Moncrieff

For over 300 years, public libraries have been at the very heart of communities across the country. However, libraries have been struggling recently, with Fianna Fáil MEP Barry Andrews suggesting that they are being “ripped off” by big publishers. Barry joins Seán to discuss the danger our public libraries are facing, and what can be done about it.

Tanya Sweeney, Columnist for the Irish Independent, joins Seán to discuss her fond childhood memories of Smash Hits magazine, and how it gave a girl from the West Dublin suburbs access to the world of pop…

This is a new slot on the show where we look back on the weekend and look 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 Kalle Ryan!

The legendary bare knuckle boxer Dan Donnelly will be celebrated at a special event in the National Stadium on May 9th. Joining Seán to look back on his extraordinary life is Historian Donal Fallon…

‘Petro-masculinity’ describes a pumped-up gendered form of climate crisis rejection, which is increasingly alarming those who are trying to deal with the ongoing problems of our planet. But, how does it manifest itself? Joining Seán to discuss is Andrew Boyd, a humorist, activist and author in New York, who has been writing about this on his substack ‘The Tragic Optimist’...

The Government’s decision to allow modular housing units in people’s back gardens might seem like a good idea on the face of it, but will it lead to a bigger mess than we are already in? Joining Seán to discuss is Lorcan Sirr, Senior Lecturer in Housing at TU Dublin…

A new study has found that jazz music has been progressively more simplified since the 1960’s. How do you define complexity in music, and how true is this? Joining Seán to discuss is Cormac McCarthy, who is a Pianist, Composer and Arranger.

This week Sony released a report and video footage of a project they have worked 5 years to perfect: an AI robot that can play competitive table tennis. So, what does this mean for the future of the sport? Joining Seán to discuss is David McNally, CEO of Table Tennis Ireland… Image: Sony AI

A new Guinness World Record has been etched into the annals of history as a group in the UK sent a Lego figure into space, but how did they do it? Joining Seán to discuss is Dr. Chris Rose, Head of Projects at Sent Into Space… Image: Blocks Magazine

Seahorses live on Ireland's coasts, and, despite being difficult to spot, their home continues to be in danger… Joining Seán to discuss is Kealan Doyle, Founder of Save of Seahorses and Seahorse Aquariums Red Cow.

  The sewage tunnel heist that has European banks panicking. By the time police arrived at the scene in Naples, the robbers had vanished beneath the city. Nick Squires, Italy Correspondent with the Daily Telegraph joined Seán Moncrieff on the show to discuss.

The Blur frontman Damon Albarn revealed this week that he takes his daughter on family holiday’s to North Korea....but how possible is it actually to visit the secretive state as a tourist? Seán Moncrieff was joined on the show by Shane Horan, an Irish tour operator and photographer, who has visited many times...

Declan Buckley, and Barbara Scully and Seán Moncrieff help tackle listener dilemmas.

 Monkeys in Gibraltar are eating soil as a means of healing upset tummies after consuming junk food from tourists, according to a new study. But why? Sean Moncrieff was joined by  Sylvain Lemoine, Assistant professor in biological anthropology at Cambridge... 

Newstalk reporter Henry McKean reports on whether blondes have more fun or if brunettes do it better.

Women and girls are up to twice as likely to suffer concussion as their male counterparts when playing the same sports under the same rules. Why is this the case? World renowned leader in concussion research and treatment Dr Michael Collins joined Sean Moncrieff on the show to talk all about concussions and how to properly recover.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the banning of what would become one of Ireland’s bestselling novels, ‘The Ginger Man’ by JP Donleavy. Since its publication in 1955, it has sold an astonishing 45 million copies. But, the story behind its publication is perhaps as intriguing as the book itself. Joining Seán to discuss is a fan of the book and indeed someone who met the author before his dea...

Seán’s guest has decided to take deer culling into her own hands. Ella McSweeney has bought a license to kill, and from next month she will shoot overabundant Sika deer to save Ireland’s native woodlands… She joins to discuss.

A life jacket from the Titanic has sold at auction in the UK for a staggering £670,000. But what is the story behind the iconic flotation device? Joining Seán to discuss is Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge from Henry Aldridge & Son in Wiltshire… Image: Henry Aldridge & Son Ltd

Ireland saw success at this year's European Girls Mathematical Olympiad: secondary school student Róisín Spratt won bronze, achieving Ireland’s 10th ever medal. She joins Seán to discuss her experience.

Every Wednesday, Seán will be joined by someone to hear unusual stories on heinous crimes… This week, Aoife Grace Moore joins to discuss cases where people faked their own deaths.

Cork man Sam Simpson has recently returned from a 3-month visit to the West Bank. As a Human Rights Monitor with the EAPPI, Sam witnessed some outrageous human rights abuses by Israeli settlers. He joins Seán to discuss his experiences. Image: Reuters

If you’ve spent most of your driving life shifting gears, you may have no choice but to get used to automatics in the future; for the first time ever, the majority of available used cars are now automatics. Joining Seán to discuss is Paddy Comyn, Head of Automotive Content and Communications with Done Deal Cars.

Moving and clearing out a house after the loss of a loved one can seem almost impossible, but Maura Rooney of Seamless Move is there to make it easier. The company, which is based in Dublin, tailors its process to the needs of its clients, whether clearing out a home for a family following a loved one’s death, or clearing a house for an older person who is moving to a nursing home. Maura joins Seá...

A new trend for Gen Z, ‘bedtime stacking’, involves keeping everything you would need in the evening within arms reach of your bed. But how does this impact your sleep and usual bedtime ritual? Joining Seán to discuss is Niamh O’Reilly, Freelance Journalist.