Seán Moncrieff: The word ‘old’ has become an insult. If you’re old, it’s all over
Ageing is not treated as a natural process any more, but almost a moral failing; something that should have been resisted
Seán Moncrieff
The estate agent quoted a jaw-dropping figure for what he thought our house would go for
He did us a huge favour, but probably not in the way he would have hoped
Kieran Cuddihy: Newstalk hung all the shows on the brand, the personality. That changed with Andrea Gilligan and myself
Presenter of the Tonight Show on Virgin Media and Hard Shoulder on Newstalk on Denis O’Brien, work-life balance and embarrassing career low-lights
Why do so few of us want to go to the cinema these days?
Seán Moncrieff: Our multiscreen cinemas feel like they were built for a previous era and that was nearly 20 years ago
People have a deep human yearning for validation and applause. We love awards
Actors can be shallow and self-serving ... but so can the rest of us
Is Gen Z the most cynically manipulated generation in history?
Why the lavish flattery, the constant churn of evidence-free articles, about a cohort of people who haven’t done anything yet?
There’s a reason why Ireland hasn’t produced a Donald Trump or a Nigel Farage yet
The far right in Ireland is run by the charismatically challenged. If someone capable of stringing a sentence together emerges, that political calculus will change quickly
Why do most Americans still believe the US to be the ‘Greatest Nation on Earth’?
You’d wonder if Donald Trump’s childlike depiction of geopolitics helps ordinary Americans, or infantilises them
Seán Moncrieff’s on-air persona cracks, and a dishwasher meltdown follows
Radio: Newstalk host Seán Moncrieff is at his best when discussing niche subjects that allow stimulating digressions
If I get ambushed by loneliness, it’s never when I’m by myself
As the comfort of community dwindles, all we might be left with is a cold place of struggling individuals, all competing with each other
There’s something sinister about a bin full of knives and we don’t want to scare the waste disposal people
To put it bluntly, I haven’t a clue when it comes to purchasing properly sharp knives
My daughter’s new phone number will stay with her for life. It’s like we’ve given her an invisible, digital tattoo
When I sent on the number to Herself she got a bit weepy, in an our-little-girl-is-growing-up way
An unsettling conversation on the Dart leaves other passengers open-mouthed in amazement
Seán Moncrieff: Unsettling conversation was a reminder there are different Irelands, some of which we only hear about when something terrible happens
Winter wedge issue: On Oliver Callan, icy weather is one of Ireland’s ever-growing urban-rural divides
Radio: ‘I can tell you Dublin is getting off very lightly in the cold snap so far,’ Oliver Callan notes on Tuesday’s show, ‘much to our relief here’
I meet friends whose version of my life seems to be completely different to the one I recall
Seán Moncrieff: The brain sifts experiences and makes judgments: what’s useful, it retains; what’s not, is dumped
Television infidelity is apparently a real thing and can be a major cause of door slamming
Herself told her colleagues that she and I have our own TV shows, which we watch separately. Cue a sharp intake of breath
Daughter Number Four has been sucked into the slimosphere. We naively enabled it
Seán Moncrieff: Despite her earnest promises to be careful, it of course got into every nook and corner
At Newstalk, Ciara Kelly gets righteously annoyed
The breakfast host seems to court listeners who once complained about the PC brigade but now prefer to decry the woke mob
I’ve rearranged our books based on colour and height. Apparently this is controversial
How else would you end up with Marian Keyes sandwiched between My Life and Loves by Frank Harris and Naomi Wolf’s biography of the vagina?
Social media taps into a dark human need to be mean to other people
As people – even Stephen King – flee the platform, discussion of where to move to feels underpinned by a sadness that the kind of virtual space they crave may no longer be possible
Ukrainians in Ireland must be nervous. There’s a difference between a tough decision and a cruel one
With a week to go before Irish general election, you can see that cynicism has crept into our politics
Seán Moncrieff: Is it normal to have a teddy as an adult?
In scientific terms, a soft toy is known as a transitional object, providing emotional security to a child. But those feelings can continue way into adulthood
Tempers rise over immigration debate as Matt Cooper scolds warring politicians
Radio: Today FM host bemoans uneventful general election, as Pat Kenny hears two sides of the charged migrant issue
‘I never know when the Dart will arrive. And Irish Rail doesn’t seem to know either’
When looking to plan a Dart trip, the information on the digital sign, the schedule on the Irish Rail app and the website are no more than serving suggestions
‘When the cinema lights came up, we all hugged, and I wondered why, on this day, the magic worked for me too’
Seán Moncrieff: Towards the end, on two separate occasions, I felt a shudder run through me
I hate running. I tried it and it didn’t do me any good. I can’t be alone feeling like this?
I think I might belong to an as-yet-unidentified subset of humans who will never find exercise enjoyable
If we don’t expect an improved Government, we won’t get one
Rather than break a promise, Simon Harris might simply change his mind about the timing of the general election
Tote bags offer a lesson on our imperfect responses to the climate crisis
If you’re feeling down about carbon emissions, take that feeling and stuff it into a tote bag
Seán Moncrieff: The woman in the car rental office was a black hole of emotion, sucking up feelings but giving nothing in return:
She told us the bill for the damage would be, rather neatly, €300 - plus a €50 ‘damage processing’ fee
My approach to college resulted in a just-about-scraped-a-pass degree. I regret nothing
I regarded university as a resource to be used, not a place to be told what to do
Listening to Seán Moncrieff would chip away at your national pride
Radio: There are a few queasy moments in what turns out to be an oddly digestible smorgasbord from the Newstalk host
Why do Irish people slather everything with insincere positivity?
I’m far from the first person to notice this. Trying to be happy all the time will make you unhappy
Daughter Number Two and partner finally found an apartment to rent. People keep asking what their secret is
Seán Moncrieff: After an eight-month search to find a place pretty close to Dublin city centre Number Two and partner are thrilled beyond words
We wanted Daughter Number Four to experience something a bit more foreign. We got more than we bargained for
No one glared disapprovingly. Any looks we got were kindly, but perhaps tinged with: you didn’t know?
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