Moncrieff

Are you in a reading rut? With research showing that 4 in 10 people in the UK actually haven’t read a book in a year, what can you do to get back on the metaphorical literary horse? Author Eithne Shortall joins Seán to discuss…

While Isaac Newton may be best known for his laws of motion, it is his beer mug that is going on show this week at the Royal Society in London... Joining Seán to discuss is Keith Moore, the Head of Library and Archives at the Royal Society. Image: The Royal Society

As the cost of living crisis continues to bite, many families are now living in consistent poverty and are struggling to get by. Henry McKean has been out and about speaking with the public, and joins Seán to share what he’s heard.

The Maltese entry to this year’s Eurovision is being forced to change the title of their song and some lyrics due to its resemblance to a swear word in English… Russell Alford, one half of the Gastrogays, has the story and joins Seán to discuss. Image: Malta Eurovision Song Contest

As dereliction increasingly becomes a problem in towns and cities across Ireland, one unfortunate consequence of this is public squalor. Joining Seán to discuss this is Dr Lorcan Sirr, Senior Lecturer in Housing at Technological University Dublin…

Anybody who has seen Jurassic Park will know that the park’s ferocious inhabitants are created by retrieving DNA from an ancient mosquito captured in amber. In reality, finding sufficiently intact DNA from dinosaurs who died out 66 Million years ago is extremely unlikely, if not impossible… However, the wooly mammoth only died out about ten to fifteen thousand years ago, so could they be brought b...

Most people would like to have a Government that is representative of the population, but there are some groups with very little representation. Dr Vivian Rath, Research Fellow at the Trinity Centre for People with Intellectual Disabilities at TCD was part of a group that looked into the difficulties that people with disabilities face when trying to enter politics. He joins Seán to discuss.

Do you know what colours suit you? Are you a cool summer, or a deep spring… or does that mean anything to you at all? It seems that Colour Analysis Consultations are all the rage as people are seeking professional advice on the best colours they should be wearing to complement their skin tone. It’s a trend being driven by social media, but joining Seán to explain how it actually works is Colour an...

You will inevitably encounter many phrases while out shopping trying to convince you how natural the food you are buying is. Does 'free range' actually mean what you think it does? Are we getting conned by ‘greenwashing’ claims on our food products? Joining Sean to discuss is Paula McIntyre, Chef and Food Writer and Chair of the Irish Food Writers Guild.

Is your local cafe being ruined by ‘laptop squatters’? You know the type, they’re working remotely and tapping loudly on their laptops while drinking one measly coffee over the course of a full 8 hour working day… Freelance Journalist Niamh O’Reilly has had enough, and joins Seán to discuss.

For most couples who live together, in a clichéd way, there seems to be some jobs that the man will do, and ones that the woman will. Freelance Journalist Chloë Hamilton and her partner, as an experiment, decided to swap roles. She joins Seán to discuss the results.

Chloe McPolin, journalist with the Irish Independent is with Moncrieff today in speaking about a task we all have difficulty with; finding a new hobby.

Mummy Pig, the mother of Peppa, the porcine heroine of the long running TV series, is pregnant. And as a TV show aims to express the undoubtedly difficult task of introducing a new member to your family, Moncrieff brings on their own expert.  Jen Hogan, Irish Times Columnist, who has had to perform this task with her seven children joins Moncrieff to go through it all.

Henry McKean is out and about for NewsTalk to ask the question; ‘what is the right amount of friends?’

Psychologist and survivor, Dr Niamh Ni Dhomhnaill, sits down on Moncrieff to speak about the complications that could arise from handing notes to authorities in cases of sexual assault.

The Irish are famous for their storytelling. We love a good natter or a yarn down the pub, but it’s not something we really think of as a job. Unless, of course, you’re Ais Breen. She has recently been appointed Dublin City Libraries’ Storyteller in Residence, and she joins Seán to discuss.

What’s your earliest memory? And why can’t you remember anything before that, despite the fact that you obviously learned and remembered how to walk and talk? Ciara Greene is Associate Professor in the School of Psychology, UCD and author of ‘Memory Lane: The Perfectly Imperfect Ways We Remember’. She joins Seán to discuss.

After 49 years with a very strict no beard policy, the New York Yankees have finally lifted their facial hair embargo, to much fanfare in America. But, why was such a ban in place, and why do beards play such a significant role in professional sport? Gavan Casey, Sports journalist with the 42, has been investigating, and he joins Seán to discuss. Image: Associated Press

It seems impossible to escape a terrible manager over the course of your career, but what’s the best way to deal with a bad boss? Margaret E. Ward is Chief Executive of Clear Eye, a leadership consultancy, and she has been writing about this for her Irish Times ‘World of Work’ column... Margaret joins Seán to discuss.

Have you ever found yourself stuck at a table completely bored out of your mind? Whether it’s a wedding, a dinner party, or an awkward first date - Podcaster Cassie Delaney started a list of all the interesting questions to ask in order to really get to know your friends and family… She’s now got over three hundred and eighty dinner party questions ready to go, and joins Seán to tell more!

Influencers can seemingly make content out of anything, be it brushing their hair or playing a video game. For the most part, it is harmless enough, but what happens if the thing that’s bringing in the likes and the shares is videos of your kids? Should you stop? This is just one of the questions arising from a new documentary called ‘An Update On Our Family’. Rachel Mason is the Director, and joi...

Are you feeling burned out at work? Well, it seems the new trend that is being embraced by some is ‘micro retirements’... So, could unplugging completely from your career for a period of time leave you feeling more motivated and more refreshed when you come back? Career Psychologist and author of ‘Total Reset’, Sinead Brady, joins Seán to discuss.

Are you a nosy neighbour? We know that this country is property mad, but does that mean that we’re very nosy neighbours? Especially if a home nearby goes up for sale, many people love nothing more than a look at the photos online, or even worse - a trip to the open house! Comedian Emma Doran has strong views on this, and joins Seán to discuss.

How often do your kids call you? Did you give them a deposit for a house or apartment? The question is: do adult children rely too heavily on their older parents to pick up the pieces? Are millennials just flakes, or is it not their fault? Henry McKean has been out asking the public, and joins Seán to share what he’s heard.

Imagine for a moment that it’s a million years in the future. You’re walking along a rocky shoreline, when suddenly you notice something jutting out of the cliff face. It’s a plastic rectangle with 104 buttons on its face. Each button has a symbol on it that is completely unfamiliar to you. Today, we recognise this object as a computer keyboard, but what will the archaeologists of the far future m...