Before Spotify playlists, there were mixtapes. Cassette tapes may have been easily damaged but they had a certain charm to them.

Eimear from the show team found a mixtape at home that she had made some time around 2001, and it contained a very interesting collection of songs. It started off strongly with a couple of Nirvana songs, and then transitioned to 12 Westlife songs in a row. Throw in a few Destiny's Child tracks, LeeAnn Rimes and the 2001 classic "Forgot About Dre" and you've got yourself a pretty fantastic mixtape!

Inspired by "Eimear's Fav Songs", the lads have decided to throw out the playlist for today and hand it over to you the listener to make Ireland's Biggest Mixtape! The playlist of all of your fantastic requests is on Spotify too.

***IMPORTANT UPDATE***

Word of Eimear's Fav Songs got back to Westlife, and Nicky Byrne himself sent her this voice note to thank her and commend her great taste in music:

[audio mp3="https://media.radiocms.net/uploads/2019/10/02103530/NICKY-BYRNE-VOICE-NOTE.mp3"][/audio]

Check out the fun in full by pressing the play button on screen.

Whole Foods Market forecast the biggest food trends for next year

Food glorious food...

We've seen the rise in lots of food products over the past few years - blueberries, acai bowls, avocado toast, charcoal everything, doughnuts, seaweed, keto, ube (purple sweet potato from Japan) etc., but what has 2020 in store for us?

Supermarket super-chain Whole Foods have released the findings of their research to forecast what we'll be monching on in the not-so-distant-future.

Let's have a look shall we?

Regenerative agriculture

Eco-friendly foods sourced by helping the environment instead of destroying it. More emphasis will be put on drawing carbon out of the air and into the soil. Sounds good to me.

Flour

I know what you're thinking...Odlums/self-raising/wholemeal/strong?? Nope..it's much more exciting than that. 2020 will introduce us to new creations like cauliflower flour, banana flour and tiger flour. Raaaaarrrr!

West African flavours

We can expect rich, earthy dishes like bunny chow (bread hollowed out and filled with curry) and jollof (a one pot rice dish). *moves to West Africa

Fridge snacks

"Sure we've always had fridge snacks", I hear you say. Whole Foods reckon that premade snacks like hard boiled eggs, pickled veg and mini dips will be all the rage.

So Long Soy

It's unreal in a stir-fry but experts feel soy will be substituted for mung bean, avocado, pumpkin and watermelon seeds.

Spreads & butters

Seed and chickpea butters will take over from the staple varieties we now consume. Nuts!

Sugar swap

Fruit-based syrups will replace agave nectar. Syrups made from dates, pomegranates, coconut and sweet potato will trickle in.

Dermot and Dave's Dermot Whelan and Eimear Shannon explore these new-found delicacies and give us their verdict.

Check out the fun in full by pressing the play button on screen.

 

Hotel Doolin's greener way of life has trebled their turnover in the past 8 years

Imagine a business plan where profits are soaring and you're helping to save the planet? Perfection, right? Well the clever folk at Clare's Hotel Doolin have made some smart changes to become a leader in green hospitality in Ireland.

Speaking on Today FM's Dermot and Dave, General Manager of the hotel, Donal Minihane, reveals the "tonnes of little things" they have been doing.

These simple steps include:

banishing plastic bottles

harvesting rainwater

growing their salads, herbs and veg in a 50ft polytunnel

buying off local suppliers

never using single-use items

reducing food waste

These are all hugely effective, but the two main changes are that they have stopped burning oil (converted to an air to water ambient heating system) and have planted trees; "in the past two years we have planted 1,700 tress. 1 tree equates to 1 tonne of carbon".

The sustainable option is kinda the one that makes most sense and makes your bills more efficient and profitable

Having the label of 'Ireland's Only Carbon Neutral Hotel' has proven to be a massive attraction for guests with the turnover having trebled in the past 8 years.

The addition of an eco-friendly barn has made the hotel one of the most desirable wedding venues along the Wild Atlantic Way;

This year we will host probably 95 weddings. 8 years ago we had none

 

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What a gorgeous day in the West of Ireland Congrats again to A&S, lets get this party started! #dreamwedding #barnwedding #ecowedding #carbonnutral #greenhotel #Doolin #cliffsofmoher #ireland #barntobewild #sayidoolin #LoveDoolin #wildatlanticway #everydayibt #discoverireland #mydreamwedding #bride #weddinginspiration #irishwedding #wildatlanticwedding #groom #ceremony #outdoorceremony #weddinglols #weddingdress #weddingday

A post shared by Hotel Doolin (@hotel.doolin) on Jul 27, 2019 at 2:59pm PDT

And although Donal doesn't think their Doolin project is as impressive as what some of the larger cities and countries are doing, he does hope that, "other businesses might see what a small community like us can do and that might inspire them".

Check out Donal's inspirational chat in full by pressing the play button on screen. 

 

Heads will turn...

I know it isn't something you'd come across on the CAO form, or a role your career guidance teacher would have ever suggested (if they did then I'd be worried), but this could be your chance to shine in the supernatural field.

Irish Ghosthunters are a team of paranormal investigators who come from all parts of Ireland. They use scientific methods to investigate supposedly haunted locations both here in Ireland and abroad - and now, they need an exorcist to join their squad.

Ghosthunters member Fintan Cullen chats to Dermot and Dave about what the job entails and why they are busier than ever.

Cullen says, "I believe it comes down to the individual bad and negative energy that people create themselves". This is how he feels evil spirits manifest.

He then got heads spinning with this controversial statement, "There's a lot of badness in Irish people", which Dermot questions.

Fintan also tells us some simple ways to prevent entities from entering our homes - it's all about dogs and the "death position".

If you think you could be Ireland's answer to Father Merrin, and would like to apply, check out the Irish Ghosthunters facebook page here.

Catch the chat in full by pressing the play button on screen. 

 

The 'Outside In' method is being trialled for two months and will load window seat passengers first

Here's a little bit of trivia for you - Gatwick is the most delayed airport in Europe.

Stats show that 42.6% of the airport's departures were late last month.

To help get flight times back on track, Gatwick will trial a new system on Airbus A320 aircrafts flying from Gate 101. The window seats will be filled first, followed by the middle and then the aisle.

It will start in the back rows and work its way forward to see if this is more efficient.

A digital display will be used to call passengers to the plane and they will be expected to remain seated while they wait.

The company hopes this will remove lengthy queues both on and off the airplanes and could have a snappy turnaround of 15 minutes if executed properly.

Here's what it looks like:

Dermot and Dave's Dermot Whelan and Seán Reidy discuss whether or not the idea will take off.

Check out the chat in full by pressing the play button on screen.

 

Did you know Pádraig has an International Irish Dancing trophy?

With Mount Juliet being named the 2020 Irish Cup venue, Today FM's Dermot and Dave spoke with x3 times Major winner Pádraig Harrington about the selection.

Positive as ever, Harrington hails the course for its condition and knows that players will relish what Thomastown and its hinterland have to offer, "Kilkenny adds so much more to the event that it will be a festival".

When asked if the competition will draw world class players, his reply hit the sweet spot with golf fans, "the three biggest names that the event can attract have committed already" (Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry and defending champion Jon Rahm).

Tiger Woods' recent win in Japan (his record-equalling 82nd PGA Tour win) was also a hot topic, as the lads marvel at his comeback.

A birdie at the last for @TigerWoods!

"I want to be a comedian" "Why?" "I want people to hate me"

Seann Walsh joined Dermot & Dave live from the Vodafone Comedy Carnival last week.

The comedian was in for a chat ahead of his shows at the festival, but it quickly turned into a "therapy session".

Brilliant chat with @seannwalsh (who was definitely not on Family Guy)

The best of the box

Now it's normally Dermot and Dave producer Maria Devereux who brings us our TV guide for the week, but with her and the two D's having a well deserved day off, Eimear Shannon enlightens Baz Ashmawy and the nation.

Here's what she has picked out:

The Great British Bake Off: Final - Tonight (Tuesday) @8pm on Channel 4

Noel Fielding and Sandi Toksvig host the final of the culinary competition. As family and friends gather on the lawn outside, the last three bakers enter the tent to prepare a chocolate cake as their signature bake. For the technical challenge, they must master that most delicate of dishes, the souffle, and finally for their showstopper, they must create an edible illusion using only cake, sweet bread and biscuits:

Welcome to Bake Off Final Day! It’s all boiled down to the last three challenges and there can only be one winner… but who will it be? #GBBOFinal pic.twitter.com/89AobartxN

— British Bake Off (@BritishBakeOff) October 29, 2019

Love Island Australia - Weeknights @9pm on Virgin Media Two

If the Greg and Maura withdrawal symptoms are lasting longer than anticipated, Love Island fans can get their fix from the new series of Love Island Australia. All the same shenanigans but with a harder accent to understand:

We lost two queens tonight, but by gawd did they drop some bangers on their way out

"We're just changing the face of hospitality staffing one shift at a time"

We could all do with a bit of extra pocket change at times, right?

Well if you have a background in the hospitality industry, and have some spare time on your hands, Get The Shifts is a great opportunity.

Launched in 2016, Get The Shifts is an innovative and award-winning temporary staffing solution based in Clare.

Roles range from bartenders to baristas to five star hotel staff.

The app allows businesses to browse through a large pool of vetted staff and offer available shifts from the comfort of their smartphones.

Speaking on Today FM's Dermot and Dave (where Baz Ashmawy was covering for the lads), Get The Shifts Founder Hannah Wrixon explains how her creation works;

You can work around your full-time job, you can work around your studies...your family, your kids

People can get involved via an online application form, where 1 years experience and an Irish hospitality reference are all that is required.

They also provide free online courses to help workers upskill and become more employable.

When asked about what the rates are like, Hannah says, "We pay above the average. We start off at €11.50 and people have earned up to €20 per hour".

The company will have approximately 300 casual roles on offer in Dublin, Cork, Galway and Limerick over the festive period so check out gettheshifts.com for more information.

Catch Hannah's chat with Baz in full by pressing the play button on screen. 

 

The best of the box

Dermot and Dave producer Maria Devereux is half human half TV guide and loves telling us all the best stuff happening on the telly.

With the weekend upon us, here's what she reckons we should check out:

The Graham Norton Show - Tonight (Friday) @10:35pm on BBC One

Aquaman star Jason Momoa talks about his part in futuristic TV drama See, Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke promotes her romantic comedy Last Christmas, while Oscar-winner Regina King discusses her HBO series Watchmen. Top comic Ross Noble also secures a spot on Graham's sofa. Plus, American-Cuban singer-songwriter Camila Cabello performs 'Liar'.

 

The Late Late Show - Tonight @9:35pm on RTÉ One 

Tubs is joined by Disability Activist and winner of reality TV show The Circle, Paddy Smyth, Bernard Brogan chats retirement and fatherhood and Wild Youth perform their latest track 'Long Time No See'.

Here they are in with us a couple of months backs:

 

Ireland's Fittest Family - Sunday @6:30pm on RTÉ One

Today FM's Mairead Ronan is back with a news series, where 12 of the country's fittest families battle to be crowned champs.

 

And if you're in the mood for a bit of a sob, Maria's Movies of the Week is The Fault In Our Stars - Tonight @10:30pm on RTÉ Two

Two extraordinary teenagers who share an acerbic wit, a disdain for the conventional, and a love that sweeps them (and us) on an unforgettable journey to visit a reclusive author in Amsterdam. Their relationship is all the more miraculous, given that they met and fell in love at a cancer support group

*tissues at the ready

 

Check out Maria's recommendations in full by pressing the play button on screen.