Moncrieff

For decades now there has been a widely held belief among researchers that we are at our happiest in early adulthood, and then as we age into our middle age, we get more and more gloomy and unsatisfied with our lives.But, new research suggests that for the first time in generations, the average 22-year-old is likely to be unhappier than their parents…So, why then are younger adults struggling so much with their overall happiness?Colman Noctor is a Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist, and joins Seán to discuss.

Seán’s guest has spent the past 20 years recording her relationship with her son Jim. The culmination of this longitudinal project is ‘Motherboard’, a film that will screen at the upcoming IFI Documentary Festival on Sunday September 14th, followed by a Q&A with Victoria and her son afterwards.Victoria joins Seán to discuss.

For many communities, there is a sense that as life gets busier some of the heart of the community can fade away; in Bluebell in south west Dublin, a new initiative is changing things and giving local people a safe place to go.Dr Tommy Coombes manages the Bluebell Community Development Project, and coordinates the regeneration programme. He joins Seán to discuss.Image: https://bluebellcdp.ie

When was the last time you got together with all of your oldest friends?Friendship changes as we get older, and it can get harder and harder to prioritise time with pals…Journalist and author Pat McCarry had great plans for his 20-year J1 reunion, but learned that life in your forties is very different to what you envisioned when you were footloose and fancyfree in your early twenties...Pat joins Seán to discuss.

Will Taylor Swift change the engagement ring industry after sharing shots of her giant ring and romantic proposal with NFL player Travis Kelce?Matthew Weldon is an Antique and Vintage Jewellery Expert, who owns Courtville Antiques. He joins Seán to discuss the history of engagement rings…Image: @taylorswift on Instagram

A new EU directive on pay transparency is going to change how open companies need to be about the salaries they offer to their employees, but what will this mean for cutting the gender pay gap?Joining Seán to discuss is Deirdre Malone, Head of Employment at EY Law Ireland...

It is very likely that someone has said “one hundred percent” to you when what they actually mean is “yes”, but why has this affirmation become so commonplace?Joining Seán to unpack this is Gail Flanagan, Researcher in Applied Linguistics at the University of Limerick...

Jonathan DeBurca Butler joins Seán Moncrieff to take listeners through the week's international stories… 

Restorative Justice is a voluntary process where victims and offenders, with the help of an impartial third party, meet to resolve repair the harm done by the crime committed. While this process is available for ‘lower tariff offenses’, more serious cases aren’t always seen as eligible. So why is that, and should it be more accessible? Lecturer at the School of Social Policy, Social Work and Social Justice at UCD Professor Marie Keenan joins Séan to discuss.

Family dinner time seems to be increasingly under threat. A survey carried out in the UK found a minority of people at the table, with 45% eating in front of the TV. Hotelier, TV personality and author of Guide to Modern Irish Manners Noel Cunningham joins Séan to discuss.