Highlights From Moncrieff

When the thriller writer Harriet Tyce appeared on The Traitors, her book sales skyrocketed by over 500%...So, could novelists be marketed in this way going forward and have they been missing a trick up to now? Sean was Eithne Shortall, Novelist and author of 5 books, including ‘The Lodgers’.

On Monday coming, the latest Michelin stars will be distributed to restaurants in the UK and Ireland. But how do the inspections work?  Sean was joined by Joanne Cronin, food writer with the Irish Times, who has been investigating it.

Athletes are always chasing an edge — a fraction of a second, an extra inch, one more rep. And sometimes… that search gets weird. From bizarre diets and lucky rituals to science experiments that sound more like dares, athletes have tried just about everything to boost performance. Some swear by it, some regret it, and some probably shouldn’t admit it out loud. Daniel Hussey, Sports Journalist joined Sean to discussAthletes are always chasing an edge — a fraction of a second, an extra inch, one more rep. And sometimes… that search gets weird. From bizarre diets and lucky rituals to science experiments that sound more like dares, athletes have tried just about everything to boost performance. Some swear by it, some regret it, and some probably shouldn’t admit it out loud. Daniel Hussey, Sports Journalist joined Sean to discuss

With a new series examining the tragic romance between John Kennedy Jr and Carolyn Bessette premiering on Disney Plus next week, Sean was joined by journalist Liadán Hynes who has been looking into the enduring mythology surrounding the couple.

Last week a massive sinkhole opened up suddenly in Dunbar in Scotland...but what actually causes sinkholes and do they happen in Ireland? Michelle McKeown, Lecturer in Environmental Geography at UCC and columnist in the Irish Examiner joined Sean to explain

Demand for so-called “personal protection dogs” is surging in the UK. Once the preserve of celebrities and security professionals, these highly trained animals – taught to bite, hold and release on command – are now being marketed as family pets and living alarm systems. Supporters say they offer reassurance in an age of rising crime, but critics warn of serious risks: to public safety, to owners’ legal liability, and to the dogs themselves. But is the same practice happening here at home?Robbie Owens, Founder of Blackstar K9 training, joined Sean to explain.

Why do we just replace our goods when they break and not try and fix them? In developing countries like Brazil there are repairmen (women) to fix everything. Here in Ireland, generally we just replace. Henry McKean has been speaking to people in the circular economy and he sent us this report.

Doug Burgum, Trump’s Interior Secretary, has launched a new ambassador for the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement. It’s a mascot, with cute, big eyes and wellies, and his name is Coalie...but what is the actual point of political mascots like this? Joining Sean was is Lorcan Nyhan, from the Communications Clinic.

Becky Lotus is a surrogate from Ireland. She joined Sean to explain her  journey, how she has no regrets about becoming one and to highlight the relative lack of legislation in Ireland in relation to surrogacy

As the recent flooding has shown, something needs to be done. However, instead of big engineering projects which take years to get over the line, are nature based solutions an alternative? Joining Sean to explain was climate and environmental researcher Sadhbh O’Neill.

Joanna Fortune joins Sean to discuss listeners' parenting queries...

According to a new scientific study, what being in space does to human fertility, pregnancy and early foetal development remains exceptionally under-researched. But with the advent of space tourism, should there be more focus on the possibility of sex in space, and would it even be possible? Joining Sean was Niamh Shaw, Science communicator specialising in space to talk about why Sex isn't really possible in space and to explain why research is now being done into the topic.

It was announced recently that the government would be outsourcing the operation of electronic tagging. But is the broader delegation to third parties eroding government control and expertise? Joining Sean was Paul Davis, Associate Professor at Dublin City University Business School.

Fresh off the fashion conveyor belt, Lego has stepped into footwear — quite literally. The toy giant has teamed up with Crocs to launch a bold new €200 clog inspired by the most painful object known to mankind: the Lego brick. Bright red, blocky and already causing serious debate online, the shoes have split opinion between fans who call it playful creativity and critics who say it should’ve stayed in the toy box. Love them or loathe them, they’ve already hit Paris Fashion Week — and they’ll be landing in shops next month.IMAGE: Lego Group.

Are you more interested in being the head of mischief or a people’s champ than a marketing manager or a retail assistant? Even if the title aside, it’s the same role, same pay and same crap annual leave allocation! The rise in creative job titles continues – Donal O'Donoghue, managing director of sanderson recruitment joined Sean to discuss why we are all getting creative with our job titles now.

Florida has woken up to a problem it doesn’t usually have, frozen iguanas falling out of trees. A rare cold snap over the weekend has left the oversized lizards so stunned they’re literally dropping onto lawns, pavements and the occasional parked car. And in a move that sounds more like a game show than wildlife management, residents have been given a limited window to scoop them up and hand them in — all in the name of pest control.  Jessica Kilgore from Iguana Solutions in Florida joined Sean to discuss.

In long-running soaps, it’s often not the storylines we remember most, but the characters who carry them. In Home and Away, few characters sparked as much debate, devotion, and disruption as the Braxton brothers. Love them or loathe them, they didn’t just stir up Summer Bay — they changed it. The right characters can make a series thrive… while the wrong ones can risk breaking it.Joining Sean to discuss why certain characters can be the foundations of a certain soup was Jessica Shine, Media Communications Department of MTU Munster Technological University...

Jonathan DeBurca Butler joins Seán Moncrieff to take listeners through the week's international stories. 

Inflation has finally reached the corridors of power. TDs and Senators are now paying more for meals in the Dáil bar and Members’ Restaurant, with price hikes on everything from soup and burgers to calamari and lamb. While costs have risen across the menu, prices still undercut most Dublin city eateries — and notably, wine prices have been left untouched. So, is Leinster House feeling the squeeze like everyone else, or is this a reminder of how insulated political life can be?Joining Sean was Craig Hughes, Political Editor of the Irish Daily Mail

A man in the UK has broken the record for the world’s fastest wheelie bin. Joining Sean to explain how he made and designed the world's quickest bin was Mechanical Design Engineer and binfluencer Michael Wallhead.