Highlights From Moncrieff

While we may be basking in the good weather and enjoying the heatwave, experts are urging pet owners to take extra care, especially when bringing their dogs for a walk in the sun.Dog’s Trust have called on owners to stay vigilant to avoid heatstroke, and joining Seán with more on this is Pete Wedderburn, AKA Pete the Vet.

Silence is something we often take for granted, we don't get to enjoy life without distractions nearly enough…Although many believe that these moments in silence are ‘wasted time’.To discuss his relationship with silence, Seán is joined by Psychologist and Founder of Jigsaw, Dr. Tony Bates.

If you have walked past Trinity College Dublin in recent years, you’ll have noticed that the front lawn is no longer a pristine lawn of green grass, but rather a wild meadow.At this time of the year in particular it can look a little unruly, and this has provoked the ire of a number of people, including the writer of today’s Irish Times Letter of the Day.Collie Ennis is the Biodiversity Officer at Trinity College Dublin and joins Seán to discuss.

Are we doing enough in terms of AI? And is our government really prepared for the monumental shifts set to happen as more and more companies use AI?Well, what about the idea of positioning Ireland as an ‘AI island’ of expertise? This is something that is being proposed by Fianna Fáil TD Malcolm Byrne, who is Chair of the Oireachtas Committee on Artificial Intelligence. He joins Seán to discuss.

What was it like to be gay and going out in the 1970s and 80s?Hana Flamm has been uncovering the Dublin queer pub scene, speaking to people about their memories and experiences as young gay people in those times.She is documenting this in part of a series for GCN, where she is delving into the history of the scene, and joins Seán to discuss.Image: GCN

As we approach the end of the summer holidays, children all across the country will be going back to school, but for many children, this will look a lot different.During the past few months, children and families in Direct Provision centres have been told to pack up and uproot their life. These forced transfers often result in families separated and children ending up in a new school every couple of years.Cillian Quinn is the Policy and Programmes Coordinator of ActionAid Ireland, a charity that works with women and girls living in poverty, and he joins Seán to discuss.

This week is the annual Elvis Week, marking 48 years since the passing of the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, with many events taking place at Graceland, his iconic home in Memphis. While his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, has traditionally been portrayed as a Machiavellian character, a new book portrays him in a different light.Joining Seán to discuss is Peter Guralnick, author of the new book ‘The Colonel and the King: Tom Parker, Elvis Presley, and the Partnership That Rocked the World’...

The grim reality of the underbelly of the Internet is one of sexual exploitation, child abuse and offenders who trade off illegal pornographic content…But, what can be done to tackle this, and are we doing enough to ensure that the internet is a safe place? And, just how difficult is it to report and enforce crimes in this area?Mick Moran, CEO of the Irish Internet Hotline, and former Garda working in this area of law enforcement. He joins Seán to discuss…

A new play, ‘The Robinson Experiment’, explores the extraordinary story of one of Ireland's mass emigration programmes during the 19th century.Joining Seán to discuss is Cora Fenton, Producer at CallBack Theatre Company…Image: CallBack Theatre

Are we missing out by not living alone? One in five of us stick with a partner to keep living costs down and be under the same roof. What are the differences between going solo and pairing up?Henry McKean has been speaking with the public for their thoughts, and joins Seán to discuss.

The Occupied Territories Bill is winding its way through the Oireachtas.Tabled originally in 2018, the bill would ban trade with the illegal settlements in the West Bank.But, considering the ongoing actions of the Israeli government in Gaza, should Ireland consider a complete trade embargo on Israel?John O'Brennan is Professor of European Politics at Maynooth University, and he has been writing about this in the Irish Examiner. He joins Seán to discuss.

What are your plans for Friday night?A whole swathe of people have skipped the pub, and instead are flocking to saunas with friends and forging connections with complete strangers as they sit and sweat together...But, just why are saunas so popular, and are they really a new phenomenon in Ireland?Rosanna Cooney, Journalist and author of ‘Sweathouse’, joins Seán to discuss.

Sales of convertible cars have slumped majorly over the past two decades. But, why is this, and are they not the epitome of cool anymore? Or, is it just because of the terrible weather in this part of the world?Joining Seán to discuss is Dave Humphries, Motoring Journalist with CompleteCar.ie…

You might not give it much thought, but the way you cut your sandwich can have an effect on how you enjoy it. Now, a man on social media is causing heads to turn with his unique ‘Y-shaped 3 cut’ sandwich technique.Joining Seán to dissect this is Journalist and Food Writer, Shamim de Brún…

The old maxim that ‘sex sells’ has been applied to many industries, but perhaps magazines is one of the most relevant. Seán’s guest was the Editor of UK Glamour Magazine for 17 years and has a unique insight into the challenge she faced between creating interesting content, and the reality that sex sold more copies.Jo Malvin joins to discuss.

Since the dawn of the internet, the way in which we browse and search the internet has remained mostly the same.In the past year that has changed, with AI summaries now appearing at the top of search feeds.But, many websites utterly rely on you clicking on their feed for revenue. So, could these overviews be slowly killing the internet as we know it?Joining Seán to discuss this is Lily Ray, Vice President of Search Engine Optimization Strategy and Research at the marketing agency Amsive.

Seán’s guest, Izz Alkarajeh, is a Palestinian man who runs a popular restaurant in Cork with his wife Eman. They have now co-authored a new cookbook, and he joins, fresh from a visit to his family in the West Bank, to discuss.‘Jibrin’ is available now to buy in Eason’s or online at izz.ie.Image: Blasta Books

New data from the UK restaurant scene shows that more and more people are choosing to dine earlier, with the 6pm slot up considerably in bookings.Joining Seán to discuss is Food and Drink Writer Ali Dunworth, who is a big fan of early evening dining…

Whether you’re planning a getaway or are just back from some time off, you might notice that you sleep better on holiday.But, are those lie-ins really beneficial, and can you make up for all the lost sleep in a two week holiday?Professor of Applied Psychology, Samantha Dockray from University College Cork joins Seán to discuss.

Anyone serving time in prison has a story about how they ended up there - which can be used to help others from ending up in the same situation.Senator Lynn Ruanne and Filmmaker Grace Dyas worked together to put those stories from Mountjoy prisoners into a book, and the Senator joins Seán to discuss.