Moncrieff

You’ll have been hearing today that speed limits are going to be reduced and some of the penalty point system will be reformed as a way of tackling the growing rates of death on the road.   But why do we need to be forced into changing our behaviours around something that is so obviously dangerous? Why aren’t we likely to be safer drivers just because it’s the right thing to do? &nb...

Raphoe-based priest Fr Eamonn Kelly hasn't used a razor since the day before Donegal won the All-Ireland in 1992 - now, 31 years on, he's set to ditch his beard in the name of charity.   Fr. Kelly joined Sean to discuss...

Ireland has one of the highest percentages of female primary teachers in the EU, at 85.8%. This skewed statistic highlights the cultural values that deter males from applying for a career teaching young children.  But could a lack of males in the profession have an impact on our children, and why do certain careers attract one sex over the other?  Dr. Colman Noctor, Child Psychotherapist...

With the widespread use of Google Maps, it seems now more than ever that almost everywhere is navigable. But are we too enslaved to the app when we’re driving and is it unusual for Google Maps to bring you not just down roads you don’t want to go but even to put your safety at risk? Sean was joined by motoring journalist Geraldine Herbert...

Lists are a big part of many people’s lives, whether it be that all-important shopping list for your weekly supermarket visit or the ‘to do’ list in a diary, we’ve all been there at some point. Now, a new book entitled ‘Listful’ examines the how, why and who of list making. Stefanie Preissner was joined by Dr Jo Nolan, a Linguist at SOAS University of London and the author of the book...

Simon Tierney joined Sean Moncrieff for the third installment of Thank You for Holding, our miniseries about the culture and practice of telephone customer service...

An unprecedented series of protests have been taking place in Syria’s southern province. But what they are protesting is less clear cut than you might imagine. Sean was joined by Ronan Tynan, Director of Bringing Assad to Justice, which airs on RTE One this Thursday at 11.20pm... Image: X via @visegrad24

A survey has been carried out among 65 countries by Anglia Ruskin University in England. Their aim was to discover people's sense of happiness with their own bodies. Ireland came fourth from the bottom. Professor Viren Swami, Professor of Social Psychology Anglia Ruskin University in England joined Sean to discuss...

As we continue this Indian summer until the weekend it got us talking about summer romances. And how hot weather can lead to steamy affairs. Henry McKean is here with us now. Henry does warm weather and a trip away in your youth lead to love?

It's hard to remember a time when internet searches were not synonymous with Google. That very company was actually founded on this day 25 years ago. But how did it innovate and make itself stand out in what was a crowded market of search engines in the late 1990s? Elaine Burke, Host of the podcast ‘For Tech’s Sake’ joined us on the show.

Over the last 5 years there has been an increase in people watching TV and listening to podcasts at 1.5 or 2 speed. But, can you still enjoy and consume the content when it’s playing so fast?  Brian Lloyde from Entertainment.ie . joined us on the show to discuss.

In just 48 hours, there have been some strong leads in a campaign to find Paul McCartney’s lost guitar. The Hofner bass guitar can be heard on Love Me Do, Twist and Shout and She Loves You, but went missing from a studio in 1970. More than 50 years later, the company is helping to find the unique instrument.    Nick Wass is Development and Media Officer with Karl Hofner guitars...

Last week, a photo emerged of a naked “wolf-man” in the Harz mountains of central Germany. The mysterious figure has lived there for apparently half a decade. There are some people who find themselves overwhelmed by the pressures of modern living, so much so that they leave society and find peace as recluses, living in the wilderness.  Will Millard is an explorer, writer and broadcaster who h...

For the first time in history, an AI system has beaten a human in a physical, real-world sport. In 2022, an AI-operated racing drone proved faster on an obstacle course than a drone piloted by a human. This feat is now the subject of a major study and Stefanie was joined by one of its co-authors Leonard Bauersfeld a Roboticist in the University of Zurich... 

Met Éireann have released the names of storms for the new season but how does the system work? Joining Stefanie to explain was Joanna Donnelly from Met Eireann.

Tomorrow is national cinema day and joining Stefanie was Mark Anderson, Director of Omniplex Cinema Group.

Many of you will have taken a week’s holiday over the past month but imagine working for a company where the entire month of August is contractually set aside as a rest period. Joining me now is Jo Hunter, Co-founder and CEO of 64 Million Artists, who offers this system...

This week in the Irish Times Michael McDowell wrote a piece with the headline: ‘Stop glamourising spray-paint vandalism by calling it art’. He had a go at the vandalism of the Molly Malone statue. He went onto to say “There is a world of difference between Banksy’s works and the moronic squiggles known as tags.” But what do the graffiti community think of his article, is graffiti art or vandalism...

Have you ever been described as a complete Aisling?  If you have, then it’s Emer McLysaght and Sarah Breen you have to thank for that. Both co-authors of the Aisling book series joined Sean to discuss their latest co-creation, 'Aisling Ever After...'

Answering emails at all times of the day could make you less productive and less happy. Research carried out by the University of Sussex, recommends picking a time of day to switch off from emails, and mute notifications. The study also advises workers to put on a daily 'out of office' reply to let others know they won't get an immediate response.  Damien McCarthy, CEO and Co-Founder of the H...

While Ian Fleming put the martini on the international map in the 1950s in his book Casino Royale, the newer incarnations of the cocktail are going in some very bizarre directions. Tom Dunne was joined by Tim Dowling, columnist with the Guardian, has done a deep dive into the history and evolution of the martini and has even experimented by creating and tasting some of the contemporary versions of...

Wedding season continues apace for a few more weekends but is there a growing trend for alternative wedding dresses, in opposition to the traditional white? Tom Dunne was joined by Megan Smith, a dog behaviour consultant and wife, who lives in Cork to discuss...

We all know in the infamous case of Jack the Ripper, but none of us know who he actually was. Well, maybe now we do. That’s all thanks to one woman, who thinks she may have cracked the case. Sarah Bax Horton, author of 'One Armed Jack – Uncovering the Real Jack the Ripper' joined Tom Dunne to discuss...

Electric Picnic organisers want to ban disposable vapes to “protect the land the festival site is on”. But why don’t they ban cigarettes if that’s their motive? It can take up to 14 years for a cigarette butt to break down, with its toxins seeping into the earth causing a further 10-year impact. Not to mention the microplastics staying in the environment for an unknown amount of time.  ...

In a medical world first, a woman in Australia was recently treated when a live worm was found in her brain. Sean was joined by Dr Sanjaya Senanayake, an infectious diseases physician in Canberra to discuss...