Moncrieff

One of the writers of the latest season of True Detective has gone public with her criticism of people ‘review bombing’ her show in order to skew the audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the popular review aggregator website. But what is review bombing and is it symptomatic of broader problems with this platform? Sean was joined by Brian Lloyd, Movies Editor at Entertainment.ie and Movies and Booze...

A Chinese mum live streamed her 9 year old son to make sure he is doing his homework, and so she can concentrate on her housework. This got us thinking about housework and who does it in your house? Sean was joined by Henry McKean to discuss...

A new interiors trend called ‘bookshelf wealth’ is all the rage but what is it and is cultivating a bookshelf taking precedence over the actual reading of the books in the first place? Sean was joined by Avril Murphy Allen, Artist and interior designer to discuss...

Scone or scon? It has divided counties and nations for decades, but it seems both are correct.   Countdown presenter Susie Dent has said the dictionary allows for both pronunciations, but surely one of them is correct? Aren’t there rules for how words are to sound in certain combinations of letters?   Dr Stephen Lucek (loo-check) is Assistant Prof in Linguistics in UCD  

An incident in a pub in the UK, in which a child was refused a champagne flute for her soft drink, has triggered a conversation about when and how we introduce alcohol to young people. Rosamund Hall, a wine consultant and writer, has been looking at this for the UK Independent and she joined Sean on the show today...

More than 5,000 people have signed a petition to get Fermanagh included in the All Island Strategic Rail Review.   The draft plan was published last autumn and as it stands, Fermanagh would be the only county in Ireland or the UK without any rail service.   So why is the county being left out?   Steve Bradley, Chair of Into the West, a rail campaign group focusing on...

Raves aren’t for the fainthearted. Often you’re packed into a warehouse with hundreds of other people, who are sweating and a little bit worse for wear.  But imagine doing it sober? Well you soon can, in Dublin  Paul Walsh is the founder of Club Loosen in Dublin, a company that puts on sober raves and he joined Sean to discuss...

Older songs are making a comeback, with some being discovered for the first time by younger generations. The nostalgic wave can be prompted by a new Tik Tok trend, a song being used in a popular show like Stranger Things, or maybe it’s been featured in “that” scene at the end of Saltburn. Sean was joined by Claire Beck, Presenter with Today FM to discuss… 

Electric cars are a great invention but what happens to the batteries during the cold winter months, or if you are in Ireland, the coldness year-round. Shane O’Donoghue, Editor of completecar.ie joined Sean to discuss...

The government yesterday agreed in principle to the request to turn a derelict hotel in Roscrea into a community hotel, in an attempt to calm tensions over the arrival of a number of asylum seekers to the area. But what is a community hotel and how do they work? Sean was joined by Kieran Harrahill, Senior Researcher in Climate Justice at TASC, the Think Tank for Action on Social Change...

Comedian Tommy Tiernan found a grayscale screen to be his unlikely ally in curtailing phone use. But that’s just one trick in the digital detox handbook for those looking to scale back time spent sitting in front of screens. Elaine Burke, Host of the For Tech Sake podcast joined Sean to discuss...

The media has been dominated by stories over the last number of months about protests taking place outside reception centres over immigrants seeking international protection here.  However, there was a time in history when the Irish were facing similar protests in counties like the US and UK.  Irial Glynn is a migration historian at UCD and she joined Sean on the show this afternoon...

More and more people are choosing to outsource their baby naming to consultants. But how does the process work? Sean was joined SJ Strum, Founder of Baby Name Envy...

The days of watching live TV could be numbered. The Broadcasters Audience Research Board in the UK says the proportion of programming watched on demand rose to 44 per cent of all viewing last year.  But how true is this after record viewership figure for the Late Late Toy Show and Mr Bates Versus The Post Office? Henry McKean joined Sean to discuss...

A new purpose-built headquarters for the Army Ranger Wing is due to be built this year, as part of a series of infrastructure investments in the Defense Forces.  The new headquarters for the special operations division of the Defense Forces, is due to be located in the Curragh Camp in Kildare.  But what is the remit of the Army Ranger wing?  Cathal Berry, Independent TD for Kildare,...

A charity based in Kildare town has recently released a robin red breast that came into its care, after getting itself attached to a glue trap. Dan Donoher, Manager of Kildare Wildlife Rescue joined Sean to discuss...

Last week, the eyes of the world were on the International Criminal Court, as Aouth Africa took a case against Israel over the situation in Gaza.  Some were claiming that what was happening in Palestine constituted genocide, however, this has been disputed by Israel. But what is the definition of genocide?  Professor Ray Murphy is from the Irish Centre for Human Rights at University of G...

Starting is easy, quitting's tough. JJ Clarke, Assistant Podcast Producer at the Irish Independent, insightfully explores this in his latest piece. He delves into the deceptive simplicity of taking up vaping and the Herculean challenge of letting it go. He joined Sean on the show this afternoon...

Saturday evening TV in the 1990s was in its prime, with classics like Blind Date, Noel’s House Party, You’ve been Framed and others.   But one gameshow stands out – Gladiators.   With its famous catchphrases like “Contenders, Ready?” and “Awooga”, it was hugely popular tv, and it’s making a comeback.  Tomorrow night, a brand new set of Gladiators will return to the BBC.&nb...

The German Chancellor’s office has announced that it will retain its 19th century pneumatic tube messaging system due to its fears of Russian interception of digital alternatives. Sean was joined by James Rothwell, Berlin Correspondent for the Daily Telegraph...

Turbulence is the worst part of flying for many people. Though it’s a phenomenon that happens surprisingly regularly, it can often be alarming – one that can strike fear into even the most seasoned flyers.  But what is turbulence, and what flight paths is it the worst on?  Gerry Byrne, aviation journalist joined Sean to discuss...

According to comedian Emma Doran, Irish women are apologise too much.  Emma depicts this in her latest video, which features various characters, one of which apologises for her kettle being too loud, while in another apologises for her death inconveniencing the mourners.  But is this the case for all Irish women?  Barbara Scully joined Sean to discuss...

There is a comptetion currently ongoing for the World's Ugliest Lawn. Broadcaster and Gardener Diarmuid Gavin is one of the judges and he joined Sean to discuss...

Singer Imelda May has revealed that her father was dressed in a clown suit for his wake because he had specifically requested them to arrange this as he wanted to make people laugh. But how do people decide what to dress their loved ones in for their funeral? Sean was joined by Mary Cuniffe, Manager of Massey Bros Funeral Home in Templeogue...

Cork city's old phone boxes are due to be replaced with digital kiosks. Eir is applying to Cork City Council to replace their old phone boxes with new kiosk-style digital payphones. Meanwhile in Dublin the new digital phone boxes are installed. Sean was joined by Henry McKean who is going down memory lane and looking at how old phone boxes are being renovated and turned into other things to help c...