will feature Irish businesses. Newstalk’s Tech Correspondent Jess Kelly joins Sean to explore what this means for the Irish market.

Election season is upon us, as you will have seen by the posters that are being erected across the country at the moment. But what makes a good election poster? Derek Mooney is a Former Fianna Fail Strategist and former campaign manager, and joins Sean to discuss.

Newstalk reporter Henry McKean travels to Malmö and speaks with Sean about the reactions surrounding Israel's controversial participation in this year's Eurovision Song Contest.

It may be surprising to some that the namesake and symbol of wireless technology Bluetooth was inspired by a real viking. But how did the Nordic warrior become the name of a huge technological development? And did he have a blue tooth? Professor Poul Holm of Environmental History at Trinity College Dublin joined Seán to share the life of Blue Tooth the Viking.