

Moncrieff
Newstalk
The daily dose of madness and intrigue from Sean Moncrieff and his rebel radio crew. Listen and subscribe to Moncrieff 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'
Episodes
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Aug 11, 2025 • 10min
Revising the relationship between Elvis and the Colonel
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’...

Aug 11, 2025 • 7min
Is pornography a pathway to criminality?
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…

Aug 11, 2025 • 9min
New play explores Irish mass emigration programme
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

Aug 11, 2025 • 18min
Would you like to live alone? - Henry McKean Asks
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.

Aug 11, 2025 • 17min
Should Ireland have a complete trade embargo on Israel?
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.

Aug 8, 2025 • 12min
Have saunas become the new pub?
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.

Aug 8, 2025 • 8min
Is there a ‘best’ way to cut a sandwich?
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…

Aug 8, 2025 • 14min
Why have sales of convertible cars declined?
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…

Aug 8, 2025 • 12min
Does sex really sell magazines?
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.

Aug 7, 2025 • 6min
Is Google’s AI killing internet search?
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.