Highlights From Moncrieff

Jen Hogan journalist with The Irish Times joined Sean on the show today to recap the stories making the headlines this past week.

Olive Foley was this weekend crowned the winner of the most stylish lady competition at the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby. She joined Deirdre to discuss her delight at the win and how life has been after the passing of her late husband, rugby star Anthony Foley.

Due to a lack of blood supply, the Irish Blood Transfusion Service has decided to offer a walk-in service this week in an attempt to boost supply. Paul McKinney, Operations Director of the IBTS, joined Deirdre to discuss why supplies seem to be so low at the moment.

Simon Tierney joined Sean to chart the history of the shoelace.

Helping wild animals in distress is not always a good thing to do, so says Juanita Browne, a wildlife book author and science communicator in her recent piece in the Irish Examiner. According to her, wildlife rehabilitation is a job for experts. Therefore, we need a National Hospital dedicated to Wildlife. Juanita Browne - wildlife book author and science communicator joined us on the show this afternoon.

Job Fairy alert! A dream job is up for grabs, as King’s Hill Distillery in Scotland offers every gin lover an opportunity to take part in their gin internship this summer. What does it take to become a gin-tern? Hannah Fletcher, Brand Manager at King’s Hill Distillery joined us on the show.

We all know the main acts performing at the 50th anniversary Glastonbury Festival but one act you may ot have heard of is Ai-da. Ai-Da is among the unique festival offering. She is an ultra-realistic humanoid robot that has painted portraits of the headline acts. She is the artist in residence in the festival’s Shangri La field, where she will be giving live demonstrations of her painting skills. Aidan Meller is the creator and project director of Ai-Da Robot and joined us on the Moncrieff show.

Thousands of people were convicted of practicing witchcraft in Scotland in a hunt that spanned nearly two centuries — and the majority of those sentenced to death and executed were women. Many were also tortured. Now, a bill proposed in the Scottish parliament is trying to set the record straight, said Natalie Don, a Scottish lawmaker who introduced the proposal. Zoe Venditozzi is from witches of Scotland and joined us on the Moncrieff show this afternoon.

The chickenpox vaccine could be added to Ireland’s childhood immunisation programme. An assessment is underway on whether the vaccine should be included in the programme by request of the Department of Health. Chief Scientist is Dr Conor Teljeur joined Sean to discuss the request and what the outcome of including the vaccines could be.

The highly anticipate Baz Baz Luhrmann biopic detailing the life and career of Elvis hits cinema screens this weekend. Ciaran Houlihan joined Sean to discuss his life as an Elvis tribute act in Ireland.

You might have heard of dog shows and pony shows but what about chickens? Marian Kiely from the Irish Society of Poultry Fanciers joined Sean to explain how the society have been holding shows for years now where birds compete against each other.

Walk in to any sports bar around the world and you’ll find punters roaring and shouting at a screen, lamenting a missed penalty by Salah or celebrating a Olympic Gold for Kelly Harrington. A bowling alley in the Netherlands has decided to provide its revellers with a shared experience that’s a little more tranquil and a little less chaotic. Wildlife artist Robert E. Fuller joined Sean to explain how the big screen at Bowlingcentrum Merwehal in Dordrecht, Netherlands, shows live feeds of the barn owls in Yorkshire.

A community in Tipperary has been thrust into the spotlight for all the wrong reasons after the deaths of Hilary and Nicholas Smith. The small village of Cloneen has been reeling since the bodies were discovered, and it now looks like they could have been dead for 18 months. Criticisms have been levelled at the locality for not keeping an eye on them, Sean was joined by Fine Gael Cllr Mark Fitzgerald owns The Thatch Pub in the village, to discuss if that criticism is unfair.

It’s time for How To, and this week’s edition is adult in its content so if there are little ears in the vicinity, maybe distract them or turn this podcast down slightly. This week, Sean was joined by Richie Cullen co-owner of PlayBlue.ie to discuss how to buy a sex toy.

Known as the Coffin Confessor, Sean was joined by Bill Edgar, who carries out the dying’s last wishes, which for many involves gatecrashing funerals to pass on messages the dead couldn’t get off their chest when they were alive.

Last week a Google engineer made the startling claim it's company's AI appeared to have developed consciousness. Prof of AI at UCC, Barry O’Sullivan, joined Sean to discuss if it is really possible for artificial intelligence to come alive.

Love Island is one of the most popular tv shows with millions of viewers six nights a week. Things are not always as they seem though, Orlaith Condon journalist and host of Love Island podcast My Pod On Paper, she joined Sean to explain what we get as viewers is totally different to how things played out in reality, and it’s not really a catch up on the previous 24 hours.

When it’s suggested that we allow those living abroad to have a say in politics at home, it generally triggers a negative reaction. Ted Smyth, former Irish diplomat living in New York and president of the advisory board of Glucksman Ireland House, New York University joined Sean to discuss what it might look like if we had a system of representing the Irish diaspora around the world in our everyday politics.

Reports have emerged on social media of what is described as a 'Eucharist miracle' occurring in an east Mayo parish. Tom Kelly Editor of the Connacht Tribune, joined Sean to relay the story of how a parish priest has alleged after dropping communion bread and placing it into water, he witnessed it changed into a fleshy substance that some have taken as a sign from Jesus.

In France it’s written into law that you must eat out for lunch and eating at your desk is banned. Martin Bruegel Historian and Director of Research at the National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment in France joined Sean to explain why eating at desks is banned and and when it first appeared in French law.