As 2023 draws to a close, it’s time to take a breath and look back on another year of highs, lows and memorable moments.

Moncrieff has been with you through it all – and here are some of the best bits from the show this year.

Newstalk’s Seán Moncrieff In Ukraine.

Sean Moncrieff returns from a week reporting in Ukraine

After spending a week in Ukraine in the run-up to the first anniversary of the Russian invasion, Sean Moncrieff said he found a people attempting to live life normally - but balancing that with caution.

He said people in Kyiv were still going about their business – even if there was a “growing sense of anxiety” as the anniversary rolled around.

He said the whole experience felt very surreal, adding: "It's a city at war, but the shops are open.”

"It has excellent restaurants, we visited many of them. We went to a comedy gig; we went to a music gig.

"You got the very strong impression that the people there, they need that normality.”

You can also read Moncrieff producer Aisling Moore’s account of the week here.

Napoleon's Penis

In October, the owner of Napoleon Bonaparte's penis revealed that they were offered $300,000 for it – but it certainly wasn’t priced based on its size.

The penis was previously owned by urologist John Lattimer, but when he died in 2007, all of his oddities were left to his daughter Evan.

Historian and broadcaster Ashley Cowie told the show the former French emperor’s member is a much-desired object.

He revealed that the penis was stolen by Napoleon’s cleric after he died in 1815 and it was preserved in formaldehyde – and revealed that it is still almost the same size it was then.

Napoleon. Image: GL Archive / Alamy Stock Photo

Claire Walsh on life as a freediver

After base jumping, freediving is considered the second most dangerous sport in the world.

In July, Sean was joined by Claire Walsh, freediver and author of, ‘Under Water: How Holding My Breath Taught Me To Live.’

She told Sean that she had taken the sport to heart – noting that despite its inherent dangers, freediving actually creates a deep sense of peace.

Woman ‘sent home to die’ after botched weight loss surgery in Turkey

Leanne O’Driscoll is one of the Irish people who travelled abroad to access cheaper surgery – and almost paid for it with her life.

In October, she told Sean that not long after she arrived home to Ireland, she developed sepsis and was rushed to hospital after her sister took one look at her and started screaming.

She later learned that surgeons in Turkey “nicked her spleen” during the operation – but never told her what had happened.

She said it took her seven months to get well enough to return to work and she will now be on antibiotics for the rest of her life.

Jenny the Donkey

The Banshees of Inisherin scooped a host of major awards around the world this year – but it was one character in particular that stole the show at the Golden Globes.

Jenny the Donkey became a celebrity in her own right after director Martin McDonagh and lead actor Colin Farrell gave her a shoutout while collecting their awards.

The following morning, Jenny’s coordinator and chief handler, Rita Moloney from Fircroft Animal Actors told Sean how McDonagh had become “besotted” with Jenny and did not want to work with any other donkey.

She said Jenny had to be trained from scratch before eventually putting in the performance of a lifetime in the much-loved film.

Colin Farrell and Jenny the Donkey in the Banshees of Inisherin. Image: LANDMARK MEDIA / Alamy