The Mario Rosenstock Podcast

Ever wondered why the bookies always seem to come out on top? Or whether those tempting accumulators, bet builders and big-race specials are quite as attractive as they look?

Economist and UCD Professor Karl Whelan joins me on this episode to lift the lid on the economics of sports betting. His new book, Fine Margins: How Economics Explains Sports Betting, explores the mathematics behind the odds, the strategies bookmakers use to protect their profits, and why some of the most popular types of bets offer surprisingly poor value for punters.

There's also a brilliant story involving my great friend, the late Tony Fenton, Paddy Power and a €16,000 win on a Roy Keane Gift Grub sketch reaching Christmas number one. And we'll revisit that classic Roy Keane musical moment from the archives.

Karl previously worked as an economist at the US Federal Reserve, so we also chat about Donald Trump, the state of the American economy and the possibility that the enormous sums being invested in artificial intelligence could be fuelling another financial bubble.

Tour alert: My brand new live stage show ‘Boom’ has just gone on sale Nationwide- Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway, and Waterford. Tickets at Ticketmaster & venue box office. See you there !

Is AI is going to take your job, destroy civilisation or just make you feel completely inadequate?

My chat with Mark Little in this episode might help shed some light on the answers to these questions.

Mark is a former RTÉ foreign correspondent and news presenter, the founder of the very successful company Storyful, and somebody who's been at the forefront of the digital revolution for a long time.

He’s just written a fascinating new book called The Last Good Day on the Internet, about how technology has changed our lives, what we've lost along the way, and why the future might not be quite as bleak as we're sometimes led to believe.

We talk about whether AI could turn against us, why the people building it can sometimes seem a little bit mad themselves, and why the things that make us human might actually become more valuable in the years ahead.

COMEDY link – So it seems anyone who is anyone has a book to promote at the moment – and the intrepid team at RTE's Prime Time is worried...

Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand

What kind of person voluntarily walks into a Venezuelan prison run by armed inmates, travels to the front line of a war without a flak jacket, or goes looking for drug cartels while supposedly on holiday?

Meet Jeff Farrell, an Irish journalist and author whose extraordinary career has taken him into some of the most dangerous places on earth. And as I quickly discover, Jeff has an almost unnerving ability to recount terrifying experiences as though they were just another day at the office.

Jeff tells me about being held at gunpoint in Caracas, gaining access to a notorious Venezuelan prison, and the remarkable chance encounter that led him to co-write the bestselling The Cocaine Diaries.

He also reveals what it was like working for a fiercely pro-Brexit British newspaper, following Nigel Farage around the campaign trail, and the rather colourful response Farage gave him when asked about the future of Irish people living in Britain.

And there's plenty more: reporting from the front line in Ukraine, a frightening encounter with a Mexican drug cartel, and Jeff's new crime thriller, Bad Blood in Caracas, inspired by his years reporting in South America.

COMEDY - There are new houses being built near the home of Michael D Higgins – and he is NOT happy about it.

My brand new live stage show ‘BOOM’ is going Nationwide from early 2027 -book your tickets now on Ticketmaster or Venue box offices

Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand

It’s fair to say that Ivan Yates has had more careers, comebacks and reinventions than most. Farmer, politician, government minister, bookmaker, broadcaster, podcaster and political commentator – he's done the lot.

At the height of his bookmaking career, Ivan was making €4 million a year. A few years later, he was bankrupt and living alone in Swansea. But he bounced back, reinventing himself as one of Ireland's best-known broadcasters.

Now he's written a new book, The Game of Life and How to Win It, sharing the lessons he's learned about success, failure, money, relationships and happiness.

Ivan and I chat about the highs and lows of his extraordinary career, his departure from the Path to Power podcast with Matt Cooper, his views on politics, gambling and personal responsibility, and why he believes there's a formula for success.

We also talk about the morality of bankruptcy and whether getting a second chance should mean leaving others out of pocket.

Get ready for plenty of laughs, a few disagreements and some fascinating stories from a man who's rarely short of an opinion!

COMEDY – Its budget day and Minister Simon Harris is under serious pressure

Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand

You’ve probably seen that iconic black and white photo of Marco Pierre White – long hair, cigarette in mouth, in his chefs whites, and serious attitude in his expression. He was one of the first so-called 'rock star' chefs. But it was all backed up with serious talent -  his restaurants were legendary and he even became the youngest chef ever to win three Michelin stars.

Marco and I caught up in the studio while he was in Dublin for his Supper Club at the Courtyard Bar and Grill in Donnybrook, and we had the most fascinating and wildly unpredictable conversation!

We chat about food, his love of long lingering lunches (we share that in common), dealing rude customers in restaurants, the working-class world he grew up in, losing his mother when he was just six, and why he thinks that experience still affects the way he relates to people today.

He also shares brilliant stories about his extraordinary collection of friends and acquaintances. Margaret Thatcher, Boris Johnson, Nigel Farage, Keith Floyd and the wonderful Oliver Reed - one of life’s great characters.

COMEDY – Neven Maguire, Michael O’Leary and Roy Keane leave messages for Marco on The Mario Rosenstock Podcast Hotline

Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand

Sophie Morris has become one of Ireland’s most influential voices on food, with more than 650,000 followers watching as she picks apart supermarket claims, exposes questionable marketing and recommends the products she believes are actually worth buying.

But Sophie knows the food business from the inside too – she trained in Ballymaloe Cookery School and then built her own food company, turning down an investment on Dragons’ Den, and the supposedly dream supermarket deal that became one of the most stressful experiences of her life.

We chat about the booming business of “high protein” foods, the psychology behind supermarket marketing, the surprising power Sophie now has to send sales of a product soaring and why she won’t take money from food brands, and her serious concerns about the food being served to Irish children through the school meals programme.

Sophie also talks about her new RTÉ One series, How to Shop Well Now, airing October 5th and 12th.

COMEDY – after a terrible few days, Ed Sheeran is still facing difficult questions, but he’s playing the answers characteristically safe!

Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand

Donald Trump’s visit to Ireland last weekend certainly gave us plenty to talk about. In the space of 48 hours, he backed a united Ireland, promised to remove tariffs on Irish whiskey, met President Catherine Connolly, and reignited all the familiar arguments about Trump and his presidency.

So I invited two people with very different perspectives into the GoLoud studio to thrash out a few of the big talking points - Journalist Marion McKeone, who lived and worked in the US for many years, and American-born entrepreneur and commentator Karl Deeter.  

What follows is a lively debate about Trump’s Irish visit, Catherine Connolly, Gaza and Iran, MAGA, tariffs, Canada, American power, 9/11, and whether Donald Trump actually understands economics. I enjoyed chairing it and I hope you enjoy listening!

COMEDY – Michael D Higgins, Paschal Donohoe, and Michael O’Leary have a few things to get off their chests about Trump’s visit.

Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand

It has only taken Rory O’Hanlon 20 years to become an overnight success. Having spent two decades grafting in comedy clubs, open-mic nights, and corporate gigs, it was a quick piece to camera in the persona of a stereotypical D4 character that suddenly shot him into the big leagues.

D4 guy is very confident, mad into rugby and golf, has no clue about GAA, and is obsessed with what school you went to. And he’s very, very popular online - Rory now has over 150,000 followers on Instagram and 1.3m likes on TikTok and his viral videos led to his first Irish and UK tour last year.

So I was delighted to welcome Rory into the GoLoud studios to chat about the many years he spent years learning his craft, dealing with rejection and keeping on grafting until things really hit the big time for him. And of course, he took me deep inside D4 guy’s world and what he’s all about.  

Check out Rory’s tour dates HERE

COMEDY – A very popular Gift Grub from this week… With Donald Trump's visit to Ireland fast approaching, Micheál Martin is getting a bit nervous about a potential run-in between the American President and our own Catherine Connolly. He decided to try to give her a few pointers, but they weren't received very well.

Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand

Ryan Tubridy and I go back quite a long way. I appeared as his guest many times on The Late Late Show; I had enormous fun doing it and, as he admits on this episode, so did he. And as it happens, this very podcast was launched on the Late Late, just over five years ago!

I haven't seen Ryan for ages but, like you, I've been keeping an eye on what he's been up to and had loads of questions for him, including some elephants in some rooms. So I was delighted that I finally managed to get him onto this podcast to have a proper catch up and get stuck into areas like the RTE controversy, reforming the Late Late, his new life in London, therapy, the changing world of broadcasting, and where he wants to go next.

There’s also old Late Late memories, Gay Byrne, Russell Crowe, Tommy Tiernan, Sinead O’Connor, Michael Flatley, Brendan O'Connor, and lots of other areas that we strayed into. It was great to have a proper catch up with Ryan and I hope you enjoy the conversation.

COMEDY – for the episode that’s in it, we replay a classic Gift Grub from earlier this year about how RTE executives are planning to modernise The Late Late Show.

Ryan has a couple of ‘Book Shelf Live’ shows coming up in the Pavilion Theatre this December. Check out paviliontheatre.ie for all the details

Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand

Elaine Crowley was generous enough to join me in the studio to record this episode on her birthday! And we had so much fun. Elaine has finally bought her own home after years of renting, so we get into the madness of the Irish housing market, the realities of buying on your own and the relief of finally having a place to call your own.

We also talk about life on Virgin Media’s Ireland AM, why Elaine believes live television is in better health than people might think, the future of TV and if Martin King really is as sounds as he comes across on the show.

Elaine and I also discover that white wine turns both of us into demons, I teach her some highly questionable Irish courtesy of Dáithí Ó Sé, and we chat about the unforgettable occasion Elaine was described as “the robust one” by a journalist.

Elaine is honest, hilarious and completely herself. Enjoy the chat.

COMEDY - The Healy-Rae brothers are starring in a brand new blockbuster movie, and its one you do NOT want to miss

Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand