The Mario Rosenstock Podcast
Join Ireland’s most popular comic satirist for brand new comedy, rants about the state of the world, and interviews with a twist. You never know what you’ll get by pressing play on this podcast, but you always know Mario Rosenstock will be there to welcome you in.
Episodes
Mark Little: Will AI destroy us or make us more human?
Is AI is going to take your job, destroy civilisation or just make you feel completely inadequate?My chat with Mark Little in this episode might help shed some light on the answers to these questions.Mark is a former RTÉ foreign correspondent and news presenter, the founder of the very successful company Storyful, and somebody who's been at the forefront of the digital revolution for a long time.H
Held at Gunpoint, Chased by Cartels: The Extraordinary Life of Jeff Farrell
What kind of person voluntarily walks into a Venezuelan prison run by armed inmates, travels to the front line of a war without a flak jacket, or goes looking for drug cartels while supposedly on holiday?Meet Jeff Farrell, an Irish journalist and author whose extraordinary career has taken him into some of the most dangerous places on earth. And as I quickly discover, Jeff has an almost unnerving
Ivan Yates talks bankruptcy, perseverance, and Matt Cooper!
It’s fair to say that Ivan Yates has had more careers, comebacks and reinventions than most. Farmer, politician, government minister, bookmaker, broadcaster, podcaster and political commentator – he's done the lot.At the height of his bookmaking career, Ivan was making €4 million a year. A few years later, he was bankrupt and living alone in Swansea. But he bounced back, reinventing himself as one
Today’s special? Marco Pierre White
You’ve probably seen that iconic black and white photo of Marco Pierre White – long hair, cigarette in mouth, in his chefs whites, and serious attitude in his expression. He was one of the first so-called 'rock star' chefs. But it was all backed up with serious talent - his restaurants were legendary and he even became the youngest chef ever to win three Michelin stars.Marco and I caught up
Sophie Morris- the woman taking on the food industry
Sophie Morris has become one of Ireland’s most influential voices on food, with more than 650,000 followers watching as she picks apart supermarket claims, exposes questionable marketing and recommends the products she believes are actually worth buying.But Sophie knows the food business from the inside too – she trained in Ballymaloe Cookery School and then built her own food company, turning dow
A for and against review of Trump’s whirlwind visit to Ireland
Donald Trump’s visit to Ireland last weekend certainly gave us plenty to talk about. In the space of 48 hours, he backed a united Ireland, promised to remove tariffs on Irish whiskey, met President Catherine Connolly, and reignited all the familiar arguments about Trump and his presidency.So I invited two people with very different perspectives into the GoLoud studio to thrash out a few of the big
Morning Guys! Just jumping on with D4 guy Rory O’Hanlon
It has only taken Rory O’Hanlon 20 years to become an overnight success. Having spent two decades grafting in comedy clubs, open-mic nights, and corporate gigs, it was a quick piece to camera in the persona of a stereotypical D4 character that suddenly shot him into the big leagues.D4 guy is very confident, mad into rugby and golf, has no clue about GAA, and is obsessed with what school you went t
Better Late Late than never - Ryan Tubridy
Ryan Tubridy and I go back quite a long way. I appeared as his guest many times on The Late Late Show; I had enormous fun doing it and, as he admits on this episode, so did he. And as it happens, this very podcast was launched on the Late Late, just over five years ago!I haven't seen Ryan for ages but, like you, I've been keeping an eye on what he's been up to and had loads of questions for him, i
Elaine Crowley talks white wine, mortgages and morning TV
Elaine Crowley was generous enough to join me in the studio to record this episode on her birthday! And we had so much fun. Elaine has finally bought her own home after years of renting, so we get into the madness of the Irish housing market, the realities of buying on your own and the relief of finally having a place to call your own.We also talk about life on Virgin Media’s Ireland AM, why Elain
Paul Williams on juvenile joyriders and the justice crisis
In all his years covering crime, Paul Williams says he has rarely, if ever, seen a public reaction to a story like this one.The horrific crash on the M9, involving a car carrying a group of teenage joyriders travelling the wrong way down the motorway, has provoked an extraordinary level of anger. It seems to have tapped into something deeper too - a growing frustration about repeat offenders, the
Priest, Footballer, Missionary, Father – the extraordinary lives of Frank Diamond
Some people lead extraordinary lives, and Frank Diamond is certainly one of them.Growing up on a farm in South Derry with Gaelic football in his blood, Frank won an All-Ireland club medal with Lavey before taking his life in a very different direction and becoming a missionary priest.He spent nine years working in Africa, living in remote communities without electricity or running water, contracti
Frances Black on family, fighting injustice, and memories of Glen Hansard
Frances Black is one of Ireland’s best-known singers, born into one of Ireland’s best-known musical dynasties. Nanci Griffith famously called her ‘the sweetest voice of Ireland. Frances also successfully reinvented herself as an Independent Senator, building a reputation as one of the Seanad's strongest advocates on addiction, mental health and social justice.We recorded this episode j
John Gibbons on wildfires, US climate policy and the renewables race
John Gibbons is one of Ireland’s most vocal climate commentators - he has a weekly slot on Matt Cooper’s Last Word on Today FM and his articles are regularly published across print and online media. He has also joined me here on the podcast several times over the last few years as I like to stay up to date on whats happening in this area – and right now there’s an awful lot happening.So we invited
How to write a bestseller (and crack Netflix) - Vicki Notaro
It was an email out of the blue from one of the world’s biggest book publishers that completely changed the course of Vicki Notaro’s career. Having spent over 15 years as a journalist and managing director of a magazine group, Vicki suddenly got the chance to turn a long-held dream into reality, and become a fiction writer.Fast forward four years, and Vicki has already had two best-sellers
Survival, family secrets, and the search to belong
Paul Cullen is one of Ireland's best-known journalists, having spent more than 30 years at The Irish Times covering health, politics, education and public affairs. But despite having a successful career and a happy family, Paul always felt like an outsider, like he didn’t really belong anywhere. This feeling stemmed from his adoption at the age of three, and knowing nothing about his parents, why
Are Ireland’s drug laws actually working?
For decades, Hot Press has been at the centre of some of Ireland's most challenging conversations around drugs, consistently questioning whether criminalisation is the best way to tackle addiction, organised crime and public health. Now, that conversation continues through its new podcast series, Dealing With Drugs: A Hot Press PodcastThe show is presented by deputy editor of Hot Press Stuart Clar
Mike Hanrahan: Stories from four decades at the heart of Irish music
Mike Hanrahan has spent over forty years writing, performing and championing Irish music. He spent fifteen years with Stockton's Wing, writing hits such as Beautiful affair and Over the Moors, which was the theme tune for Joe Duffys radio show for over 40 years until recently (and Mike has a very strong opinion on the decision to drop it)He went on to spend ten years writing and perfor
Laughing with Lucy
Lucy Kennedy’s hit TV show ‘Living with Lucy’ has been a huge success and so much of that is down to Lucy’s disarmingly relaxed and authentic style of interviewing – in fact it doesn’t even really feel like an interview, more of a very causal chat, which is why the celebs she moves in with are so open and honest with her.As well as being a tv presenter , Lucy is also the co host of the breakfast s
Greg Allen on Rory McIlroy's rise, awkward interviews, and favourite sporting moments
My conversation with Greg Allen continues, with more great stories and sports insights in this episode. Greg has spent over 40 years covering golf and athletics on RTE, and in this part of our chat he shares early memories of watching Rory Mcllroy play, what he thought at the time, and where he thinks his career is headed now. We hear stories about his interviews with famous golfers includ
Greg Allen - A life in sport
Greg Allen joined RTE’s sports department over 40 years ago and he intentionally decided to focus on two sports that weren’t particularly widely covered, so that he could develop a niche for himself and make his mark. He chose well, as Ireland has since become a global force in golf and athletics , and Greg has had a front-row seat to that remarkable transformation.He has covered 10 Olympic games,
Jack L on why AI will make us want to hear more mistakes and see more live gigs
Ever since he was a kid, all Jack Lukeman (aka Jack L) wanted to do was to write and perform music - and he has managed to make a very long and successful career out of it, with multi-platinum selling albums and thousands of gigs under his belt. And it certainly helped that he has one of the most recognisable voices in the industry.But as well as writing and performing music, Jack also thinks a lo
Craig Doyle on playing with Maradona, presenting with Holly Willoughby, and THAT viral Geoff Parling video!
This is the second part of my chat with Craig Doyle, and we’ve kept some of his best stories for this episode. Craig talks about how ITV’s This Morning survived the Phillip Schofield saga, the time when he played football with Diego Maradona and many other top players, and the recent Geoff Parling viral video in which Craig played an unfortunate starring role. COMEDY – Roy Keane, Patrick Kielty, a
Craig Doyle – the highs and lows of a TV career
If you ask Chat GPT about Craig Doyle, one of the things it will say is: Craig gives off “good bloke who accidentally wandered into television and stayed there” energy.And when I put this to Craig he didn’t disagree! Because even though he has presented some of the UK’s most-watched shows, a career on camera was never really part of Craig’s grand plan. And the story of how it all happened is a gre
Nazis, war, and trauma – I learn a lot more about my family history
A couple of episodes back Gerry Mullins told me the fascinating story of Jonathon swift, author of Gulliver’s Travels, which is still by far the most successful book ever published by an Irish author. It was full of dangerous political commentary, so Swift was never able to put his name to it during his lifetime. Today we have cancel culture, but back then people were ‘pilloried’ – tied up i
Where does The Late Late Show go from here?
Did you know that RTE’s Late Late Show is longest running chat show in TV history? For over 60 years it has been an institution in Ireland - entertaining huge audiences, reflecting societal changes, challenging the status quo, and setting the news agenda.But the show now seems to have reached something of a turning point – there are a lot more TV shows competing for our attention, numbers are fall
Linda Martin – douze points!
She’s one of Ireland's hardest working and best-known performers, and her honesty and sense of humour is an absolute tonic, making Linda Martin a great podcast guest. Linda started singing professionally when she was just 16 yrs old and still in school, and she has pretty much been performing regularly ever since. During that 50-year career, Linda has been a nine-time National Song Contest contest
Jonathon Swift – Ireland’s original satirist
You’ve heard of the book Gulliver’s Travels, but did you know that it’s by far the most successful book ever published by an Irish author? And that it contained such dangerous political commentary that Jonathon Swift was never able to put his name to it during his lifetime? Today we have cancel culture, but back then people were ‘pilloried’ – tied up in wooden stocks, publicly shamed, and so
Dermot Bannon peaks inside the homes of Joanne McNally, Vogue Williams, Andrew Porter…
What does your home reveal about you? Celebrity architect Dermot Bannon’s new show, Celebrity Super Spaces, brings us inside the front doors of well-known people where we learn something different about them. Because I guess our homes reflect our personalities, whats important to us, and maybe what we want people to think about us.Dermot tells me about visiting the homes of people like Joanne McNa
Russell 'The Voice' Watson - from Working Men's clubs to the World stage
Russell Watson and Gary Barlow have something in common – they both started their careers in Workingmen’s clubs across northern England, playing to audiences that were very hard to win over. They other quality they share is grit and determination, and so fast forward to today, and Russell is selling out concerts globally, he has performed for the Queen, the Pope and US presidents, topped the chart
Would Bruce Springsteen make it big today? (and more great insights from a hit songwriter)
I just love talking about music and songwriting, so when I had the chance to interview Grammy-nominated singer songwriter, RuthAnne Cunningham, it was never going to be a short conversation! So we divided out our chat across two episodes and this week its part 2. Having written songs for some of the world’s biggest performers, including Niall Horan, Britney Spears, Westlife, Niall Horan
Inside the world of a Grammy-nominated hit songwriter
RuthAnne Cunnigham has written songs for some of the world’s biggest performers, including Niall Horan, Britney Spears, Westlife, Niall Horan, Martin Garrix and One direction. She is a Grammy-nominated singer-song writer with multi-platinum global hits totally over 10bn steams and collaborations with greats like Diana Ross and John Legend.RuthAnne joined me on the Sunday Roast radio show on Today
We need to talk about Roy (Keane)
Ireland has produced a lot of sporting greats, but none quite like Roy Keane. He’s not just a footballer, or a pundit, or even a national obsession at this stage, he’s practically a genre of Irish conversation. And he’s someone that has been a big part of my career for many years, in particular with Radio Roy on Gift Grub.Dave Hannigan has just published new book called We Need To Talk About Roy i
The greatest football manager you’ve probably never heard of
I am a huge football fan, and I love the history of football too. I’m fascinated by the best players we’ve had the privilege of watching over the years, my all-time favourite being Diego Maradona , and also by the great managers like Alex Fergusson and Jose Mourinho – many of whom I’ve caricatured on Gift Grub over the years.And that’s why I was delighted when I received a copy of a new book about
Karl Deeter and Larissa Nolan talk Tourette’s, OCD and the BBC
Larissa Nolan, who you may know from previous episodes of the show, got in touch the other day about a story that she really wanted to talk about, and she wanted Karl Deeter , another friend of the show, to join the conversation too. The story was about an incident that happened at the recent BAFTA awards on the BBC, where an actor with Tourette’s syndrome, whose life story inspired the awar
Ireland’s most iconic Panto Dame? Oh yes he is!!
Joe Conlon first walked on to the stage of the Gaiety Theatre at the age of 13 and he knew immediately that that’s where he wanted to be. Fast forward to today and Joe has become synonymous with Panto and theatre in Ireland. He spent 15 years as the iconic Gaiety panto dame, Nana, and has been in countless productions in that role and many others besides.Joe has now decided to hang up his panto bo
Brian Kennedy – ‘Dancing with the Scars’
I have to say that I was genuinely moved by Brian Kennedy’s recent appearance on RTE’s Dancing with the Stars. In the last few years Brian has really been through the ringer - he has had cancer, a massive heart attack, and quadruple bypass surgery. He literally had to learn how to walk again three times after surgery – and then he goes dancing on national television. That takes guts and resilience
How to Achieve Financial Freedom, with Eoin McGee
Eoin McGee is one of Ireland’s best-known financial advisors, he’s also a TV presenter and an author. His latest book is called 'How to Achieve Financial Freedom – create enough wealth to stop working’ in which he shares advice about how we can all take more control of our wallets and become a lot more financially independent as a result.In this episode of The Mario Rosenstock Podcast, Eoin tells
Is Technology Killing Creativity? (And how to stop it)
Joan Mulvihill has been a regular voice on all things tech for years– she was CEO of the Irish Internet Association, before working in Siemens for many years, and she was involved in a number of other tech-related organisations.But Joan is also a very accomplished artist and her great passion in life is working in the intersection between art and technology. We had such a unique and interesting co
Mark Little on big tech, AI’s impact, and nostalgia for simpler times
Mark Little has always been a few steps ahead, especially when it comes to technology and social media. He spent years at RTÉ, then made a jump that looked risky at the time (but turned out to be seriously smart) to set up a social media intelligence company called Storyful. A few years later he sold it to Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp and, after a short spell working for Twitter, Mark th
REPOST: How dogs saved my life – Niall Harbison
While we’re on a short break we’re going back in to the vaults and replaying a couple of our most listened-to episodes of 2025 – enjoy!Niall Harbison was a very successful entrepreneur in Ireland, setting up and selling a social media marketing agency and the very popular and sometimes controversial ‘Lovin Dublin’ media brand. But a combination of burnout and partying too hard, too often, led
REPOST: Nicola Tallant on why she chose a life in crime
While we’re on our short Christmas and New Year break we’re going back in to the vaults and replaying a couple of our most listened-to episodes of 2025 – enjoy!As far as careers go, crime journalism is up there with one of the most, let’s say, ‘unique’. Its not for the faint hearted – you’re dealing with dangerous people who do terrible things, and your job is to make as big an audience as possibl
Mixed Up: An Irish boy’s journey to belonging
Leon Diop is the founder of the Black and Irish advocacy group, he’s a podcaster, and he’s the author of two books – the latest of which is a memoir called Mixed Up: An Irish boy’s journey to belonging.Leon is mixed-raced and grew up in the 1990s in an Ireland that was far less diverse than it is today. He describes being the only brown boy in his school and naturally that attracted a lot of atten
Part 2 of Marion McKeone: Trump’s intelligence, Robert F Kennedy’s ruthlessness, Olivia Nuzzi’s Facetime affair, and Jeffrey Epstein’s death.
If you enjoyed part 1 of my chat with Marion McKeone, you're going to LOVE part 2. This time we get stuck into some of the key characters in the crazy story that is the USA today – characters like Robert F Kennedy junior, the anti-vax US health secretary with a worm in his brain; Olivia Nuzzi, the machiavellian journalist that had an affair with RFK Jnr, the late Jeffrey Epstein who is having a m
An insider's view of U.S Politics: Fear, Access, and the Press - with Marion McKeone
Marion McKeone is one of Ireland’s best known journalists and commentators on the United States. She has been on Matt Cooper’s Last Word US slot, alongside Cal Thomas, every week for years now and her columns appear regularly in the broadsheets and online.I don’t need to tell you just how crazy and dysfunctional things are in the US right now – we hear about it every day in the news and on s
Now you see him...its Keith Barry!
Keith Barry has been on our stages and screens for 25 years and he been all over the world performing his mentalism in all sorts of situations, including on the sets of Hollywood movies and in the homes of famous Hollywood actors . He shares some great insider stories about Morgan Freeman, Woody Harrelson, Keanu Reeves, and Kylie Minogue in this episode of The Mario Rosenstock Podcast. Keith is
Russell Howard talks comedy tours, TV shows and tough audiences
I’ve been watching Russell Howard on tv for years. He was a regular fixture on the hugely popular comedy show Mock the Week, he’s had Netflix specials, and of course his standup clips are all over social media. So Ive always known that he’s a very intelligent and funny guy. But having met him in person, I can also confirm that he’s a brilliant man to have a conversation with. He can talk at length
The inside track on the ruthless world of elite athletics
David Gillick is one of Ireland’s most successful athletes. He’s a track and field sprinter, a two time European champion and has set national records , some of which he still holds to this day. When it comes to successful and high profile people like David, we hear about the wins and the glamour, but we don’t hear about the other side of that life. The sacrifices you make for greatness
How to have a healthy mind
Dr Harry Barry is a medical doctor with a particular interest in mental health, and what lies behind the conditions that so many of us are familiar with, such as anxiety and panic attacks, phobias, depression, toxic Stress, and addiction.In this episode Harry breaks down the common causes behind these conditions, and explains some of the simple things we can do to break out of them. We also
In bed with Mattress Mick
Michael Flynn, aka Mattress Mick, has a great story to tell – he’s a true entrepreneur at heart and thrives off the cut and thrust of business. He runs a very successful company now, but this wasn’t always the case - he has his fair share of very tough times, including when he had to sell his family home to pay his debts.In our chat Mick tells me about the highs and lows of his life in busin
It’s the Rock ‘n’ Roll Kid himself, Paul Harrington!
He’s one of Ireland’s big Eurovision success stories, he has a weekly slot on Newstalk’s Pat Kenny Show called 'The Lyric’s the Thing', and he’s got some brilliant behind-the-scenes celebrity stories from the heyday of Dublin’s nightlife - Paul Harrington is great man to have on a podcast like The Mario Rosenstock Podcast.Paul and I chat about the stories behind some great songs, his favourite Eur
Getting mystical with Michael Harding
I don’t think there’s really such a thing as a ‘normal’ conversation with Michael Harding, and I certainly had no intention of trying to have one in this episode of The Mario Rosenstock Podcast. Michael is many things – a writer, a playwright, a podcaster, and a columnist - but he’s also one of the most captivating speakers you’ll have the pleasure of listening to. He has been up and he has been d
Remembering Manchan Magan; and unheard highlights from Roddy Collins and Conor Skehan'
Sometimes I’ll have a long and fascinating conversation with a guest and instead of including all of it in the episode, we’ll chop some of it out, put it into a little folder in the Mario Rosenstock podcast vaults for safekeeping, and then dust it off and pop it in to a special episode of un-heard bits when the time is right.So we’ve two such bonus bits from the vaults for you in this episode – o
Pure Gold: Eamon Carr on Horslips, Jack Charlton & the art of the Interview
Eamon Carr has had the most fascinating life –poet, playwright, sports journalist, copywriter in an ad agency, entertainment journalist. Oh.. and he was also a founding member of one of Ireland most unique and iconic bands, The Horslips! (the band responsible for that amazing guitar sample in ‘put em under pressure' from Italia 90). Eamon takes me right back to the st
And my guest is..Mario Rosenstock!
So we’ve got a very different kind of episode for you this time. A few weeks ago Karl Deeter joined me here on the show and, after we had finished recording, he hit me with an idea – would I be up for the tables being turned, and me being the guest on my own podcast? And as evidenced by what you’re about to hear, I said yes!I’m definitely little too close to it to have a sense of how it went
A thought-provoking take on the housing crisis, with Conor Skehan.
Pretty much everyone in this country, either directly or indirectly, is affected by the housing crisis. And it has come up as topic on this podcast time and time again. We have had lots of guests that are hugely successful in the world of writing, acting, performance, but who can’t afford to buy a home and/or who are looked at very unfavourably by the banks for a mortgage. And its come up in my co
Why are we more concerned about the end of the month than the end of the world?
John Gibbons is one of Ireland’s best-known and most vocal environmental campaigners, consistently highlighting the climate emergency for well over 20 years. He has appeared on this podcast several times and he also does a weekly slot with Matt Cooper on Today FM’s Last Word. John has just published a new book called The Lie of the Land - A Game Plan for Ireland in the Climate Crisis, and he
Eileen Magnier – From RTE reporter to rocking retirement
Eileen Magnier spent 35 years as RTE’s North west correspondent, and in that time she covered an incredible number of stories of all different kinds. It was a job that she loved, but it was also very demanding and unpredictable in nature. Sometimes Eileen would have to report on incredibly tragic stories like the Creeslough explosion in co Donegal in 2022, in which 10 people died. This was a part
Ignored by Government, ‘cancelled’ by media – Paul Treyvaud’s travails
Buckle up and get ready for this one, because Paul Treyvaud has a LOT to say. Paul is a successful restauranteur with a great business, an Amazon Prime series, and a whole lot of TV experiences under his belt.But recently, Paul has also become a very vocal and widely-publicised critic of a range of government policies that he predicts are about to trigger a ‘tsunami’ of closures in the tourism sec
Enda Brady goes on the record
If you follow what happening in the news in the UK then you’ll be very familiar with my guest on this episode, Enda Brady. Originally from Wexford, Enda studied journalism in the UK and ended up carving out a highly successful career there, spending over 16 years as senior correspondent at Sky News.In this episode of The Mario Rosenstock Podcast, Enda and I have a great chat about the crazi
Karl Deeter – from being crushed by the recession to a €9m payday
Karl Deeter has been a guest on my podcast, and my radio show before that, many times. We always have a great chat about US politics, his take on Trump (which is always interesting), and the big ticket political and societal issues in Ireland.But Karl is also an entrepreneur and has been one of the country’s leading mortgage brokers for many years. A few years ago he developed a tech platform that
Tadhg Hickey on criticising Israel and ‘becoming dangerous’
It has been just over a year since I last chatted with comedian and writer Tadhg Hickey here on the podcast. But since then, things have really moved up a gear for Tadhg, some of it good and some not so good. Tadhg has been a very vocal critic of Israel’s war on Gaza and a staunch supporter of Palestine, and his online videos and comedy sketches about the issue have always been popular. But over t
What happens when you sell your company for €25m?
What would you do if you created a company, built it up, and then sold it in a multimillion euro deal? Would you book the first flight to Bali and lie on a beach for the rest of your days? Well, this wasn’t the route that my guest on this episode took.Having sold his company Pigsback.com for over €25m just a few years ago, Michael Dwyer had a very different plan in mind– to work hard at becoming a
Brent Pope tackles men’s mental health and modern sports punditry
He’s a former New Zealand rugby player turned pundit and fashion entrepreneur, who is now also one of Ireland’s leading mental health advocates - Brent Pope is a busy man. But he found the time to join me as special guest on this episode of The Mario Rosenstock Podcast for a fascinating chat about his own lifelong battles with mental health, creating the ‘Elephant in the Room’ movement to promote
The Rodfather Part II
There’s nothing quite like a conversation with Roddy Collins. He’s hilarious, unpredictable, emotional, a total open book, and a natural story teller. Roddy joined me here on The Mario Rosenstock Podcast a couple of years ago when he had just published his memoir about the many decades he has spent as a football player, manager and pundit. So it was high time to meet again.Roddy has been keeping a
Why I quit the corporate world to make a difference in the world - Dr John Travers
I often quote a great Jim Carrey line that I think is a great approach for life. Jim’s father always wanted to be a comedian, and would have been a great one, but he opted for the ‘safer bet’ and became an accountant instead. But he was ultimately made unemployed, and Jim learned a valuable lesson from that, saying “You can fail at what you don't want. So you might as well take a chance on d
How dogs saved my life – Niall Harbison
Niall Harbison was a very successful entrepreneur in Ireland, setting up and selling a social media marketing agency and the very popular and sometimes controversial ‘Lovin Dublin’ media brand. But a combination of burnout and partying too hard, too often, led him to cut ties with Ireland and start a calmer and healthier life in Thailand. But unfortunately things got far worse, and his addict
Are ya alright getting home?
Its a question that women have to ask each other all too regularly at the end of a night out, and for standup comedians Claire Roche and Justine Halpin, it was time to start talking about why. Claire and Justine wanted to start a wider conversation about the issue, bit not in a preachy way, so they put together a standup comedy show called 'Are Ya Alright Getting Home?'Come and laugh throu
Ian O’Doherty on being ‘a bowsie, a troublemaker, and a romantic’
Ian O’Doherty has been a very regular fixture on Irish TV and radio, and in print, for many years now. His columns in the Irish Independent have always attracted a lot of attention – because they often challenge accepted truths and give voice to so-called ‘unpopular opinions’. In fact he sees doing this as an essential part of the role of a journalist.Ian has just launched his own podcast called T
Fintan O’Toole talks Princeton, the Presidency and the politics of self-pity
It’s time for a second helping of the great writer, thinker and commentator, Fintan O’Toole. Fintan has spent a lot time in the United States, including twelve years as a visiting professor in Princeton, so he has lots to say about American culture and politics, which we get into on this episode. We also chat about Brexit, the state of modern journalism, covering the culture wars, and if he’
Gavan Reilly – stories from inside White House Oval Office
Political reporter Gavan Reilly has been in the Oval Office twice – the first time was during Donald Trump’s first term as US President, and the second was during Trump’s current term. In this bonus episode Gavan tells me what its like to be up close and personal with Donald J Trump and he shares his thoughts on his politics, his personality, and even his physical demeanour.
Fintan O’Toole on why Trump is a fascist comedian and the far right are idiots
Fintan has been one of the top thinkers, writers, and speakers in Ireland for as long as I can remember. He has so much to say about so many things and always has a deeply thought-out and fresh perspective on the big issues. So when we get stuck in to a great conversation, I let it run for as long as he’ll let me!This is part one of a two-part conversation we've just recorded, covering immigration
Gavan Reilly reveals the secrets of Leinster House
As the saying now goes, what happens in Leinster House…ends up in Gavan Reilly’s new book, ‘The Secret Life of Leinster House: what you really need to know about how the country runs’. Gavan is a former colleague of mine from back when he was the correspondent for Today FM and Newstalk. He now leads Virgin Media’s political coverage and he’s also one of the presenters of the great Group Chat
Dave Hannigan – an Irishman in Trump’s America
A couple of weeks ago Dave Hannigan joined me to share the fascinating story of how a Kerry man called Butty Sugrue managed to convince the one and only Muhammad Ali to come to Ireland and fight Alvin Lewis in Croke Park. It’s a fantastic yarn and if you didn’t hear it, I’d strongly recommend doing so.But Dave has lived in the US for over 25 years and so I couldn’t let him go without getting his t
Willa White - from a prison cell to selling out the Gaiety
He joined me here on the podcast a couple of years ago but he’s such a brilliant character and so much has happened in his life since we last met, that it was high time we did it again.Born into a highly dysfunctional family, Willa White became addicted to solvents by the age of 7, which was followed by several years of heroin and alcohol abuse, stints in prison, and mental breakdowns. The
Lisa Harding on leaving acting, finding writing, and remembering those crazy college years
Lisa Harding and I go way back, right back to Trinity College Dublin in the early 90s where we both did our degrees and became very involved in acting. We both went on to pursue acting careers, however neither of us decided to stay on that path but we ended up succeeding in different, yet still related careers. In Lisa’s case, that career was writing fiction, something that she has excelled a
The mad story of the Kerryman who brought Muhammad Ali to Ireland
Picture the scene – its 1972, Ireland is a very different place to what it is today, the country is very monocultural and feels isolated out on the periphery of Europe. Its all a bit grey. Enter from stage left, one of the most interesting, charismatic and successful sports stars in the world – the great Muhammad Ali – and he’s here to fight in Croke park stadium. The story
Going full Cork with Reggie, Blackrock Road
As a big fan of all things Cork, I was delighted a couple of years back to come across a fantastic ‘pure-cork’ comedy character called Reggie from the Blackrock Road. Reggie is a very old-money, conservative and highly snobby character who has a lot to say about a lot of people, very little of it complimentary. I find him hilarious. Reggie is the brainchild of journalist, writer, and comedian
Dermot Whelan - why do we all feel so busy and wrecked all the time?
(…and what we can do about it). Dermot Whelan and I worked together in Today FM for many years, until he made the decision to leave the Dermot and Dave show to focus on his wellness business and pursue his passion for making mindfulness accessible and relatable to everyone. And since he has been doing this work, the two words that people have said to him most are ‘busy and wrecked’. So he set
Nicola Tallant on why she chose a life in crime
As far as careers go, crime journalism is up there with one of the most, let’s say, ‘unique’. Its not for the faint hearted – you’re dealing with dangerous people who do terrible things, and your job is to make as big an audience as possible aware of the crimes they commit.So who’d want to do a job like that? Well, Nicola Tallant for one. Nicola is one of Ireland’s best-known crime journalists. Af
Going wild with Diarmuid Lyng
He was the star hurler who gave it all up to travel across Asia, spending months meditating in a Buddhist temple in Thailand, then returning home to live in the wilds of Kerry and become a champion of Irish culture, language and spiritualism. Diarmuid Lyng’s life has been far from conventional. Diarmuid has spent a lot of time thinking about his life and his purpose in life – and he has had
