Moncrieff

As Ireland looks ahead to the next presidential election, we face an important question: what role should the President play in public life? Traditionally, the office was seen as largely ceremonial, but in recent years, Irish Presidents have taken a more outspoken role on both national and international issues. Some praise this as a fundamental approach, while others argue it risks blurring the bo...

The University of Galway has unveiled a new digital archive revealing what life was like in an internment camp in the 1970s. The journals and photo albums were given to the college by Paddy McMenamin, who spent time in Long Kesh… Archivist at the University of Galway Library, Dr Barry Houlihan has been pivotal in collating the material, and joins Seán to discuss. Image: University of Galway

Seán’s guest is a multimillion bestselling author. Her recent book ‘The Women’, based during the Vietnam War and examining the role of American women in the conflict, was a huge success, with Warner Brothers buying up the filming rights. Other listeners will know her work from the hit Netflix show ‘Firefly Lane’ starring Katherine Heigl. Author Kristin Hannah joins to discuss!

Over the past couple of months, a number of high profile corporate executives have either been fired or resigned over romances with their employees. But, what rules exist in Ireland in this area? Joining Seán to discuss is Julie Galbraith, Head of Employment at Eversheds Sutherland law firm…

Around 60,000 kids from around Ireland started school for the first time recently. We decided to follow junior infants from their first day and then recheck on them to see how they got on. Henry McKean joins Seán to share what he heard!

The Irish Government is once again being urged to prioritise the Occupied Territories Bill. This comes as a report was released today, signed by 80 humanitarian and faith-based organisations, saying that a ban on services must be included in the bill. Joining Seán to discuss this is Conor O’Neill, Head of Policy and Advocacy at Christian Aid Ireland and Spokesperson for the campaign to pass the Oc...

Ireland isn’t exactly overflowing with world champions, but we could potentially have a new one next week… Emma Quirke is the world’s 3rd best Dissectologist, and a hot prospect at next week’s World Jigsaw Puzzle Championship! She joins Seán to discuss.

Marking the return of the Galway Comedy Festival, which takes place this October Bank Holiday, Seán is joined by Comedian Phill Jupitus! Image: Off the Kerb Productions

Have you heard the term ‘Shrekking’ before? It seems to be the latest buzzword in dating, where women go on dates with men they consider to be much less attractive in a bid to be treated better… But, does dating someone ‘uglier’ actually work? Fiona Cooney writes a dating column for Evoke.ie , ‘No Sex and The City’ and she joins Seán to discuss.

NASA’s Perseverance Rover has been on Mars since February 2021. Its mission is to seek signs of ancient life and collect samples of rock and regolith for possible return to Earth, and NASA announced on Wednesday night that it seems to have discovered something very interesting indeed… Dr. Seán Jordan is Principal Investigator in the ProtoSigns Lab & Associate Professor in Biogeochemistry and A...

While you might love the precision pressure of a massage, would you surrender your body to the tentacles of a robot masseuse? This is exactly what Seán's guest has done… Madeleine Aggeler, Lifestyle and Wellness Reporter for Guardian US, joins to discuss.

Ireland’s biggest sculpture event, Sculpture in Context, is currently taking place at the Botanic Gardens in north Dublin, with all the pieces located outdoors. But how different is outdoor sculpture to indoor work? Joining me now is artist Roisin de Buitlear, who is exhibiting at the event…

Offices can be notorious places for passive aggressive behaviour, as can people’s homes. But, can this type of action ever be truly effective? Journalist Gwen Loughman has been writing about this in The Journal, and joins Seán to discuss.

It was 160 years ago when President Abraham Lincoln was shot dead in a theatre in Washington DC. However, it took 12 days for this news to arrive in Europe. What is little known is the crucial role that three men in Cork played in the communication of this global news… Joining Seán to discuss is Jo Kerrigan, author of ‘Stories from the Sea’...

The Global Sumud Flotilla, which is currently sailing through international waters towards the shores of Gaza in an attempt to break Israel’s illegal blockade is made up of dozens of boats. One of those boats is the Shireen, a legal support boat,  but what does a legal support boat do exactly? Leigh Brosnan is an Asylum Barrister based in Dublin and a member of Irish Lawyers for Palestine. Sh...

An underground metro service, a city centre lido - many impressive proposals have been suggested to transform life in the capital. But while we wait for the finances, resourcing and energy to make such major projects happen, what smaller developments would make a big difference to Dublin city? Newstalk's Sarah Madden reports.

While a garden pond might be something nice to look at, they are also a bountiful source for biodiversity. But, how do you build one, and what assistance is available from local authorities? Joining Seán to discuss is Alan O’Reilly from Carlow Weather, who is this week marking the one year anniversary of his pond project… Image: @CarlowWeather on Twitter

"Behind every great man is a great woman" - or so goes the old cliché. Historically, the wives behind great men in history end up proving themselves to be even greater, but, because they were women, they didn't get that recognition. Nicola Pierce, author of 'Great Irish Wives: Remarkable Lives from History' has been digging into the history of some of these women, and joins Seán to discuss.

A scheme which offers free party kits for children's birthdays has been rolled out across the country. But, how does it work? Joining Seán to discuss is Sharon Kielthy, Founder of Jiminy Eco Toys, who kickstarted the Party Kit Network in Ireland… Image: Party Kit Network

You might have noticed that most new apartment blocks around the country are covered in balconies. But, are these mandated by councils, and at what cost? Do we really need them in a country where it rains so much? Joining Seán to discuss is Seán O’Neill McPartlin, Director of Housing Policy at Progress Ireland…

Following last night’s shooting down of Russian drones in Polish Airspace, Poland has asked NATO to open consultations under Article 4 of its treaty, which states that members of the Western military alliance will consult together whenever any of them is threatened. The incident is being seen as one of major concerns for ‘The West’. But what is ‘The West’? Why are Poland in it? Are New Zealand and...

As President Michael D Higgins prepares to leave the Áras later this year, he might be considering his next career move. One possible option might be to return to being a touring poet. Indeed, perhaps the first step in this career change happened at the weekend, when the President released a new poetry album with a live show in the National Concert Hall. ‘Against All Certainty’ is his debut collec...

Technically speaking, anything that is in the past can be categorized as history. But, more often than not, historians deal with events that they exist at a great remove from. That is not the case for Diarmaid Ferriter’s latest book ‘The Revelation of Ireland: 1995-2020’. So, does chronicling recent events present a challenge for historians, and what can we say definitively about Ireland in the la...

As a Senior Lecturer in clean energy at UCC, Dr Paul Deane knows a thing or two about energy efficiency... But in reality, when you go from transforming a vacant home from a G BER rating to an A grade energy efficient house, you realise that the practical learnings are pretty major... Dr Paul Deane joins Seán to discuss.

September is one of the busiest months of the year for divorces, with couples in fractured relationships coming out of a summer spent together and realising that their marriage is broken… Joining Seán to discuss this is Michelle Browne, Mediator and Divorce Consultant.