Highlights From Moncrieff

While we may say that we love and treasure old buildings, the reality is that many of these are torn down and demolished with new, better fit-for-purpose office buildings or build-to-rent blocks built instead.So, as one building per minute is demolished in Europe, just why is this the go-to strategy?Futurist and Urbanist Ludwig Engels is involved with HouseEurope, a European Citizens’ Initiative dedicated to refurbishment over demolition, and he joins Seán to discuss ahead of his Open House architecture talk…

Is there any escape from charity chuggers or energy switchers showing up at your door?Doctor and Columnist with the Irish Independent, Máire Treasa Ní Cheallaigh, says that people in Ireland find it easier to spend an hour entertaining salespeople or fundraisers rather than simply saying “No”...Irish generosity is world-renowned, but must we be pestered into giving?Máire joins Seán to discuss.

The Government is being called on to create a National Wills Register, in line with the policies of some other EU countries. But, what would be the point of this, and would it help to make the retrieval and division of assets easier, or is it just more unnecessary bureaucracy?Joining Seán to discuss this is John Lowe, from MoneyDoctors.ie…

Are you in a family WhatsApp group? If so, what are the criterias to be included? Is there a group for the core family, one for extended relatives and one for the annoying ones you put up with? And, what happens when those annoying people find out about your hidden chats?Newstalk's Henry McKean has been out in the public investigating, and joins Seán to discuss.

While every Irish schoolchild has traditionally been taught that our most famous book originated on the island of Iona, an argument has now been put forward that challenges this assumption…Joining Seán to discuss is Victoria Whitworth, author of ‘The Book of Kells: Unlocking the Enigma’...

Around Ireland and in Europe, the gay rights movement has had extraordinary success. Many would argue that there is more work to be done.However, Ronan McCrea, Professor of Constitutional and European Law at University College London argues that it's time for the movement to possibly take a step back, or risk unravelling all that's been achieved…He is author of ‘The End of the Gay Rights Revolution: How Hubris and Overreach Threaten Gay Freedom’, and joins Seán to discuss.

Roughly 30,000 Irish emigrants return to Ireland each year to live. But, this process is both bureaucratically and emotionally challenging. Now, there are calls for a dedicated government agency to be established to help the diaspora return.Joining Seán to discuss is Karen McHugh, Chief Executive of Safe Home Ireland…

We’re all well used to being told what we should and shouldn’t be eating, and the latest food boogeyman is UPFs, or Ultra Processed Foods.You likely won’t have to spend too long on social media to come across an influencer in a supermarket telling you why eating one product or another would be terrible for your health.But, could the fear mongering itself be even more harmful?Richie Kirwan is Senior Lecturer in Nutrition and Exercise Physiology at Liverpool John Moores University. He joins Seán to discuss.

While plastic surgery and other tweaks to the human anatomy seem par for the course nowadays, it can be easy to forget that these groundbreaking surgeries began with some rather hairy experimentation.Joining me now is Mary Roach, Author of ‘Replaceable You: Adventures in Human Anatomy’...

Is that photo of Trump on the cover of Time magazine really ‘the worst of all time’?The US President certainly seems to think so, and has been hitting out about the unflattering picture…But, what does it take to make a cover photo, and was this one deliberately uncomplimentary?James Crombie is the 2025 Irish Press Photographer of the Year and his photograph is on the front page of the Irish Times today. He joins Seán to discuss.Image: TIME

Unless you’re the Rolling Stones or you’ve been on the road for decades, the music business is generally something people try to make a career of in their twenties.Not so for Seán’s guest. Linda Lamon is 75 and has four grandchildren, but that hasn’t stopped her from getting radio play in the UK and celebrity endorsements from the likes of Queen’s Brian May since she decided to make a go of it in 2020. She joins to discuss!

You may have been listening to the Pat Kenny show this morning as Catherine Connolly and Heather Humphreys continued to make their respective cases to be Ireland’s next President.On Friday the 24th of October, we will go to the polls to elect our 10th Head of State, but how will they compare to their predecessors? Who was our best and who was our worst?Kevin Rafter is Full Professor of Political Communication at DCU and Co-Editor of ‘The Irish Presidency: Power, Ceremony and Politics’. He’s been ranking our former presidents from 1 to 9, and joins Seán to discuss.

Do you know what Ireland’s national bird is? Well, it’s now on the Red List of Birds of Conservation Concern…Joining Seán to discuss is Nature Communications Expert, Jack Morley.

It was reported yesterday that Cork City Council had collected less than a third of derelict site levies over the last five years.This is just the latest failing in the Government’s attempt to tackle the issue of dereliction, but will the change from levy to tax as announced in the budget change the picture?Frank O’Connor from the #DerelictIreland movement joins Seán to discuss.

Twenty nine year old Sophie took her own life earlier this year, and in her grief her mother Laura Reiley is putting together the pieces of what happened.Sophie’s parents believe that an AI chat bot was giving their daughter advice on how to end her life…Laura joins Seán to share her story…Help is there if you need it. The Samaritans 24/7 Freephone Helpline Number is 116 123, or you can email jo@samaritans.ie.

A newly-published book has taken a dive into Ireland’s vibrant farming past.From evictions and land wars, to golden harvests and dancing at the crossroads, Michael B. Barry and John O’Byrne’s new instalment features hundreds of colourised photos that date back as early as the mid-1800s.‘The Irish Farm in Colour’ was published last week and is the fourth book in a series which recaptures the Ireland of the past through colour.Historian and author of the book, Michael B. Barry, joins Seán to discuss.

When we talk about the climate crisis, we often tend to couch the conversation in terms of negligence or poor corporate governance, as if environmental crime is not really a crime in the way that theft or assault are.But, there are organised gangs and corporate entities out there committing crimes against all of us everyday, just as there are those trying to stop them. Julia Shaw is a Psychological Scientist at University College London and the author of multiple best-selling books including her latest: ‘Green Crime: Inside the Minds of the People Destroying the Planet, and How to Stop Them’. She joins Seán to discuss.

Trinity College is home to the book of Kells and its iconic Library, which makes it one of Dublin's most popular tourist attractions.But, the university is also home to a Zoological Museum, containing a 70-million-year-old fish and a plethora of extinct animals.Dr Martyn Linnie is Curator of Trinity College Dublin’s zoological museum, and he joins Seán to discuss.Image: Trinity College Zoological Museum Facebook

Is there a supermarket price war coming? The German supermarkets have reduced the price of its home brand 2 litre of milk by 10 cent, the first price cut since 2023. But, grocery prices have increased by 40% since 2022. How have you dealt with rising costs?Henry McKean met grocery shoppers in Cork, and sent in this report.

All eyes are focused today on Israel as the peace deal begins, with Hamas releasing the remaining hostages alive...There have been scenes of celebration and jubilation. So, what now?John Costello has been living in Israel for 17 years and he joins Seán from Tel Aviv to discuss…