Hibernian Radio with Mike "Houli" Houlihan

Mike Houlihan, Bill Houlihan, John Kelly and Paddy Houlihan pose with the famed slogan of their shared high school Mt. Carmel Chicago

This week on Hibernian Radio, Paddy Houlihan sits down with Chicago mayoral candidate John Kelly to discuss his South Side roots, his family’s Chicago history, and why he believes the city needs a problem solver who isn’t a career politician. Kelly lays out his plans to attract big business, simplify permitting for small businesses, address vacant storefronts, and stabilize property taxes through economic growth. He also discusses public safety, proposing more police officers, safer CTA trains and buses, and a significant reduction in the mayor’s security detail to put more officers on transit. The conversation turns to city leadership, with Kelly pledging to work with all 50 aldermen, build relationships across party lines, and pursue state and federal resources. He also shares his ideas for expanding trade-school opportunities, supporting scholarship tax credits, and making city services more efficient. From his family’s roots in Woodlawn to his vision for Chicago’s future, John Kelly explains why he’s running for mayor and what he hopes to accomplish when elected.

Sponsored By: Fox’s Pizza (Mokena and Orland Park), Flood Bros., Madden Funds and Local 150 Engineers

This week on Hibernian Radio Patrick Hynes returns for his second visit after his primary win in March. Host Paddy Houlihan catches up with the Cook County Assessor candidate as he looks toward the final stretch of the campaign and shares what he hopes to bring to the office. Hynes talks about making the Assessor’s Office more taxpayer-focused, improving communication, and bringing greater consistency to property assessments. He also explains why he believes Cook County needs better property data, more predictable assessments for developers, and a thoughtful mix of technology and on-the-ground expertise. The conversation ranges from property taxes and housing costs to the challenge of encouraging investment and new development across the county.

Sponsored By: Fox’s Pizza (Mokena and Orland Park), Flood Bros., Madden Funds and Local 150 Engineers

This week on Hibernian Radio, Mike and Paddy Houlihan look back on the 12th annual Irish American Movie Hooley Film Festival, sharing highlights from the films and the filmmakers who joined them in Wilmette. They discuss Frank Shouldice’s documentary Once We Were Punks, a film about John Ford and the making of The Quiet Man, Colin Flynn’s short film Belief, and Jimmy Lynch and Tim Miller’s Ghostwriter. Along the way, they reflect on the festival’s communal spirit and the connections it has built among Irish American filmmakers. Mike and Paddy also talk about Bridgeport’s Favorite Year, their Chicago White Sox documentary special and preview the upcoming Hibernian Media trip to Ireland. The episode includes community obituaries, a visit to Houlitown, and a preview of next week’s guest, incoming Cook County Assessor Patrick Hines.

Sponsored By: Fox’s Pizza (Mokena and Orland Park), Flood Bros., Madden Funds and Local 150 Engineers

This week on Hibernian Radio Mike and Paddy Houlihan welcome entrepreneur Darren Gibney to discuss his journey from Warren Point, County Down, to the Chicago area and his work building Shift (https://shift.irish/), a social platform for connecting the global Irish community. Gibney shares how an early interest in technology grew from finding ways to streamline his uncle’s construction business, and describes his career in Washington, D.C., where he met longtime business partner Paul Murphy. He discusses the challenge of a fragmented Irish diaspora spread across social media groups, organizations, and local networks and Shift’s goal of making that community easier to discover and connect. The chat covers Shift’s directory of Irish pubs, festivals, musicians, podcasts, and organizations; its emphasis on in-person connections; and its dating feature, which aims to bring people together through shared Irish identity and social experiences rather than just swiping. Gibney also discusses the app’s beta-stage growth, festival outreach, and hopes for its future. The episode also features Hibernian Radio news, community announcements, and a visit to Houli Town.

Sponsored By: Fox’s Pizza (Mokena and Orland Park), Flood Bros., Madden Funds and Local 150 Engineers

Filmmaker Colin Flynn

This week Mike and Paddy Houlihan sit down with Irish American filmmaker and actor Colin Flynn, whose film Belief screens next Sunday at the Irish American Movie Hooley. Colin grew up around movie sets, tagging along with his dad, a Teamster transportation captain in Local 817, on sets like The Horse Whisperer. That’s where he caught the storytelling bug. After Colgate University he drove trucks for the Teamsters and tended bar, and the young people he met there, buried in debt and losing faith, inspired Belief. A pitch to a Wall Street regular at the bar landed him a career in finance. Today Colin runs Hills and Thrills Productions, a nonprofit built on what he calls “philanthainment”: telling stories to raise money for charity. He shares the heartbreaking story of actor Johnny Wactor, and previews his next film, All Saints Eve, a Halloween tale about a young man dressed as a priest. Plus, obituaries and news on Hibernian Media’s October trip to Ireland. Don’t miss the 12th annual Irish American Movie Hooley next weekend at the Wilmette Theater, celebrating 75 years of The Quiet Man. Meet the filmmakers every night! Tickets at wilmettetheater.com.

Sponsored By: Fox’s Pizza (Mokena and Orland Park), Flood Bros., Madden Funds and Local 150 Engineers

This week on Hibernian Radio, Paddy Houlihan slides into the host’s chair and serves up an absolute belter with retired CPD officer Pete Kelly. From growing up on Chicago’s wild East Side and making his way to Mount Carmel High School, to running and gunning in the 4th District, surviving shootings, and earning the Valor, Blue Star, and Life Saving Awards, Pete’s story is pure Chicago. He walks us through the madness of Cabrini Green, having a gangland hit put out on him, morphing into a burglary hunter in Lincoln Park, and eventually landing the dream gig: midnight foot patrol on Rush Street, where the drunks, the tough guys, and the maniacs all learned to “take the fountain lap or go to jail.” From there, Paddy digs into Pete’s second (and third) lives as a celebrity security man and character actor — guarding Jerry Springer, backing up Steve Wilkos, working on Transformers, trading stare downs with Shia LaBeouf, getting buried alive with snakes on Fear Factor with Joe Rogan, and bouncing around New York and Chicago on a 90-hour work week. Pete also talks about his roots in boxing, his Super Cop titles, and his current work with Gregory Boxing and the 9/11 anniversary charity first responder fights at Joe’s in Rosemont, plus his support for the Special Operations Care Fund (SOC-F) and the Chicago Charity Clays event that brings in Green Berets, SEALs, and real-life American heroes. We close with plugs for his wildly entertaining Substack (PeteKelly82), Hibernian Media’s upcoming Ireland trip, and the Irish American Movie Hooley film festival. This one’s packed with cops, characters, celebrities, and a silverback gorilla with bad intentions.

Follow Pete’s writing here: https://burtreynolds82.substack.com/

Sponsored By: Fox’s Pizza (Mokena and Orland Park), Flood Bros., Madden Funds and Local 150 Engineers

This week on Hibernian Radio, Mike Houlihan welcomes Nuala Murphy for her first appearance on the show. Originally from County Meath and now a Chicago area real estate agent, Nuala shares her remarkable journey through stage 3 breast cancer and her road back to an all clear. Nuala talks candidly about her diagnosis, mastectomy, chemotherapy, radiation, lymph node surgery and the long road to recovery. She also discusses the importance of screening, exercise, nutrition and understanding lymphedema, while highlighting free cancer survivor resources available through Lutheran General and UIC. Nuala’s commitment to the fight goes well beyond her own recovery. She talks about breast cancer research in Galway, upcoming fundraising efforts in Chicago and the need for better access to imaging, follow up care and affordable treatment. In true Hibernian fashion, the show also features community news, upcoming Hibernian Media events and the traditional reading of the obituaries. It’s an honest, hopeful and occasionally cheeky conversation about beating cancer, helping others and giving back to the community.

Sponsored By: Fox’s Pizza (Mokena and Orland Park), Flood Bros., Madden Funds and Local 150 Engineers

This week on Hibernian Radio, the Houlihan’s head into the vault for a fascinating archival interview with retired Cook County Sheriff’s Police Officer Joe Mauriello, a Chicago cop whose career sounds like it was written by Hollywood. Joe tells the story of joining the Sheriff’s Police in 1977, then recalls responding to a burglary at John Wayne Gacy’s house before anyone knew what was really going on. He also shares his harrowing experience as one of the first responders to the American Airlines Flight 191 crash at O’Hare in 1979, along with stories from his second career officiating more than 2,000 boxing matches and working major professional wrestling events. It’s a remarkable trip through Chicago law enforcement, boxing, aviation history and some truly unbelievable moments, followed by the traditional community obituaries.

Sponsored By: Fox’s Pizza (Mokena and Orland Park), Flood Bros. Disposal, Madden Funds and Local 150 Engineers

Houli and his son Paddy are together again for a lively Hibernian Radio, talking movies, Irish America, and the upcoming Irish American Movie Hooley Film Festival, September 25–27 at the Wilmette Theater. They run through this year’s lineup, including Once We Were Punks, John Ford: Dreaming the Quiet Man, Belief, and Ghost Writer. They then get into what it means to be Irish American in 2026, why fewer Irish Americans are telling their own stories, and how YouTube and modern technology are making it easier to bypass Hollywood’s gatekeepers. Naturally, the conversation wanders into Chicago politics, public safety, post-COVID Chicago, the River Shannon Pub, and a few old South Side memories.Plus, Mike and Paddy look ahead to their Hibernian Media sponsored October Ireland trip and close things out with their traditional community obituaries.

Sponsored By: Fox’s Pizza (Mokena and Orland Park), Flood Bros., Madden Funds and Local 150 Engineers

This week on Hibernian Radio, it’s a special Skinny & Houli Show reunion, recorded live at Reilly’s Daughter on the South Side of Chicago! Houli and Skinny are back together again, bringing the old gang back to life with plenty of laughs, stories and a little bit of the old “Who Cares?” magic. The lads are also gearing up for the October 21–28 Return to Ireland Trip, joined by Brendan O’Brien and the fabulous Catherine O’Connell. They talk Galway, Connemara, the Cliffs of Moher, the Macnas Halloween Festival and all the craic waiting across the pond. Catherine also shares some family history and treats the crowd to some beautiful Irish music. It’s a classic Skinny & Houli reunion packed with old memories, new stories, great music and plenty of South Side Irish spirit. And, as always, the show takes time to remember members of the community who have passed, proving once again that nobody does an Irish radio show quite like Houli and Skinny.

Sponsored By: Fox’s Pizza (Mokena and Orland Park), Flood Bros., Madden Funds and Local 150 Engineers