Moncrieff

Cillian Murphy has been nominated for Best Actor at this year’s Oscars. The Irishman was nominated for his portrayal of J. Robert Oppenheimer in Christopher Nolan’s historical epic 'Oppenheimer'. Esther McCarthy joined Sean to discuss this and the other nominations and snubs...

As more and more pubs around Ireland close, is it time to offer some form of cultural protection? Sean was joined by Fianna Fáil TD Niamh Smyth to discuss...

Political satire has been a mainstay of commentary for centuries, allowing for brief but impactful remarks about current affairs, scandals and characters.  And you might think the cartoon sketch is more common in the UK.  However, there is a rich history of cartooning in Ireland, and historian and former public servant Felix Larkin has long been championing the cause...

It was this month 60 years ago that Ireland got its first soap opera. Tolka Row focused on two families in an imaginary housing estate in north Dublin and ran for 5 years in the 1960s. Sean was joined by Eamon Bohan, Curator of the Irish Pirate Radio Archive in DCU, has been investigating its origins for the current edition of Ireland’s Own and he joins me now...  Image: SuperannRTÉ

The comedian and actor Katherine Ryan has disclosed in a newspaper interview that she and her husband schedule their sexual encounters. So, is ‘booking it in’ a good idea or does it take the romance out of it all? Sean was joined by Caroline West, sex educator and relationship columnist with the Irish Independent...

You might have seen videos online of plans trying to land at various airports across the UK and Ireland last night during Storm Isha.   Anyone who’s been in that unfortunate situation knows that now only is it a hair-raising experience, but it can mean the flight is diverted to anyone city where the conditions are more favourable.   So how are those decisions made? How many att...

There’s the old saying opposites attract, but sometimes we can’t help but look for the traits we like about ourselves in our prospective partners.   So if you’re an Alpha, you’d be a leader, opinionated, ambitions. Could it work if you were partnered with someone quieter, more contemplative, ie a Beta?   Tanya Sweeny is writing about this in today’s Irish Independent and she jo...

The hovercraft route between the south of England and the Isle of Wight is currently the only year round scheduled service using this mode of transport. But there are now increasing signals that the hovercraft may well be about to enjoy a resurgence. Sean was joined by Ben Avery, Chief Hovercraft Pilot with Griffin Hoverwork...

One of the writers of the latest season of True Detective has gone public with her criticism of people ‘review bombing’ her show in order to skew the audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the popular review aggregator website. But what is review bombing and is it symptomatic of broader problems with this platform? Sean was joined by Brian Lloyd, Movies Editor at Entertainment.ie and Movies and Booze...

A Chinese mum live streamed her 9 year old son to make sure he is doing his homework, and so she can concentrate on her housework. This got us thinking about housework and who does it in your house? Sean was joined by Henry McKean to discuss...

A new interiors trend called ‘bookshelf wealth’ is all the rage but what is it and is cultivating a bookshelf taking precedence over the actual reading of the books in the first place? Sean was joined by Avril Murphy Allen, Artist and interior designer to discuss...

Scone or scon? It has divided counties and nations for decades, but it seems both are correct.   Countdown presenter Susie Dent has said the dictionary allows for both pronunciations, but surely one of them is correct? Aren’t there rules for how words are to sound in certain combinations of letters?   Dr Stephen Lucek (loo-check) is Assistant Prof in Linguistics in UCD  

An incident in a pub in the UK, in which a child was refused a champagne flute for her soft drink, has triggered a conversation about when and how we introduce alcohol to young people. Rosamund Hall, a wine consultant and writer, has been looking at this for the UK Independent and she joined Sean on the show today...

More than 5,000 people have signed a petition to get Fermanagh included in the All Island Strategic Rail Review.   The draft plan was published last autumn and as it stands, Fermanagh would be the only county in Ireland or the UK without any rail service.   So why is the county being left out?   Steve Bradley, Chair of Into the West, a rail campaign group focusing on...

Raves aren’t for the fainthearted. Often you’re packed into a warehouse with hundreds of other people, who are sweating and a little bit worse for wear.  But imagine doing it sober? Well you soon can, in Dublin  Paul Walsh is the founder of Club Loosen in Dublin, a company that puts on sober raves and he joined Sean to discuss...

Older songs are making a comeback, with some being discovered for the first time by younger generations. The nostalgic wave can be prompted by a new Tik Tok trend, a song being used in a popular show like Stranger Things, or maybe it’s been featured in “that” scene at the end of Saltburn. Sean was joined by Claire Beck, Presenter with Today FM to discuss… 

Electric cars are a great invention but what happens to the batteries during the cold winter months, or if you are in Ireland, the coldness year-round. Shane O’Donoghue, Editor of completecar.ie joined Sean to discuss...

The government yesterday agreed in principle to the request to turn a derelict hotel in Roscrea into a community hotel, in an attempt to calm tensions over the arrival of a number of asylum seekers to the area. But what is a community hotel and how do they work? Sean was joined by Kieran Harrahill, Senior Researcher in Climate Justice at TASC, the Think Tank for Action on Social Change...

Comedian Tommy Tiernan found a grayscale screen to be his unlikely ally in curtailing phone use. But that’s just one trick in the digital detox handbook for those looking to scale back time spent sitting in front of screens. Elaine Burke, Host of the For Tech Sake podcast joined Sean to discuss...

The media has been dominated by stories over the last number of months about protests taking place outside reception centres over immigrants seeking international protection here.  However, there was a time in history when the Irish were facing similar protests in counties like the US and UK.  Irial Glynn is a migration historian at UCD and she joined Sean on the show this afternoon...

More and more people are choosing to outsource their baby naming to consultants. But how does the process work? Sean was joined SJ Strum, Founder of Baby Name Envy...

The days of watching live TV could be numbered. The Broadcasters Audience Research Board in the UK says the proportion of programming watched on demand rose to 44 per cent of all viewing last year.  But how true is this after record viewership figure for the Late Late Toy Show and Mr Bates Versus The Post Office? Henry McKean joined Sean to discuss...

A new purpose-built headquarters for the Army Ranger Wing is due to be built this year, as part of a series of infrastructure investments in the Defense Forces.  The new headquarters for the special operations division of the Defense Forces, is due to be located in the Curragh Camp in Kildare.  But what is the remit of the Army Ranger wing?  Cathal Berry, Independent TD for Kildare,...

A charity based in Kildare town has recently released a robin red breast that came into its care, after getting itself attached to a glue trap. Dan Donoher, Manager of Kildare Wildlife Rescue joined Sean to discuss...

Last week, the eyes of the world were on the International Criminal Court, as Aouth Africa took a case against Israel over the situation in Gaza.  Some were claiming that what was happening in Palestine constituted genocide, however, this has been disputed by Israel. But what is the definition of genocide?  Professor Ray Murphy is from the Irish Centre for Human Rights at University of G...