Moncrieff

The Saudi Arabian government has announced that it is set to open its first alcohol shop since prohibition began in the country in 1952. Sean was joined by Vaughan Yates, Co-Founder of the Virgin Mary Collective, which currently has an alcohol-free bar in the Saudi capital...

The 5 languages of love created by Baptist, Gary Chapman in 1992 have become cemented into popular consciousness as a guideline for how to express and receive love in relationships  With the 5 languages being 1) words of affirmation 2) acts of service 3) Physical touch 4) quality time together, and finally 5) gift giving   However new research by psychologists has questioned the val...

A lot of people have created families through surrogacy but they don’t have the rights as others – they are in legal limbo’ those of the words of Anthony Kinahan, actor, activist and theatre maker. His new play, Unguarded, tells the story of a worst case surrogate scenario... Image: Project Arts Centre

Claire Foy whilst promoting her new film ‘All of Us Strangers’ with Paul Mescal and Andrew Scott, told BBC Radio 2 she had a poster of Shaggy on her wall. Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal thought she meant Scooby Doo, not the rapper. This signaled hilarity in the studio. And got us thinking, are posters making a comeback? Henry McKean has been looking into it for us...

Scam ads are all over the internet, from packages that never arrive to fake article scams that lead you to investing in a fake cryptocurrency company but how do these scams work? Sean was joined by Shane Raymond is a misinformation journalist and fact checker specialist with The Journal.ie...

Last night, the Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr tweeted his disgust at a Donald Trump campaign event using one of his band’s songs. He then vowed to stop the Trump team from using their music in the future. This is yet another episode in disgruntled musicians complaining about the politicisation of their work but can anything actually be done about it? Danny McElhinny, Music journalist with the Irish...

Last year, a campaign was launched to bring back St Brigid’s relic from Lisbon to Kildare. We spoke with David Mongey, Chairman of INTO Kildare and member of the Brigid 1500 group. Since then the story has taken a twist, and he’s back with an update...

Jamie Doran was hospitalized after he made contact with a caterpillar. Should we be more aware of deadly insects when travelling around Europe and even in Ireland? Collie Ennis is a Zoology research associate at Trinity College Dublin joined Sean to discuss...

You’ve heard the phrase “find joy in the little things”, but in a world of wars, housing crises and climate change, it can be hard to see joy.   But the Greater Good Science Centre at the University of California is encouraging people to take just seven minutes of their day to do activities that is likely to increase positive emotions.   Emma Beddington joined Sean to discuss.....

We all think we are avoiding it, but sooner or later there comes a time when we just have to accept that we are turning into our parents.  But did you know, it’s more common then you think. That’s according to a piece by Helen O’Callaghan in the Irish Examiner.  Bethan O’Riordan, Psychotherapist and from the Calm Parenting Community joined Sean to discuss...

A niche dating site for the bald community seeks to link the folically challenged with those who admire a smooth pate. Sean was joined by David Minns, Founder of Bald Dating... 

Figures released today show that cars are getting wider by about a centimetre every two years.   More than 73,000 SUVs were sold in Ireland last year, up from 61,000 in 2022, while medium and small SUVs accounted for 55% of the total car sales market.  But why are SUVs so popular? They’re expensive to buy, expensive to run, and with so many of them on the roads now, parking is becom...

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...