
Moncrieff Highlights
The daily dose of madness and intrigue from Sean Moncrieff and his rebel radio crew
Listen and subscribe to Moncrieff Highlights on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Download, listen and subscribe on the Newstalk App.
You can also listen to Newstalk live on newstalk.com or on Alexa, by and asking: 'Alexa, play Newstalk'
Latest episodes

Apr 17, 2025 • 10min
Home Alone Director wants to digitally remove Donald Trump from film
Hollywood movie Director Chris Columbus has revealed this week that he would like to digitally remove Donald Trump from Home Alone 2. But, is there a precedent for removing certain scenes from films, years after they’ve been released?Joining Tom Dunne to discuss is Brian Lloyd, Film Critic and Movies & Booze Panelist…

Apr 16, 2025 • 7min
What is the ‘Straight Line Mission’?
A new adventure challenge that has been popularised over the past few years is called ‘Straight Line Missioning’, and requires participants to travel over long distances, as the crow flies, so to speak. But, how does it work?Joining Tom Dunne to discuss is Adventurer and YouTuber, Tom Davies…Image: @GeoWizard on YouTube

Apr 16, 2025 • 12min
What is ‘guiltivisim’?
Most of us probably don’t have to scroll far down our social media feeds to find something about the war in Gaza or Ukraine, or perhaps Sudan or Yemen. Raising awareness of the suffering of others is, of course, a good thing, but a new type of activism has emerged that perhaps isn’t quite as constructive.Jennifer Horgan is a Columnist with the Irish Examiner and she’s been writing about the prevalence of “guiltivism”. She joins Tom Dunne to discuss.

Apr 16, 2025 • 11min
Is the Thermomix dupe a worthy kitchen gadget?
The Thermomix is a state-of-the-art kitchen companion that offers to make life easier in the kitchen. But at almost €1,500, the efficiency, creativity and convenience it promises come at a hefty price. Lidl have recently introduced a more pocket friendly version, but is it any good?Digital Journalist with the Irish Times Niamh Browne spent a week with Monsieur Cuisine Smart and she joins Tom Dunne to discuss how she got on.

Apr 16, 2025 • 12min
The Irish pilot who did the first east-west Atlantic crossing
The story of Irish Captain James Fitzmaurice from Laois, who piloted the first east-west Atlantic crossing in April 1928, is a fascinating one.Joining Tom Dunne to discuss the background of this achievement is Dr Patrick McGarty, Senior Lecturer in Public Policy at Munster Technological University.

Apr 16, 2025 • 10min
IFI to screen classic films in their wide-screen glory!
If you’ve ever fancied seeing film classics such as ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ & ’Ryan’s Daughter’ in their full wide-screen glory, The Irish Film Institute is offering you the opportunity to do so. They are holding a 2-month, 16-film celebration of ’The Films of David Lean’ this April and May.Dr Ruth Barton is a Professor of Film Studies in Trinity College, and joins Seán to discuss.

Apr 16, 2025 • 9min
The Great Moose Migration and ‘Slow TV’
For some people, sitting down to watch TV is the most relaxing thing, but now millions of people are taking this one step further and embracing a trend called ‘Slow TV’.And this week, ‘The Great Moose Migration’ from Sweden is proving to be wildly popular with viewers across the world tuning in to the livestream to see how the moose are getting on in Northern Sweden.Stefan Edlund is the Producer on this project and joins Tom Dunne to tell more.

Apr 15, 2025 • 8min
How this sculpture of Gerry Adams was made
A new sculpture of Gerry Adams is currently on exhibit at the Kilkenny Portrait Show. But, how do you go about creating the likeness of a living person in clay? It turns out the process of making a bust of someone is almost as interesting as the product itself!Joining Tom Dunne to discuss is Sculptor Aidan Harte…Image: @HarteAidan on Twitter

Apr 15, 2025 • 10min
Exploring the strange borders of Europe
In this country we are only too familiar with the problems that can occur when someone draws a new line on the map between two nations, but ours is far from the only complicated border in Europe.Lewis Baston has walked many of them for his book ‘Borderlines: A History of Europe in 29 Borders’ and joins Tom Dunne to discuss.Image: Hodder & Stoughton

Apr 15, 2025 • 10min
Why we can’t stop scrolling
Do you find conversations boring to the point that you are constantly reaching for your phone?Research shows that within two minutes of chatting Gen Z are bored and turning to their phones for entertainment.But are we all as bad as each other?Journalist with the Irish Independent, Saoirse Hanley, joins us now…