As presenter of TV shows such as Home of the Year, The Great House Revival and My Bungalow Bliss, architect Hugh Wallace has become a regular fixture on our TV screens. He has also been very outspoken about the housing crisis and the need for more creativity on the part of the government when it comes to address it. And yes we do touch on this topic in our chat, but I actually wanted to spend most of my time with Hugh getting to know him better – how he got in to architecture, what it was like g...
Dec 09, 2022•51 min
Michael O’Toole has been one of Ireland’s leading crime journalists for over two decades. As crime correspondent at the Irish Daily Star, he has covered all of the big stories about major criminals, knocked on so many doors that many of us wouldn’t dream of approaching, and he has now entered the world of crime fiction with his new novel, Black Light. We covered so much in our chat, from female fascination of True Crime, the question of Evil, the skill involved in tabloid journalism, to how his ...
Dec 02, 2022•1 hr
Bill Whelan was NOT expecting to get a call from Michael Flatley during our conversation for this week’s episode. But despite the fact that they haven’t always seen eye to eye, it all seemed to go pretty well. The two men of course worked together on Riverdance – Bill composed the iconic score, and Flatley was his lead dancer, along with Jean Butler. Arguably, it was a piece of music and dance that helped changed the face and perception of Ireland forever. Bill has just published his memoirs – T...
Nov 25, 2022•56 min
If you listen to Today FM, Newstalk or that great Inside the Crime podcast, you will be familiar with Frank Greaney. He is fast becoming one of Ireland’s most respected and listened-to courts correspondents. I love his on-air appearances with Matt Cooper and they have been inspiring quite a few Gift Grub sketches recently. When you hear Frank talk about what he does, why he does it and the cases that have made the most impact on him, you’ll understand why he is so compelling to listen to. Frank ...
Nov 17, 2022•1 hr 3 min
Like a lot of people in Ireland I have recently become fascinated by UK politics. It has just gone mad in Westminster, and some of the characters at the centre of the drama are stranger than fiction. My guest on this episode captures this craziness better than anyone I know – Marina Hyde of The Guardian newspaper. I have been reading Marina's columns religiously for years now and when she accepted our invitation to be a guest on this humble oul podcast I was blown away. Marina speaks just as wel...
Nov 11, 2022•43 min
I love music. There are few things I love more than a deep and detailed conversation about music. Im just fascinated about how songs are written, what drives the people who write them, what makes one song a worldwide hit and another a flop. There’s just so much to learn and discover. So for this episode I invited my old friend Tom Dunne back into the studio to continue the chat we started a few months ago here on the pod. In this one, we talk the greats, both past and present. From The Beatles, ...
Nov 04, 2022•58 min
It's hard to describe Roddy Collins. Footballer, football manager, boxer, brother of a boxing world champion, practical joker, social commentator, author..the list goes on. Not only does Roddy have great stories to tell, he also tells them so well. We talk about life in football’s lower divisions, settling local disputes in the ring, practical jokes that went too far, and walking the streets of Dublin chatting to homeless people and hearing their stories. Roddy’s new book is called The Rodfather...
Oct 29, 2022•59 min
If you’re a fan of The Restaurant on Virgin Media Television, you’ll be familiar with Gary O’Hanlon. He’s one of the chefs in the kitchen helping the celebrities to cook their menus - you can’t miss him: huge mohawk, big smile, and an even bigger personality. He has had a very successful career in the fascinating world of restaurants and he’s also very involved in radio, podcasts and TV. On this episode of The Mario Rosenstock Podcast, Gary and I talk about the cult of the celebrity chef, workin...
Oct 20, 2022•49 min
If you’re a fan of RTE’s Hell Week series, you’ll be very familiar with Ray Goggins – a former Irish army Ranger (basically our version of the SAS or Navy Seals), now chief instructor on this incredibly popular TV series. Ray joined me for a fascinating chat a couple of episodes ago, but we chopped out a part of that conversation and held it back for this special bonus episode. Because that shocking video of the repeated ramming of a Garda car in Cherry Orchard had just emerged and I was very in...
Oct 17, 2022•14 min
I work with Dave Moore every day. We sit mere yards from each other in Today FM, have done for years. We’ve shared studios and the odd night out. So naturally I thought I knew Dave well, but it turns out that there is SO much to this man that I had no idea about. Like his successful career as a songwriter and music producer before he ever started to work in radio. Like the totally random and unexpected way he ended up working with Dermot Whelan over 20 years ago now. Or like the recent hit Netfl...
Oct 13, 2022•1 hr
Renting, eviction, living with parents, pensions and politics. Rory Hearne joins me to talk about a subject I am both fascinated by and very angry about, the Irish Housing Crisis. From the difficulty of living at home with parents, to how our pensions are feeding the vulture funds and how we can start to take action for change. Turns out that Rory and I have quite a bit in common - we're both 'blaa-heads' (ie from Waterford!) and we both spent a few years living in private rented accommodation d...
Oct 07, 2022•55 min
For 22 years Clelia Murphy played Niamh Cassidy in Fair City – what a rollercoaster ride that was. The storylines in Ireland’s most famous soap are the stuff of legend, and Clelia / Niamh got her fair share of them. I used to get some great material for Gift Grub from Fair City. In this episode of The Mario Rosenstock Podcast, Clelia opens up about life in Fair City, why she left, and the great roles she now enjoys on the BBC and beyond. She also vents about poor etiquette amongst her fellow ele...
Sep 30, 2022•48 min
True story: as Ultimate Hell Week chief instructor, Ray Goggins, was climbing the stairs up to the studio for our chat, he was scoping out all of the entry and exit points, and working out the fastest escape route from the building if he were to need one. Thankfully he didn’t need to make a quick escape, but as he explains, you can take the man out of the Rangers, but you can’t take the Rangers out of the man. Ray served in the Irish Army for 26 years, including 17 years in the Army Ranger Wing ...
Sep 23, 2022•58 min
I just love getting a great recommendation for a podcast guest that really, really works out. When The Two Norries joined me for a chat a few months ago, they told me that I should really interview this guy called Willa White , an actor and a comedian. I had heard of Willa before but didn’t know too much about him - so we checked him out , and my goodness does this man have an incredible story to tell - from an abusive childhood to drug abuse and how his road to recovery led him to find comedy a...
Sep 15, 2022•57 min
I love a good conspiracy theory. But even more, I love to hear them stripped down, analysed, and debunked. On this episode of the Mario Rosenstock Podcast, Ireland’s best known environmental journalist and campaigner, John Gibbons, joins me to look at some of the most prevalent and popular ‘myths’ about climate change, and prove them wrong. John is very passionate about this subject and he’s not afraid to tell it like it is and ruffle a few feathers here and there, and he does so in very plain, ...
Sep 09, 2022•54 min
We got an incredible reaction to this episode so we thought it only fair to pop it up to the top of the page! Marion - one half of Cal and Marion's US Slot on Matt Cooper's Last Word - is a legend in the world of journalism, in particular her coverage of US politics and culture. If you didn't hear this the first time around I hope you enjoy it - and if you did, enjoy it again! Original show notes:Marion McKeone is in a league of her own when it comes to reporting the big stories from the States....
Sep 01, 2022•57 min
Did you know that there are around 2million single people in Ireland? In a country of five million, that’s a pretty big number compared to most other countries around the world.So what is it about us Irish that has these numbers so high, and what can we do about it? Feargal Harrington runs a well-known matchmaking company called Intro matchmaking where he and his team help people to meet their perfect partner. Feargal has seen it all, heard it all, and he tells me all the stories and shares all ...
Aug 26, 2022•37 min
On the centenary of the Big Fellow’s death, I thought you might like another (or a first) chance to hear a fascinating conversation between myself and ‘historical entertainer’ Paddy Cullivan. Paddy is currently performing his show ‘The Murder of Michael Collins’ to sold-out venues around Ireland – check out https://www.paddycullivan.com/ for info. Enjoy! Original show notes: As well as being the front man of the Camembert Quartet (Late Late Show house band), Paddy Cullivan is an ‘historical ente...
Aug 23, 2022•1 hr
Daithi O’Se is in top form when we meet in the studio for a chat. Of course he is – after a two year hiatus, the Rose of Tralee is back! It has been a couple of years since Daithi and I sat down together in front of the microphones, so there was a lot to catch up about, and a lot of laughs to be had. We talk all about what its like hosting the Rose, what makes Kerry people so unique, his new cottage renovation project, and he even teaches me a few cheeky words in Irish!COMEDYDaithi and I aren’t ...
Aug 18, 2022•59 min
If you didn’t hear this episode already, then you’re in for a treat. And if you did, its even better the second time around!! Packed full of impressions, laughs and stories – Conor Moore is a dream podcast guest. Enjoy! ***On this episode we have 47 guests for you. Tiger Woods, Ian Poulter, Tommy Tiernan, Ger Loughnan, Conor McGregor, Michael D Higgins, and Miriam O’Callaghan to name just a few. Now isn’t that great value for 46 minutes of your time. Conor Moore really is one to watch. From doin...
Aug 11, 2022•46 min
This week I’m joined again by one of my favourite guests, Larissa Nolan. Informed, opinionated, and fascinating on so many issues, last week Larissa and I had a fascinating discussion about the housing crisis, this week we talk about the current state of journalism and why it needs a major shot in the arm. Journalism is such an critical, central part of our daily lives, our society and how it runs, but Larissa believes it is in crisis and urgently needs to be saved – we talk about why, and, most...
Aug 04, 2022•33 min
August is a great time for some light podcast listening, so we’ve put together a very special episode for you, packed full of my favourite comedy sketches from over the last few months of the Mario Rosenstock Podcast. I hope you enjoy – and if you do, subscribe, follow and tell a friend!Sketches: 1. Both Tony Holohan and Paul Reid are stepping down from their respective roles in the health service – as two prominent figures throughout Ireland’s Covid pandemic response, there’s an ‘end of an era’...
Aug 01, 2022•14 min
I’ve been presenting this podcast for over a year now, and a recurring theme has been the immense difficulty that many of us face when trying to buy a home or find a place with affordable rent. Guests like Bressie, TD Richard Boyd Barrett, and writer Mark O’ Halloran have opened up about their struggles trying to find a place to live, and it is really is a sign of the times when successful people like they have such difficulty in this regard. This is also a topic that I’m deeply interested in an...
Jul 30, 2022•45 min
When we were all locked down during Covid and getting 150 funny whatsapp videos sent to the phone every day, there’s a very good chance that one of those videos was a sketch from the DirtBirds - comedy duo Sinead Culbert and Sue Collins. To describe what they do, here’s the description of their latest tour: "In a world where women are expected to have the patience of mother Teresa, the arse of Jennifer Lopez, the social media profile of Kim Kardashian and the BMI of Elle McPherson, the pressure ...
Jul 21, 2022•59 min
This is a very open, honest, and captivating conversation with one of football’s most gifted players. Oisín McConville has won several Ulster titles, All Ireland medals, and a national league title. He became Ulster football’s top scorer and was awarded two All-Stars during his career. But while he was enjoying incredible success on the pitch, Oisin’s personal life was spiralling out of control. A gambling addiction saw him run up massive debts, fall out with friends and family, and have suicida...
Jul 15, 2022•58 min
My favourite sport is tennis. I’ve loved it since I was 10 years of age when I first watched Bjorn Borg on Centre Court at Wimbledon. Ever since then, I’ve hit thousands and thousands of tennis balls, I play as often as I can. Why do I love this game so much? Because being on court is a lot like being on stage (you’ll hear why at the start of the episode). But you know what? I actually get more nervous on the court than I do on the stage!So this week I’ve indulged my sporting passion and go deep...
Jul 07, 2022•1 hr 9 min
‘Celebrity solicitor’, ‘Lawyer to the Stars’, ‘Man about town’, ‘Bon viveur’…Gerald Kean has a lot of titles, but to that list we can add tireless charity fundraiser, doting father, and great storyteller. You may know Gerald from his many appearances on radio, TV and in the social pages of the newspapers, but you will only have come to know a certain side to Gerald through that coverage, and I think over the course of this conversation, you might get to know some of the many other sides to the m...
Jul 01, 2022•49 min
If you,like me, are a fan of The Last Word with Matt Cooper on Today FM, then you will probably be very familiar with my special guest on this episode, the ever-fascinating Cal Thomas.Cal, along with journalist Marion McKeown, has a weekly slot on Matt’s show, where they debate the big stories and issues happening in the US – Marion generally leans liberally, Cal leans conservatively, and them sometimes they meet somewhere in the middle. It is always a great listen.Marion was a guest on this pod...
Jun 23, 2022•50 min
If there’s such a thing as a ‘celebrity’ politician then Richard Boyd Barrett would surely make the cut. A very familiar face and voice on TV and radio, Richard is eloquent and outspoken, goes against the grain when it comes to the Dail dress code, and he’s mates with one of the world’s top supermodels Bella Hadid. Well, he doesn’t actually know her, but she does follow him on Instagram and has been sharing a few of his posts recently. More on that, and loads more, in the interview. Check it out...
Jun 17, 2022•54 min
She’s fresh off the Dancing with the Stars dance floor, winner’s trophy in hand, and she has also just been unveiled as the new coach on Irish Fittest family - Nina Carberry is a seriously busy lady right now. So I was both surprised and delighted when she accepted our invitation to join me for a chat on The Mario Rosenstock Podcast. Nina has had a stellar career as a jockey, and it is very much in her DNA having been born into a famous racing family and then marrying into another! We talk all a...
Jun 10, 2022•43 min
