Moncrieff

A new study from the Iona Institute finds that people are opting less and less for a Church wedding. But, one of the report’s recommendations is for the Church to follow American Catholicism’s lead and allow marriage ceremonies to take place outside of church buildings. Joining Seán to discuss Breda O’Brien, Columnist with the Irish Times and patron of the Iona Institute.

A new play in London explores the darker side to beloved children’s author Roald Dahl and his antisemitism. It begs the question: can you separate the art from the artist? Joining Seán to discuss is Pop Culture and Entertainment Expert, Deirdre Molumby. Image: Manuel Harlan

The regulations for number plates on cars state that the county on the plate should be shown in Irish, but that seems to be disappearing. So, what's going on? Dave Humphries from completecar.ie joins Seán to discuss.

Melania Trump has revealed that on her first date with Donald Trump, he took her on an hour and half car ride on to view a property. Combining business and pleasure. What was your first date like with your partner? Henry McKean has been finding out, and joins Seán to discuss.

If exercise takes a back seat in the working week, don’t worry! Cramming the recommended amount of physical activity into the weekend still has significant health benefits, research suggests. John Belton, owner of No.17 PT, Human Performance and Wellness Coach, joins Seán to discuss.

If you want a good duvet - a very good duvet - the company Novegr is selling ones for up to 30 grand! How can they be so expensive? Their CEO, Nils Stemen, joins Seán to discuss.

Yesterday, Catherine Zeta Jones posted a naked picture on Instagram. She claimed that it was difficult to know what to get Michael Douglas after 25 years of marriage. It got us thinking about sex when there’s an age gap in your relationship? How can you manage this through the years? Seán is joined by Emily Power Smith, Clinical Sexologist and Sex Therapist, to discuss.

When Domino's Pizza recalled their famous garlic and herb dip in the UK recently, it sent consumers into a frenzy of panic. Now, secondhand dips are going for enormous sums on eBay so that people can get their hit. So, can we really not live without our condiments? Joining Seán to discuss is Russell Alford, one half of The GastroGays and Sunday Times Restaurant Critic…

The months of September and October are mushroom season. With thousands of wild species in Ireland, how can we tell which are poisonous, hallucinogenic or edible? Joining Seán to discuss is Anja Murray, Ecologist, author and Columnist for the Irish Examiner…

While some commentators have suggested that Donald Trump’s face reached peak tan in 2020, his complexion remains bafflingly orange. We have asked an expert to analyse his face for us to try and explain what’s going on. Joining Seán to discuss is Professor Caitriona Ryan from the Institute of Dermatologists…

Workers renovating a fence wall near a historical cathedral in Poland have found the remains of two medieval children, one of whom had signs of a supposed “vampire burial”. To learn more, Seán is joined by Dr Philippa Byrne, Assistant Professor in Medieval History at Trinity College Dublin.

Pets make better companions than people! That’s according to Pete Wedderburn, aka Pete the Vet, who also says that although our pets may not love us, in the way that we understand love, they do give us “unconditional positive regard”, and this feels like love. Pete joins Seán to discuss.

When you want to write a love song (or any song for that matter), how do you dig into that emotional side and put it on the page? And more importantly, make it sound good? Well, this Sunday in Drogheda, there is a songwriting festival which includes songwriting workshops, and Newstalk’s Henry McKean met the organisers to find out more. He joins Seán to discuss.

As the competitive pumpkin growing community gears up for Halloween, one man in England believes that his might be the biggest ever.  Joining Seán to discuss is pumpkin grower, Ian Patton.

In today’s Ireland, the far right demands a pure “Irishness”, but our island’s story has long been interwoven with other ethnicities and diasporas. Dr Maurice Casey, Author and Historian at Queen’s University Belfast, recently wrote a piece in the Guardian titled: ‘Who are the Irish?’ and joins Seán to discuss.

Phillip Schofield will be returning to screens more than a year after his departure from breakfast television. The former ‘This Morning’ presenter will appear in Channel 5’s ‘Cast Away’ next Monday night in an attempt to repair his image in his first comeback to television. Will it work? That remains to be seen, but to discuss some of the best PR comebacks, Seán is joined by Terry Prone, Chairman...

Inchicore has been named by Time Out magazine as one of the 38 coolest neighbourhoods in the world. The Dublin 8 spot officially joins the likes of Stoneybatter and Phibsboro as one of the buzziest neighbourhoods in the country, according to the publication. Labour Party Councillor and Inchicore resident, Darragh Moriarty, joins Seán to discuss why it’s worthy of this accolade. Image: Land Develop...

A new survey looks at the most common nightmares experienced by Irish people in different parts of the country. From being naked in public, to getting chased. So, what do these nightmares tell us about ourselves? Joining Seán to discuss is Paul Gill, Hypnotherapist and author of ‘The Definitive Book of Dreams’...

A cruise ship called ‘The Odyssey’ was planned to set sail from Belfast last May, but has effectively been stuck for mechanical and certification issues. Until things are sorted, its passengers have been waiting in the city - and some of them got on better than others! Seán is joined by one half of the couple who met on the ship and are now engaged, Angela Harsanyi, to learn more.

How much would you be willing to pay for a used toilet seat? Probably not much. However, the used toilet seats of celebrities can sell at auction for thousands. It seems like people are willing to fork out for celebrity memorabilia. Joining Seán to tell more about the craziest items sold at auction is Chiara Brown, Commissioning Editor at the Times Luxury, Times UK.

A new study in the UK has pub landlords up in arms. The study trialed a new smaller glass instead of the usual pint measure, and found that people drank less as a result. So, should we do away with pints? Joining Seán to discuss is Damien Ryan, a publican in Clifden in Galway…

If you’ve caught a glimpse of a deer in Ireland, then you’re probably not that lucky. The country is thronged with deer, so much so, that heavy deer management is in place. Over 78,000 deer were culled in Ireland in a 12-month period up to February 28, 2023. Joining Seán to discuss how this works is Damien Hannigan, Spokesperson Irish Deer Commission…

From Netflix documentaries to special diets, there has been more and more talk of so-called ‘Blue Zones’, areas of the world where there is a high concentration of centenarians. But, is it all bogus? And how can we trust the ages of the super old? Joining Seán to discuss is Saul Newman, from the Centre for Longitudinal Studies at University College London, who has just won an Ig Nobel Award for hi...

It's relatively easy to grow carrots in Ireland, but if you wanted to buy them in a shop - you're going to see produce from different countries, and even continents! So, why is this? Seán is joined by Siobhan Walsh, Tillage Editor at the Irish Farmer’s Journal, to discuss.

Emerald Fennell, the director of hits such as Saltburn and Promising Young Woman, has announced that her new adaptation of Wuthering Heights will feature Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi in the title roles, sparking controversy over her decision. Joining Seán to discuss this is author Sam Blake…