Moncrieff

You wouldn’t think that having wine for breakfast was good for a diet - and it isn’t! But in the 1970’s, Vogue Magazine touted this and other measures as a guaranteed weight loss plan. Sybilla Hart, Freelance Journalist, gave this diet a try, and wrote about her experience in the Daily Mail. She joins Seán to discuss.

Seán’s guest has always been fascinated by the longest building in Ireland, the old Victorian Cork District Lunatic Asylum, on the bank of the River Lee. Now, her new novel ‘Said the Dead’ is directly informed by the women whose stories she found in the archives. Poet and author Doireann Ní Ghríofa joins to discuss…

Travelling around the world by balloon sounds fun, but is much harder than it seems. The first successful non-stop journey was done in the 90’s, and is the subject of a new documentary called ‘The Balloonists’. Joining Seán to discuss is Pilot Brian Jones, who was on this journey. Image: TIFF

Every Wednesday, Seán will be joined by someone to hear unusual stories on heinous crimes… This week, Cassie Delaney joins to discuss crimes where the perpetrator was caught in unexpected ways! Image: HBO

While dog fouling is a perennial issue in Ireland, are we missing a trick by not looking to the solutions provided by other countries? Seán’s guest thinks the Spanish might be onto something with the so-called ‘Caca Express’... Kathriona Devereux, Presenter of ‘10 Things to Know About’ on RTÉ television and columnist with The Echo joins to discuss.

Just like the old cowboy movies, there are people in Ireland who pan for gold. So, what does that look like here, and is there much gold to be found? Joining Seán to discuss is Karl Payne from Gold Panning Ireland.

If you want to get an electric car, but you don’t have a driveway in front of your home, you will run into some annoying issues. With public chargers being more expensive than the at-home method, what are your options? Joining Seán to discuss is Ger Herbert, Motoring Editor and Columnist with the Sunday Independent.

As thousands of 12 and 13 year olds prepare to head to secondary school in September, many parents will be considering what smartphone to get for them. Adrian Weckler, Tech Editor with the Irish and Sunday Independent, joins Seán to discuss.

A new scheme in France this month has seen three course meals for €1 rolled out at college campuses across the country, at a cost of €90 million to the exchequer. With students skipping meals in Ireland and struggling to make ends meet, is it time to introduce a similar scheme in Ireland? Joining Seán to discuss is Emma Monahan, Vice President for Welfare with AMLE, the National Student Union…

A lot of people are enjoying the TV show ‘Rivals’ with the hair, music and campiness, but it is set in an era where power imbalances between a man and a woman are more acceptable. Author and Journalist Jillian Godsil has found this portrayal of romance troubling, and joins Seán to discuss. Image: Disney+

A group that call themselves the ‘Revolutionary Housing League’ have broken into a pub in the Liberties area of Dublin. Ardee House was closed in 2010, and is now owned by an investment company. The group says it wants to reopen the space as a community centre, but with Gardaí outside the door, it does not seem likely... Kitty Holland, Social Affairs Correspondent with the Irish Times, joins Seán...

Seán’s guest is currently travelling around Ireland in her campervan, and has been appalled by the state of Irish table manners while dining out in restaurants. Joining to discuss is Ruth Medjbar, Photographer, Podcaster and Columnist with the Irish Independent.

Seán’s guest moved from a career in fashion in New York to becoming a Booker prize winning novelist. Douglas Stuart, author of the new title ‘John of John’, joins to share his story.

We’re looking back on the weekend and looking forward to the week ahead through the lens of these four questions: What delighted you over the weekend? What annoyed you over the weekend? What did you learn over the weekend? What are you looking forward to this week? Joining Seán to discuss is Doireann O’Connor and Lorcan Collins!

"Tell them that you love them." Charlie McKean, a father, sailor, State Solicitor, and brother of Newstalk's Henry McKean, died suddenly of a heart attack last month, at the age of 46. Henry speaks with Moncrieff, surrounding National Brother's Day, about the heartbreak of losing a sibling...

Now, there is a street in Dalkey that goes by the unusual name of ‘Atmospheric Road'. This name, however, is a nod to a most unusual train, the Dalkey Atmospheric Railway, that carried passengers between Dun Laoghaire and Dalkey in the 19th Century. Mia Sherwood Scully, Journalist and Historian joins Seán to discuss.

Every year, roughly 4 million snake bites happen to humans, with about 138,000 proving fatal. Now, a major new research paper from the World Health Organisation shows that the risk of snake bites is on the rise. Joining Seán to discuss is James Hennessy, Director of the National Reptile Zoo in Kilkenny…

If you need some bricks laid quickly, Charlie Collison is your man! Charlie is the world’s fastest bricklayer, recently laying 1,065 bricks in an hour, smashing the previous record of 872. He joins Seán to discuss!

A new study of nearly 250 million times table answers shows that 27.1% of primary school children struggle with one time table in particular: it shows that 9 times 6 is the hardest. Why is this? To discuss, Seán is joined by the author of ‘Grasping Grammar’ Oliver Murphy.

Is cigar smoking still much of a thing in Ireland? What is involved in the competition taking place around cigars soon? Joining Seán to discuss is Barry Joyce, Managing Director of the Decent Cigar Emporium.

Did you know that women who have had a mastectomy are able to get a grant to buy bras and swimwear? What is included? Joining Seán to discuss is Sinead Sanderson, owner of Peaches and Cream Underwear.

In 2027, Germany will be introducing ‘partial’ sick days, where employees can do as little as 25% of the day’s work if they are ill. This is in order to curb record levels of sick day absences in the country. Should we introduce something similar here? Joining Seán to discuss is Alison Hodgson, Country Director for CIPD, the Professional Body for the World of Work.

If you get to walk through a forest, do you know what you’re actually looking at? Well, Seán’s guest will be hosting nature walks at the Night and Day Festival to help you understand nature that bit more… Joining to discuss is Pat Neville, Forest Communications Manager with Coillte.

There is clearly an ongoing issue of the use of artificial intelligence in academia, and it’s hard to know how much of the work of a student that is approved is actually generated by AI. So, is this something we should continue to push against? Or do we have to accept it? Joining Seán to discuss is Juliana Adelman, Assistant Professor of History in DCU and co-author of this editorial.

In an interview with the Telegraph this morning, television presenter Richard Madelay of Richard and Judy fame, says that he will no longer celebrate his birthday, as a way to deal with the ageing process of turning 70. But, is this a good idea? Should we all ignore our birthdays to stay young? Joining Seán to discuss is Stephanie Regan, Clinical Psychotherapist & co-host of the ‘Tough Love’ p...