Hibernian Radio with Mike "Houli" Houlihan

Jeff Lange

Fox’s Pizza in Orland Park & Mokena, Guinness, Madden Funds and Flood Brothers Disposal present the Hibernian Radio Hour at our newest recording location known as ‘The Bunker’ and we begin the show with another episode of ‘Black Irishman’ which tells the story of Seamus O’Hooligan Jr, starring Greg Hollimon.  We take another dive into the vault this week with a look back at an interview from December 2023 with our dear friend, Jeff Lange. Jeff is a retired 30-year veteran of the Cook County Sheriff’s Police and was born and raised in Bridgeport. He is currently the 1st Vice-President of the Emerald Society and has served as a Board Member for almost 10 years. He first worked as a bouncer at Shenanigans in the early ‘80’s and began his Law Enforcement career at Cook County Jail in ’86 where he also met his wonderful wife Cathleen before he went to work for the Sheriff’s police. He was mainly involved in Narcotics, Undercover as well as the Metropolitan Enforcement Group – an undercover task force made up of the State Police, the County Police and municipalities in that area. “Our basic focus was ‘mid-level and up’ narcotics people”. He takes us through a typical day working undercover and shares a story about how he gained an informant’s trust. “You need to have an in.. It’s about getting involved.” Jeff dives into his German and Irish heritage with Houli and shares his experience visiting the Emerald Isle in 2015 when he carried the US flag with The Emerald Society in Dublin’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade. He goes on to share some of his funnier career stories including watching a colleague deal with a suspect who was undressing in the station. The craic is always great when Jeff’s around! Houli brings us up to date on some upcoming events including our upcoming party at Barney Callaghan’s on July 24th for the Skinny & Houli trip to Ireland happening in October this year. Then it’s over to the obits followed by a quick trip to ‘Houli-Town’. Happy 4th to all our listeners!

Alamo and his son, Bear

Fox’s Pizza in Orland Park & Mokena, Guinness, Madden Funds and Flood Brothers Disposal present the Hibernian Radio Hour at our newest recording location known as ‘The Bunker’ and we begin the show with another episode of ‘Black Irishman’ which tells the story of Seamus O’Hooligan Jr, starring Greg Hollimon.  We take a dive into the vault with a look back at the very first time Houli interviewed one of our favorite guests in 2019, James “Duke” Lynch AKA: Alamo! Alamo is a U.S Marine Corps Vietnam Veteran and a retired veteran of the Chicago Police Department. He is a South Shore native who attended St. Philip Neri School and Lyons Township High School. This legend is a man of valor who was awarded the Bronze Star after he lost both his knees in the war and still returned to combat after a 3 month long recovery. It’s a known fact that Alamo is a devoted fan of John Wayne, admiring him so much that he had to repeat the 5th grade because he skipped school for a full month to go see “The Alamo” 60 times in the theater.. He even took time off work to attend John Wayne’s funeral! This local legend has been awarded more awards than we can count including the Friend Indeed Award for carrying two children out of a burning building. In this particular interview, Alamo has many great stories to share including how he passed his entry test for the Police Academy, the time he was shot during a robbery and getting drunk at John Wayne’s house with the legend himself! It’s guaranteed to be a great show when we have the Alamo join us! Houli then brings us up to date on some upcoming events including Skinny & Houli’s trip to Ireland from October 20th to 26th. Call 1-800-664-7474 to book your spot! Then it’s over to the recent obituaries with a special visit to a past interview with the late Irish commentator, Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh. Be sure to tune in for another great show!

Terrance Hodges

Fox’s Pizza in Orland Park & Mokena, Guinness, Madden Funds and Flood Brothers Disposal present the Hibernian Radio Hour at our newest recording location known as ‘The Bunker’ and we begin the show with another episode of ‘Black Irishman’ which tells the story of Seamus O’Hooligan Jr, starring Greg Hollimon. This week Houli welcomes his good friend and 30 year retired CPD officer, Terrance Hodges to the show. Terrance grew up and attended school at St. Christina in Mount Greenwood. He comes from a long line of public servants; his father was a Chicago policeman and his grandfather was a fireman. Terrance was with CPD from ’73 to 2003, working in patrol for the most part and he had a lot of interaction with the secret service when helping plan the routes when presidents and political figures visited Chicago. “It was an interesting career!” He also worked as a Radio Talk Show host from 2006 – 2011 and explains how he got started in that field. He and Houli delve into their shared love of their faith and religion which leads to Terrance sharing his work as a Catholic activist. He focuses on the Chicago Nativity Scene that was removed from Daley Plaza back in the ’80s and how they managed to get it brought back. He also shares the story about the time the statue of the baby Jesus was stolen and was later found in a locker at Union Station. Terrance has also been playing the bodhran for the past 40 years and he shares some of his best memories from his musical experiences. He tells Houli about his son, Brendan and speaks highly of his wonderful late wife, Ellen and her accomplished life. The difficulties our officers face in today’s society, the rise in gun violence and the importance of having strong faith are some of the hot topics these two pals cover on this week’s show. Houli then brings us up to date on the recent obituaries followed by a quick trip to ‘Houli-Town’.

Bob Fioretti

Fox’s Pizza in Orland Park & Mokena, Guinness, Madden Funds and Flood Brothers Disposal present the Hibernian Radio Hour at our newest recording location known as ‘The Bunker’ and we begin the show with another episode of ‘Black Irishman’ which tells the story of Seamus O’Hooligan Jr, starring Greg Hollimon. This week we welcome our old friend, Bob Fioretti, to the show. This southside native was former Alderman of the 2nd Ward where he focused on providing high quality education throughout Chicago and helped create more than 8000 jobs. He is running for Cook County State’s Attorney as a Republican and he outlines some of the big changes he will make, including reversing certain policies introduced by Kim Foxx. Bob shares his reasons for running for State’s Attorney as a Republican with focus on his strong support for our First Responders and he also outlines Foxx’s lack of responsibility for the social issues and rise in crime in Chicago. “If somebody’s breaking the law, you enforce the law as it is written!” Bob sheds light on the recent rise in ‘rogue prosecutors’ as well as the chaos that has risen within Democratic cities due to lack of prosecutions. He reiterates the importance of researching properly before voting on November 5th. “Either we have chaos and bedlam, or we have law and order!” He also mentions his fight against stage 4 cancer back in 2010, attributing his remarkable recovery to his wonderful wife, Nicki and his medical team. The importance of supporting our local First Responders, the horrific gun violence in Chicago and the issues within CPS are just some of the many topics Bob and Houli delve into on this week’s show. Keep fighting the good fight, Bob!  Houli then brings us up to date on some upcoming events including The Emerald Society’s Annual Rib Fest on June 24th followed by a visit to ‘Houli-Town’.

Skinny Sheahan

Fox’s Pizza in Orland Park & Mokena, Guinness, Madden Funds and Flood Brothers Disposal present the Hibernian Radio Hour at our newest recording location known as ‘The Bunker’ and we begin the show with another episode of ‘Black Irishman’ which tells the story of Seamus O’Hooligan Jr, starring Greg Hollimon. This week we welcome an old pal of the show, the infamous James ‘Skinny’ Sheahan. He and Houli reminisce about their past radio show, “The Skinny and Houli Show” that aired for almost 10 years and they’re reuniting for another trip to Ireland this Fall from October 20th to 26th. They take a look back over some of their best memories from their past trips including the time Skinny took a shortcut through the fields in the middle of the night and ended up covered in cow manure as well as the infamous Europa hotel ‘pillow incident’.. They also mention some of the more interesting characters they’ve met on their trips to the Emerald Isle and explain how many of those nicknames came about! They’ve travelled all over Ireland and they will be visiting Dublin and Killarney on this year’s trip. Houli gives a special shout-out to Derry Cronin at Specialised Travel who schedules everything so if you want to join in on the shenanigans with the lads, call 1-800-664-7474 to book your spot! When Skinny retired from McCormick Place he joined the Board of Special Olympics to help raise funds for the organization and he has been working there for over 20 years. He mentions the recent opening of the Spring Games at Solider Field and the success at their newest campus at ‘Chicago Hope Academy’. We get a special treat when they bring back the popular ‘Who Cares?’ segment from their ‘Skinny & Houli Show’ days – for one night only! Houli then brings us up to date on some upcoming events including The Emerald Society‘s Annual Rib Fest on June 24th followed by this week’s obituaries. We take a quick trip to “Houli-Town’ to end a very special reunion show this week with our dear friend Skinny!

Cyril Regan

Fox’s Pizza in Orland Park & Mokena, Guinness, Madden Funds and Flood Brothers Disposal present the Hibernian Radio Hour at our newest recording location known as ‘The Bunker’ and we begin the show with another episode of ‘Black Irishman’ which tells the story of Seamus O’Hooligan Jr, starring Greg Hollimon. This week we welcome an old pal of the show, Cyril Regan. Cyril is a Roscommon native who moved to the States in ’85 and runs many businesses around Chicago including a funeral home and a J1 program. He explains what brought him to the States and why he moved from New York to Chicago in ’94. He mentions his experience in the immigration field and shares the reasons behind the founding of the Chicago Celts for Immigration Reform. He and Houli chat about their friend, the great Billy Lawless and the important work he has done for the Irish in Chicago. “Billy has been a great soldier on the immigration front!”. Cyril and Billy had a hand in passing the legislation that allows undocumented immigrants to obtain a driver’s license! Cyril speaks fondly about his late wife, Josie, who sadly passed away in March and explains how she was the inspiration for his newest business called ‘Josie’s Wheels’. He also mentions their son, David, who also works in the family business. His relationship with local Chicago politics and the current state of immigration and politics in Ireland are hot topics between these two pals this week and they end a wonderful interview with a look back over the craic they had working together on Chuy Garcia’s campaign. Houli brings us up to date on some upcoming events including the Dick Biondi fundraiser on Sunday, June 9th at Bourbon Street in Merrionette Park. Then we head over to the latest obituaries followed by a trip to ‘Houli-Town’.

Pam Enzweiler & Houli

Fox’s Pizza in Orland Park & Mokena, Guinness, Madden Funds and Flood Brothers Disposal present the Hibernian Radio Hour at our newest recording location known as ‘The Bunker’ and ‘Black Irishman’ which tells the story of Seamus O’Hooligan Jr, starring Greg Hollimon will return next week! This week we welcome Director & Producer of the Dick Biondi film, Pam Enzweiler, to the show. Pam has been working on this project for the past 10 years since she retired from the restaurant business. She begins by sharing the story of when she first heard Dick Biondi’s show in 1960 on WLS when she was just 13 years old and met him in person a year later. “I fell under the Biondi spell!” Pam called into his show that same day and was put on the air to chat to him. She went on to establish his fan club that same year and wrote their newsletter. “He really changed my life!”

Pam Enzweiler

Dick was a Chicago Rock ‘n’ Roll DJ who was voted the #1 DJ in America in the early ’60s and was the first to play The Beatles in the States. He also helped introduce the country to many musical legends including The Rolling Stones, Elvis Presley and Little Richard. There will be a fundraiser on Sunday, June 9th at Bourbon Street in Merrionette Park with many famous faces including Scott Childers as host, with music from Joe Cantafio as well as a live auction and a preview of the film itself. All proceeds will go towards finishing the project! Pam mentions how she got the idea for the film and is working on a book about him! “We grew up with that voice!” The banter is great between these two as they share their own memories of growing up listening to this local legend and Pam shares her hopes to enter the movie into film festivals in the future.. Be sure to get out and support at the fundraiser on June 9th! Houli then brings us up to date on some other upcoming events followed by the obituaries. We take a trip to our favorite place known as ‘Houli-Town’ to end a wonderful show this week!

Bob Lowey

Fox’s Pizza in Orland Park & Mokena, Guinness, Madden Funds and Flood Brothers Disposal present the Hibernian Radio Hour at our newest recording location known as ‘The Bunker’ and we begin the show with another episode of ‘Black Irishman’ which tells the story of Seamus O’Hooligan Jr, starring Greg Hollimon. This week we welcome Bob Lowey to the show who spent 31 years in Law Enforcement, starting out as an Auxiliary Police Officer in Bradley and becoming a Firearms instructor and Evidence technician. In 2002, he joined Kankakee Sheriff’s Department and has many titles under his belt including Field Training Officer, Arson Investigator, River Patrol and Elderly Service Officer to name a few. He was a a Narcotics officer with the MEG unit and has plenty of stories to tell from that those days with focus on the guy who shot a Correctional Officer with a gun that was smuggled into the jail by a fellow officer. Bob even arrested as many as 5 generations from one family during his Law Enforcement career! He looks back fondly on his time with River Patrol where he comments, “For every rough day, we had 100 great days!” Bob is a candidate for the Kankakee County Board and says the reason behind his move from Law Enforcement to politics is because,”I want to be an advocate for our police officers and do my civic duty in another way”. He chats about his family and shares the story of how he met his wife, Shannon, who also worked in Law Enforcement. These two discuss the upcoming presidential election and the ongoing social unrest surrounding the ‘Defund the Police’ movement. We end another insightful interview this week with Bob’s outlook on the future of Law Enforcement. Houli then brings us up to date on some upcoming events followed by this week’s obituaries. We end another great show this week with a quick trip to ‘Houli-Town’!

Deirdre Burke

Fox’s Pizza in Orland Park & Mokena, Guinness, Madden Funds and Flood Brothers Disposal present the Hibernian Radio Hour at our newest recording location known as ‘The Bunker’ and we begin the show with another episode of ‘Black Irishman’ which tells the story of Seamus O’Hooligan Jr, starring Greg Hollimon. This week we welcome a very special guest and good friend Deirdre Burke to the show who is visiting from Ireland. Deirdre is from County Galway and many of our listeners will know her sister, Maeve, who is well-known and loved in Chicago’s Irish community. Deirdre and Houli look back on their first meeting years ago during one of Houli’s annual trips to Ireland. She chats fondly about her big family, particularly her 16 year old son and she mentions the fact she just reached the 20 year mark working for Boston Scientific in Galway. Deirdre mentions the important organization that was established after her brother’s tragic untimely death called ‘The Claddagh Watch Patrol’ and shares some of the important work they do patrolling Galway’s waterways. These two pals discuss Deirdre’s plans with her family while she’s in Chicago and the craic is absolutely gas between these two! The problems with the Irish Immigration policies and Deirdre’s love for The Galway Races are just some other topics these two friends discuss on this week’s show. We take a musical break with “Patriot Game”  by The Chancey Brothers followed by an update on some upcoming local events and the obituaries. Then we head over to ‘Houli-Town’ to end another mighty show this week!

Sgt. Terry Dunn

Fox’s Pizza in Orland Park & Mokena, Guinness, Madden Funds and Flood Brothers Disposal present the Hibernian Radio Hour at our newest recording location known as ‘The Bunker’ and we begin the show with the 4th episode of ‘Black Irishman’ which tells the story of Seamus O’Hooligan Jr, starring Greg Hollimon. This week we welcome retired CPD Sergeant Terry Dunn to the show. Terry was with CPD for over 39 years and his younger brother is also a retired CPD officer. He grew up on the southside and attended St. Rita High School. These two pals go way back and chat about their first meeting over 20 years ago. Terry explains how difficult it was being the police back when he first joined the Force and mentions the reasons behind why his father wanted him to follow a different career path. He dives right into sharing some interesting stories from his successful career including the daunting experience of witnessing a schoolgirl be miraculously resuscitated after choking on a cupcake. Terry also tells the graphic story about helping the Fire Department save multiple babies during a dangerous fire in Humboldt Park. This guy is a true Chicago hero! He also recounts the incredible story of his very first day in uniform responding to a call about an intoxicated woman who was armed. These two pals discuss the current state of Chicago politics and the social unrest between the community and our police  “We elect who we elect! There are repercussions to these bad decisions…” This local legend has plenty of incredible stories to share from his extensive career and we wish Terry all the best during his heart surgery recovery! Houli then brings us up to date on some upcoming local events followed by the recent obituaries. We end another great show this week with a quick joke from Houli. Be sure to tune in!