Highlights From Moncrieff

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.

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.

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…

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.

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.

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…

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...