Moncrieff Highlights

Are curtains cancelled?The so-called ‘Dutch method' suggests sleeping with them open, letting early sunlight wake you naturally and reset your body clock. The Dutch have long embraced bare windows in the name of openness and community.But in the age of blackout blinds and privacy paranoia, are curtains out of fashion - or are we just not ready for the neighbours to see quite that much of us?Joining Seán to discuss is Róisín Murphy, Interior Designer.

A new report from an organisation representing Irish interests in the UK shows just how difficult it is for the Irish community to have a ‘good Irish death', with cultural differences around end of life care proving to be a significant hurdle.Joining Seán to discuss is Brian Dalton, Chief Executive of Irish in Britain…

The iconic Ford Fiesta is turning 50 this year, the beloved hatchback was a bestseller and still tops the secondhand market. So how did the Fiesta become such a titan of the motor industry? And if sales were so good, why did production end?Joining Seán to discuss is Senior Contributor to Classic & Sports Car Magazine and contributor to the Daily Telegraph, Simon Hucknall.

It is 10 years this month since the government introduced the dog chipping scheme. So, has it been a success and what still needs to be done to make it more effective?Joining Seán to discuss is Conor Dowling, Chief Inspector for the NSPCA…

Japanese scientists have created a new breed of onion, known as the ‘smile ball', which does not make the eyes water when it is chopped.Renowned Chef Dean Diplock joins Seán to discuss tearless onions, and some of the oddest ways people try to avoid crying when chopping onions.

When the Canadian actor Jim Carey recently accepted an honorary prize at the prestigious César Awards in France, the internet was aghast at his look and behaviour, slowly becoming convinced that the man who gave the speech was not actually Carey at all…Joining Seán to untangle all of this is film critic Brian Lloyd…

The results from the latest CSO baby names report shows a grá for gender neutral names, but why?Joining Seán to discuss this is Darach Ó Séaghdha, author of ‘Motherfoclóir' and ‘Craic Baby'...

A Dublin school's aquaponics project has been such a success that it now supplies its produce to a Michelin-starred restaurant.Joining Seán to discuss is Simon O'Donnell, who looks after the Urban Farm Project at Belvedere College in Dublin's north inner city…Image: V-Farm

Thousands of protected marine animals including grey seals, dolphins, angel sharks and flapper skates are drowning in tangle nets set for crayfish off Ireland's west coast…New figures from Ireland's Marine Institute show the deaths are happening inside Special Areas of Conservation, raising serious questions about why the State has not acted on risks identified years ago.Joining Seán to discuss this is Pádraic Fogarty, Environmental Campaigner.

Commuters across Dublin are growing increasingly frustrated with so called ‘ghost buses' services that appear on real-time displays, but then vanish or are cancelled. 100 drivers are set to be recruited by Dublin Bus from South Africa. Will this help with the problem?Tom O'Connor, Assistant General Secretary of the NBRU, joins Seán to discuss.

There's always a difficulty in the investigation of cases of rape and sexual assault, often being the word of one person against another, with no witnesses. This is particularly so with historical sex abuse, which, after a long process, can result in no prosecution.Seán's guest has been writing about her own experience of this in the Irish Times, and joins to discuss.HELPLINES:Dublin Rape Crisis Centre - 1800 778 888

The ice axe that was used to assassinate Leon Trotsky is perhaps one of the most famous murder weapons in history, currently on display at the International Spy Museum in Washington DC. But, what was the extraordinary story that led to the fateful moment when it was used back in Mexico City in 1940?Joining Seán to discuss is Josh Ireland, author of the new book ‘The Death of Trotsky: the True Story of the Plot to Kill Stalin's Greatest Enemy'...

Seán's guest is recently back from Wales, where he was exploring how the native language of that country is thriving and looking at whether or not lessons can be learned about how Irish works here…Shane Moynihan, Fianna Fáil TD for Dublin Mid-West joins to discuss.

It's now early March: is it time for a spring clean and a declutter? Does it clear the mind?Henry McKean met people spring cleaning at a recycling centre and met decluttering experts. He sent in this report.

More and more people are choosing to travel to their holiday destination via land and water rather than using air travel, perhaps to reduce their carbon emissions, but also to make the journey a part of the holiday.Joining Seán to discuss is Michelle Jackson, author and Travel Writer...

Reading is good for you for many reasons - one being a way to combat loneliness, which repeated studies have been discovering.Louisa Earls, Manager of Books Upstairs bookshop, joins Seán to discuss.

Just days after Christmas, 27-year-old Offaly camogie player Aisling Brennan collapsed suddenly while at a friend's house. With no warning signs and at the peak of her fitness, she had suffered a cardiac arrest. CPR from those around her and a defibrillator shock within minutes saved her life before she was airlifted to hospital and placed in an induced coma.Now back training and urging others to learn CPR, Aisling joins Seán to discuss.

Clare County Council has given the green light for a new 320-capacity ballroom at Trump International Golf Links and Hotel Doonbeg, but there's a small catch.Before construction begins, the resort must put a protection plan in place for a tiny, 2mm rare snail, Vertigo angustior, which is safeguarded under EU environmental law.The council says the measure is to ensure compliance with the EU Habitats Directive, even though reports submitted with the application concluded the development would have no impact on the species.Joining Seán to discuss this is John Gibbons, Environmental Journalist.

If it feels like we're in a romantic recession, you're not wrong. From Dublin to New York, young people are reportedly having less sex and more screen time.But in Denmark, the mood is very different.In Copenhagen, Gen Z are still coupling up without the drama, no panic, no big think pieces, just a surprisingly healthy dating culture.So, what's their secret? And should the rest of us be taking notes?Joining Seán to discuss is Zoe Williams, Guardian Columnist.

Despite an apparent decline in reading and funding problems, the Irish library network very much still exists - and should still be used!Joining Seán to discuss is Colm O'Regan, Comedian and author.

Seán's guest today has probably visited more pubs than most people and is a big believer in reclaiming and celebrating the original idea of a good old pub crawl. While he has written books about pubs in other countries, his new volume is focused on this island.Joining to discuss is Thomas Vosper, author of ‘Historic Pub Crawls Through Ireland'.

Shifting sands have revealed what may be a part of the starboard bow of the HMS Saldanha, a navy frigate that was wrecked off the coast of Donegal in 1811, leading to the deaths of 253 sailors.Joining Seán to discuss is local Archeologist John O'Raw, who has been tracing the mystery surrounding this ship for decades…

Now, before you wrinkle your nose, yes, we're talking about chicken feet. They may not win any beauty contests, but when it comes to making rich, nourishing broth, they're absolute superstars.Today we're joined by Chef Gaz Smith, who's going to show us how to turn those little claws into a delicious, collagen-packed broth and explain why this unusual ingredient might just be your new secret weapon in the kitchen...

A new poll of 2,000 adults has found that people still commonly use a coin toss to make decisions about things, but is there any bias involved in flipping a coin?Joining Seán to discuss is Frantisek Bartos, a Post Doctoral Researcher in Psychological Methods at the University of Amsterdam...

Corsets are back - “shelf cleavage” is having a moment, and apparently, we're all meant to look like we've stepped out of Bridgerton or at least off the red carpet with Margot Robbie and Charli XCX.But before we start lacing ourselves into Regency-era scaffolding, one Columnist says she's sitting this trend out…Tanya Sweeney, Columnist with the Irish Independent, joins Seán to discuss.

If you have young kids in primary school, you may have heard them discussing how we are currently in spring, as this is what is taught in the current curriculum. But is February actually spring?Joining Seán to discuss is Peter Thorne, Climate Scientist at Maynooth University…

Poverty can affect people in many ways, including hygiene poverty. When money is running low, hygiene items like soap, shampoo, deodorant and more can be skipped out on. The Hygiene Hub aims to help people in that situation.Sorcha Killian, Head of Operations and Finances and Co-Founder of The Hygiene Hub joins Seán to discuss.

Jamaicans are claiming a Cork TD as one of their own after a video of Thomas Gould speaking in the Dáil went viral.People on social media say that his strong Cork accent sounds “uncannily” Jamaican, and even Gould himself is seeing the funny side, joking he won't be releasing a Bob Marley album any time soon.He joins Seán, as well as DrEllen Howley, Assistant Professor at the school of English in DCU, to discuss.

The resources available for people subject to domestic abuse are stretched thin enough - even more so for men. There is a Men's Aid, but their help line only operates from 9 to 5.Joining Seán to discuss this is Shane Kelly, CEO of Men's Aid Ireland.

A new Credit Union survey has found Irish people's outlook on everything from personal finance to the price of consumer goods tends to be negative. So, is there a sense of perma-gloom in the country at present and if so, how can people find positivity in the midst of it all?Joining Seán to discuss is Brendan Kelly, Professor of Psychiatry, Trinity College Dublin…

In Jurassic Park, the T-Rex stomps around the place with an earth-shattering rumble, but a new study in the States has discovered that it actually moved much more daintily, using its tip toes.Filippo Bertozzo, Researcher at the Institute of Natural Sciences in Brussels and a dinosaur expert, wasn't involved in the study, but has been reviewing its findings, and joins Seán to discuss.

The rugby bulking diet involves the consumption of vast quantities of calories over a short period of time in order to put size on quickly. But what happens when an ordinary bloke tries it?Joining Seán to discuss is Charles Richardson, Rugby Reporter for the Daily Telegraph, who did just that…

Locals in Adare, County Limerick were left without poitín after its producer was caught by the Gardaí - and the lack of the drink was giving them withdrawals!Joining Seán to discuss this and more is Pádraic Ó Griallais, Co-Founder of Micil, Irish Poitín Distillery in Galway.

Jacob Elordi has one, and so does Connor Storrie from ‘Heated Rivalry', but what exactly is the lettuce haircut? Is it basically a mullet?Phil Domino, Barber in Neighbourhood Threat Barber joins Seán to discuss.

On the tiny island of Golem Grad in North Macedonia, a population of Hermann's tortoise is heading for extinction, not because of predators or habitat loss, but because there are far too many males.They outnumber females by about 19 to one. Scientists say relentless mating attempts are leaving females injured, stressed and in some cases falling from cliffs as they try to escape.If the imbalance continues, researchers warn the last female could die within decades, sealing the fate of the entire island population…Joining Seán to discuss this is Yvonne Buckley, Professor of Zoology at Trinity College Dublin.

A major new study has found that members of the LGBTQ+ community in Ireland face far greater levels of poverty than the general population, but why is this?Joining Seán to discuss is Sara Singleton, Head of Public Education at TASC, who conducted the study…

Seán's guest operates a unique business - he rents out his herd of goats for urban and rural projects, including to Tidy Towns committees and to help with invasive species.Joining to discuss is Cork native William Walsh, Founder of Billy's Rent a Goat...

Only one in three adults in Ireland have a will, and most people don't make one until much later in life. But, with major milestones like home ownership and parenthood happening later, should people in their 20s be thinking about it now?From a Dublin rope technician climbing Mont Blanc, to a young mum in Offaly planning for her child's future, more young adults are seeing a will as peace of mind, not just a document for the wealthy.Joining Seán to discuss is Jacquelyn Dunne from Dunne Solicitors and Founder of The Journey Folder.

Why do we love the SUV so much, and why have a majority of people picked it over the humble estate car?Paddy Comyn, Head of Automotive Content and Communications with DoneDeal Cars, joins Seán to discuss.

With JP McManus offering the site of the now-shuttered Rugby Experience Museum to the State as a gift, the Minister for the Arts is today bringing to cabinet a proposal to use this building to house a new National Women's Museum.Joining Seán to discuss is Dr. Sandra Collins, Head of UCD Library and former Chair of the Advisory Committee on Women's Stories, who made the recommendation for such a museum...

In a country once dominated by the Church and later known for turning away from it, a surprising trend is emerging. Booksellers across Ireland say more young people are buying Bibles, not for school or as gifts, but for themselves. So, what's behind the shift?Joining Seán to discuss is Seán O'Toole, second year law student at DCU and Founder of DCU Bible Study.

Ireland has one of the highest stillborn rates in Europe: 4 in 1,000, compared to an average of 0.8. It's a small figure, but that is little comfort to families who have experienced this loss...Mairie Cregan of Féileacáin, the stillbirth and neonatal death charity, joins Seán to discuss.