Dave Moore

Locals are encouraged to download and setup the new 'Fires Near Me' app

Yesterday, December 17th 2019, Australia hit its highest ever recorded average temperature across the country - 40.9 degrees celsius.

Half of Australia's annual CO2 emissions (that's 250 million tonnes) have been emitted by their raging bushfires alone.

To find out more about what it's like living in these conditions, Dermot and Dave give Brian Whelan (Dermot's brother), who lives in Sydney, a call.

Brian describes the catastrophic conditions as "seriously scary", revealing that exposure to an hour of bushfire smoke haze is the equivalent to smoking 32 cigarettes. Scary indeed.

He continues by saying; "This [December] is what we would typically anticipate as the beginning of the fire risk season and this has been going since September. It's mad."

We also learn of the newly created Fires Near Me app that is being used to save thousands of lives.

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

 

Improv comedy at its finest

It’s Wednesday, and you know what Wednesday means - it’s time to Say Stuff That Suits The Music!

Dave plays the tracks and Dermot says whatever comes into his head.

This week's offering includes A Garda massage, the ultimate Christmas gift, a new national anthem and some lazy Skyping.

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

 

"Killings were commonplace week in week out. The bombings. The shootings"

Having grown up during the troubles in Northern Ireland, Oisín McConville is no stranger to a conflict zone.

These childhood experiences never left the Armagh's All-Ireland winner, which led him to get involved in this year's Trócaire Appeal.

As part of his partnership with the charity he recently visited the Gaza Strip and the West Bank to see what life was like in these war-torn regions.

Today FM's Dermot and Dave chat to the 44-year-old about the journey he describes as, "a massive eye opener".

When asked if he saw any comparisons between Occupied Palestine Territories and Crossmaglen, he says; "I see a lot of correlation between growing up in the midst of the troubles and some of the stuff that's going on over there. Obviously it's on a much larger scale and on a continuous basis, but killings were commonplace week in week out. The bombings. The shooting".

With only 4 hours of electricity per day and 80% of the Gaza population depending on international aid to survive, Oisín marvels at their resourcefulness.

"We're repairing the damage" is his answer when the topic of Armagh GAA comes into discussion.

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

(video via Trócaire on Vimeo)

 

That fundraiser is well good, innit?!

On the 30th of December 2018, Kumar Kangah won a €425,000 house in Ashtown, Dublin 15, all thanks to a clever incentive from Roscommon GAA.

The club raffled off over 14,000 tickets, at €100-a-pop, in the months leading up to it to come out with a gross sum of €1.4million and a net profit of over €940,000. Not bad at all.

Club Rossie have now upped the ante a little bit and are raffling off tickets for the same price, except this time, the top prize in their "Win a Home in London" competition is a luxury two-bed apartment in London City Island - a picturesque location situated only a stone's throw from Canary Wharf.

The apartment is located on the spectacular city peninsula overlooking the waters of the River Thames and Lea. With the sparkling lights of Canary Wharf and the O2 Arena just outside your window, the life of this vibrant city is truly just on your doorstep.

On May 10th, one lucky winner will become the homeowner of this brand new £695,000 (over €815,oo) home.

Dermot and Dave chat to Roscommon GAA Treasurer, and former player, David O'Connor about the club's latest money-spinning idea, where he tells us why the cash is making a difference; "you can't produce players playing at the top of their potential without having funds to back it up".

Tickets for the raffle are available on their website winahomeinlondon.com

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

 

Rapid fire fun

On Tuesdays, Dave teams up with our listeners to bring you some of the best (and worst) jokes you'll have heard in a while.

In fairness, there are some crackers in here, but we'll let ye be the judge of that.

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

 

A festive calorie breakdown

The Christmas Day feast is the most dreamed about, drooled over and satisfying meal of the year.

It's a culinary explosion of roasted goodness and calorific treats that leaves majority of us in a food coma.

To help us understand just how calorie-unfriendly the dinner is, Dermot and Dave's Seán Reidy gave us the breakdown of an average meal and how long it would take to walk off each of the components.

Here are the 3 that caught my belly, eh...I mean eye, the most:

3 slices of turkey with skin on - 194 calories - 38mins of walking

1 Mince pie - 260 calories - 51mins of walking

1 large glass of your favourite  white vino - 228 calories - 45mins of walking

Dermot then whips his calculator out to tot up how long it would take to walk off the main meal (plus trimmings) alone, and we were shocked!

Feck it lads, it's Christmas - so fill your boots.

Let's just hope Santa brings you a comfy pair of runners.

Check out Seán's breakdown in full by pressing the play button on screen. 

 

As told by one of the musicians featured on the song...

The Fairytale of New York is the most played Christmas song of the 21st century and although you've heard it thousands of times, have you ever noticed that it features a harp?

We hadn't either until harpist Siobhan Sheahan shed some light on her story behind the iconic tune.

Siobhan and her dad John Sheahan (Irish musician, composer and former member of The Dubliners) joined Dermot and Dave to chat about Irish music in the rare ould times.

There's everything from Siobhan being handed the Fairytale Of New York demo cassette at U2's The Edge's birthday party in London, to Kirsty MacColl landing the vocals by pure chance, to the Dubliners recording 'The Irish Rover' with The Pogues in 3 hours, both Siobhan and John have some incredible stories.

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

 

"Life is short. Have an affair"

Above is the slogan of Ashley Madison, the Canadian online dating service and social networking service marketed to people who are married or in relationships.

This platform has hit Irish headlines over the past decade or so and it now seems to be as popular as ever.

Figures revealed by the company show that Ireland boasts the 8th biggest market in Europe with close to 1,000 Irish people signing up monthly.

Dermot and Dave discuss these figures and examine the process of getting a bit on the side.

Check out the chat 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, who loves telling us all the best stuff happening on the telly.

Here's what she reckons we should be watching this week:

Three Identical Strangers - Tonight (Monday) @10pm on Channel 4

New York, 1980: three complete strangers accidentally discover that they are identical triplets, separated at birth. The 19-year-olds' joyous reunion catapults them to international fame, but it also unlocks an extraordinary and disturbing secret that goes beyond their own lives - and could transform our understanding of human nature forever:

 

What a F****** Year With Mel B & Mel B - Tuesday @9pm on E4

A look back at the past year on TV with Mel B and Bo' Selecta's parody of her, who give their take on some of the most memorable moments from a high-rise apartment in Leeds. Donning the classic leopard print dress, surrounded by party food and a fridge full of bevvies, the Mels give their honest and brutal opinion on the TV highlights that have made us laugh out loud and shed a tear over the past year.

 

I'll Get This: Christmas Special - Thursday @10pm on BBC Two

Five celebrities go out for Christmas dinner together and between courses play a series of games, with the eventual loser having to pay for the meal. Taking part in this festive special are Strictly Come Dancing judge Shirley Ballas, comedian and TV presenter Joel Dommett, Love Island star Maura Higgins, MasterChef presenter Gregg Wallace and actor and funnyman Les Dennis.

 

Streaming:

Marriage Story - Netflix

This is actually Dermot's movie selection of the week:

Scarlett Johansson, Adam Driver, Laura Dern, Alan Alda and Ray Liotta star in this incisive and compassionate portrait of a marriage breaking up and a family staying together. From Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Noah Baumbach:

 

Dream Killer - Netflix

Bill Ferguson, an army man born and raised in Missouri, has never been one to back away from a challenge: traveling across the world pretending to be a welder, teaching at an aboriginal school in Australia, and spending an inordinate amount of time with his two kids, Kelly and Ryan. But after Ryan, at 19 years old, is charged and convicted for a murder based on somebody else's dream, Bill takes on a challenger that he never could have anticipated: the American judicial system:

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

 

"It's ok not to love Christmas"

"Are you all set for Christmas?" is one of the most frequently asked questions during the first few weeks of December, and the truth is that a lot of us aren't.

What is labelled as "the most wonderful time of the year" can be quite the opposite for many.

Festive-stress comes in all shapes and sizes and can snowball (excuse the pun) if not dealt with properly.

Whether it's memories of loss, thoughts of having to host a huge banquet, relations calling to visit, or all the nights out ahead - we are all affected by the change in routine.

Speaking on Dermot and Dave's Mind Yourself Now, Clinical Hypnotherapist and Psychotherapist Fiona Brennan offers her guidance to a stress-free Christmas via three important questions and three practical steps you can put in place:

Questions:

What is your relationship with Christmas like? - Not everyone enjoys the festive period, and that's ok. Fiona says, "When you give yourself permission to feel like that, you are going to enjoy it more".

Can you let go of expectations of yourself and others? - Remember that it doesn't have to be perfect. Don't add any unnecessary pressure.

Why are you celebrating Christmas? - Focus on the "why" rather than the "how". It's about love, family, connections and an open perspective. Strip back the material things and focus on the true meaning.

Steps:

Keep up a really good self-care routine - when you look after yourself, you are much more able to create a positive energy. Don't switch off just because it's Christmas.

Give the gift of gratitude - reflect and be thankful for what you have. Fiona suggest writing a letter to everyone at the table explaining what you are grateful to them over the past 12 months.

Set your intention - how do you want to feel this Christmas - as opposed to what you want to get or do

Fiona also hosts a two minute positive energy meditation to help calm your mind. Listen below:

[audio mp3="https://media.radiocms.net/uploads/2019/12/16125210/FIONAS-CHRISTMAS-MEDITATION.mp3"][/audio]

For more information, check out, and contact Fiona on her website www.thepositivehabit.com 

Catch our expert's advice in full by pressing the play button on screen.