Moncrieff

An article in a New York magazine has claimed that a harmless crush you may have on a coworker or barista is not only harmless, but may actually rejuvenate your relationship… The author argues that not only are crushes inevitable, but can actually be healthy – by telling your partner you fancy someone else, it can put you both ‘in the mood.’ Could this ever be the case? Sexologist Emily Power Smith joins Seán to discuss.

More than 300 children in Ireland are currently waiting for life-changing wishes according to Make-A-Wish Ireland. Last year over 229 wishes were granted, its highest number to date. The nationwide fundraising campaign, in partnership with Newstalk, which has been running all week finishes today with Donation Day. Now in its 18th year, Wish Week brought us powerful stories from children and families across Ireland to listeners, highlighting the life-changing impact of a wish for children living with critical medical conditions. We asked Henry McKean to get involved and he joins Seán to discuss!

A Tralee student is making history by being the first Irish student of non-Chinese descent to take on Mandarin for his Leaving Certificate exams. Ethan Gilroy, 6th year student at Mount Hawke in Tralee, joins Seán to discuss.

It’s time to answer the age-old question: how do you pack your groceries? Do you divide bags by food group, by weight? Do you pack as you go at the till, or move aside after paying to arrange the goods? Is there a standard procedure for packing the big shop? Home Economist Agnes Boucher Hayes joins Seán to settle it all…

Once Hollywood’s bread and butter, suspense thrillers have been lost to dwindling attention spans… Films now must cater to double screens; does that mean we have lost the art of suspense? Joining Seán to discuss is Tim Robey, Film Critic with the Daily Telegraph.

The fuel crisis due to the war in Iran, as well as blockades from the national fuel protests, has shown our reliance on these forms of energy. Is the answer to all of this a pivot to greater reliance on renewable energy? How would it work? Hannah Daly, Professor in Sustainable Energy in UCC joins Seán to discuss.

We have all found ourselves swearing blind to someone that something isn’t where it should be… You get someone else to look, and low and behold, they find it straight away! We’ve all been victims of losing things in plain sight, and apparently there are psychological reasons for this… Enda Murphy, Psychotherapist and author, joins Seán to discuss.

Last year, Revenue’s service dogs or sniffer dogs found over €100 million of drugs, tobacco and cash. Henry McKean visited Dublin Port and met the dogs in action, as well as Alan Foley, Revenue's National Detector Dog Programme Manager. He sent in this report.

Cian Griffin is a content and community marketer and Gaylgeoiri online. Cian recently got a circumcision due to phimosis. Phimosis is a common medical condition that occurs in all male children. This is where the foreskin is tight and cannot retract over the head, or glans, of the penis. It is estimated that in 95% of male children, the foreskin will develop and become retractile by the age of 12, or once the child enters adolescence. However, this is not always the case, and some men continue to suffer from phimosis into their teens and adulthood… Cian joins Seán to discuss.

A gorilla in Berlin Zoo has broken the world record for being the oldest gorilla in the world! Fatou is the world's oldest gorilla living in captivity, and has celebrated her 69th birthday… Joining Seán to discuss is Philline Hachmeister, Head of Communication in Berlin Zoo. Image: Berlin Zoo

Ireland’s cities are full of architecture from all eras, including the famous Georgian house along Dublin city center. But, have you ever noticed that there are just some streets you hate walking down, whether they’re too long, too open, or just wrong? Why do some of these streets work and some don't? Joining Seán to discuss is Designer and Founder of Boyne Creative, Eleanor Ruth.

On the 18th and 19th of April, the National Museum of Ireland will host a limited time exhibition at Collins Barracks to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Catalpa rescue mission. The mission involved the rescue of six Irish Fenians from a British penal colony in western Australia in April 1876 by a US whaling ship. After their rescue, the Fenians, who had been transported to Australia on the last convict ship, were brought safely to New York, much to the annoyance of the British who tried to intercept them as they sailed away. To discuss this and the exhibition, Seán is joined by Brenda Malone, Curator of Military History at the National Museum of Ireland. Image: National Museum of Ireland

Every Wednesday, Podcaster Cassie Delaney will join Seán to share some unusual stories on heinous crimes. This week, Cassie joins to discuss things that escalated in weird and unexpected ways!

Can procrastination be a good thing? Historian and author of ‘Self-Help from the Middle Ages’ Peter Jones believe that procrastination can be used to our advantage. He joins Seán to discuss.

Despite Pope Leo being a relatively outspoken successor to Pope Francis, we are yet to see women be in any position of power within the Catholic Church. So, will we ever see this in the future? Joining Seán to discuss is Father Tony Flannery, a Redemptorist priest who was forbidden to practice by his superiors in Rome in 2012 for speaking up on many issues, including this one…

Seán’s guest wrote a book over 10 years ago that he never suspected could become as relevant now as it has. Sorj Chalandon spent 25 years covering wars across Northern Ireland, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq and Syria as a journalist. He then turned to novels, with his book ‘The Fourth Wall’ utilising his memories and emotions of reporting on these wars, and turning them into a story. The book, set between Paris and Beirut in 1982 at the second Israeli invasion of Lebanon, follows the lives of Georges and his friend Samuel, a Greek Jewish Theatre Director and the staging of Jean Anouilh’s ‘Antigone’. Sorj joins to discuss…

If you’ve taken a train journey in Ireland recently, you may have noticed something missing, the refreshment trolley. Once a familiar part of longer trips, it’s disappeared from most routes since the pandemic, leaving passengers without even a cup of tea on board… So, is it time to bring it back? Joining Sean to discuss is Jenny McEntegart, Freelance Journalist.

It’s Wish Week here on Newstalk, and we are highlighting the incredible work Make-A-Wish does in helping create life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses… Seán is joined by Isabelle McCarthy, who was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma, and her dad Brendan to discuss the wish she had been granted… Let’s make 2026 the biggest Wish Week yet! Every cent matters. Donate online at makeawish.ie/donate.

Apparently, socks are becoming more important when it comes to finishing off an outfit, but why is this, and why are they going beyond keeping your feet warm? Joining Seán to discuss is Laura Jordan, Image & Brand Consultant and owner of Style Savvy.

Today marks 120 years since the birth of Samuel Beckett. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1969, but he still remains to be more of a remote figure compared to the pantheon of Irish writers. Joining Seán to discuss his life and career is writer Dr. Fearghal Whelan.