You probably know Paul Williams well from his journalism and regular appearances on radio and TV. However, you may not be aware of how and why he got into crime journalism in the first place, what daily life is like for someone with a job like his, and how passionately he feels about the victims of crime. We get stuck in to all of that in this episode of The Mario Rosenstock Podcast and Paul also tells me about his new book, Crooks: The Stories behind the headlines. COMEDY – Paul gets voicemails...
Dec 13, 2024•54 min
It’s the time of year for reflection and I’ve been thinking a lot on how far we’ve come with this podcast since we started it almost four years ago - millions of listens, some big awards and nominations, and a lot of friends made along the way. And it’s all thanks to you for being a loyal listener and supporting us along the way. So I thought it would be fitting for this week’s episode to go right back to the very start and revisit my very first interview on this series, with the great Ian Demps...
Dec 06, 2024•44 min
Whenever I want to get stuck into a really great chat about US politics, Irish politics, or any kind of tending social issue, I have a couple of go-to guests that I love to thrash things out with – and Karl Deeter is one of them. We don’t always see eye to eye, but in my opinion that's often the essence of a great conversation. As a mortgage-broker turned tech-founder, Karl is well-known for his knowledge of the property market and various economic issues, and he’s a regular on radio and tv givi...
Nov 28, 2024•1 hr 3 min
Comedian Ross Browne has written for and starred in several hidden camera shows including RTE’s The Fear and Scorchio, alongside Fred Cooke, Hilary Rose and Jennifer Zamparelli. And he has also personally pranked The White House, CIA headquarters and Enda Kenny! ( here’s a link to the one with Enda) Ross is also a lead writer for the latest series of The Young Offenders, he has an Amazon Prime Special show, and he’s a successful stand-up comic. Oh – and there’s the small matter of his former car...
Nov 22, 2024•58 min
So much has changed for Dave Moore since he last joined me here on the Mario Rosenstock podcast. Not only has Today FM’s Dermot and Dave show now become ‘The Dave Moore Show’, after Dermot Whelan left to focus on his mindfulness career, but Dave can now call himself an author! He has just published his first book, ‘Dave's Bad Jokes’ - a carefully curated collection of questionable gags sent into the show by listeners over the last few years. Press play to hear all about it, and indeed some well-...
Nov 15, 2024•1 hr 6 min
He has been on our screens with Ireland AM for 25 years and on stage in your favourite pantos for over 30, Alan Hughes must be the hardest working man in showbiz. He’s also so refreshingly honest, irreverent and funny – the perfect ingredients for a guest on The Mario Rosenstock Podcast. In this episode we talk all about Alan’s remarkable career, what drives him to work so hard , misbehaving celebrities, why he thinks panto is suffering from political correctness and lots more Comedy – Donald Tr...
Nov 08, 2024•59 min
I am obsessed with US politics. Not only is it full of drama and fascinating characters, but the results of this upcoming election could have a real, tangible impact on Ireland. So I wanted to get stuck into all things election-related with one of Ireland’s best-known experts on this subject. Larry Donnelly was born in Boston into an Irish-American family steeped in politics – most notably, his uncle Congressman Brian Donnelly, introduced the “Donnelly visa” enabling more Irish people to legally...
Nov 01, 2024•1 hr 7 min
I’m pretty sure that you will not have heard an interview with Tánaiste Micheál Martin quite like this one before. The man is great craic, full of funny stories and banter – it’s a side to him that we rarely get to see in the Dail and on current affairs shows, but we certainly get a taste of it in this episode. We talk about his love of impressions, and he even does a few for us! He tells me what he thinks of my Gift Grub caricature of him, he also talks about his relationship with Leo Varadkar ...
Sep 12, 2024•47 min
This is one of my favourite interviews from last year. I’ve always noticed that rugby players, in particular retired rugby players, have brilliant stories to tell. There’s so much craic and mischief going on behind the scenes in the changing room and when they’re off on tour and then you and I are lucky enough to hear all about it, when a sufficient amount of time has passed and its safe to share the stories! Tommy Bowe is one of those great former rugby internationals who also happens to be a b...
Jul 25, 2024•1 hr 6 min
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to ride a motorbike alone from the bottom of South America to the very top of North America? My guest on this episode did just that. Peter Murtagh, having retired from the Irish Times after decades of doing the work he loved to do, hopped on his motorbike, and spent eight months travelling 45,000 kms alone through deserts, mountains, jungles and cities, and he joins me to tell me about the places he saw, the people he met, and what he has learned abou...
Jul 20, 2024•56 min
In the 12 months since Tony Kelly was on this podcast, his life has completely transformed. The comedy character that he created at a house party over ten years ago, is now the central character in a feature film that has gone global, streaming on Apple TV and Amazon Prime. So Tony is back on the pod to tell me all about how it all happened and where to next. We also talk about his personal struggles with alcohol and drugs and how that side of his life has been going for him since the very dark ...
Jul 07, 2024•44 min
I am a tennis nut. I have been playing and loving the sport since I was ten years old and continue to love it to this day. So I’m delighted to be joined on this episode by the best tennis player ever to come out of Ireland. Conor Niland played for many years at a professional level, he was coached at the tennis academy run by legendary coach Nick Bollettieri, and he even qualified for Wimbledon, one of the only Irish players ever to do so. He has also met and played some of the tennis greats and...
Jun 28, 2024•58 min
Professor John Crown is one of Ireland’s best-known and accomplished cancer experts. He has spent his entire career trying to improve outcomes for patients and fighting to improve the way Ireland’s health system works, so it was no surprise that, recently, John was crowned with the Outstanding Contribution to Cancer Medicine and Research Award from the Irish Association for Cancer Research. In this episode of The Mario Rosenstock Podcast we talk about John’s fascinating background, what inspired...
Jun 14, 2024•56 min
Brendan Ogle is one of Ireland’s best-known activists and trade unionists. Having fought Margaret Thatcher and her plans to privatise the railways in the UK, Brendan returned home to Ireland in the early 90s and has been fighting for workers’ rights and social justice ever since. He has now decided that its time to move from protest to politics, and to try to effect change as a member of the European Parliament. Brendan is always a compelling podcast guest – he’s a real character, he’s got loads...
Jun 05, 2024•1 hr 4 min
Laura and Rob are from very different worlds. Laura is a stand-up comedian and actress, best known The School and Bridget and Eamon on RTE. Rob is one of Ireland’s most successful Olympians, competing in five different Olympic games, and winning a gold medal at the Moscow World Championships. But together they present a very successful podcast called Red Raw where they talk very openly about their lives and share stories about body image, trying to conceive, Rob not hitting puberty until he was ...
May 24, 2024•1 hr 5 min
When Niall Boylan joined me here a couple of years ago we had a fascinating conversation about his 30-yearr career in radio, his reputation as a so-called ‘shock jock’, and his incredible life story. But recently Niall decided to put his lifelong radio career on hold so that he can run as a candidate in the Dublin constituency in the upcoming European elections. Having spent so many years as a phone-in radio presenter Niall believes that he has a unique understanding of Irish voters and the kind...
May 17, 2024•1 hr 9 min
A story like Israel’s war on Gaza naturally gets wall to wall news coverage. But sometimes blanket coverage over a prolonged period of time can start to lose its power, we start to get inured to it and its impact decreases. So in order to keep getting the message out there, you need a new angle - and comedian and writer Tadhg Hickey certainly has that angle. Tadhg has become very well-known over the last few years for unique brand of comedy, which highlights global political issues in a very fre...
May 10, 2024•1 hr 6 min
We hadn’t planned to talk about it, but the tragic situation in Gaza and the failure of well-known people in the wellness industry to speak out about it, was one of the highlights of my chat with broadcaster and podcaster Sile Seoige. It’s a subject about which Sile feels incredibly passionate right now and she explains why in this episode. But of course we talked about all sorts of other things in the hour we spent together, like Sile’s hugely successful podcast Ready to be Real, some of the to...
May 03, 2024•1 hr 14 min
Something that has always fascinated me about former State Pathologist Dr Marie Cassidy is how she could have one of the toughest, most serious and emotionally impactful jobs in the country and yet be so upbeat and positive outside of the job. In a way maybe that’s the only way one can successfully do it. Marie and I get in to all of that in our chat, as well as what its like being a pathologist, why she wanted to become one, the famous case that made her decide it was time to go, and lots more....
Apr 26, 2024•51 min
Lots of people THINK about running for election, lots of people TALK about it, but very few actually do it. Having spent many years loosely involved in politics, Cormac Lucey has now decided to go all the way, and he has just thrown his hat into the ring of the local elections in June. Cormac is a Sunday Times columnist, a lecturer in Finance in Trinity College, and a very familiar face and voice on media. I wanted to know what makes somebody like him, after years on the fringes of politics, dec...
Apr 21, 2024•52 min
What a story we have for you on this episode. Nadia Adan was born in Somalia but had to flee when the war broke out, and after years of travel, refugee camps, and time in prison, she and her mum found refuge in Ireland, where they have lived happily for over 20yrs. Her passion for hard work and business have made Nadia very successful and she’s now Ireland’s only female car showroom owner, known for her unique approach to marketing on social media and her controversial stance on electric cars. I...
Apr 13, 2024•49 min
Anna Geary has a lot of strings to her bow: All Ireland-winning camogie captain, coach on RTE’s Ireland’s Fittest Family, radio presenter, former contestant on Dancing With The Stars… the list goes on. She’s also now an author, having just published her first book. It’s called Anna’s Game Plan and it's a practical toolkit to help people become more confident and be more in control. Achieving everything that Anna has achieved so far has taken courage, confidence, resilience, and the ability to ha...
Apr 07, 2024•1 hr 6 min
With all the recent talk and speculation about politics, the next government and the future Fine Gael, we thought it was timely to repost this fascinating interview with Minister Paschal Donohoe. Published a few months ago, this is probably one of the most open, honest and personal interviews he has done, covering how and why he got into politics, what drives him to stay in a very demanding and often thankless job, his love of football and music, and what does to unwind on a Friday night! COMEDY...
Mar 29, 2024•1 hr 11 min
Pat Sheedy was released from prison just last August. He was there because of all of the scams he pulled to make money to feed his all-consuming gambling addiction – it ruined his life. And he travelled from Limerick to Dublin to join me here in the studio to tell his story. We talked about how and why he started gambling - and why he couldn’t stop - the crimes he committed in order to feed his habit, his opinions on gambling companies, and life during and after prison, and lots more… COMEDY - T...
Mar 23, 2024•50 min
As Liam Neeson would say, Kayleigh Trappe has a very particular set of skills. She takes clips from TV shows and podcasts that have gone viral, and recreates them perfectly on camera. And her ‘victims’ are paying attention, earning her name checks from the likes of Peter Crouch, Louis Walsh, Vogue Williams and Joanne McNally and a few more leading lights. If you’ve never seen Kayleigh’s work, check it out on Instagram right now . And then come back and listen to this great conversation where she...
Mar 16, 2024•50 min
Cathy Kelly is one of Ireland’s best loved and most prolific authors, with a very impressive 23 novels under her belt! Her latest one is called Sisterhood and Cathy joined me in studio to chat about her lifelong love of books and her writing process. She has also been receiving treatment for a very serious type of cancer over the past few months, and it has had a very big impact, leaving her very sick and very tired. However, Cathy is remarkably positive about everything, and during out chat she...
Mar 08, 2024•55 min
There’s a big referendum coming up this week, but how many of us actually understand what we’re being asked to vote on? Award-winning journalist Larissa Nolan has spent weeks studying this proposed change to the constitution and not only does she break it down for me in this episode of the Mario Rosenstock Podcast, she also lets fly about her very strong opinions about it. Larissa is always so interesting to listen to no matter what subject she’s talking about, so here’s a bonus episode that we ...
Mar 05, 2024•37 min
Not only is Donal Lenihan a true legend of Irish rugby and a much-loved commentator and pundit, he’s also a master storyteller. In this episode he shares so many great behind-the-scenes stories about antics on and off the pitch during his playing days, insights in to the modern game, management and current squad, and why he loves using his position as a commentator to make the game accessible to everyone. He also lets rip about my regular impressions of him on Gift Grub! Comedy – President Micha...
Mar 01, 2024•1 hr 6 min
You might recognise Paddy Cullivan as the frontman of the wonderful Camembert Quartet, which was the house band for the Late Late show for over ten years. But Paddy is also a very successful ‘historical entertainer’, bringing together history, music, comedy and the visual arts and combining them into stage shows where he takes big historical stories and makes them accessible and entertaining, sometimes ruffling a few feathers along the way. Paddy’s new show, ‘I can’t believe it’s not Ireland’ is...
Feb 23, 2024•55 min
Last year we had Marion McKeown and Cal Thomas (they of Matt Cooper’s Last Word fame) on the pod (on separate episodes). I’m a massive fan of their slot on Matt’s show and, as you might expect, they both had such interesting and prescient things to say about Trump and politics in America. So we thought, given everything happening in the US right now, we would pick out some of the best bits from those interviews and bring them together into one episode this week Having spent the last couple of de...
Feb 16, 2024•53 min
