Moncrieff

Following last night’s shooting down of Russian drones in Polish Airspace, Poland has asked NATO to open consultations under Article 4 of its treaty, which states that members of the Western military alliance will consult together whenever any of them is threatened.The incident is being seen as one of major concerns for ‘The West’.But what is ‘The West’? Why are Poland in it? Are New Zealand and Australia, countries on the extreme east of the map, as we understand it, also part of “The West”?Georgios Varouxakis is Professor in History of Political Thought at Queen Mary University of London and author of ‘The West: The History of an Idea’. He joins Seán to discuss.

As President Michael D Higgins prepares to leave the Áras later this year, he might be considering his next career move.One possible option might be to return to being a touring poet.Indeed, perhaps the first step in this career change happened at the weekend, when the President released a new poetry album with a live show in the National Concert Hall.‘Against All Certainty’ is his debut collection of 10 spoken poems with music by Myles O’Reilly.So what’s it like to jam with the President? Myles O’Reilly joins Seán to discuss.

As a Senior Lecturer in clean energy at UCC, Dr Paul Deane knows a thing or two about energy efficiency...But in reality, when you go from transforming a vacant home from a G BER rating to an A grade energy efficient house, you realise that the practical learnings are pretty major...Dr Paul Deane joins Seán to discuss.

Technically speaking, anything that is in the past can be categorized as history.But, more often than not, historians deal with events that they exist at a great remove from.That is not the case for Diarmaid Ferriter’s latest book ‘The Revelation of Ireland: 1995-2020’.So, does chronicling recent events present a challenge for historians, and what can we say definitively about Ireland in the last 30 years?Diarmaid Ferriter joins Seán to discuss.

September is one of the busiest months of the year for divorces, with couples in fractured relationships coming out of a summer spent together and realising that their marriage is broken…Joining Seán to discuss this is Michelle Browne, Mediator and Divorce Consultant.

Last month, Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan announced plans to introduce a bill that would attempt to tackle child sexual abuse and the proliferation of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) online.The fact that the Government is committed to tackling this issue is also reflected in its support of the EU’s Chat Control Regulations.But, do these steps compromise fundamental values and rights that the EU has committed to upholding?Brian Honan, Chief Executive of BH Consulting, an independent advisory firm on cybersecurity and privacy based in Dublin, joins Seán to discuss.

Donald Trump’s latest executive order, entitled, ‘Making Federal Architecture Beautiful Again’, is essentially a ban on any architectural style for civic buildings that isn’t representative of neo-classism.Joining Seán to tell more is Emma Gileece, Architectural Historian.Image: Reuters

With the enormous obstacles involved in buying a home in this country, housing anxiety can cause those who are searching for a home to feel anxious and low. Joining Seán to discuss this is Malie Coyne, a Chartered Clinical Psychologist based in Galway…

Have you noticed a rise in touchscreens in take aways, petrol stations and mobile phone shops?When you’re ordering fast food, would you rather stab a greasy touchscreen, or talk to a human being?Henry McKean has been asking the public, and joins Seán to discuss!

John Gibbons is an Environmental Journalist and Commentator who is releasing a book called ‘The Lie of the Land’ about Ireland and the climate crisis.John grew up on a farm and after over a decade of being in the climate landscape, he has a unique perspective on what needs to change…He joins Seán to discuss.