Moncrieff Highlights

Shops and advertising are keen to mention ‘whole-grain’ products, but what exactly does this mean, and how is a whole-grain product different from a refined one?Joining Seán to discuss is Registered Dietician, Sarah Keogh...

Language necessarily evolves to accommodate new ideas, new concepts and new cultural paradigms.But, what happens when a word exists in one language, but not another?There are lots of so-called ‘untranslatable’ words in English, and some Irish ones have been added to the latest version of the Oxford English Dictionary.Fiona McPherson is Senior Editor at the Oxford English Dictionary and joins Seán to discuss.

“Bang on the drum 71, clickety click 66.”For listeners of a certain age, these phrases will immediately conjure up images of the old bingo hall.But, perhaps some younger members of the audience have also heard them recently, because bingo is making a comeback among Gen Z, apparently.Cassie Delaney is a Podcaster and a weekly bingo player. She joins Seán to discuss.

The messaging app at the centre of the communications crisis in the White House is called Signal. But, how secure is it, how does its technology work, and should it be used for handling classified information?Joining Seán to discuss is Elaine Burke, Host of the For Tech’s Sake podcast…

Do new parents need more support? Well, have you ever heard of a doula?Doulas provide care and help to new mothers navigating the challenges of parenthood in the early days from birth to post-partum.Roberta Hynes works in Dublin and she’s helped an estimated 200 families. She joins Seán to discuss.

While hair transplant services are well known, beard transplants are now on the rise too. But, how do they work, and should we be wary?Joining Seán to discuss is Spencer Stephenson, a Patient Advocate in the hair transplant industry…

With Amy Huberman becoming the latest celebrity to put a wine with her name on the shelves, she joins a long line of others such as Graham Norton, Kylie Minogue and Cliff Richard…But, what exactly is the business model here, and are celebrity wines actually any good?Joining Seán to discuss is Michelle Lawlor, from the Nude Wine Company.Image: Amy Huberman

A group of tobacco companies has been compelled by the EU to provide funding for the clean-up of cigarette butts on Irish streets, due to the presence of plastic in the filters. The National Litter Pollution Monitoring System has described cigarette butts as “the biggest litter scourge” facing the State.So, why are smokers throwing their butts on the ground?Joining Seán to discuss is Simon Clarke, Director of Forest, the Smokers Lobby Group, which represents Britain and Ireland…

Are you sick of being asked to rate your experience? Whether it’s a taxi ride, a toilet stop or even a supermarket trip... it seems that companies are obsessed with asking us for feedback.So, are these customer surveys of any use, or are we all just fed up and suffering from feedback fatigue?Financial Times Columnist, Pilita Clark, joins Seán to discuss.

It’s official: caviar is back on menus, but this time, customers are being offered so-called ‘caviar bumps’ - little taster servings on the back of their hands...Niall Sabongi from The Seafood Cafe in Temple Bar joins Seán to talk about this novel food trend.