The 738am podcast - talking to people about stuff

Kevin Branigan is the Chief Executive at Radio Nova 100 Dublin. He's also one of the first guys I ever did radio with back when we were just teenagers broadcasting from high up the Dublin mountains. I couldn't remember how it was we got together, so to speak, but Kevin's memory of a late night phone call to Radio Dublin, where I was working at the time, helped put some of the pieces together. We went from Signal 106, to radio stations operating out of a corner to Kevin's bedroom (much to the continued displeasure of his father who always looked most disgruntled at the constant stream of people traipsing through his house), to the super-popular Kiss 103.2 FM. That was a station which attracted a huge audience, and because it was just years after all the stations in Ireland had gone legal, it was one that also attracted a lot of the wrong kind of attention. The Department of Communications, the Gardai, angry radio stations and more meant our time on the air was short, but we burnt brightly. Kevin remembers meetings with the police, and finding evidence of just how popular Kiss FM was while working for FM104. We talk about the infamous mountain raid, what happened after the close down, and take it to the modern era to chat about what's going on at Nova, what the plans for the future are there, and lots more. It's full of [pirate] radio goodness.

My guest on the show this week is writer Belinda McKeon. Her debut novel 'Solace' (2011), won the Irish Book of the Year award at the Irish book awards, and her second book 'Tender' was published last year. Having read both of them very recently, and really enjoyed them, it was great to chat with Belinda about the books, writing, teaching and more. She lives in New York and teaches creative writing at Rutgers University, so we chat about that; how being online so much has affected her memory; working as a journalist and what she learned from those years; moving from Longford to Dublin at the age of 17 to go to Trinity; a year of insomnia due to anxiety; social awkwardness; her writing processes, and loads more. You'll find links to the books below, and if you want to follow Belinda on Twitter it's @belindamckeon.

My guest this week is 2FM presenter Tracy Clifford. She began her radio career, like so many of us, in the pirate world – this was the era of the 90s dance stations. She went to Ballyfermot to 'study', and almost immediately after leaving there landed a job as a news presenter/editor on East Coast radio. From there she worked on the breakfast show, and the morning show with the legendary Declan Meehan – someone who played a major role in her broadcasting education. Already doing 5 days a week in East Coast, she did weekend news on Spin 103.8, which led to a job as news editor, and then a very successful breakfast show 'Fully Charged', co-presented with Ryan Phillips. She landed a big gig on 2FM last year, so we chat about her career progression; how she spent three hours a morning laughing on Spin; the difference between being part of a duo and solo presenting; her dislike of early mornings; and loads more. Follow Tracy on Twitter @TracyClifford or listen every day on 2FM at 1pm

If you're of a certain vintage you'll remember Mike Moloney as one of the mainstays of late night radio in Dublin, and in Ireland. As presenter of The Night Train, when Mark Cagney wasn't doing it, and later Moloney after Midnight, his voice and music choices were an essential part of the radio landscape for years. Mike Moloney began his radio career almost by accident, starting off with a jazz show on ARD, before he did just about every job in there, on-air and off. He moved to Kiss FM and Radio Nova, before ending up on 2FM where he stayed for many years. We chat about his beginnings in the radio industry; how he built a massive radio collection; the fun and games of pirate radio at that time including raids, parties, drinking, armed police guarding studios, SAS involvement, and DJs beating up members of the IRA who were looking to use the popularity of the illegal broadcasters to spread their message. We talk Nova, Chris Carey, being fired at 2am, his move to RTE, phone calls with Mark Cagney's 'brother' and lots more. It's a very entertaining chat, hope you enjoy it, and don't forget you can hear Mike every weekend on Nova.

Some of you will know that part of what I do to earn a living is voice-over work. So, it was a real pleasure to chat this week to one of the legends of the Irish voice-over scene. Jonathan Ryan did his first gig back in the 80s, and he's been a mainstay behind the mic ever since. If you're in Ireland, you'll almost certainly recognise his voice when we start talking. As well as that though, Jonathan is an actor, appearing in TV shows like The Irish RM, The Tudors, and Fair City, and in movies like In the name of the Father and Patriot Games. We chat about how he got into acting, how the role in that Harrison Ford blockbuster was nearly a much bigger one, foreign language VOs, talking into a microphone for money and how it was that a man with a voice so deep was actually the very first person to voice kids TV puppet Bosco! It's a show packed full of stories and anecdotes, I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I did recording it.

My guest on the show this week is Cormac Battle who, if you're young enough, you'll know as a presenter on 2FM in his own right, and as co-presenter and 'man who comes up with surreal ideas' on the Rick O'Shea show. However, you might remember him from such bands as Kerbdog and Wilt, and we discuss his life as a musician, sending out demos and getting a record deal, touring, recording in LA in the same studio in which Nirvana made Nevermind, crazy Hollywood parties, and why the bands never quite reached the heights he'd hoped. We also touch on social media, life online, a lack of identity due to being born in the UK and coming back to Ireland (something I can understand), working on the radio and lots more. It's a great chat, dig in. You can follow Cormac Battle on Twitter - @cormacbattle

Today my guest is Leagues O'Toole, whose main gig right now is as a promoter with Aiken Promotions. Chances are you've been to one of his gigs at some point, and we start by discussing US comedians, like Marc Maron and Anthony Jesselnik, who have played in Dublin in recent times. Leagues is also a writer, so there's chat about how he got started by writing reviews for the Dublin Event Guide, and the magazine he created called Foggy Notions. We touch on his time as the somewhat reluctant presenter of No Disco, the challenges in putting on gigs, finding new acts, getting them the coverage they need to sell tickets, his book and documentary about the legendary Planxty, and loads more. You can follow him on Twitter @foggynotions where he sometimes takes requests about which acts to bring over.

It's an absolute pleasure to welcome Tara Flynn back to the show this week. We first 'casted way back in episode 2, and so much has happened since that I had to ask her back on. In that first episode we talked a bit about social issues, such as the marriage referendum, and this year Tara spoke and wrote very openly and eloquently about her experience of abortion. In this podcast we talk about being so up-front with her personal experiences, and how it's making sure that what is an important subject is spoken about properly. We discuss the repeal of the 8th amendment, the realities that face Irish women who are denied medical treatment in their own country and who are forced travel abroad, and why this is a subject that has to be addressed, even if the reaction to it is still unpleasant and visceral in some quarters. We also talk about Star Wars, great TV, and Tara's very funny new book: Giving out yards - the art of complaint Irish style. It's available in all good bookshops, like the Gutter Bookshops in Temple Bar and Dalkey, and Blackbird Books in Navan, so if you're looking for a Christmas book for someone, this is exactly what you want. It's a great chat, thanks to Tara for being so forthright and for giving me an hour of her time ... again!

Hey folks, welcome to episode 50 of the podcast. A bit of a landmark, you have to say. If you've been here since the start, thanks very much for listening. If you're new to the show, check out the archives for some amazing chats with people like Marc Maron, Dara O'Briain, Tara Flynn, Jon Ronson, and loads more. Remember, you can follow the show on Twitter @738ampod or my own account @andrewmanganvo. Today's guest is comedian Alison Spittle. Alison is forging a career in the comedy world, and we chat about why she got started doing stand-up via the radio world; her early years in the UK and Westmeath; playing God; the buzz of performing; the difficulties of whether or not to move to London to try the larger comedy scene and lots more. For more on Alison, check out her website or follow her on Twitter @alisonspittle

You might remember Nails Mahoney from such radio stations as Sunshine 101, Atlantic 252, 2FM, and 98FM to name just a few. His radio career has been long and varied, and in this episode I chat to him about his start in the industry as a rookie pirate, being given his current moniker by Wild Bill at Sunshine 101 when that station went 'hot hits', to where he is and all that went in-between. He's worked on and off in Canada down the years, and speaks about how for him radio isn't so much about the music, it's what happens between songs that drives him. It's 'the verbals', as he says, which is why he was able to work successfully on a country music radio station despite not really having an affinity for that kind of music himself. If you're into radio you'll love this, if you have ambitions or aspirations to be a presenter, you really need to give this a listen because it'll give you some great perspective about the job and the industry. You can follow Nails on Twitter @NailsOnAir