Moncrieff

The Thatcher years are known for many things, but for those who may have felt like outsiders, the Scala cinema in London provided an influential and inspirational space for “weirdos and misfits” – as described in the title of a new documentary.   With monthly programmes mixing high-art classics as well as horror, Kung Fu, sexploitation and LGBTQ+ movies, it pushed boundaries of both taste and convention.  Many of the young audience went on to become filmmakers, musicians, artists and actors. After 15 years - and in the midst of recession, technical changes and a law suit from Warner Brothers - it all fell apart.  Jane Giles, co-director and a former programmer for Scala cinema joined Sean on the show today...

A man's shed has been the nightly cleaning project of a discreet mouse, caught on film by wildlife photographer Rodney Holbrook over the course of two months. Holbrook observed that items he had left in disarray were mysteriously restored to their proper places each morning.Rodney joined Sean on the show today to discuss...

Room to Improve returned to TV screens last night, and instead of the architecture, it was the grants that got viewers. The couple featured saved over 120,000 euro after they availed of a number of government grants, including the Abandoned Home grant.  However, many viewers raised questions over how easy it is to get this grant, and wondered what the process is like. Joe Corr, Managing Director for planning from CWPA in Swords and former Irish Planning Institute President joined Sean on the show today...

Microsoft is to make its first keyboard change in almost 30 years this year. The tech giant is adding a key to the keyboard of its Windows 11 PCs that will give direct access to its new Copilot services, marking a new push for the AI-powered feature. Ciara O’Brien from the Irish Times joined Tom Dunne to discuss...

A couple from Pittsburg got the shock of their lives recently when they discovered that $4,000 in cash that they left on their kitchen counter was eaten by their pet dog. But were they able to retrieve it once it passed through Cecil the goldendoodle? Tom Dunne was jonied on the show by Cecil’s owner, Carrie Law...

A 22-year old musician from Monaghan is making strides on Spotify. Solas  was the most successful debut song on streaming from an Irish artist since Take Me To Church by Hozier, with more than 60 million plays. Tom Dunne was joined by Jamie Duffy on the show...Image: Jamie Duffy

An Irish inventor who featured on Dragons Den on the BBC last night has wowed inventors with his unique rain-proof washing line. But how does it work? Tom Dunne was joined by Engineer and inventor Colin O’Brien...Image: Peggy Rain

The original Tetris game will turn 40 this year, but only yesterday did a human manage to complete it.  And it was a 13 year old boy in Oklahoma, employing a particular set of hand skills in order to cope with the speed of the falling blocks.  Elaine Burke, Host of the podcast For Tech Sake joined Tom Dunne on the show...

One woman in the UK has recently completed an extraordinary journey in one of the harshest environments on Earth, having skied solo across 1000 kilometres of ice to the South Pole. Preet Chandi, a Captain in the British Army, joined Tom Dunne from Antarctica...

While most culture is moving towards digital consumption models, is there still an inherent value in developing and maintaining a physical collection of books, DVDs and music? Journalist and writer Aoife Barry has been writing about this for the Irish Times and she joined Tom Dunne on the show today...