Moncrieff

A month can’t just be a month - this month is apparently ‘Self-Care September’, something Oprah, who is appearing in the 3Arena this evening, might be prescribing to. Jennifer Horgan, columnist with the Irish Examiner, is having none of it, and joins Seán to discuss.

Have we lost the art of conversation? Is it just a one sided rant? Have you heard of the serial mono-loguists, the trauma dumper, the boomer-asker, and the classic interrupter? Henry McKean visited a cafe in West Clare and interrupted conversations. He sent this report!

Last week, thieves broke into a French museum and escaped with four paintings by Renoir worth millions of euro, but why? It’s not exactly easy to sell stolen and famous art, so why go through the trouble? Anja Shortland, Professor in Political Economy at Kings College London, joins Seán to discuss.

We’re looking back on the weekend and looking 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 Maia Dunphy and Donal O'Donoghue!

When someone says something was harder ‘back in their day’ - how often is that true? For example, was the Leaving Cert maths paper in 1986 harder than the one in 2026? Brendan Guildea, Maths Teacher, author and Maths Consultant joins Seán to discuss.

The Irish Hot Air Balloon Championships take place on Saturday next week in Lough Key Forest Park, where an attempt at a new world record will be made. Frank Meldon, Director of the Irish Hot Air Balloon Championships, and one of eight balloon pilots in Ireland, joins Seán to discuss.

Today Colm O’Regan has a column in the Irish Examiner which, if he wrote it 40 years ago, would’ve made it to print with a very different method. What’s changed, and why should the old method not die out? The Comedian, best-selling author, broadcaster and podcaster from Cork joins Seán to discuss.

Weather forecasting played a very important role, particularly in advance of the D-Day landings. So, what methods were used to predict the weather? Dr. Stephen Burt, Department of Meteorology at the University of Reading and advisor for the film 'Pressure' joins Seán to discuss.

Service stations are curious places, as why they all seem the same on the surface, but have their own little differences. This is something Rich Cross has been covering on social media as ‘The Service King’ - and has visited every single service station in Britain! He joins Seán to discuss.

Donald Trump will be in Ireland very soon, mostly to watch the Irish Open in Doonbeg. He’s known for many things, and according to himself, he’s won dozens of club championships. Definitely. Rick Reilly, author of ‘Commander in Cheat: How Golf Explains Trump’, has been examining all of these claims, and joins Seán to discuss.

It’s becoming more of the case that when someone dies, their desire is to be buried in a more sustainable way. In a first for the country, a woman in Australia has been buried in a coffin made entirely out of mushrooms. So, how does it work? Bob Hendrikx, Founder of Loop Biotech, joins Seán to discuss.

Recent research from the University of Glasgow examined different baby foods sold in six supermarkets, and found that some products contained surprisingly high levels of sugar for children. So, how bad are these baby foods, and what should we be giving kids instead? Joining Seán to discuss is Dietician and Founder of Eatwell.ie, Sarah Keogh…

In January 1965, Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon visited his sister’s home in Abbleyleix, County Laois. This visit did not go unnoticed: a bomb went off outside, leaving the group trapped without electricity… This is the basis for Emily Hourican’s new novel ‘A House in Winter’, and she joins Seán to discuss.

Tánaiste Simon Harris has said Budget 2027 will back hard pressed workers who “get up early every morning” and head off to their job, but is it true? Do people who get up early work harder, and does it make any difference to productivity? Henry McKean has been asking the public, and joins Seán to discuss.

In the United States, today is National Teddy Bear Day. What makes them so beloved, and why do some adults still have theirs from childhood? Amanda Middleditch, one of the Teddy Bear Ladies from ‘The Repair Shop’ on BBC joins Seán to discuss.

Ireland in the 1970’s and 80’s could feel a bit grim, and the country could feel a bit stuck - and the media was often too nervous to push against the norm. That is, of course, an exception with the publication Magill and Journalist Vincent Browne, who helped change journalism and the country itself. Kevin Rafter, author of ‘Fearless! Vincent Browne's Magill and Ireland in the 1980s’, joins Seán t...

Haircuts 4 Homeless was set up by veteran hairdresser Stewart Roberts in England, who brought the concept to Ireland where skilled hairdresser volunteers give haircuts to homeless people. Once a month in the Capuchin Day Centre, Peter Mark hairdresser Trevor Hynes leads a team of stylists, hairdressers and barbers with Haircuts 4 Homeless Ireland - giving stylish haircuts, bringing back dignity an...

Every Wednesday, Seán will be joined by someone to hear unusual stories on heinous crimes… This week, Cassie Delaney joins to discuss cases involving weird and unlikely accomplices!

The kids are back in secondary school, and the fact that free secondary school education exists in the first place is because of Donogh O'Malley, who introduced this 60 years ago… Michael O’Dwyer, co-ordinator of the Remembering Donogh O’Malley Programme, joins Seán to discuss.

As part of its continued budget cuts, the BBC has announced that it has axed Ski Sunday, a show dedicated to winter sports, which has been airing since the 1970’s. Joining Seán to discuss this is Eddie Edwards, AKA ‘Eddie the Eagle’.

For various reasons, Ian Smith, Journalist with the Irish Independent, left Ireland and for about 8 years lived in different European cities. When he eventually returned, he wondered if that was the right choice… He has been writing about his experience, and joins Seán to discuss.

Many people enjoy shopping, many people enjoy alcohol. Mix the two: what could possibly go wrong? One US survey estimated that the drunk shopping industry is worth about €38 billion a year!  Eoin McGee, Presenter of the ‘Understanding Money’ podcast, joins Seán to discuss.

A number of students from Gaza hoping to study here have had their visas refused for a multitude of complicated reasons. For Seán’s guest, he was lucky enough to receive an education in Ireland. Abdallah Aljazzar, English Literature Student originally from Gaza, joins to share his story.

If you live in a town or city and regularly walk through it, are there things about the experience that annoy you? People walking with their heads in their phones, and, god forbid, tourists? Kelly Earley, columnist with The Journal and co-host of the ‘For Tech’s Sake’ podcast, joins Seán to discuss.

Every year, the likes of Vanity Fair and Vogue publish a list of the best dressed celebrities. This year, Pope Leo XIV was featured for his wearing of runners and a baseball cap. So, is the Pope trying to become a new fashion icon? And how has Pope fashion changed over the years? Patsy McGarry, Journalist with the Irish Times, joins Seán to discuss.